Thursday, March 20, 2014

Recipe: Soy Curl 'Chicken' Salad


I enjoyed my 'chicken' salad atop some cilantro. I added some mashed avocado to the other piece of toast and drizzled some chipotle hot sauce over the salad. This salad includes grapes, sweet corn, black olives, tomatoes, curry powder, and onions.

This hearty 'chicken' salad features dehydrated soy curls by Butler Foods. Once re-hydrated, these pieces of non-GMO soy have the texture of shredded chicken. You can impart any flavor you want onto the soy curls by soaking them in a flavored broth or adding seasoning after they plump up. They also get a nice crunch on the outside when pan seared in a little oil. Just be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible after the curls are re-hydrated.

Soy Curl 'Chicken' Salad

Ingredients: 
2 cups dry soy curls
3 cups of vegan chicken broth (I used two cubes of Not Chick'n Bouillon)
1 cup of grapes halved and then quartered
1/2 cup of minced onion
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I used cashews)
1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup of sliced black olives
1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup of sweet relish
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon of BeeFree Honee
1 tablespoon of prepared mustard
1 to 2 tsp. of curry powder to your taste
Splash of fresh lemon juice (I used half a small lemon)
Black pepper (I didn't need salt, but you can add some if you want)

Directions:
Re-hydrate the soy curls in 3 cups of hot vegan chicken broth. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. In a bowl, combine the grapes, onion, nuts, tomatoes, black olives, and corn.

In a separate bowl, combine the vegan mayonnaise, BeeFree Honee, mustard, relish, curry powder, pepper, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Pour the sauce over the other ingredients and mix well.

Drain the soy curls very well and add to the bowl of ingredients. Mix well and chill until ready to eat. 

**If you want your soy curls to have some added texture, pan fry the curls in a little oil until the edges are crispy and then add to the sauce and other ingredients.



The soy curls re-hydrating


The finished "chicken" salad featuring Butler's Soy Curls.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Review: Coloring "Eggs" for Easter with EggNots


Pictured are recently dyed EggNots.

My son has been begging to color eggs for Easter, so I told him to be patient while the "eggs" arrive in the mail.

Instead of buying eggs from the grocery store, I ordered mine from a company called EggNots. The company makes ceramic eggs for people with egg allergies or who have an aversion to coloring chicken eggs.

The ceramic eggs look just like chicken eggs and even come in an egg cartoon. The eggs are lightweight, so you have to hold them down in the dye.

I purchased a run-of-the-mill egg dye from the store, but the EggNots come with a recipe to make your own dye using food coloring, vinegar, and water.

My son and I had a blast coloring the EggNots. What's great is that they won't spoil, and we can save the eggs to hide for next year.

"Like" the company on Facebook because they occasionally offer sales on their product.



This is how the EggNots look when they arrive.


The "eggs" dye well. 

Potato Puffs with Neat Filling


Are you a meat-and-potato person? Well, this recipe may transform you into a Neat-and-potato person!

Neat is a tasty meat replacement product that currently comes in three flavors: Mexican, Italian, and Original. The company is set to release a breakfast sausage flavor in the near future.

I love this Potato Puff recipe because it’s easily tailored to your family’s tastes. You can choose what Neat favor you use in the filling, as well as other ingredients that you tuck inside the mashed-potato balls.

For this recipe, I used Mexican Neat, onions, grape tomatoes, and homemade baked almond feta as my filling. You could add/swap in peas, green olives, corn, green chilies, or anything else you desire.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can assemble the potato puffs ahead of time, keep them refrigerated, and then fry them later when you’re ready to eat.

NEAT POTATO PUFFS 
(Makes 6 large potato balls)

Ingredients:
3 large red potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 T oil
1 package of Mexican Neat
6 grape tomatoes
A finished batch of Baked Almond Feta (recipe here: http://www.maplespice.com/2011/04/baked-almond-feta-with-dill-oil.html)
1 c. flour
1 to 2 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 c. non-dairy milk
Oil for frying
Salt

Directions:
Steam or boil your potatoes until fork tender. While the potatoes cook, sauté the chopped onion in the oil over low to medium heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Prepare your Neat according to the package directions and add it to the pan with the onion. Cook until the Neat easily breaks up into crumbles, about 7. Turn off the heat, and set the pan aside.


 

Grab a portion of your almond feta and break it into 6 pieces that measure about 1 tablespoon in size each. Slice the grape tomatoes in half.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, move the potatoes to a bowl and mash with a potato masher until lump free. Add a pinch of salt while mashing. Allow the potatoes to cool about 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes are cool enough for you to handle, grab about ½ cup of mashed potatoes and make a flat disk in the palm of your left hand (if you’re a righty). With your right hand, push down into the center of the disk as your left-hand fingers slowly rotate the disk in a clockwise motion (You want to create a little bowl).


Create a "bowl" in your palm with the mashed potatoes.


Push down on the filling as you build up the sides of the potato "bowl" by raising the edges gently with your fingers as you rotate the mashed potatoes in your palm.


When you get as high as you can with your potato "bowl" without having the filling poke out anywhere, grab some extra potato from the mashed-potato bowl and add it to the top.


Smooth out the ball with both hands.

Add 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of the Neat-onion mixture in the center of the potato bowl that’s cradled in your left hand. Top with a piece of almond feta and half a grape tomato (you can add more Neat, almond feta and/or the other half of the grape tomato if you think you have enough room).

As you rotate the potato bowl in your left hand, push down on the filling so the edges of the potato bowl rise. Continue this motion until the bowl is almost sealed at the top. Take about 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra mashed potato and add to the top of the potato bowl that’s in your hand. Use both hands to form the potato ball into a smooth ball. Set aside and finish the remaining puffs.

Pour the non-dairy milk into one bowl, the flour into another bowl, and the Panko bread crumbs into a third bowl. One at a time, dip a potato puff into the milk, then the flour, and then back into the milk, and finally into the Panko bread crumbs. Apply slight pressure to get the Panko to adhere all over the potato puff. Set aside, and when all the puffs are coated, place in the fridge.


Take a shallow sauce pan and fill with enough oil to come about halfway up the potato puff (You can deep-fry the puffs in more oil if you prefer, but I didn’t want to use up so much oil). Pull out one puff at a time from the fridge and pan fry it until the bottom half is golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Keep an eye on the puffs, because as the oil gets hotter, the puffs will brown quicker. Carefully flip over the puff with a slotted spoon and fry the other half of the puff until golden brown (I found it easier to “flip” the puffs by carefully tilting the pan slightly so the puff is almost submerged in the oil – this makes it easier to nudge the puff over with the slotted spoon).

Drain the puff on a paper towel when done cooking, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve with your favorite condiment. I served my puffs with salsa, Nacho Mom’s Vegan Queso, and a little cilantro.

The puffs will be crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The Mexican Neat provides a wonderful meaty texture with a little heat. The baked almond feta adds a sharp tang, while the grape tomato adds a little juiciness to each bite along with some sweetness.


My finished potato puff served with salsa and cilantro and atop Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso.

The inside of one of the potato puffs.


Another puff cut open and drizzled with Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso.