I have this funny story, but it's not funny at all, and not very believable.  It really happened though.  It's really a little what I like to call, veggie humor.  I went to this little vegan/organic grocery called amazing grace here in Louisville, which is a place we frequently visit.  They've always had this section with vegan food, that's a little bland, and basic.  I don't mean to belittle it, but its just really basic vegan blt's, vegan chicken sandwiches, etc.  Good food, but nothing that really gave me "chills".  I went in there one day and they had gotten a new cook that was handling the dinners to go section, and wow things had changed.  There was a lot of very creative things in the case.  One of the things was country fried seitan.  I bought it, cause it looked awesome, and took it home.  While I was heating it up in the microwave I was talking to Sarah on the phone (most likely an argument about reality television).  During the phone call, I took the stuff out of the microwave, took a bite of the country fried seitan, and spit it into the garbage going *baaauu, ptttuee, baauuu, pffftthhh!!  Not because it tasted bad, but I really thought I had just bitten into meat.  I got off the phone in a flurry, and called amazing grace.  I was 110% sure that they had screwed up, but after yelling at the lady on the other side of the phone, and making her cry, she swore to me that it was vegan.    I took another bite.  After examining it very closely, I determined it was not meat.  This stuff was incredible, I bought it about 12 more times, before the cook quit, and moved to a restaurant down the street.  I tried to make it a few time, and it just never turned out right.  Tonight, I decided to give it another go.  Let me first start by saying, day 5 has turned out to be the best night so far, by very far.  I made this for a bunch of people tonight, and everyone was was very complimentary of it.  When you cook for people a lot, you start to get a gauge of when they don't like it (but are saying they do),  like it, really like it, and really really like it.  This one they really really liked.  I cannot explain how incredible this turned out. I don't mean to over sell this recipe, but you will never eat anything better, so just stop trying.

Total cost about $14

Seitan Steaks

makes 4 chunky filets or 6 thinner cutlets
DO NOT BOIL, IT WILL MAKE THEM RUBBERY, SIMMMMMER!!!
1 1/3 cups vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp tapioca flour
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp garbanzo flour
1 tsp dried porcini mushroom powder** (yeah, nice and earthy!)

2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp soymilk
1/2 Tbsp marmite
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp red wine
1/2 to 3/4 cup broth* (cold)
1 Tbsp oil for panfrying

6 - 8 cups simmering broth (cold)

Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a measuring cup in the order listed. After adding the red wine, *add only enough broth to bring the liquids up to 1 cup. Reserve the oil for panfrying.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and knead for 5 minutes. Shape into a log, then cut into 4 or 6 pieces, as desired. Flatten them into cutlets. Panfry on each side until golden.

Simmer in the simmering broth for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool in broth and use as desired.

For Breading:

1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch of salt
dash of pepper

½ cup plain soymilk (do not use low fat version)

1 cup unbleached flour

Directions:

Heat oil to 375 deg F. Use a thermometer!

Put bread crumbs, herbs, salt and pepper in one bowl, soymilk in a second bowl, and flour in a third bowl. This is your 3-step process for breading the steaks. Take each steak, and press it into the FLOUR FIRST, both sides. Make sure to really coat them. Then, quickly dip into the SOYMILK SECOND, and then finally press into the BREAD CRUMBS THIRD.

Now transfer to the frying pan heated to 375 F. Use a good pair of tongs to make it easy. Do this for each seitan steak, until golden brown as desired on each side. Then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up the oil.

I took a recipe for seitan from Vegan Appetite, and a recipe for the batter from Bengarland.  The mashed potatoes were Yukon gold w/dill, mayonnaise <----surprisingly amazing, garlic powder, earth balance, soy milk, salt and pepper.  The corn just had earth balance, with salt and pepper.  Make sure and follow the instructions on cooking the seitan, it turns out a really great texture.  The gravy my brother had to help me out on, because I've never made a successfully gravy. Basically was just some earth balance, sage, not beef cubes broth, water and flower.  Seriously check this out.