I buy vital wheat gluten in bulk (eat a LOT of it) and make my own seitan, so there are no added ingredients. It's very easy to whip up a batch. Just mix with water. I don't even add salt. I bake it like bread. It puffs waaaaay up, so be careful. I tried barbecuing it once, and it looked like the blob that ate the barbecue grill. I usually dip it in low-sugar barbecue sauce or cut it up and sprinkle it with cinnamon and Splenda. Sometimes I even eat it with Smucker's sugar-free jelly (good stuff).
Also, you might look into TVP recipes on the Internet. I buy mine at the regular grocery store in the "exotic" flour aisle. It makes fabulous chili! My husband and son didn't know I was pulling a fast one on them.
You can find tons of recipes for all these things on the Internet.
As to your question about protein, yes, I do measure my intake very precisely. For me, at least, this is crucial to my weight loss and strength-building success. If I'm not extremely careful, I notice a trend toward "white" foods and eat way too many carbs and not enough protein or dark green veggies. Imagine that! A vegetarian who has to be careful to eat enough vegetables. I had a huge problem with hunger, too, until I started eating enough protein. Now hunger is a very small factor in my weight loss and maintenance.
In addition, I began making huge strides in strength building when I upped my protein intake significantly--in my case I began eating something like triple the amount of protein I was getting when I just did what comes naturally.
Good luck,
Shari
>Seitan is high in protein (also called "wheat meat" its name
>in Japanese means "complete protein." ) It's made from wheat
>gluten, so not for those with gluten intolerance, and it is a
>more processed food, but it is a quick addition to stir fries,
>for example, and has a "meaty" texture.
