Taking another quick break from my A-Z Mofo theme to add a recipe, because it just turned out SO well, and it’s another one that encourages me to say: Go out and experiment. Get to know the flavors in your fridge and try new things together. You’ll be amazed at what you can come up with.
I wrote once before about the old children’s story of Stone Soup – where a traveler swears to suspicious villagers that he can make an exquisite soup out of just a stone, and sets out to do just that. Eventually the villagers come around and offer a vegetable here, an onion there… and by the combination of the random ingredients that they contribute, an exquisite soup is indeed created. I always think of this story when I start pulling random things from my fridge to create a delicious dish, when I feel like “oh but I have nothing to cook with,” and I hope it can provide inspiration for you as well. Using that inspiration Friday I came up with a dish that had a vegan who “doesn’t like fake meats” serving herself seconds, an omnivore claiming she would become vegan if I would cook all her meals, another omnivore claiming “it really does seem like chicken salad,” and every single person at the table (all omnis except the other vegan) finishing all that they served themselves. I’d call that a win. :)
One of my favorite things used to be cashew curry chicken salad with apricots, so I riffed on that and came up with my own delicious version. Some Beyond Meat, some cashews, some blueberries, some romaine, a vegenaise dressing… yum.
So glad I have more…
Stone Soup Not-chicken Salad
~1 lb Beyond Meat chik’n strips
1 romaine heart (I also tossed in a tiny bit of chard I had around)
~1 C cashew pieces (mine were tamari flavored from the local whole foods market, but any should work)
~3/4 C frozen blueberries (fresh should work too – if using frozen just allow time to thaw between mixing up and serving)
1 C plain Vegenaise
1 T soy sauce
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t sea salt
1 t miso
3 T apple cider
olive oil
sea salt
1. Chop chik’n strips into bite-size pieces. Saute with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt over medium heat, until starting to brown. Put aside and let cool.
2. While chik’n is cooling, prepare dressing. Mix thoroughly Vegenaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, 1/2 t sea salt, miso, and apple cider. Set aside.
3. Chop romaine heart (and any other desired greens) into bite-size pieces. Add to a large bowl with blueberries and cashew pieces. Once chik’n is fully cooled (you don’t want it too warm or it could melt the Vegenaise), add to bowl, and pour dressing over top. Mix well so that the dressing fully coats everything.
4. Place in fridge to stay cool until serving.
Enjoy!!
