Seitan's toothsome texture and taste make it a perfect vegetarian stir-fry ingredient that even nonvegetarians will love. Make it a meal: Serve over rice noodles to soak up the rich sauce and mix up some lightly sweetened iced green tea to drink.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1/2 cup dry sherry or Shao Hsing rice wine (see Ingredient Note)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound water-packed seitan, preferably chicken-style, drained, patted dry and broken into bite-size pieces (see Ingredient Note)
1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 carrots, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Whisk sherry (or rice wine), water, brown sugar, lime juice, hoisin, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add seitan; cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, peanuts and ginger. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots and bell peppers, and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk the sauce and add to the pan; stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the sauce is thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in cilantro, if using.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 329 calories; 12 g fat (1 g sat, 6 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrate; 20 g protein; 12 g fiber; 702 mg sodium; 430 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (240% daily value), Vitamin C (200% dv).
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 other carbohydrate, 2 very lean meat, 2 fat; 1 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings

TIP: Ingredient Notes: The "cooking sherry" sold in many supermarkets can be surprisingly high in sodium. We prefer dry sherry, sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store.

Shao hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets' Asian sections.

Seitan is processed wheat gluten that is high in protein and has a meaty texture. It can be found in health-food stores or large supermarkets near the tofu. The actual weight of the seitan in a package varies depending on whether water weight is included. Look for the "drained weight" on the label. We used two types of White Wave seitan: one has a 1-pound 2-ounce water-packed package containing "8 ounces drained" seitan and one comes in a package labeled "8 ounces" that actually contains 8 ounces of seitan.