Entry Mainly to Share a Seitan Recipe

A few friends came over to my house for a potluck on Sunday.  I committed to making a ton of food, despite also committing to attend the Positive Force Book Club.  In the morning, I multi-tasked, peeling and chopping potatoes while watching "House of Cards."  (Good show.)  I got to the book club ten minutes late.  There, we all agreed that people have other motivations beyond financial gain.  Then, I sped home.

I made chicken-style seitan the day before to use in Vegan Chicken Marsala.  I also made shepherd's pie using a recipe from "Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites."

Chicken Seitan:
Dough
       * 1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
       * 1 cup Imagine "No-Chicken" Broth
       * 1 1/2 Tbsp Soy or Almond Cream
Broth
       * 1 carton Imagine "No-Chicken" Broth
       * 1 cup Soy or Almond Cream
       * 6 ounces of mushrooms (shiitake and white button)
       * 1 2/3 tsp Onion Powder
       * 1 tsp Garlic Powder
       * 2 Bay Leaves
       * 1/2 tsp Cayenne
       *  Pinch of pepper        

Combine the broth ingredients in a large pot and place on the stove.  While the broth is heating up, combine the dough ingredients.  Knead.  Form the mixture into a ball and squeeze out the excess liquid.  Flatten the ball on a cutting board and cut into 6 pieces.  Drop each piece into the pot of boiling broth.  Simmer for an hour.  RESERVE THE COOKING LIQUID.  After letting the broth and the chicken cutlets cool, it's great idea to return the cutlets to the broth until you fry them up.

My knife was flying as I chopped vegetables for the shepherd's pie and the Seitan Marsala after book club.  I bought a ton of portobella mushrooms, which I used in the gravy for the pie and the sauce for the chicken.
Everything came together, though.  

Throughout the day, an evolving number of people planned to attend.  Up and down.   Everything came together, though.  Highlights, in my opinion.  My friend Gray made an incredible glass noodle dish with an assortment of toppings.  My friend Jill made a perfect cabbage salad.  My friend Marike made an authentic semolina cake, which she iced with a nougat topping that she got from Germany.  My friend Laura made incredible spring rolls.  Pat's almond-milk lattes were so popular that he basically served as an ad in the kitchen for a Nespresso Aeroccino Frother.  So many dishes, only so much room in my stomach...