Seitan Polenta Croquette with Spicy Pesto Sauce and Zucchini Radicchio Salad

Source: Glen Cove Hospital, Long Island, N.Y.

This recipe was the winning dish in the third annual Ultimate Chef Challenge among the 13 hospitals in the Long Island-LIJ Health System. While not technically a “revamp,” the recipe is a healthy one—as were all the entries in this competition. Michael Kiley, director of nutrition and dining services at North Shore University Hospital and the organizer of the event, challenged chefs to create a healthy, meatless dish using tofu, tempeh, seitan or chickpeas. “March was National Nutrition Month, and we really wanted to show off the skill sets of our chefs by having them create healthy meatless dishes,” Kiley says. The winning chefs, Lyndon Espiritu and Dalton Christopher, brought their dish in at 419 calories, 8 grams of fat and 254 milligrams of sodium.

Steps

For croquettes:

1. Heat vegetable broth to boiling. Add all vegetables, herbs, sriracha sauce and salt. Cook for five minutes.
2. Add polenta and seitan and cook for two minutes.
3. Place on sheet pan and let cool.
4. Form into patties and sear in olive oil until hardened and brown.

For sauce:

1. Chop basil, cilantro and garlic. Place in bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.

For salad:

1. Slice vegetables in large bowl.
2. In separate bowl, combine honey, olive oil and cider vinegar.
3. Toss vegetables in dressing until coated.