Halloween Seitan and Kale, Whole Wheat Couscous with Brussels Sprouts, Fermented Vegetables with Bell Pepper (No Added Fat)

Happy Halloween! I had a little pumpkin puree on hand and was very happy with my recent (October 18th) experiment cooking with seitan and pumpkin puree. I came up with the idea of cooking seitan with vegetables and pumpkin, then mixing in fresh, raw tomatoes when I served. I made the mistake of mixing the tomatoes in with the couscous which I had thought to make as a side dish - and, in hindsight, I think my "mistake" was fortuitous as it nicely elevated the taste and presentation of the couscous. Here's what I did.


Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
  • 3/4 cup water (I accidentally used 1 cup)
  • 1 cup frozen Brussel sprouts
  • Vegan bouillon cube
  • 2/3 cup tomato cut into 1/2" cubes (much of a small-medium tomato)
  • 2T minced basil leaves
  • 3/4 cup onion cut into thin half moons app. 1/4" x 1 1/2"
  • 8 ounces of seitan (I used strips, but any convenient size can be used)
  • 1 1/3 cups carrot cut into 3/8" widths (I used two medium carrots)
  • 1 2/3 compressed cups kale in approximately 1" hand torn pieces (stems excepted)
  • 4 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 t salt
Process
  1. Whole wheat couscous cooks in a 1 : 1.5 ratio to water, but I accidentally used 1:2. I put the couscous, water, salt, and bouillon cube in a small pan and brought to a boil.
  2. I added the Brussels sprouts, let the temperature come back to a boil, then simmered on low heat, covered, for 10m.
  3. In parallel, I made the main course by cooking waterlessly. I put, in this order, the onion, seitan, carrot, kale, and pumpkin into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.
  4. When I was ready to serve, I mixed in salt in equal parts (i.e., 1/4 t each) to each dish; to the couscous dish, I also added the tomato and basil.
Results

Dinner was good. I liked the main course, though I think that I preferred how I prepared the seitan and pumpkin better almost two weeks ago. The couscous was very good!

Ideas for the future

I should in fact try a simple seitan and pumpkin dish with fresh herbs and raw tomato added when served. I'll bet such a dish would be good. I'm glad that recently I've been making whole wheat couscous dishes, and need to keep experimenting. Fresh dill or oregano would be a nice addition, and cubed squash would be great with the couscous.

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