SEITAN BACON WEDGE SALAD WITH HORSERADISH DRESSING

SERVES: 4

TIME: 45 MINUTES

This is vegan revenge! Let’s take back that ridiculous lettuce-wedge-as-a-salad, the scourge of sports bars and steak houses, and make it the meatless triumph that omnivores everywhere will beg you for a taste.

This assembly of smoky grilled seitan and zesty horseradish dressing is the best thing to ever happen to iceberg lettuce. You can smother crisp wedges of lettuce for a dramatic entrée (dust off the steak knives!), or replace the ’berg lettuce with heartier chopped romaine leaves or Relaxed Shredded Kale (page 31) for no-fuss salad bowls.

HORSERADISH DRESSING

1 recipe Back at the Ranch Dressing (page 17)

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

SMOKY MARINADE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

. . . AND THE REST OF THE SALAD

2 Steamed or Baked Seitan Cutlets (page 50)

1 head iceberg lettuce

4 red ripe tomatoes, cored and diced

1 small sweet yellow onion (such as Vidalia), diced

1 cup pickled green beans or bread-and-butter pickle slices, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Prepare the ranch dressing and blend in the horseradish. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2 Slice the seitan on a diagonal into ½-inch strips. Add the seitan to the marinade, toss together, and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

3 Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat and brush or spray with a high-heat cooking oil (such as peanut oil). Grill the seitan strips in a single layer, cooking about 1 minute on each side to get those dark grill marks. Don’t overcook, or the seitan may dry out and that’s no fun. Transfer the grilled seitan to a cutting board. Once cool, chop the seitan into ¼-inch pieces.

4 Remove the core from the lettuce head and slice into quarters right I before it’s time to make the salad.

5 To serve, arrange a wedge of lettuce on four salad plates. Spoon the dressing down the center and sides of the wedge. Heap on the diced seitan, tomatoes, onions, and pickles and drizzle with any remaining dressing. Sprinkle with chives and a few twists of ground pepper and serve immediately.