Seitan's been big with Buddhists for centuries, but this high protein, low fat meat substitute is not nearly as well known as tofu in the US. And that's a shame, because seitan, aka wheat gluten, has a taste and texture that I find superior to many soy-based meat substitutes. It appeals not only to vegetarians, but anyone who just wants to eat less meat and poultry.

You can make it yourself from scratch, but I never have, for several reasons. A quick scan of my healthy cookbook collection turned up three recipes for seitan, quite different from each other, but all equally labor intensive. The main ingredient is a high gluten wheat flour, which you make into a dough and knead extensively before simmering in a broth.

This process may be very rewarding, and chef Peter Berley claims in his Modern Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook that, in addition to getting a "workout from the kneading...the vitamin E-rich bran will cleanse the pores and soften the skin on your hands as you work the dough."

Sounds like a fun project the next time we get snowed in, but in the meantime, I'll skip the homemade Seitan spa treatment and pick up a tub of White Wave's chicken-style seitan instead. It's inexpensive, it's healthy, and it really does taste like chicken, so much so that you can make a terrific chicken-style pot pie with it. I've adapted a conventional potpie recipe, adding whole grain flours and ground flaxseed to the buttermilk crust. Is it a sin to say that this seitan pot pie is wicked good?

Kat's Seitan Pot Pie:

For the crust:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour

1/4 cup teff flour

3 Tbs ground flaxseed

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 Tbs butter, softened

3 Tbs low fat sour cream

For the filling:

2 cups fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup chestnuts, cooked and pureed (optional)

1/4 cup amaranth flour (or 2 Tbs cornstarch, instead)

1/2 cup carrots, sliced

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup pearl onions, peeled (parboil for 3 minutes first, they'll peel more easily)

1/2 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 pound chicken-style seitan, drained and cut into small chunks

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Make the crust first, because it needs to chill while you prepare the filling.

Mix the flours, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl (if you can't find amaranth or teff flour, you can use all whole wheat; it will taste fine, but you won't get the pleasant crunchiness the amaranth and teff add to the texture.)

Cut in the butter with a fork or your fingers till the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the buttermilk and sour cream and blend gently.

Flour your hands and knead the dough for a minute or so (caution: it will be a bit sticky.) Lay it on a floured surface and flatten it to roughly the shape of your pie pan. Wrap in plastic or parchment paper and chill for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the chestnut puree, if using, and the flour or cornstarch. Reduce to a simmer. Add the carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, peas, seitan, and seasonings. Cook for about five minutes, till the vegetables soften a bit and the mixture thickens slightly.

Transfer the filling to the baking dish. Remove the pre-chilled crust from the fridge, adjust the shape if needed and gently lay the crust over the filling. Bake for about 15 minutes, till the top is golden brown and the filling bubbles.