The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man

I took a few days off to lay on the beach and eat good vegan food with some amazing friends in Nantucket this past week.

Benay, Hedda, James, Jeremy, Joshua, Chloe, John

We made so much amazing food that I’ll have to spend all week at the gym. We cooked day and night and could have given any top restaurant a run for their money. I especially enjoyed the pistacio-crusted seitan with mushrooms in a balsamic-reduction with garlic-roasted potatoes and the fresh lemon-tahini-garlic hummus.

Pistacio-Crusted Seitan w/ Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Hummus w/ Lemon, Tahini, and Garlic

RECIPES:

For the Pistacio Crusted Seitan with Roasted Garlic Potatoes (serving 4) you’ll need:
• 1/2 cup of pistacios
• 1 Vegan Bullion cube
• 4 tbs Vegan Butter
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1 lb of seitan
• 2 cups of mushrooms
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 small/medium red potatoes
• 1 tbs Nutritional Yeas

Directions:
• Marinate the seitan in the olive oil, half of the vinegar, nut. yeast, pistacios, and salt & pepper to taste for at least 30 minutes. (Seitan is quite absorbant).
• Put the additional Balsalmic in a small saucer and bring to a simmer on low heat. Let this slowly reduce over about 20 minutes. Meanwhile:
• Heat a skillet with 2 tbs of the Vegan butter in it. Sauteé 3 cloves of garlic, the mushrooms and the bullion cube. Add the seitan mixture including all the remaining liquid in the marinade. Cover and let stand for about 15 minutes on medium heat. Flip the seitan and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes. (You can add 1/4 cup of red or white wine at this stage if additional savory flavor is desired.)
• Cut the 3 potatoes in half, and place on a baking-sheet face-up. Melt the remaining 2 tbs of butter, adding the remaining diced garlic. Using a teaspoon put the garlic-butter on the open face of each potato half. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the potato is soft.
• Once the seitan had crisped (not burned!) edges, plate beside the potatoes and drizzle the balsamic reduction and serve!

for the Hummus, you’ll need:
• 2 cups of garbanzo beans (not dry).
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cube vegan bullion (I use Rapunzel with no salt)
• paprika and olives for decoration

Directions:
•Simply puree all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.