Curried Chicken Day

Today is Curried Chicken Day. I'm only over the last year or so new to Indian cuisine. I'd pretty much avoided it in the past, thinking it too spicy. But I've had several dishes that I especially liked, so am still working my way through the cuisine.

One day Whole Foods had some vegan curried chicken on their hot bar, and I tried some. Omg, it was delicious! I think I went back a few more times that week just to get more. Which, of course, can get expensive, so I decided to try to make some at home.

Curried Chicken Salad

One package favorite frozen chicken (mine is Delight Soy nuggets), baked according to package directions, chopped
1/4 c. diced red onion
 ribs celery, diced
1/2 to 1 cup chopped peanuts
1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
2-1/2 T. curry powder
Dash turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in one large bowl, until coated well. Serve. Enjoy!

Best Sandwich Ever: Chick'n Salad

Day five of Vegan Mofo asks us to talk about the best sandwich ever. Oh, there are so many! Recently I was thoroughly enjoying some Tofurky lunch meat with mayo and fancy mustard. By fancy mustard I mean a champagne maple mustard. Accompanied by some good crunchy chips and a handful of those little pickles and I was a happy luncher.

But when I think of my favorite kind of sandwich, I think chick'n salad always wins.

Sonoma-ish Chick'n Salad

1 package of Delight Soy Nuggets
Vegan mayo
1 c. chopped pecans
A couple stalks of celery
A handful of seedless red grapes, cut in half
1-2 t. poppy seeds

Even though the nuggets say they are ready to eat, I heat mine in the toaster oven at 350 for 20 minutes, then let cool. Once cool, I chop them in the food processor. Mix everything in a bowl. Add enough mayo to get everything well coated. Spread on some bread. Eat. Enjoy!

I am really particular about the Delight Soy. I have been a fan of Whole Foods vegan versions of their chicken salads, and one day came across a website that said they use Delight Soy. I'd never heard of them before that, but found some in the freezer section at Whole Foods, bought them, and gave them a try. I really, really like them. They can sometimes be hard to find, and aren't cheap, just less than $6 a bag here where I live, but they are worth it.

Tarragon Chick'n Salad

Whole Foods makes about four vegan chick'n salads. I've tried three of them, and they are delicious! I asked an employee about what chick'n they used, and when she went to show me, the product wasn't there. She couldn't remember the name of it, just what the package looked like.

So I cozied up to Google.

I discovered that Whole Foods uses (or at least is purported to use) a particular brand for a couple of the chick'n salads. Lo and behold, about a week later I find that very chick'n at my Whole Foods! Yay! So I bought it, and I have to say I'm pretty sure this must be the chick'n they use. And it's fabulous!

Tarragon Chick'n Salad

One package Delight Soy Nuggets, baked per package directions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 onion, diced
Vegan mayonnaise
1 t. tarragon
1 t. parsley
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used cashews, but you can use pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.)

Mix everything in a bowl, with enough mayonnaise to coat and mix but not overwhelm. Serve as a salad or on a sandwich with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

This was my first time to use the Delight Soy Nuggets, and I will definitely use them again. I liked the smell, the taste, the ease of them.

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Since we've been eating salads the traditional way, in a bowl with a fork, I decided to change it up a bit and make one you can eat on lettuce or in a sandwich.

Dilled Chick'n Salad

Vegan chick'n - I used Trader Joes chick'n strips - sautéed and diced
2 sticks of celery, chopped
4 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/4 c. vegan sour cream
1 T. dill
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. coarse ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serve. Enjoy!

We ate ours on bread topped with lettuce. Everyone wanted at least two sandwiches each!

National Picnic Month

One of the designations for July is National Picnic Month. Pretty much any month that isn't cold is well suited for a picnic. I mean, do you really need an excuse to go on one?

The hubby took a week off for some vacation down time, and decided we would all go as a family to a water park. He and I had never been to this one, so barring rain, we were going. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Despite the delay in getting our food, due to someone (I won't mention any names...) shutting the keys to the car in the trunk and having to have someone come out to unlock the car for us, it was a great day and the food turned out fantastic!

I like to shop the food section at Marshall's because I always find the coolest pasta. I was originally only going to make one pasta salad dish, but the recipe on one of the packages just sounded too good, so I decided to make both.

Walnut Chick'n Salad

1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
One container plain soy yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 c. cooked vegan chicken, your choice
One apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add some vegan mayonnaise if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto your favorite slice of bread and enjoy!

Sesame Pasta Salad

1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/3 c. water
3 T. soy sauce
1-1/2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. white vinegar
One package of pasta, your choice (mine looked like margarita glasses), cooked and cooled
1 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. radishes, chopped

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fishy Pasta Salad

One package of pasta, your choice (this one was shaped like lobsters), cooked and cooled
3/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot sauce

Again, mix everything in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fruit Salad with Mint

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into small pieces
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
One pint of strawberries, hulled and quartered
One pint of blueberries
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in a food processor until well blended. Add all of the fruit together in one large bowl, pour the sugar sauce over it and mix well. Refrigerate.

Add some iced tea and you've got a great picnic meal!