I am not a huge sports fan. That said, I love any opportunity to make and eat good food. I’ve been known to get very excited about the opening ceremony for the Olympics because it gives me an excuse to research and try out cuisine from whatever country is hosting. The Super Bowl is an equally important affair. Don’t ask me what the score is because I plan a different course for each quarter of the game and rarely poke my head out of the kitchen. While others yell “Touchdown!!!” I yell “The guacamole is ready!!!” Yes, I am a complete food nerd and happy to be so.
This year the Super Bowl was a complete success, as least as far as food was concerned (The hubby is a Seattle native, so I don’t think he was as thrilled as I was). I went all out and made hot wings. It wasn’t the first time I have tried making vegan hot wings, in the past I have tried Boca nuggets and other meat substitutes. They just didn’t cut it. A hot wing properly done can’t be breaded, but it needs to be fried. The texture needs to be slightly on the chewy, meaty and almost tough side of awesome. Most importantly, the sauce needs to be amazing.
In order to have complete control over the texture of the hot wings, I started out by making my own “chicken” seitan from scratch the day before the game. I kneaded the dough well to make sure it would be firm and chewy. Once the seitan was cooked and stored in the fridge, the hard part was done.
Then there was the sauce to consider. There is a restaurant here in town that my husband and I used to frequent before going veg. They have the best hot wings I’ve ever had, and a very extensive selection of sauces. Lucky for us, they sell the sauce by the bottle. My husband picked out three different sauces, ranging from mild sweet BBQ sauce to a very hot habanero. When I made the hot wings for our Super Bowl party, I divided the seitan nuggets into three portions and then tossed each portion in a different sauce. It was fun to have the variety of flavors, and they were a huge hit!
Hot Wings, Vegan Style
“Chicken” seitan nuggets, prepared a day in advance for best texture and flavor (you could also use store-bought seitan if you like)
Canola oil
Your favorite hot wing sauce
Celery and vegan ranch or blue cheese dressing (optional)
Pour about ¾ cup of the sauce into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Heat ¼ cup oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the seitan and fry for about 4 minutes until the seitan is beginning to brown slightly. Remove the seitan from the oil with a slotted spoon, allowing the oil to drain off, and add the seitan to the sauce in the mixing bowl. Using a large spoon, toss the seitan in the sauce until all the pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve the “wings” with extra sauce, celery and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
A Vegan With A Plan 
that sounds interesting and yummy
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