The hipster secret ingredient: you've probably never heard of it

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Wheat gluten is healthier, tastier, and more versatile than tofu. Vegetarians should be eating it all the time.

home-made gluten (meat substitute)
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You will need:

• 4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• water
• vegetable stock (2L?)

Preparation:

1. Mix flour with enough water to form a dough.
2. Knead aggressively, at least 20 minutes.
3. Cover dough in water and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

1. Cut the dough into softball-sized pieces, and knead each one underwater (in your sink). The water will turn milky white as the starch is forced out. The dough will shrink to less than half its original size and get stretchy. Empty and refill the sink periodically.
2. When you can knead the dough without turning the water white—this usually takes about 10 minutes and two sink-refills for each piece—drop the hunks of dough into a pot of boiling vegetable stock. Simmer for two hours, and watch them swell.

You can refrigerate your gluten in the simmering liquid for a week with very little loss in quality, or drain and freeze it. (Freezing and thawing will change the texture slightly, as with tofu, but some people prefer it that way.)

Use this instead of meat in other recipes: shop for "hamburger meat", grill, etc.

source: Slate magazine