Chicken Club

Day 347

Chicken Club

Chicken Club for Vegetarians

When you're a vegetarian and craving that familiar old sandwich, just go ahead and make one. We had to use a couple substitutes, but it was, for all intents and purposes, a chicken club.

I know the question everyone wants to know is what is used for "chicken"?  And, what of the bacon? Ahhh, yes, What, indeed?

The "Chicken"

Atlantic SuperStore sells a great soy version of vegetarian chicken that we really like. It looks like chicken and it tastes a lot like chicken, although you can tell it's not really chicken. It's a good substitute, especially for a sandwich, or a barbequed chicken burger.

Unfortunately I don't remember the brand we buy, since we always throw the enormous box out and store the interior bag in the freezer.

Vegetarian chicken

The "Bacon"

Original recipe
We've tried a few versions of "bacon" since we gave up eating meat but we agree that coconut bacon is the best. Yes, you can slightly taste coconut, but it's really more of an aftertaste or a faint underlying flavor. The main flavors of bacon are all there - sweet, salty and smoky - as well as the meaty texture. We use this recipe but tweak it a bit. We order our coconut online, 4 or 5 bags at a time.

Coconut bacon

It only takes about 25 minutes to make it, and that includes the 20 minutes to cook it.

Our recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups coconut
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions
Mix last four ingredients and gently toss with the coconut. Spread over parchment-covered baking sheet and cook at 300 F for 20 minutes. Check on it and turn at least twice if not thrice during cooking because it burns quickly.

Chicken Clubs

We did get to use tomatoes and late lettuce from the garden for these tonight. Laura's so smart to plant lettuce all summer.

"Chicken" strips
"Bacon"
Tomato slices (we had German Strawberry & Kellogg's Breakfast varieties)
Avocado
Lettuce
Flax seed bread
Compliments salad dressing
Butter

Tomatoes & avocado

Beautiful homegrown lettuce

We used a third slice of bread just to make them more clubby, but I suspect it would have been a substantial enough sandwich with only two.

Chicken club sandwich

Reviews/Comments

I have to give it a 10. It was delicious and fresh and satiated my craving for a toothsome sandwich. Laura gives it a 12.

Veggie Fusilli

Day 346

Veggie Fusilli

Ingredients

1 package vegetable fusilli pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 summer squash
2 tsp butter
8 of mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup peach mango salsa
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup parmesan and more to sprinkle on top

Veggie fusilli ingredients

Directions

Boil the pasta with the olive oil and 1 tbsp salt. Sauté the summer squash in a bit of butter, then remove when barely tender.

Sautéed summer squash

Add the mushrooms and red peppers to the hot pan. Stir it frequently while cooking and once the moisture has cooked out of the mushrooms, create a well in the center of the veggies, drop a bit of butter into the well and add the minced garlic.

Veggies sautéing

Let the garlic cook about a minute then stir into the veggies. Add the summer squash, salsa and the can of tomatoes and heat until bubbly.

Dinner cooking

Stir in the parm and serve over the pasta with more parm sprinkled on top.

Veggie fusilli

Reviews/Comments

Laura rated it a 10. I give it an 8. It was good, but I suddenly didn't feel like having pasta. Garlic bread could have brought it up to a 10.

Leftover Stew

Day 345

We have lots of stew left so tonight's meal was a total no-brainer.

Leftover Stew

How to Reheat Stew

Just put it back in a pot with a bit of water and reheat on medium. Stir often to prevent burning.

Cold stew from the fridge

Reviews/Comments

Tonight, a 7. Still good, but not as fantastic as last night.

Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Day 344 

With only 3 weeks left in the life of this blog, I'm happy to present another amazing vegetable stew.

Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Every ingredient from our garden, except the onion, barley, water, salt and butter. Oh, and the dumplings.

Garden veggies

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter

1/3 cup pearl barley

4 L water

Chop:

Potatoes

Rutabaga

Carrots

Cabbage

Parsley

Onion

Remove from stalks:

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Dumplings

Directions

Melt butter and sauté the onion in a stew pot. Add all other ingredients and cook until vegetables are tender.Add the dumplings, cover and continue to boil 15 more minutes.

Vegetable stew

Reviews/Comments

Good.

Chatters Sushi & Lo Mein

Day 343

Sushi & Lo Mein

Celebration Food

Chatters for Ryan MacIsaac's 33rd birthday to celebrate his life, which no one is taking for granted these days. So many wonderful people to share a meal with. Lots of laughs and good eats.

Ryan & friends

We ordered the vegetable lo mein and vegetable sushi which comes with a sample of vegetable tempura and miso soup. 

Birthday Cake

For dessert there was cake!

Ryan blowing his candles

Reviews/Comments

Very delicious indeed. Good food with good company. I give dinner a 10.

Leftover Poppyseed Casserole

Day 342

Friday, September 25

Leftover Poppyseed Casserole

Poppyseed Casserole

Day 341

Thursday, September 24

Poppyseed Casserole

Baked poppyseed casserole

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Day 340

Wednesday,  September 23, 2015

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Like the fourth time we've made spin dip in as many months. It's naughty but it's easy and yummy. We eat it warm the first night, but we both agree it's better cold the next day.

Ingredients

Baby spinach

Spinach dip ingredients

Bread for Dipping

Bread for dipping

Pumpernickel bread

Baking the Dip

Unbaked spinach artichoke dip

Baked spinach artichoke dip

Recipe here

Roast Veggies

Day 339

I'm telling you, it never gets old. Roasted veggies are unbelievably good.

Roast veggies with homemade pickles

Tonight's Pan Held:

Red potatoes
Fingerling potatoes
Carrots
Parsnips
Sweet potaotes
Shallots
Dried herbs
Mushrooms
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp butter, cubed
Salt & pepper

Everything from our own garden with the exception of the last four ingredients.

Red potatoes

Carrots & parsnips

Sweet potatoes

Shallots

Dried herbs

Raw veggies

Roast veggies

Leftover Bolognese Pie

Day 337

Leftover Bolognese Pie

One great thing about cooking only for two is that there is usually enough to have the meal two or three times. If you've been following my blog at all, you'll know how much that delights me. For instance, tonight's steps were very basic:

Directions

1. Turn the oven on.
2. Take the leftovers out of the fridge.
3. Put in the oven.
4. Heat 15 minutes.

I love that!!!

Reheated Bolognese pie

I know the casserole dish doesn't look pretty, but I'm okay with that. A little soak and it'll wash right up!

Reviews/Comments

Same as last night. And there is enough sauce made to make it again soon!

Bolognese Pie with Biscuit Topping

Day 336

Bolognese Pie with Biscuit Topping

Bolognese Pie with Biscuit Topping

Recipe here
Laura used the original recipe but made half again as much. And we used meatless Yves Spicy Italian Sausage. We also used some carrots, garlic, herbs and zucchini from the garden and some tomatoes and cheese from the store.

Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
2 cups carrots, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
2 cans (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

Simmer above ingredients for 45 minutes.
Add:1 pound diced veggie sausage
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Here are some pics of the process.

Chopped carrots

Onions & carrots sautéing

Chopped "sausage" being stirred into the sauce

Biscuit dough over the Bolognese sauce

Bolognese Pie

Reviews/Comments

This was excellent and I have to say, total 10. The biscuits are light and fluffy inside and crispy on the outside. Laura loved it and also gave it a 10!