Seitan (GF Alternatives) & Cabbage in a Tomato Sauce w/ Fresh Horseradish

This is totally rockin' the eastern European vibe. I made seitan* (but you could use tofu or beans or whatever -- I think it would be best with beans and will probably make this with cannellini beans from now on) and cabbage (I used savoy cabbage, but whatever) in a tomato sauce with fresh horseradish.


I chopped onions and shredded carrots and tossed them into a pan of olive oil. Then I added a little chili powder, paprika, thyme, parsley, black pepper, and a bay leaf. And a dash of salt. I threw in a can of stewed tomatoes and some tomato paste and a splash of dry vermouth (you could use wine or cider vinegar or lemon juice or dry sherry). [Adding mushrooms OR shredded or chopped beets would be awesome at this point, too, but I didn't have any.] Then I added chopped seitan and shredded cabbage. Then, right before serving,** I stirred in some grated horseradish (you could use freshly rated or pickled) and sprinkled a little on top.***

It was awesome. And it would be really good served with a Bloody Mary -- a Bloody Mary with horseradish! Or a Virgin Mary with horseradish! Whatever!


*  For the first time! And then I had no idea what to do with it because I never cook with meat analogues and never cooked with meat (unless you count microwaving bologna and smothering it with mustard to hide the taste when I was a kid).

**  If you add the horseradish too soon, it will lose its potency!

***  And then I added more horseradish to my own dish because I am craaazy about horseradish!