Easy Chick'n & Dumplings

I grew up in the south eating my Grandma's Famous Chicken and Dumplings. Every get together we attended she was in charge of this dish & the collard greens. No One else was allowed to touch that dish. This has been the one dish I hesitated to "veganize" because I thought my family would not approve of me attempting to make her famous recipe - in any form. 

Let me start by saying, this is not my Grandma's recipe. I cannot make handmade dumplings as delicate and perfect as she did - I have tried, but she has a talent there that no one can match. I decided not to copy her recipe. Instead, I decided to make this dish the most simple and quick way I could because this blog is about how to feed your family vegan meals on a budget and as quick as possible. I used all the "cheater" products I could & I'm not sorry. My husband and family loved this & appreciated how quickly I got them a hot meal on this freezing Winter day. It's not the old fashion way, but it's the way that I make it now. 

Recipe: 

1 (24 oz.) box of frozen flat dumplings - do not thaw. 2 (8 oz) Tofurky slow roasted chick'n 2 (32 oz.) boxes of Vegetarian Chichen broth* 2 bouillon cubes 1/2 cup of vegan protein broth to thicken** 1 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat vegetarian chicken broth, vegan protein broth, salt & pepper, onion powder, and bouillon cubes to rolling boil over medium high heat.

2. Add your dumplings about 10 at a time. Stir after adding each batch of dumplings. Stir several times while cooking to keep them separated. Do not reduce heat.

3. Cook about 10 minutes- until dumplings are tender. You may need to add some water as the dumplings cook to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the dumplings without burning the dumplings at the bottom of the pan.

4. Add Tofurky chick'n. Stir to combine. Cook about 2 more minutes and serve.

Makes enough for 6 -8 servings.

* If you cannot find vegetarian chicken broth - use enough bouillon cubes and water to make the 32 oz. of "chicken" broth

** I found the vegan protein broth at Walmart. It should be easy to find anywhere, but if you cannot find the vegan protein broth, you can take about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid from your pot and mix with 2 tsp. corn starch. Once this mixture is smooth, return to the pot. This will thicken your "soup".

Creamy Jackfruit Casserole

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My cousin,  Debbie,  makes a chicken casserole that is the talk of our family. Every reunion, party, get together, or potluck, she brings this casserole and it is cleaned out before it hits the table. The casserole is so good, she has named it “marriage proposal casserole”  because she had 2 men propose to her after eating the casserole! Before going vegetarian, and now vegan, I would make this dish to take to my husband’s family or for potlucks and I had the same reaction. It was a real family tradition.

 I find it hard to take dishes that have so much tradition and “veganize” them. The main reason is that I know it will be held to the standard of the original dish, no matter how I try to tell everyone to “taste it for the first time” or try it with an open mind. If it’s not exactly like that dish, it will rejected on the spot. Family dishes are “sacred” and must not be touched unless you know you have got it right.

This was a crazy idea I had floating in my head for a little while now, but I was always afraid to try it… I was even afraid to tell my husband I wanted to try and “veganize” my cousin’s famous recipe. I knew the reaction would be “no”. Yesterday I decided I can figure it out and I would make it work.

My husband called me while I was cooking dinner yesterday and asked “what’s for dinner?”. I just replied “I’m making something with jackfruit and steamed cabbage”. That was the safe answer. I was, in fact, making a jackfruit casserole and steamed cabbage. I wanted to surprise him, but I would make pulled jack fruit sandwiches quick if it turned out to be a disappointment. Luckily, it was a HIT! Everyone loved it last night. I had a completely empty dish and my husband ate 3 helpings!!! I hope this casserole will bring you a proposal, or at least, a happy family!

Looking for more great family meals? Try my Baked Enchiladas, Chili & cornbread Casserole, Baked Spinach & Artichoke Pasta, BBQ Tempeh over cauliflower "rice", Vegan Philly & Cheeze Sandwiches  , & Easy Sunday Dinner

Creamy Jackfruit & Poppy Seed Casserole:

*Jackfruit filling:

4 (17 oz.) cans of jackfruit, drained and shredded

Olive oil

½ cup carrots, diced small

½ cup celery, diced small

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. thyme

½ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. parsley  

Salt & pepper to taste

*Creamy “chick’n” sauce:

4 Tbsp. vegan butter

4 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

3 cups plant milk

2 chick’n bouillon cubes

¾ cup vegan sour cream

*Buttery Ritz & Poppy Seed Topping:

2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed

½ cup vegan butter, melted

2 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Sautee all ingredients for the jackfruit filling in a deep skillet over medium high heat until tender , this will take about 10-12 minutes. ( jackfruit should no longer look “transparent”.)

Add jackfruit to a large mixing bowl and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to prevent lumps. Cook about 2 minutes, but don’t allow it to “brown”. You want a blonde roux for this sauce.

Add plant milk, salt and bouillon cubes and allow to come to a boil. Boil about 5 minutes, until thickened. Continue to whisk often to prevent lumps.

Add sauce and vegan sour cream to your jackfruit and mix well.

Pour into a greased 11x13 casserole dish.

In another mixing bowl, mix crushed Ritz crackers, melted vegan butter and poppy seeds together.

Pour cracker mixture over jackfruit evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool 5- 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 people.

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes

Living in NC, I have grown up around the most amazing soul food cooks in the world. Trust me when I say you don't know soul food until a southern grandma cooks for you!! This is a southern classic. One of my friends, Traci Carr, taught me 15+ years ago & something every Southern lady must know how to cook. Tonight I was inspired by my husband to create an amazing fried green tomatoes recipe worthy of a true southern kitchen & I impressed myself in the process!!! 

None of this would have been possible without the discovery of  aquafaba... The liquid in a can of chic peas! Anyone interested in learning more about cooking and baking with this vegan magic, check out the Facebook page - Vegan Aquafaba & Meringues

Looking for More Southern Style Vegan Food?  Try Smothered Chick'n over garlic mashed potatoes , Banana Pudding Pie, Vegan Sunday Dinner , Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 green tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
3 Tbsp aquafaba
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional )
Salt & pepper
Oil to fry

Heat oil in deep frying pan over medium heat.

Combine milk, aquafaba, flour, corn meal, chili powder, salt & pepper in a bowl. Stir to make a wet mixture similar to a pancake batter.

Test oil to make sure its ready to fry by dropping a few drops of water into the pan, if it sizzles, it's ready.

Pat your tomato slices dry with a clean dish towel.

Dip green tomatoes into batter to coat.

Place in warm oil to fry.

Fry until golden brown on each side and allow to cool on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt while fresh out the oil if desired.

Serve hot with a spicy vegan ranch or top with hot sauce and layer between bread for a delicious vegan sandwich.

Makes 4 servings.

Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Living in the South, I knew replacing my favorite "soul foods" would be a priority in my transitioning from Vegetarian to Vegan. You can't expect a Southern girl to give up her biscuits and cheese grits! I had to figure out a way to enjoy my Southern classics Vegan style.

One meal my husband used to adore was "Shrimp and Grits". This is a southern classic with fried,  spicy shrimp served over cheesy grits with sausage. Southerners are very picky about this dish. it ranks up there with a proper sweet tea, biscuit and mac -n- cheese. This is, obviously, not Shrimp and grits. I could have bought vegan shrimp, but my husband would have (at this point, anyways) totally rejected the idea of vegan shrimp. I would never get him to try something so similar to the dish he loves using a "fake" protein. I had to take that inspiration and make a new Vegan classic dish up for my family.

First, I had this meal for brunch and I smiled all day long. This is "Vegan Soul Food!" It made me warm, sleepy and happy...all the things a good Southern meal will do to you afterwards. I just made the Biscuits to show off my Southern Girl skills. I knew we needed them if I was going to make a real southern meal! The only thing missing from this meal was my Banana Pudding Pie , Vegan fried Green Tomatoes , NC Style Pulled Jackfruit Sandwhiches , Vegan Chick'n (jackfruit) Casserole and a big glass of overly sweet iced tea in a mason jar. Hope you get the feeling of the south with this meal.

Crispy Buffalo Tempeh over Vegan Cheese Grits:

1 package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/4" strips

Olive oil 

Buffalo sauce of your choice

2 cups of freshly cooked Grits (cooked according to package)

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan butter

1/4 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes

1 tsp Chia Seeds

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tempeh strips and cook until golden brown on both sides. Place strips on a paper towel to drain any extra oil. 

Add butter, cheese, nutritional yeast and chia seeds to your freshly cooked grits and stir to incorporate. ( You can add more butter and cheese to taste)

Toss tempeh in buffalo sauce to coat. Place tempeh on top of grits and serve.

Vegan "Cheddar Bay Biscuits"     

2 1/4 cups Bisquick ( Yes it's Vegan!!)

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds 

Earth Balance Vegan butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Stir Bisquick, milk, garlic powder, and cheese together until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10 times.

Roll dough out 1/2" thick and cut with 2 1/2" cutter ( should make about 8 biscuits)

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 8- 10 mins, until golden brown.

Brush tops of biscuits with butter and serve.

I will probably add a little crumbled vegan sausage to my grits next time I try it, just for that "shrimp and grits" feel, but this definitely made my day. A southern Style classic made in under 30 mins and good enough for any Southern table. Let me know how you like the recipe.