Seitan & Mushroom Stroganoff

2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/3 cups vegetable broth or water
½ teaspoon garlic granules
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons canola oil or olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups thinly sliced seitan strips
ground black pepper, to taste

1. For the gravy, place the cornstarch and soy sauce in a 2-quart saucepan, and stir them together well to make a thin, smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the vegetable broth or water and garlic granules. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook the gravy, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and beat in the tahini using the wire whisk. Cover the saucepan with a lid, and set it aside.
2. Place the oil in a large skillet, and heat it over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms to the onion in the skillet, and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes longer.
4. Stir the seitan strips and the reserved gravy (from step #1) into the onion and mushrooms in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, about 5 to 10 minutes, just until the seitan is heated through.
5. Season the stroganoff with ground black pepper, to taste. Serve at once over rice or egg-free wide noodles.

Seitan/wheat meat: Pronounced "say-TAN," this wheat gluten protein product has a wide range of mock meat applications, and works especially well as a stand-in for beef.