June 29, 2016
(last updated May 6, 2023) 
I’ve heard it said that tofu, tempeh, and seitan are the “holy trinity” of vegan proteins. I’ve been an ardent and tofu and tempeh lover most of my vegan years, but seitan has always been a tough sell for me, which is why I’m particularly excited to share this recipe for spicy seitan sofrito bowls today.
My first reaction upon eating seitan was that it tasted a little too much like meat; whereas tofu and tempeh seemed to have flavors and textures that were undeniably unique, seitan really did taste (to me) like chicken. As someone who had given meat up happily and without too many residual cravings, I didn’t feel a strong need to replace it in my vegan diet.
Over time, though, and especially since I’ve started dating Steven, I’ve come to value meat replacements a lot more highly. Steven has adopted a mostly vegan diet as part of our life together. It was a big change for him, and I see how much easier and more enjoyable his journey has been because really wonderful veggie burgers, burger crumbles, chicken strips, deli slices, and other faux meats exist. These products give him a sense of connection to familiar, favorite foods, and using more of them in my cooking has given me a fun opportunity to experiment, to expand my options, and to try new ingredients.
Seitan is easy to make, but since it’s still a relatively new-to-me ingredient, I’m focused on figuring out how to use and season it–creating a homemade version will come next! For now, I’ve been appreciating the convenience and flavor of Sweet Earth seitan strips.
The Sweet Earth Natural Foods company focuses on making affordable, plant-based vegetarian and vegan foods that are packed with protein and flavor. The products are easy to prepare, and they can be found at a wide range of retailers, from local health food stores to Target. The company is passionate about making a plant-based diet “accessible to anyone who wants to try it.”
SweetEarth products range from seitan strips and grounds (in traditional flavor, chipotle, or curry satay) to a variety of vegan and vegetarian burritos, frozen meals, and even a “benevolent bacon.” The products honor seitan as part of a long tradition of vegetarian cooking, which dates back to the kitchens of Buddhist zen monks (seitan is still sometimes referred to as “monk meat”). Sweet Earth foods also feature a wide array of nutrient dense vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds.
The veggie burgers–which feature millet, black beans, and chickpeas–are among my favorites, especially the za’atar flavor.
Sweet Earth products pay homage to global flavors and bold, savory seasonings. So, as I was thinking about today’s recipe, the idea of a bold sofrito bowl immediately came to mind.
Sofrito is a sauce–usually consisting of consists of garlic, onion, paprika, peppers, and tomatoes–used to flavor vegetables and meat in Spanish, Portugese, and South American cooking. It’s simple to prepare, especially if you allow a food processor to do the chopping.
Here, a simple sofrito mix is used to simmer hearty seitan strips, and it’s all paired with an easy, flavorful spin on Spanish rice (the rice recipe may become a staple for me; it’s a great way to turn ordinary rice into a more filling side dish). Massaged kale and avocado complete the dish and add color. You can use your favorite steamed or roasted vegetable in place of the kale, and if you’re allergic to wheat or gluten, you can use tofu or tempeh (or even spiced lentils) in place of the seitan.
Spicy Seitan Sofrito Bowls
Author –Yields: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
For the Spanish-inspired rice:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup cauliflower, chopped into small florets and pieces
- 1 cup dry, long-grain brown rice, rinsed
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes (half of a 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes; you'll use the other half in the sofrito, below)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups water
For the seitan sofrito:
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 8 ounces seitan strips or pieces
- 1/2 large white or yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes (half of a 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes; the other half is used in the rice, above)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
For the massaged kale:
- 10 ounces curly kale, stemmed and chopped (300g; about 1 medium sized bunch kale)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, make the rice. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions for 5 minutes, or until they're soft and clear, stirring frequently. Add the peppers, carrot, and cauliflower. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for another 4-5 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just tender. Add the rice, tomatoes, smoked paprika, salt, crushed red pepper, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the rice. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid. Remove the rice from heat and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- While the rice cooks, make the seitan sofrito. Place the garlic, onion, and peppers into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse until everything is finely chopped. (Alternately, finely chop by hand.)
- Heat two teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the seitan strips and cook, stirring, until they're lightly browned. Remove the seitan strips from the skillet and set them aside.
- Add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the chopped garlic, onion, and pepper mixture, along with the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and cayenne. Wait until the mixture is bubbly, then simmer it for 10 minutes, covered, or until it has thickened up (it should be the texture of a chunky tomato sauce). Stir in the seitan strips.
- To make the kale, place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Massage the kale with your hands until it's tender—use pressure! Give the greens some love. Taste, then adjust salt and pepper to taste
- To assemble the bowls, divide the rice, seitan, and kale evenly into four bowls. Serve with any toppings you like: hot sauce, chopped cilantro or parsley, or chopped green onions are all great. Enjoy.
Notes
Leftover rice and seitan will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Even if you’ve been eating a vegan diet for a long time, it’s fun to branch out and experiment with new foods. I’m glad that products like these exist to widen options and increase convenience for both longtime vegans and those who are curious about trying the diet. I hope you enjoy the bowls, too.
For those of you who are curious about trying some of the Sweet Earth products at home, a little giveaway. Enter below to win a Sweet Earth Swag Kit (including a T-shirt, tote bag, and stickers) and 5 free product coupons–which you can use at any retailer to explore Sweet Earth products of your choice. The giveaway will run for one week, and it’s open to US readers only.
I’ll be back at the end of this week with an easy, flavorful, protein packed salad that’s perfect for toting along to July 4th cookouts and gatherings. Till soon!
xo
This post is sponsored by Sweet Earth Natural Foods. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!
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Leave a Comment
This is so delicious! I actually made the recipe 2 ways- one way with Upton seitan strips and the other with Upton chorizo seitan crumbles. Both are great, but it is sensational with the chorizo seitan crumble. We preferred it in homemade corn tortillas topped with mexican-style rice, avocado, greek yogurt and some lettuce/spinach. My husband could not stop eating it. Thank you for making me a hero in the kitchen:)
Excellent vegan dish thank you.
Glad you enjoyed!
Lovely flavours and great photos
I’ve been wanting to try seitan. This will be the perfect recipe to start with. Thanks!
Imwould like to try this recipe, but also think using it in tacos would be very good.
This looks delicious! I’m wondering – while obviously someone who is Celiac would not go near seitan, do you have any experience with clients in your practice who were “gluten intolerant’ but were able to enjoy seitan (perhaps because of how it’s produced)? I can have Rudi’s spelt tortillas in moderation with little effect, but regular bread, pasta and other usual sources of gluten do not agree with me. No doubt the only way to know for sure is for me to try it and see, but would love to know if you have any experience or insight into this….Thanks!
Hi Shayna!
This is actually a rather complex question. There are some gluten intolerant people who can have limited amounts of gluten without any trouble, so long as they don’t eat it regularly or in large amounts. What you might be referring to, though, is the difference between eating whole wheat products (like whole wheat pasta or bread) and eating seitan. Seitan doesn’t contain some of the polysaccharides that whole grain products do, as it’s made with wheat gluten (rather than whole wheat). So, if you have trouble digesting wheat (which new research suggests is what’s actually going on in many cases of gluten intolerance–it’s not gluten so much as digestive trouble with the carbohydrates in wheat foods), seitan might actually be easier to digest.
If you have trouble with gluten specifically, rather than wheat, then seitan would likely be as much of a risk as any other glutenous food, but once again, some limited amounts might be tolerable so long as one is moderate and the intake isn’t frequent.
Hope this helps!
G
I tried seitan for the first time at a restaurant this month and am curious to try making it myself. Thanks for the idea!
A seitan roast with lots of veggies!
This one for sure!
I would definitely give this recipe a try!!
This bowl (!!!) so in love with these flavors, Gena. Amazing. Sadly my body won’t tolerate wheat, so I’d have to try with tempeh, but would go for this stuff in a heartbeat if I could! Have a stellar holiday weekend, girl – xo
Looks so good!
Izzy | https://plantbasedizzy.wordpress.com/
I’m so obsessed with that seitan! I always grab it when I’m at whole foods. Will definitely be making this recipe next time
http://www.sprinklesandsaturdays.com
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try 🙂
This is so weird! My husband and I just started our vegan journey and we bought this EXACT SAME chicken seitan at whole foods and had no clue what to do with it! We have all these ingredients in our pantry! Cannot wait to try this recipe out tonight! Thanks for sharing!
xx Annie
http://www.somethingswellblog.com/
I would like to give my mom some of the artisan bowl products. She enjoys trying different Amy’s products like them. She has adopted a mostly vegan diet too. Also having the Tuscan Veggie Sausage with pancakes in the morning!
What a fantastic introduction to seitan, Gena. I’ve not tried it, but would be happy to put a few packages of sweet earth seitan in my basket. This bowl looks like a delicious way to introduce seitan into our diets! I’ll be on the lookout! When I stopped eating meat, Rob came along, but he still eats meat occassionally when we go out. He too loves meat subs and there are some tasty ones available (have you tried field roast?). I’m looking forward to trying sweet earth. Thank you for this Gena!
i’m not a huge fan of plain sietan but i lovve it in stir frys and in tacos!
The easiest thing is to just use it in place of meat in a stir-fry… or use it in place of turkey in a turkey chili recipe… you can use it in place of meat in a lot of recipes actually 🙂 It’s quite versatile.
Yum! Chipotle sofrito is so salty!
Easy but delicious and protein-rich work lunches! Just throw some edamame, broccoli, and brown rice in there with a sauce like @pbeechie on IG!
Ooooh, this looks incredible! I’ve never tried seitan before, and I don’t even know where I would find it where I live, but I definitely want to give it a shot now! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Akino | akinokiki.blogspot.ca
These flavors look like what we would love; I’m looking forward to making the rice and the seitan!
I would love to make the veggie burgers!
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
I’ve seen the brand at my local grocery store and have tried a couple of their frozen burritos. The curry tiger one is pretty good! I wouldn’t mind trying their seitan crumbles to mix into a dish.
BBQ seitan!
Hail seitan! 😉 This recipe looks great!
I love one bowl meals. I have seen this brand in the store and will try it next time I am buying seitan. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
This looks fantastic! Ready to try!
I’ve never been much of a seitan fan myself, but the recipe in this post looks pretty tasty!
I would be excited to make the spicy seitan sofrito bowls! They look delicious!
hehe I would call lentils chickpeas black beans my holy trinity of vegan protein 🙂 i tend to prefer the kind of dishes you make with them over more meatlike meals. which is probably also due to the fact that i spend most of my vegan years in Africa, where pulses are widely available, in contrast to meat replacers. funny coincidence: i have lived in a very basic setting for a while whitout electricity or gaz, so i was cooking myself dinner on a camping stove, and that rice was one of my staples!