Chick'n Schnitzel

The schnitzel's origin lies in Austrian and German cooking and is primarily made of pork or veal. It is also prominent in Israeli cooking. Having relatives in Israel, I grew up eating schnitzel, but of course, made from chicken. I loved vinegar as a child, so I ate it with malt vinegar, but ketchup is very tasty with it usually. This is my vegan chick'n version. It is very simple to make and super tasty (definitely a treat food, though). Americans would liken it to chicken fried steak probably. It essentially is that, but saying schnitzel is way more fun, haha!

Chick'n Schnitzel

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 package of Gardein chick'n scallopini, thawed*
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley flakes
• 1 tsp paprika
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 3 egg replacements, preparing according to package instructions*

* Recipe:

1. Combine the breadcrumbs and spices onto a plate. In a small bowl, beat the egg replacements until frothy and clumps are gone.
2. In a frying pan, add vegetable oil and bring to medium heat.
3. Smash out the chick'n patties as much as you can without tearing them (the idea behind schnitzel is that it is thin patties).
4. Coat the patties in flour, then in egg replacement thoroughly, then cover in breadcrumbs.
5. Fry both sides until golden.
6. Serve with ketchup or hummus and a side of french fries or mashed potatoes.

* Note: Gardein is a great mock meat alternative to chicken. For egg replacement, I used Ener-G.

Sonoma Chick'n Salad

I never really cared for chicken salad prior to being vegan as I did not like mayonnaise. As such, I decided to spruce things up a bit with a vegan Sonoma chick'n salad. This is really easy and quick to make. Perfect for a summer picnic.

Sonoma Chick'n Salad

 * Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 10 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) bag chick'n strips*
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1/2 cup seedless red grapes, sliced in half
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tsp agave nectar
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Fry the chick'n strips over medium heat until cooked, about 10 minutes. Chop them up into bite size pieces.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients then add the chick'n. Mix well and serve.

* Note: For vegan chick'n strips, I used MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Chick'n Strips. For vegan mayonnaise, I used Vegenaise with grapeseed oil. 

Paella

So, I got the idea of making a vegan paella one day and just sort of ran with it. This is what I came up with. I used short-grain brown rice instead of white rice for a more healthy option.

Paella

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Spanish onion, sliced 
• 1 box (7 oz.) of chick'n strips*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red pepper, sliced
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan chorizo*
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan shrimp*
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup dried lobster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried oyster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. In a medium pot, combine vegetable stock, rice, bay leaf, saffron. Cook until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. 
3. Once onions are cooked, add the chick'n strips, garlic, red pepper, chorizo, shrimps, peas, and mushrooms. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until everything looks nicely browned or tender.
4. In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the pot and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. When rice is done, remove bay leaf and add to the pot with paella mixture. Stir well to combine. Serve with lemon wedge if desired.

* Note: For chick'n strips, I used Gardein brand. One could also use Morningstar Farms. For vegan chorizo, I used Frieda's brand Soyrizo. The vegan shrimp I used was VegeUSA brand. Lastly, Old Bay Seasoning is a seafood seasoning that is often use. You can find it at any grocery store in the spice section. It is great for faux crab cakes. Don't worry - it's vegan! 

As a side note, you could also opt to add celery into this dish or use regular white short-grain rice. The lobster and oysters mushrooms were added to give a more seafood-y taste (plus, I love fungi). You could opt to leave them out if you like or use a fresh variety of both.

Go-To Seitan Recipes

Deli-Style Seitan

Going through old blog entries, I have realized I have a lot of various seitan recipes that I have used and posted. Some have made it back to my go-to seitan recipe list and others I have decided are not as good. So, because of this, I decided to make a post clarifying which I like the best.

For a meaty pot roast sort of texture and feel, I like this one I used for my Chicken and Buckwheat Waffles recipe and my Country Fried Seitan Steak recipe. It soaks up liquids nice, so it goes well with a gravy. 

If you are looking to make more of a deli-style sandwich, this recipe for the seitan on the Italian "Beef" Sandwiches is what you'll want. It slices very well!

If you have made any of Vegan Miss' seitan recipes, I'd love to hear how they turned out. Thank you. xoxo

Grilled Romaine with Chick'n and Homemade Caesar Dressing

Again, this was inspired by my new grill pan. I made this dressing a while back for my Dishes Men Like posts (which I should really make another 1950's vegan dish, right?!). It is really, really good! I did change what type of mayonnaise I used, though. I have been trying the new Earth Balance vegan mayo while that original Caesar dressing recipe was made with Vegenaise. If you haven't noticed, I'm a huge fan of Gardein. These chick'n strips are pretty good. One could have opted to grill one of their scallopini's and slice it too.

 Grilled Romaine with Chick'n and Homemade Caesar Dressing

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 10 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, cut in half
• 1/2 package Gardein chick'n strips
• VM's Caesar dressing
• salt and pepper, to taste
• vegan Parmesan, to taste*

* Recipe:

1. In a grill pan on medium heat, cook Gardein and romaine. Toss the chick'n strips here and there to cook each side and flip the romaine after 5 minutes. Cook for a total of 10 minutes.
2. Place romaine on a plate with chick'n strips. Top with dressing, salt, pepper, and vegan Parmesan.

* Note: For vegan Parmesan, I used Galaxy brand.


This recipe will make two servings or a large serving for one. Also, in the picture to the right of the recipe, there is quite a bit of Gardein. I only used half a head of romaine when I made this and then decided that with that much chick'n, it would be best with a full head.

Chick'n Scallopini with Wild Mushroom Risotto

Tasty and a perfect romantic dinner. ♥

Chick'n Scallopini with Wild Mushroom Risotto

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 45 minutes
* Ingredients (for risotto):

• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 5 oz. bags dried wild mushrooms, dehydrated, sliced
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon, follow directions
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 cup basil, chiffonade 
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
• vegan Parmesan, to taste* 

* Ingredients (for chick'n):

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Gardein chick'n scallopini patties*
• 1/2 small yellow onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup pinot grigio white wine*
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
• 2 tbsp Daiya mozzarella, split between scallopini*
• 1/2 medium lemon, juiced
• basil, chopped, to top 
  

* Recipe (for risotto):

1. Dehydrate the wild mushrooms in boiling water until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove mushrooms and slice, reserving water to make broth.
3. With mushroom water, add the cube of bouillon and the amount of remaining water needed for two cups. Bring to boil.
4. In a skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and sautee onions with salt until translucent and soft.
5. Add remaining oil and cook the garlic and mushrooms, about 5 minutes.
6. Next, add the rice, parsley, rosemary, basil, vegan Parmesan, remaining salt, and pepper. Sautee until rice starts to brown, stirring constantly. Add a ladle full of broth at a time, stirring until all the liquid has been absorbed.
7. Repeat the process until all the broth has been used.

* Recipe (for chick'n):

1. Add oil to skillet and caramelize onions.
2. Next, add garlic, thyme, and scallopini. Cook through until scallopini is golden brown. Add wine to deglaze.
3. As wine is cooking down, add lemon juice. Allow the sauce to cook.
4. Remove scallopini and slice in thin strips.
5. Top with sauteed onions, wine reduction, Daiya, and bake to melt cheese at 200 degrees.
6. Remove and place atop risotto.
7. Sprinkle basil over dish.

* Note: For vegan Parmesan, I use Galaxy brand. Gardein is a great mock meat company that you can find in most groceries. Make sure your wine is vegan! Daiya is a tapioca based cheeze product that has become readily available at most health food stores. You can also find it online. 

Lemon & Lavender Chick'n with Quinoa Pilaf and Asparagus

I was inspired by the spice rack on this one!


Lemon & Lavender Chick'n with Quinoa Pilaf and Asparagus

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients (for quinoa pilaf):

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/2 red and orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 zephyr squash, diced*
• 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• truffle salt, to taste*
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

* Ingredients (for lemon & lavender chick'n):

• 3 tbsp Mediterranean spiced olive oil*
• 1 tsp Herbs de Provence with lavender*
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp truffle salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• tiny pinch saffron
• 1 package Gardein chick'n scallopini*

* Ingredients (for asparagus):

• 1 bunch green asparagus
• 1 tbsp balsamic reduction, drizzled*

* Recipe (for quinoa pilaf):

1. Place quinoa and water in a small pot and cook covered on medium to low heat for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile in another medium pot, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Throw in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add celery and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Mix in the cooked quinoa with the vegetables. Add the cilantro. Cook on low for another 5 minutes if it is too mushy still.

* Recipe (for lemon & lavender chick'n):

1. Heat skillet to medium heat.
2. Mix all ingredients except chick'n patties. Add to skillet.
3. Place the patties in skillet and cook on both sides until done, about 5-10 minutes.

* Recipe (for asparagus):

1. Cut ends off asparagus and steam in large pot for about 10 minutes until tender.
2. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

* Note: Zephyr squash were readily available at my local health food store with their organic produce. You could use an ordinary squash. Truffle salt is just something I picked up. Regular salt will do. The Mediterranean infused olive oil is again something I picked up. Feel free to use a regular olive oil versus an infused one. I couldn't find straight dried lavender and as a result I ended up with the Herbs de Provence with lavender which I think I like better anyways! Gardein is a great company and one can find it at most grocery stores with the organic products or Boca products. Lastly, the balsamic reduction is something I found bottled in the spice aisle at the store. One could just drizzle plain old balsamic on top if they chose.

Chick'n Katsu & Katsudon

If you have ever seen a bento box menu at a Japanese or Hawaiian restaurant, chances are you'll see katsu or tonkatsu (pork katsu). Tonkatsu is generally the more famous of the various types of katsu one can get, though there are also beef, chicken, fish, and minced meat versions. So, hey, why aren't their veggie versions?! Exactly. There is probably someone out there that makes or sells tofu katsu. I thought about trying that, but then I realized we vegans and vegetarians are mighty lucky to have the super nifty company, Gardein. "Chick'n Katsu" was born.


Chick'n Katsu

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 package of Gardein chick'n scallopini, thawed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg replacements, preparing according to package instructions*
• 2 cups panko
• 4 lemon wedges
• tonkatsu sauce, for dipping* 

* Recipe:

1. Pour oil into deep frying pan and cover at least 1 in. thick. Heat on high.
2. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder over chick'n patties.
3. Place flour on one plate, panko on another, and egg replacer in a medium bowl.
4. Dredge chick'n in flour, then saturate entirely with egg replacer. Coat with panko completely and press to make sure chick'n is well coated.
5. Slip chick'n into oil and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Drain chick'n on paper towels once removed from pan.
7. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices about 1/2 in. thick.
8. Serve with lemon wedge and tonkatsu sauce for dipping.

* Note: For egg replacer, I swear by Ener-G for all my needs. Tonkatsu sauce is used for all sorts of katsu. It's sweet yet tangy. Kikkoman has a vegan one readily available. This recipe was modified from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.


Chick'n Katsudon

Katsudon is a combination of katsu and donburi. It generally involves an egg. Vegans don't eat eggs. I modified it with my own little scrambled "egg" recipe in order to compensate for this.

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 10 minutes
* Ingredients (for donburi sauce):

• 1 cup water
• 5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari*
• 5 tbsp mirin*
• 1 tsp vegan dashi*
• 1/2 tsp sugar*
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

* Ingredients (for scrambled "egg"): 

• 1/2 package (14 oz.) firm tofu, pressed, smashed with fork
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder 
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast

* Ingredients (for chick'n katsudon):

• 4 chick'n katsu, sliced into 1/2 in. pieces
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced 
• 1 tbsp nori, ripped or cut into narrow strips

* Recipe (for donburi sauce):

1. Combine all ingredients in sauce pan.
2. Bring to boil and remove from heat.

* Recipe (for scrambled "egg"):

1. In a small skillet, heat the sesame oil and add the smashed tofu.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

* Recipe (for chick'n katsudon):

1. Place serving of rice in a bowl. Add scrambled tofu, then one sliced chick'n katsu.
2. Add donburi sauce over the rice, egg, and katsu.
3. Top with scallions and nori.

* Note: One could probably use Bragg's Amino Acid in replace of soy sauce or tamari. Mirin is a sweet rice wine cooking liquid. VegWeb has a great vegan dashi recipe that one can store and use for later. I highly recommend it. Make sure your sugar is vegan. I modified this recipe from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.



Thinking about it, the one thing I'm not sure one could actually veganize in Japanese cooking is shabu-shabu (if you've seen Lost in Translation, you know what I'm talking about). I guess someone could try it with seitan. That would be interesting to see!

Chick'n Parmesan Sandwich

Someone requested I make a chick'n parmesan dish, so I made this! Feel free to put this over spaghetti (I just didn't have any or else I would have done that probably).

Chick'n Parmesan Sandwich


* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini*
• 4 Ener-G egg replacers (follow box instructions)*
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs*
  
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp vegan Parmesan*
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 1/4" slices vegan mozzarella
• 4 slices Italian bread, toasted

 * Recipe:

1. Place 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium skillet. Turn on medium heat.
2. In a bowl, mixed the egg replacer ingredients together. Whisk until lumps are gone.
3. In another bowl, put the Italian bread crumbs and 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan. Mix well.
4. Dip the chick'n patties in the egg replacer making sure it is thoroughly covered. Dip into the Italian bread crumbs and cover completely. Repeat this process one more time.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
6. Place the breaded chick'n in the hot skillet and fry both sides until golden.
7. While the chick'n is frying, in yet another bowl combine the crushed tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, black pepper, sea salt, remaining vegan Parmesan and garlic slices. Mix well.
8. At the bottom of a small Pyrex pan, add the remaining olive oil. Spread about 3 tbsp spoons of your tomato sauce over the top of the olive oil.
9. Place the chick'n patties in the pan, top with the remaining tomato sauce.
10. Finally, place the vegan mozzarella on the very top of the pan.
11. Bake for 20 minutes.
12. When done baking, serving as a sandwich with the Italian bread.

*  Note: Gardein is a great vegan brand that has these excellent Chick'n Scallopini's.If you haven't had this brand yet, you must! You can find it at many chain grocery's such as Jewel and Whole Foods. You can alternatively order it online. Ener-G is a type of egg replacer. It is my personal favorite. If you have another, please use that. A  lot of bread crumbs contain milk, so be sure to check! Lastly, for vegan Parmesan I used Galaxy brand.

Meatout 2011: Chick'n Bacon Ranch Sandwich & Greek Salad

 
Meatout is a worldwide event run by FARM that takes place yearly. From their website, "On (or around) March 20, thousands of caring people in all 50 U.S. states and two dozen other countries get active to host educational events for Meatout- the world's largest grassroots diet education campaign. Activists distribute free food, educate their communities, and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to "kick the meat habit” and explore a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains." 


As a part of the activism for Meatout, they have asked me and many other bloggers to hold an e-event by posting a special recipe on their blog today, March 20th. In honor of this, I decided to make a rather simple but delicious meal.


Chick'n Bacon Ranch Sandwich

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 1 Gardein Chickn Scallopini patty*
• 2 slices of Lightlife veggie bacon*
• 1 romaine lettuce leaf
• 1 slice of vegan cheese*
• 1/4 of avocado, sliced
• 1 bun*
• 1 tbsp vegan ranch (or to taste)

* Ingredients (for ranch):

• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or to taste)*
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp garlic red wine vinegar

* Recipe (for ranch):

1. Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. In a small skillet, fry the chick'n patty until golden brown on each side.
2. In the same skillet, fry up two slices of veggie bacon until slightly crispy on each side.
3. Again in the skillet, toast the insides of a sliced roll until crispy.
4. Construct the sandwich by bottom bun, lettuce, chick'n, bacon, and cheese. Microwave the sandwich so the cheese melts. Add the avocado and ranch. Top with the remaining half of the bun.

* Note: Gardein is a great all vegan product that can be found in most grocery stores now. I used the Chick'n Scallopini because I wanted to have a "chick'n breast" on my sandwich. One could also have used a Boca chickn patty or another brand. Lightlife makes a vegan bacon that is pretty good. Again, one can find it in many grocery stores. For cheese, I used a local brand of vegan Muenster. The company is called Ste Martaen and they have a great line of cashew cheeses here in Chicago. They also happen to co-run the vegan food truck which is awesome! The bun I used was a ciabatta bun, but feel free to use a hoagie roll or something else. For vegan mayonnaise, I prefer Vegenaise over other brands. Their dressing mayonnaise works so well to make ranch. Lastly, for the milk, feel free to use any non-dairy milk.


Greek Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients (for salad):

• 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup black olives
• 1/3 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium vine tomato, chopped
• 1/3 large cucumber, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy feta*

* Ingredients (for dressing):

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, juice squeezed
• 2 tbsp garlic red wine vinegar

* Recipe (for salad):

1. Chop all the vegetables and combine well in a bowl. Take half the vegetables and place in one bowl, the other half in another bowl.
2. Top with 1 tbsp soy feta on each bowl.
3. Lastly, add the salad dressing to each bowl.

* Recipe (for dressing):

1. Combine the oregano, salt, pepper, lemon, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive until combined.

* Note: For soy feta, I used Sunergia Soyfoods brand. It's pretty good. Feel free to skip this part if you don't want to order it.

Dishes Men Like: Caesar Salad & Chick'n Divan

More recipes inspired by "Dishes Men Like". It is made by Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and every single recipe contains their sauce! Clearly, men love these dishes. This is the rest of the dinner I made which composed of the previous blog entry (shrimp canapes and crab bisque), Caesar salad, and Chick'n Divan.
 

Caesar Salad
 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 5 minutes
* Ingredients (for salad):  

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 bunch endive (preferably curly), chopped
• handful of cherry tomatoes, split down the middle
• handful croutons

* Ingredients (for dressing):

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese*
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Recipe: 

1. Combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Once mixed, add the mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mixed together the lettuce, endive and tomatoes.
3. Place the lettuce mixture in a serving bowl, top with croutons, then add the dressing. Sprinkle with more vegan Parmesan!

* Note: I used Galaxy brand vegan Parmesan cheese topping. For vegan mayonnaise, I used Vegenaise. 
 

Chick'n Divan with Buttered Rice 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes

* Ingredients (for chick'n divan):  

• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends chopped off
• 1 can (16 oz.) cream of mushroom soup*
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
• 1 package vegan chicken, defrosted and sliced*
• 1/2 cup heavy soy cream, whipped*
• 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Ingredients (for buttered rice):

• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe (for chick'n divan): 

1. Cook asparagus in boiling salt water until tender, then drain. Place the asparagus in a large baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Combine soup, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and pour 1/2 mixture over asparagus.
4. Top the asparagus with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
5. Defrost the vegan chicken and slice into 1/2 in. pieces.
6. Top the asparagus with the chicken and pour remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese.
7. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
8. While baking, combine the whipped cream with mayonnaise.
9. When chicken is done baking, spread the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese.
10. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

* Recipe (for buttered rice):

1. Cook the rice according to box instructions.
2. While still hot, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

* Note: The cream of mushroom soup I used was Imagine brand. The vegan chicken was Vegetarian Plus brand. For the soy whipping cream, Soyatoo was used. Vegan mayonnaise brand was Vegenaise. Earth Balance was the soy butter used.

The recipes above were fantastic! I hope you all enjoy them. I'm looking forward to modifying and creating more vegan versions of these retro dishes in the future.

Animal Shaped Chick'n Nuggets

Super kid-friendly recipe! Have fun with these cute nuggets. If I had dino shaped cutters, I would have done that. Alas, I only had animal shaped cookie cutters.

Animal Shaped Chick'n Nuggets

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 2 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp dried sage
• 1 tsp salt & pepper
• 1 tsp of Butler's Chik Style Seasoning, optional*
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup all purpose
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1 "egg", follow box instructions
• 1 block tofu, 10 oz., pressed, cut into animal shapes
• vegetable oil, for frying

* Recipe: 

1. Combine all ingredients except soy milk and egg in a bowl. Mix well. 
2. Combine the soy milk and egg in another bowl. 
3. Heat oil in a large sized frying pan. 
4. Press the tofu and then slice the block into four sheets. Use animal shaped cookie cutters to make animal tofu bites. 
5. Take your animal bites and coat with the soy milk mixture, then coat with the dry mixture. 
6. Place in heated pan and fry each side until golden. 
7. Use ranch or bbq sauce with these fun nuggets! 

* Note: The Butler's Chik Style Seasoning is something I found on Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe and thought it would be useful for my fried chicken, etc. I used it in this because I had it. It is not necessary.