Grilled Tofu Veggie Kabobs

Confession: I have never been to a Memorial Day Weekend barbeque in my life.

But not going to an outdoor event doesn't mean you can't make delicious grilled food indoors. This is a very simple recipe for a fresh, healthy and colorful meal. You can mix and match whatever veggies are your favorites. This makes 8 kabobs. 

Food on a stick is always fun no matter where you eat it. Enjoy!

Grilled Tofu Veggie Kabobs

Ingredients

1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed and drained
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. gluten-free tamari
1 Tbs. safflower oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 small zucchini, cut into rounds
2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into squares
1 red onion, cut into small chunks
8 cherry tomatoes

Directions

Cut the tofu into cubes. Combine the vinegar, tamari, oil, spices, garlic and broth in a bowl. Marinate the tofu in the mixture for at least 30 minutes. Reserve a bit of the marinade and in another bowl, marinate the veggies for no longer than 10 minutes. While you are waiting, you can soak your bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes so they don’t burn on the grill.

Grill the tofu either on your outdoor grill or in a grill pan over high heat until browned and cooked, about 4 minutes per side. On each skewer, arrange the vegetables in whatever pattern makes you happy. I put 2 pieces of tofu, 1 cherry tomato and 2 pieces of the remaining vegetables on each skewer. I used the zucchini rounds as bookends. Grill the skewers for about 4 minutes on each side until browned and tender but still fresh and crisp. Serve while hot. Enjoy!

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Baked Macaroni and Pumpkin Cashew Cheese

As my cooking skills evolve, I not only have been coming up with new recipes but I've been revising old ones. Since I only became gluten-free about a year and a half ago, some of my older recipes need gluten-free versions. And as I have pretty much eliminated processed foods from my diet, some of my older recipes need to be done in a more whole-foods way. It's a lot of work but I actually love seeing how my eating habits and culinary abilities have evolved over time.

My Tommy has been very sad since his father passed away on the 20th and I wanted to make him something special for dinner that might bring him a bit of comfort. He loves mac n'cheese so I thought I'd surprise him and whip him up some creamy goodness. It also would mean an opportunity to revise my old mac n'cheese recipe.

So I went to the old recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese that I posted in 2010 and when I read the story, I smiled. Seems Tom had been ill and I was planning to surprise him with a cruelty-free version of one of his favorite foods that he hadn't had since we became vegan. I thought it was funny that almost 2 years later, I was once again planning a special surprise meal with which to cheer Tom up and it was the exact same meal!!

Well, not totally exact. The old recipe, while yummy and delicious, was not gluten-free and it used Daiya cheese shreds. This new recipe uses a cashew-based cheese sauce. The old recipe was made to satisfy Tom's purist stance on mac n'cheese; this time I added some pumpkin to the cheese sauce. The pumpkin eliminates the need for a roux, adds a slight sweet taste and ups the nutritional value of the meal.

While the recipe is a bit different, the thought behind the meal remains the same. The best part of cooking is being able to put my time and love into creating something that will make my Tommy happy. Recipes change, my love for my husband never will. Enjoy!

Baked Macaroni and Pumpkin Cashew Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb. gluten-free pasta
Kosher salt
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup hot water

¼ cup nutritional yeast
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. dried mustard
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbs. vegan butter
7 oz. pumpkin puree (1/2 can)
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
Cooking spray or a bit of oil
1/3 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the cashews and hot water. Pulse a few times to get it started and then process until completely smooth. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Process until everything is completely combined and smooth. Transfer the cashew mix to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Melt in the vegan butter, and then add the pumpkin puree and milk. Stir until everything is combined and the sauce is smooth and silky. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the sauce onto the cooked pasta and toss to combine. At this point you can just garnish with parsley and eat the mac and cheese this way. If you are baking it, transfer the mac and cheese to a baking dish or ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking oil. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, oil and parsley. Top the mac and cheese with the bread crumb mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs have browned. If the crumbs are taking too long to brown, turn the oven to broil for 5 minutes. You don’t want to bake it too long or it will get too dry. Serve while hot.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Rotini Alfredo with Asparagus and Peas

Growing up, every Sunday my mother would make two things: chicken soup with matzoh balls and a huge pot of tomato sauce for pasta. This weekly ritual represented both her heritage and upbringing: Jewish but always raised in Italian neighborhoods. In fact, my mother's childhood best friend, Dolores (whose brother, Jackie Vernon, is the voice of Frosty the Snowman), was the daughter of a chef. He owned and ran an Italian restaurant and he taught my mother how to cook Italian food while my grandparents taught her how to cook Jewish fare.

By the time I was older and eating out, the last thing I ever wanted was Italian food. I wanted Spanish food, Jamaican food, Indian food, Chinese food, anything but Italian food. On the one hand, I was tired of it because I would have it every week. On the other hand, no one could (or still can) make a sauce like my mother's.

On those occasions when I would get Italian food, I would order pasta in a garlic and oil sauce or a cream-based sauce. These are still my favorite types of sauce. Alfredo sauce was something I loved but ordered rarely. After all, it's really fattening and unhealthy. I know two people who had heart attacks the day after eating Fettuccine Alfredo for dinner...seriously!

But it seemed time to make my own vegan and healthier version of an Alfredo sauce. I used raw cashews. I didn't soak them but you could if you wanted to. They ground up fine for me without soaking. I also wanted to make the sauce soy-free so I used almond milk and if I had wanted to make it richer and smoother, I would have added coconut spread. I didn't use the coconut spread, however, because I wanted to keep the sauce as light as I possibly could so I skipped the extra fat. Sauteing the onion and garlic before putting into the sauce deepens and intensifies the flavor. Roasting the garlic would make it even better!

The sauce tastes rich, smooth, creamy and decadent. If you want it to have more of the traditional white color, omit the paprika. I chose a gluten-free brown rice rotini for the pasta. The spiral shape holds more sauce than a long noodle where most of the sauce just drips off. For veggies, I chose asparagus and peas but of course, you can use whatever veggies are your favorites.

My Rotini Alfredo with Asparagus and Peas is a hearty, comforting and much healthier (gluten-free and soy-free) version of an old favorite that makes me happy to choose Italian again.

 

Rotini Alfredo with Asparagus and Peas

Ingredients

1 lb. brown rice rotini or pasta of your choice

Kosher salt

4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup hot water

Juice of one lemon

1 Tbs. tahini sauce

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. nutritional yeast

½ tsp. smoked paprika

A pinch of nutmeg

½ tsp. Kosher salt (or to taste)

¼ tsp. ground black pepper (or to taste)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbs. coconut butter spread (optional)

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

1/3 cup frozen peas

Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until they are softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. While the onions and garlic are cooking, add the cashews and the hot water into a food processor. Leave the saucepan out because you’re going to use it again. Pulse a few times to get the chopping started and then process until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add the cooked onions and garlic to the food processor. Add the lemon juice, tahini sauce, mustard, nutritional yeast, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper and process until well combined and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Transfer the cashew sauce to the saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the milk and let cook until the sauce is to your desired thickness and consistency. If it seems to thick, add more milk. If you want the sauce to be silkier and creamier, add the coconut butter spread (or vegan butter of your choice). Reduce the heat to the lowest setting just to keep the sauce warm.

By now the pasta should be done. Drain the pasta into a colander. In the pasta pot, add the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and asparagus and cook until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Add the pasta back to the pot and toss with the vegetables. Add the cashew cream sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the peas and cook until they are warmed through. Serve while hot with parsley and fresh cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Overstuffed Artichokes

Sometimes I would get home from school and see a bunch of foil-wrapped, ball-shaped packets on the stove. I would get excited because I knew what was in them: stuffed artichokes. Oh, how I loved when my mother made stuffed artichokes!

The funny thing is that I hated artichokes. It may have been the weirdest vegetable I ever saw as a kid. For me, its only purpose was as a vessel to hold the delicious bread crumb stuffing that tasted so good.

Mom instructed: you pull off a leaf, hold it by the tip and eat the stuffing while scraping the artichoke off with your teeth. My way: I pulled off a leaf, held it by the tip and ate the stuffing while carefully avoiding the leaf with my teeth. Worked for me. The stuffing was delicious. I would eat every bit and then hand the rest of my artichoke over to my Dad who ate the hearts (yuck!). What was the point of eating the parts that held no stuffing?

Today, like so many other foods I swore I hated, I love artichokes. In particular, I adore artichoke hearts and can eat them plain, raw, out of a can, however. When it comes to the whole artichoke, I still think the stuffing is essential. There are a lot of methods out there but I make these Overstuffed Artichokes the way my Mother made them. First, I steam them to soften them while I cook up the stuffing. Then after stuffing the leaves, I bake them for a little bit. When they are done, I even wrap each one in foil until I am ready to serve them, just like Mom did.

My Overstuffed Artichokes look like beautiful flowers. Maybe instead of the usual roses, you can surprise someone special with a bouquet of artichokes this Mother's Day. Enjoy!

Overstuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

2 large artichokes

Kosher salt

Lemon peel

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 - 2 cups gluten-free bread crumbs, depending on size of artichokes (I use rice cereal run through the food processor to make a panko-like crumb)

3 Tbs. vegan grated parmesan or nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cooking spray or 1 Tbs. olive oil

Directions
Trim the artichokes. First cut the stem so that the artichoke can sit upright. Then, starting at the base, bend the tough outer leaves back until they break off. With kitchen scissors, trim the tops of the remaining leaves.

Fill a pot half-way with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the artichokes and the lemon peel. Cover and simmer until the bottoms of the artichokes are fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes. Remove from the water, sit them upside down to drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown and starting to crisp. Do not let it burn. Remove the garlic from the oil. Add the bread crumbs and toast until just browned a bit, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the grated parmesan or nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and parsley. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take each artichoke and place it top-side down on the cutting board. Press down gently on the base with your palm. This will make the leaves open so you can fill them more easily. With a small spoon, fill the leaves with the bread crumb mixture. Be generous and let it overflow. When you have filled all the leaves, place the stuffed artichokes in a small baking dish. Either drizzle them with a bit more oil or use cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes until they are browned and crispy. Serve while hot.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Tempeh "Fish" Tacos, Zesty Lime Corn and Other Ideas for Cinco de Mayo

It's almost Cinco de Mayo. What will you be serving with your margaritas? Here are my suggestions and some new recipes.

There is no better meal than brunch. Breakfast and lunch all mixed together. No food is right or wrong. I love it. Start the day with my Mexican Sunday Brunch feast (even if it's Saturday).

A delicious Mexican Tofu Scramble and Spanish-Style Potatoes (my favorite part) served with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. This makes an incredible spread.

If you're feeling more ambitious, make my Mexican Lasagna. Layer after layer of deliciousness using corn tortillas, beans and a freshly-made picadillo you can create using your choice of burger crumbles or lentils. Topped with fresh guacamole, this is one impressive dish.

If you're craving enchiladas, my Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas are the answer.

Delicious and healthy, it makes a great dish for company. Serve it with my Mango Avocado Salsa which is so pretty, you won't need flowers on the table.

Or if you're looking for something more casual, my Tempeh "Fish" Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw and Dill Remoulade is the perfect choice. Use the recipe from my Tempeh "Fish" and Chips but cut the tempeh into strips to make "fish" sticks.

Assemble the tacos and serve with my Zesty Lime Corn. The recipes are below.

Whatever you eat or drink, have a Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Zesty Lime Corn

Ingredients
4 Tbs. Vegan butter, room temperature
2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest and juice of one small lime
4 large or 8 small ears of corn

Directions
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the corn. Mix together well and set aside. Grill the corn about 10 minutes until tender, turning frquently and brushing with half the vegan butter mixture. If you don't have a grill, you can do this over a gas-heat burner. Serve the corn with the remaining butter mixture.

Dill Remoulade

Ingredients
3 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise
3 Tbs. vegan sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. sugar-free dill relish
Zest and juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Red Cabbage-Lime Slaw

Ingredients
3 cups red cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. agave nectar
Zest and juice of one lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Let the slaw sit for at least 30 minutes to give the acid time to break down the cabbage.

Tempeh "Fish" Tacos

Ingredients
8 corn tortillas
16 Tempeh "Fish" Sticks (see recipe here)
Remoulade (recipe above)
Red Cabbage-Lime Slaw (recipe above)

Directions
In a dry skillet, on a grill or over a gas-heat burner, toast the tortillas until they char a bit on both sides. Assemble the tacos: place one of two tempeh "fish" sticks on a tortilla, add some slaw and top with the remoulade. Serve with Zesty Lime Corn. Enjoy!

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Yesterday I Missed Being Fat

Yesterday I missed being fat. I actually had a moment when I said out loud, "I wish I was fat again." Sounds ridiculous, right? Let me explain.

Tom's and my birthdays are coming up this month. We both needed new clothes and shoes so we reluctantly set out to go shopping. I say reluctantly because I've always hated clothes shopping. At least for myself. I love shopping for Tom's clothes. Men's clothes seem so easy: pick out pants, choose a shirt, a matching tie, black or brown shoes, done.

And when it comes to sizes, men's clothes seem to work on some universal system that makes it even easier - as if some man who knows most men don't like to spend a lot of time clothes shopping developed a sizing system that would make it take the least amount of time possible. They even sell shirts with matching ties for people who can't (or don't want to) coordinate the pieces themselves. And how do men's shirts actually work? You choose a neck size and an arm length and somehow, it's guaranteed to fit no matter how big that man's stomach is? I don't understand that at all.

So shopping for Tom was easy and fun (for me). A couple of pairs of dress pants, some casual pants, and a suit jacket that Tom looked so handsome in it made me want to spend some time alone with him in the dressing room :) For me, matching up shirts and ties is like decorating a home, matching curtains and throw pillows. I could do it all day.

But alas, we got everything Tom needed and it was my turn. You would think shopping would be pleasurable for me now. I mean, it was only a few years ago that I was a size 26 pants and a 30-32 shirt. 3X might have been big enough, depending on the clothes. Now my jeans are a size 8 or 10, depending on the brand. 116 lbs. less should make shopping for clothes a dream, right? I can finally buy all those cute outfits I used to only dream about, right? Wrong!

Maybe it's because I haven't finished my weight loss journey yet. I still have about 30 lbs. to lose. It was less but then I got sick and the evil medication caused me to gain some weight that isn't all gone yet. Maybe it's because I lost most of that weight without a lot of exercise so it's not like I'm tight and toned. Maybe it's because you just don't lose the weight of a small person and expect your body to spring back (if it was ever there) into a normal, proportioned shape.

Whatever it is, my body has issues. My top is bigger than my bottom. My hips are bigger than my waist. I still have a belly and my upper legs are not as great as my lower legs. And my arms...well, I often think if I flap my arms enough, I would take flight. Plus, my right arm is flabbier than my left arm. What's up with that? I'm a righty. It's my right arm that gets all the exercise and works hard filling a chalkboard with notes for my class. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Whatever. What it comes down to is that shopping for clothes actually feels harder now than it used to. My body isn't right for all those cute outfits I could never buy when I was pushing 270 lbs. and it isn't right for them now. The trendy clothes in the boutiques are designed for an adolescent's body and the clothes in the bigger department stores are designed for those adolescents' mothers. Where are the clothes for the adolescent's slightly older, slightly bigger sister? There has to be something between Hot Topic and the Macy's women's section.

Which leads me to another "hot topic" - why are large-size females considered "women" while regular-sized females are "ladies" and young females are "juniors?" Who decided on that nomenclature? But that's a topic for another day. Back to the sizing method and the sadist who designed the system. I see a jacket I like. I pick up a large though my winter coat is a medium (from the same store). Nope, doesn't fit. I begrudgingly pick up an XL. IT DOESN'T FIT!! What's going on? I move over to another jacket and a large fits just fine. I get that jacket though I'm still upset that I need any piece of clothing with the word "large" in it.

Dresses. Why are ALL the dresses sleeveless? I don't care if summer is coming. Don't designers know that not all women want to bare their arms no matter how hot it gets? And if I get that dress with the spaghetti straps (to be worn by women who probably never eat spaghetti), what do I do with my bra? And not those delicate bras with dental floss for straps, the kind of bras that have to work as scaffolding. How does that work? Deciding that a skirt and top might be a better choice than a dress, I start looking at skirts. I can choose between skirts that are so short, I wouldn't need to pull them up to give birth or skirts so long, I would need to pull them up just to walk without tripping. Sigh.

I choose a few skirts to take into the fitting room. In some a medium is too small, in others a large is a tarp. Then it's on to find matching tops WITH SLEEVES. In some even an XL is clingy. "Am I only a medium in Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary shirts?" I protest. This isn't easy and Tom is losing patience with me. He doesn't get why this is so hard and frustrating for me. I'm in tears in the middle of the store, crying to him, "You don't understand. I don't know how to do this." I feel like I am failing at something that should be inherent in women - clothes shopping. I feel the way I felt when we first became vegan and I cried in the middle of Whole Foods, not knowing what to buy. People are staring. Tom tries to calm me down off the ledge.

After making some purchases that I wasn't thrilled about and still without a complete outfit, we set out through the mall and I stopped short when we passed a Lane Bryant. My old friend. Lane Bryant and Avenue were my go-to stores. I look in the window and everything I see looks so pretty. I want to go in there. But I don't belong in there anymore, right? Didn't I work hard so I wouldn't have to shop in there? But maybe...maybe if an XL in a regular store is clingy...maybe the smallest size in a plus-sized store would work? That makes sense, right? I go in.

Immediately, I see a dozen outfits I love. I pick out shirts, skirts, jackets and dresses until I can't hold anymore. As I'm picking out the clothes, I realize that I don't look like the other women shopping in this store. I don't look like the saleswomen. I remember when I would shop in plus-sized stores and be annoyed at smaller women who looked like they didn't belong, like they must be shopping for a friend or their mother. Yet I feel at home here. I feel comfortable. It was easy then - just see what I liked, pick out the biggest size and hope it was big enough. When I lost weight, it was still easy - see what I liked and hope they had one left in the smallest size. Limited selection, everything is coordinated and when you try it on, you don't expect to look like a Victoria's Secret model. You just hope you look "good enough."

So I go to the fitting room. "You realize this is a Catch-22," I say to Tom. "Yes," he replies, all too familiar with these mind games. If the clothes are too big, that means I'm too small to shop in plus-sized stores which is a good thing but I won't have these cute outfits which is a bad thing. If the clothes fit, I'll have the cute outfits I like which is a good thing but that means I'll have gone backwards which is a bad thing. It will mean I can still be "plus-sized." I can't win. I try them on and the clothes are all swimming on me. I'm happy and sad at the same time. One of the shirts is big but I want it anyway. So what if it's loose and blousy? Heaven help the person who asks if I'm pregnant! I just want to buy something here, in my old home.

I go to the register and realize all the saleswomen behind the counter and the all the women on line are obese. Like I used to be. And I'm jealous. In my head, the words actually dare to form the thought, "I wish I was fat again." I know I don't really want to be obese again. I don't want to go back to being 3X or any X. I don't want to be limited to "plus" stores or "womens" sections. Certainly, I don't want all the health problems that went along with those pounds. But for that moment, I just wanted to fit in again. I wanted a place where I felt I belonged and right now, I don't know where that place is.

On to shoes...what's this? Size 9? But I'm always a 9 1/2! Yeesh! Thank goodness birthdays only come once a year.

Update: It actually took me another full day of shopping with many of the same frustrations to finally get my 2 outfits. Between having to make sure the items were cruelty-free, the lack of sizing standards and my not knowing even what size underwear I need, it took me approximately 16 hours plus travel time to buy the clothes I need for 2 events that will probably last 2-3 hours each.

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.

Double-Dipped Gardein "Chicken" Sandwich

As you probably know, most of the recipes on this blog are gluten-free. When I read how a gluten-free diet can help autoimmune disorders by reducing inflammation, I tried it out. At first I didn't do it consistently and not surprisingly, I didn't feel any difference. But when I got serious and completely eliminated gluten from my diet, the difference was amazing! So many uncomfortable feelings disappeared and my body thanked me for the change.

But every once in a while, not often, but maybe once every couple of months, I cheat and eat something with gluten. Maybe it's because I'm out at a restaurant and I really want the seitan or they just don't have gluten-free and vegan options for me. It can be a hard combo to find when you eat out. Other times it may because I'm craving something "bad." That usually means something processed or bread or both. That's usually an emotional craving begging for comfort food.

Since I don't have Celiac Disease, I can cheat once in a while (people who have Celiac's or gluten allergies should NEVER cheat) although I do pay for it the next couple of days. Well, the other day Tom and I were grocery shopping after a particularly stressful morning. Usually our cart is filled up by the time we leave the produce aisle but I also like to stock up on frozen veggies. So there I am in the frozen section when I hit the very small area of vegetarian/vegan offerings. And I just happened to have a coupon for "any Gardein product." What could I do? The coupon was going to expire at the end of the month so it wasn't my fault. I had to buy something. You understand, right?

There is actually only one Gardein product that I love enough to cheat with and that's the Chick'n Scallopini cutlets. To me, they are a blank canvas, the vegan version of chicken cutlets which were once my very favorite food. You don't just buy them and heat them up. No! That would be wrong! They want to be grilled, sliced and put in fajitas or salads. They want to be cut into chunks for Asian dishes or a cacciatore. And most of the time, they are begging me to dredge them, bread them and fry them up into a compassionate version of the fast-food chicken sandwiches I used to love to eat no matter how loudly my arteries and my waistband protested.

It was just one of those days I needed the comfort food fix so the Gardein went into my cart and later that evening, into my belly. I did try to offset the damage by using gluten-free flour and crumbs (crushed rice cereal makes a panko-like coating) and I did serve them on gluten-free rolls. The dressing was a simple ketchup/vegan mayo mixture. It was delicious. Of course, the same recipe can be used with tofu or tempeh but sometimes I just need to give in to my craving (as long as it's vegan; there's NO cheating in that respect. EVER!)

So here it is: my Double-Dipped Gardein "Chicken" Sandwich. You can even go extra-crazy and make a double Double-Dipped Sandwich. Or top it with tempeh bacon. Mmmm....Then get back on the wagon! Enjoy!

Double-Dipped Gardein “Chicken” Sandwich

Ingredients

½ cup of chickpea flour

2 Tbs. arrowroot starch

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup almond milk

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs

½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

4 Gardein Chick’n Scallopini cutlets

2 Tbs. safflower oil

4 Burger buns or rolls, toasted

Lettuce and tomato, for garnish

Dressing of your choice

Directions
Arrange a dredging station which is 3 shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour, arrowroot and spices. In the second bowl, combine the milk and vinegar to create buttermilk. In the third bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. If you are not gluten-free, use panko bread crumbs. If you are gluten-free, used crushed rice cereal.

Take each Gardein cutlet and coat it in the flour mixture. Then dip it into the milk. Shake off the excess and coat it again in the flour mixture, then back in the milk. Shake off the excess and coat the cutlet in the bread crumbs. Repeat with all the cutlets and let them sit while you heat the oil over medium-high heat in  a large skillet.

Pan fry the cutlets until browned and crisp on each side, about 4 minutes per side. While they are frying, toast the buns or rolls. Assemble the sandwich by placing a cutlet, lettuce and tomato on each bun bottom. Slather the bun top with dressing, top the sandwich and enjoy!

The "V" Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.