Week 4: Sweet and Sour "Chicken" with Cashew Nuts

I am proud to claim this recipe as my own. It's simple and delicious.

What to Use

Smart Strips Chick'n Style Strips by LIFELIGHT
Unsalted Cashews (to taste)
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Medium Carrot, Peeled and Shredded
Pineapple Chunks (Optional)
Red Bell Pepper (Optional)
A jar of your favorite Sweet and Sour Sauce
Brown Rice

What to Do

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil until onions are clear. Add carrot, pineapple and thawed chick'n strips. Saute together until all ingredients are warm. Add sweet and sour sauce. I also like to add water to cut the sweetness. Stir it all together, cover it and let it bubble for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook your rice as directed on the package. Cashews should be added last so they retain their crunchiness. Serve over brown rice.

Cooking Time

Approximately 20 minutes.

What I Like About It

This dish is very versatile. Depending on who you are and what you like, you can add a variety of ingredients to make it your own.

I also love the palatable blend of sweet and salty in this dish. The chick'n strips and cashews add a wonderful variety to the texture of the meal. Yum!

What I Don't Like

On some level it bothers me to use store bought sweet and sour sauce. It's just a little too syrupy sweet. I need to create my own recipe that incorporates fresh ingredients while cutting back on the sugar content.

Conclusion

I've been cooking this dish for a long time - much longer than I've contemplated veganism. I started cooking with Smart Strips after reading Jane Goodall's Harvest for Hope. This book opened up the question for me of where my food - especially my meat - comes from. I quickly realized that the packaging in the meat section of my grocery store was extremely vague and nondescript, and for good reason. If Americans had any inkling of the type of conditions animals are raised in for meat, most everyone with a conscience would promptly stop buying it. The good news is, a lot of the meat alternatives that are available are quite delicious. Of course they don't taste exactly like meat, but the create an experience that is similar enough to eating meat that you probably won't miss it much. My exploration of Smart Strips was more about avoiding buying products with origins unknown than veganism. So imagine my delight when I realized that this meal is 100% vegan. Don't you love it when everything falls neatly into place?

Week 3: Baked Spinach-Pasta Casserole

This week I was looking for something a little less . . . complicated. I needed a break from spice exploration and was in the mood for a good, simple staple meal. Pasta seemed perfect. This recipe came from the Vegan Handbook, and I found it the same place I found the others, www.fatfreevegan.com.

What to Use

1lb pasta shells (I used whole wheat, size medium.)

1 lb spinach, chopped and steamed until tender (I used frozen.)

2 1/2 C low sodium tomato sauce

1/2 C soy milk

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T fresh chopped basil (or 1 tsp dried) (I used fresh.)

1/4 C bread crumbs

salt & pepper to taste

What to Do

Cook pasta in boiling water according to directions. Drain.

In a large casserole dish, toss hot pasta with spinach, tomato sauce, soy milk, garlic, and basil.

(Instead of using a casserole dish I used a 9 X 13 baking pan. I mixed up the ingredients in the large pot I used for cooking the pasta, then poured the result into the baking pan. It was a perfect fit.)

Season to taste.

(The problem I encountered here was that the tomato sauce was too acidic. I added sugar to taste.)

Top with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve hot.

(It should be noted that my casserole - perhaps due to the dish - did not bubble.)

Cooking Time

This dish was very quick to make. There was little to no preparation beyond mincing the garlic and boiling the pasta. I would say my total cooking time was 15 minutes for prep and 30 minutes in the oven.

What I Liked About It

Simplicity!

What I Didn't Like

For some reason, despite the tomato sauce and soy milk, this casserole came out dry. Again, it might be because I substituted the casserole dish with a baking pan. I would recommend adding additional sauce before baking, and I wouldn't mess around with tomato sauce, either. I'd go straight for the pasta sauce you buy in a jar. Pick your favorite and apply liberally.

Also consider adding more vegetables. Mushrooms or peas would be a nice enhancement to this meal.

Conclusion

The ease of preparing this dish made up for its dryness, which can be remedied by adding more sauce. If you love Italian food and are looking for a vegan alternative, this is a good choice.