1. Popeye's Chicken Strips: I loved chicken strips at some point in my life, with a good blob of barbecue sauce for dipping. However, being a vegetarian basically forbids me to ever enter a Popeye's again. I did discover Morningstar Farms Chik'n strips, which are a nice alternative. I recently found Gardein Chipotle and Lime flavored chik'n strips. These were divine. When baked on parchment paper in the oven for about 15 minutes, they get a wonderful crispy coating.
2. Seafood: I have attempted a new line of vegan seafood products. I tried a fake calamari and fake shrimp, both of which were disgusting. I thought I would vomit when eating both items (at separate occasions). I do not recommend fake seafood, so I will just have to suck it up, and accept the fact that I will never eat sushi again.
3. Chicken salad: I discovered this Trader Joe's baked tofu and wasabi mayonnaise. I mixed these items with green onions and fresh celery. It was fabulous.
4. Chicken noodle soup: The ultimate comfort food was off limits. . .sniff, sniff. I was thumbing around in a Cooking Light, and I studied a recipe for "Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup". I realized, I could adapt it. So, here is the original recipe, taken from the March, 2006 issue of Cooking Light
Ingredients
4 cups hot cooked whole wheat blend wide egg noodles (about 3 1/2 cups uncooked)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt, divided
8 cups water
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 (10-ounce) package preshredded carrot
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Combine noodles, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat.
Combine water and next 6 ingredients (through chicken breast) in a large Dutch oven; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; cool slightly. Shred chicken with 2 forks.
Add carrot and mushrooms to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until carrot is tender. Add shredded chicken, parsley, spinach, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in noodle mixture, lemon juice, and pepper. Cook 1 minute.
Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light
MARCH 2006
So, I actually made this with "Smart strips", by Lightlife, and used the chicken flavored strips. I sautéed the onions, then the strips (chopped), mushrooms, celery, and carrots. After using about 4 cups of vegetable broth to 5 cups of water, bringing all these items to a boil with 2-3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary for 15 minutes. I added about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, then boiled noodles. I followed the remainder, with the fresh spinach. For some comfort food, this is a wonderful alternative. I also love Amy's No chicken Noodle soup, also.
These are substitutes, and my dad to this day things I'm totally crazy for using fake meat. However, it serves a little purpose, and it's not real meat.
