I used to make chicken Parmesan whenever I wanted a good old-fashioned indulgence, but I'd abandoned thoughts of veganizing it long ago. After my fist bite of Daiya vegan cheese, though, I thought "I've gotta make Seitan Parmesan." I added some lemon zest and salt to the breading and it made for a tasty crust and, with the cheese and sauce, I was back in good-old-fashioned heaven again.







Seitan Parmesan

1/2 Recipe Marinara Sauce (about 2 cups)

4 Chicken-y seitan cutlets

1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese

oil for frying

Breading:

1 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp salt

Batter:

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1 tbs Vegenaise



Prepare the marinara ahead of time or have your favorite jarred sauce ready. Mix the Vegenaise with the soy milk in a wide bowl. This thickens the milk just a bit and helps with binding. Mix together the breading ingredients and pour onto a plate.



For each cutlet, dip into the milk, then toss with the bread crumbs. I just set into the crumbs, toss the crumbs over the top with a fork, flip and repeat. Shake off the excess and set on a wire rack. Repeat the process once, dipping the breaded cutlet into the milk, then the breading and set back on the rack. Let the breaded cutlets dry a bit, for 10-15 minutes.



Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saute apn. The oil should completely cover the pan, maybe 1/4 inch deep. Fry each cutlet, in batches if necessary, until both sides are browned and crispy. Set back on the wire rack as they finish cooking.



While frying, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put each cutlet onto a baking sheet, top with 1/4 cup of shredded vegan cheese and bake until the cheese softens. You don't necessarily need the cheese to melt, as long as it is gooey. The sauce will cover the cheese anyway. Also, watch closely as vegan cheese has a tenancy to dry out. Mine baked for about 5 minutes.



To plate, spoon a little marinara on the plate, add the cutlet and top with some more marinara sauce. I made a full batch of sauce and served with spaghetti.



4 Servings: 771 cal (30g fat, 89g carbs, 38g protein)