I don't make my own but I buy some of them, especially tempeh and tofu. I don't care for the gluten products that I've tried -- to me they all taste like soggy bread -- but that's a personal thing. Some people love the gluten products.

My favorite recipe for tempeh is on my blog, see link below.

Meat substitutes can be used in all sorts of ways. The frozen products are usually good as they are -- the non-meat burgers, on a bun with whatever condiments you like, etc. I use tofu in stir fry a lot (there's a good bok choy salad on my blog that uses tofu, too, if you're interested). Tofu and tempeh both work well in stir fry dishes (don't use silken tofu, though). Some of the substitutes make good sloppy joe's, or are good in stroganoff dishes, things like that. The ground-fake-meat crumbles can be used in any recipe calling for ground meat -- tacos, etc.

If you have a particular substitute in mind, you can always google it and see what you find. There are lots of good veg*n sites with great recipes.

This isn't the most active forum but it does seem to be picking up some, so maybe others will have some good ideas for you. Bon appetit!

Here is a link that might be useful: BBQ tempeh and tofu

Hi,
Glad you asked! ha ha
Actually, I made my first "batch" of homemade seitan this week, and it turned out just as good as any of the "wheat meat" products I've ever purchased. I ended up with quite a large batch that will last me for a week or so, for less than 2.00 worth of ingredients, which is SO MUCH cheaper than buying the fresh or frozen products.

Best of all, its vegan.

I got this recipe off of the Vegan Outreach website; its simple, can be modified to include any seasonings that you like, and turns out GREAT!!

Here goes (copied directly from the website with credit given as due)...
____________________________________________________________
Seitan (Basic Boiling Recipe)

from Vegan Vittles, © J. Stepaniak 1997

Dry ingredients

* 1 1/2 C instant gluten flour (vital wheat gluten)
* 1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes (optional; adds a deeper flavor and vitamin B-12)
* 1/2 t garlic granules (optional; can vary amount)
* 1/2 t onion granules (optional; can vary amount)
* Desired herbs & spices (optional)

Liquid ingredients

* 1 C water, vegetable broth, tomato juice, or a combination (the juice adds a "beefier" flavor)
* 3 T soy sauce
* 1 T olive oil (optional)

Simmering broth

* 10 C water or vegetable broth
* 1/2 C soy sauce (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Combine liquid ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Pour into dry ingredients, mix well. If there is still flour around the edges, add a small amount of additional water.

Knead the gluten directly in the mixing bowl for about a minute. Slice the gluten into 3 relatively equal pieces, and set aside.

Place the ingredients for the simmering broth into a 4 1/2 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, add the gluten pieces, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer with pot partially covered for 1 hr. Maintain the heat so that the liquid barely simmers, and turn the gluten over during cooking. Let cool in broth uncovered.

Transfer to storage containers, adding enough of the broth to keep seitan immersed. Seal containers tightly and store in the refrigerator up to ten days or in the freezer for up to six months. To extend the life of fresh or defrosted seitan, boil it in its soy sauce broth for 10 min., 2 times a week.

__________________________________________________________
Hope this helps.
Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegan Outreach recipes