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?