Vegetarian Paella

Having some friends over for paella night this weekend and we have some diet challenges in the mix for a change. The paella I'm preparing for the gang will be seafood and chorizo and I want Sean's version to be as close to that taste and feel as possible, so this is what I test drove last night.

Yield: 2-3 servings
Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:
1 link vegetarian "chorizo style" sausage link, sliced about .5 inches thick on the bias
1 t smoked paprika, hot
4-6 oz seitan, cubed
1 t smoked tabasco sauce
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 cup finely chopped roasted tomato (I use Muir Glen's fire roasted tomatoes)
3/4 cup aborio rice
1 1/4 cup veggie stock, heated
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 small pinch of saffron threads (soak them in the wine)
1 bay leaf
1 t taragon
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cubed zucchini or summer squash
4-6 artichoke hearts, quartered
any other veggies that make you happy
4 T olive or canola oil
salt & pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Toss the seitan in the tabasco. Add more if you like it a little spicier.
3. Pop the saffron in the wine to soften
   
4. Heat 1 T oil over medium heat until shimmering, place the sausage slices in the pan and brown evenly until a nice crust forms, turn and brown the other side
5. Remove the sausage to a plate, you can drain on paper if you like, but there's next to no fat in this dish and I think the oil gives the sausage a little body. Sprinkle the sausage with the smoked paprika and a little salt while the sausage is still hot.
6. Scrape any weird bits of not-meat out of the pan, add a little more oil, heat over med / med high and add the onions. Cook until soft, about 3 min.
7. Add garlic, cook about 1 minute.
8. Add tomato and a little S&P, cook about 3 minutes or until a little color forms.
9. Add the rice and cook until well coated in the tomato mixture.
10. Add the hot veggie stock, the wine, the bay, the tarragon, and your "meats" and stir briefly. Taste and salt & pepper as necessary. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan tightly with foil and pop it in the oven for about 12-15 min or until all the liquid is absorbed.
11. USING A POT HOLDER, remove the pan from the oven and tuck all your veggies into the rice and sprinkle the peas on top. Cover with foil and return the pan to the oven until the veggies are tender crisp, about 10-12 more min. Sprinkle with a little water if the rice starts to look dry - the veggies should release enough liquid to keep it going though.
    
12. USING A POT HOLDER, remove the pan from the oven, remove the foil and USING A POT HOLDER cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes to develop the amazing crusties at the bottom of the pan. Ideally your rice won't quite be done when the pan comes out of the oven.
    
13. Cover again with foil and let rest for 3-5 min.
14. Garnish with lemon wedges and USING A POT HOLDER serve.

In case you can't tell....I forgot about the pot holder in step 12.