Seitan Skewers with Chimichurri and Jalapeno Lime Aioli

I’m just going to come right out and say that I know this recipe for Seitan Skewers with Chimichurri and Jalapeno Lime Aioli looks insane. There are tons and ingredients and lots of steps. It took me about an hour and half to make these skewers, but not all of the time was active, so it’s not as bad as it looks. Or maybe it is. I’m probably a bad person to judge since I created this monster.

This recipe was inspired by the amazing seitan skewers appetizer at Candle West in New York City. I did take a peek at their recipe, which uses premade seitan and a marinade, before making this. I made my own seitan, and mixed marinade ingredients right into it during the cooking process. I created my own chimichurri and aioli recipes too.

I do believe that all of my effort in the kitchen was worth it, as these skewers were really delicious. (If I do say so myself.) If you’re not as nuts as I am and you’d rather not make your own seitan, you can substitute store-bought. Just skewer ‘em up, grill them, and top with the two sauces. The amount of skewers this recipe makes will depend on the size of your bamboo. I used 7” sticks and got 10 skewers out of it.

Seitan Skewers with Chimichurri and Jalapeno Lime Aioli are a perfect appetizer for parties, and they’re great for cookouts, too!

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Seitan Skewers with Chimichurri and Jalapeno Lime Aioli

Yields 8 -10 skewers

Author Dianne Wenz

Ingredients

Spice Rub

• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano minced
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon slat
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Seitan Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup mushroom powder dried mushrooms ground to a powder in a spice grinder, food processor, or Vitamix dry blade
• 1 ½ tablespoons onion powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder

Seitan Wet Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
• ¾ cups orange juice
• ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

Chimmichurri

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley stems removed
• 3 tablespoons cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 red chile minced (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Jalapeno Lime Aioli

• ¾ cup raw cashews soaked for 2 hours, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup cilantro packed
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeds and membrane removed
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the Skewers

• 8-10 Bamboo skewers

Instructions

1. Place the bamboo skewers in a bowl or baking dish and cover with water. Let them soak while you prepare the seitan
2. Mix together the spice rub and set aside.
3. Preheat your oven to 350°. Oil a medium-sized baking or casserole dish.
4. Mix together the seitan dry ingredients in a large bowl then whisk together the seitan wet ingredients. Pour about half of the liquid into the dry mix and mix together. Add the remaining wet ingredients a little at a time to the dry mixture, mixing and kneading as you go. Chances are, you won’t need all of the liquid for the seitan. The dough should be firm and shouldn’t tear apart easily. Save the remaining liquid. (I had about a cup leftover.) Kneed the dough for several minutes. Kneading it will help create the desired shape and texture.
5. Flatten and stretch the dough until it is about an inch thick. Place the seitan in the baking dish, and gently rub half of the spice mixture over the surface. Flip the seitan and rub the rest of the spices onto the other side. While it’s in the dish, carefully cut the seitan into cubes. They don’t need to be perfect cuts – it’s more like you’re scoring the dough to make it easier to break apart later. Pour the remaining liquid mixture over the seitan.
6. Place in the oven and bake for half an hour. Remove the dish from the oven and carefully flip the pieces over. Bake for another 20 minutes and flip the pieces again. Bake for 20 more minutes and remove from the oven. The seitan should be firm and meaty. If it is too soft, you can place it back in the oven and bake for a few more minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency.
7. While the seitan is cooking, mix together the chimichurri ingredients in a food processor. Set aside.
8. Mix together the aioli ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and set aside
9. Let the seitan cool for a few minutes, and then recut the cubes. Thread a few pieces onto the bamboo skewers. Continue until you’ve used all of our seitan and skewers.
10. Grill the skewers using an outdoor grill, an indoor electric grill, or a grill pan on the stovetop. Grill for a few minutes on each side.
11. Remove the skewers from the heat, place on a plate and drizzle with the chimichurri and aioli. Serve the rest of the two sauces on the side for dipping. Enjoy!