Southern Beef-Less Stew

I thought I'd make my favorite stew one last time before summer arrived. I love this stew because it is packed with veggies and is a little different from the stews I normally make. I've been using these Gardein Beef-Less Tips in so many recipes. They are so yummy and work wonderfully in recipes such as this. If you aren't a fan, 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas would be a great substitute.

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Ingredients

* 1 Tb all-purpose flour

* 1 package Gardein Beef-less Tips

* 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil

* 1 medium yellow onion, cut into medium dice

* 2 stalks celery, cut into medium dice

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp pepper

* 8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered

* 1 Tb minced garlic

* 1 bay leaf

* 1 tsp chopped fresh or dried thyme

* 1 tsp chopped fresh or dried rosemary

* 1 cup dry red wine

* 2 1/2 cups vegan "beef" broth ( try Better than Bouillon brand ) or vegetable broth

* 2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

* 2 parsnips, peeled and cubed

* 2 cups chopped collard greens

* Brown rice, for serving

Directions

1. Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium high. Add the beef-less tips and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onion, celery, mushroom, salt and pepper, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, stir to well and cook an additional minute.

3. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, red wine, "beef" broth. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 40 minutes.

4. Add the parsnips, turnips and collard greens, stir well, and cover once again. Simmer an additional 30 minutes or until turnips and parsnips are softened. During the last 10 minutes stir in the beef-less tips.

5. Remove bay leaf and serve over brown rice.

Fried Chick'N

I've noticed that a few vegan restaurants out here in Los Angeles serve fried chick'n. I was curious on how they were able to imitate the texture, so I started looking up recipes and I came up on one from Art Smith. I love Gardein so I figured I'd give this recipe a try. It was so easy to make the fried chick'n and the end result was really delicious. My only suggestion is to make sure your chick'n cutlets are frozen. I left mine out to long and they defrosted a little. When that happened, they became extra fragile and began to break really easily. Please do try this recipe, you won't be disappointed : ]

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Fried Chick-N

Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 package Gardein Chick-N Scallopini

* 2 cups soy milk

* 1 Tb tabasco

* 1 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 tsp baking powder

* 1 tsp garlic powder

* 1 tsp old bay seasoning

* 2 tsp cayenne pepper

* 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

* Olive oil or vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Place the chick-n in a medium bowl and add the soy milk and tabasco. Stir well to coat.

2. In a separate shallow bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, old bay, cayenne and black pepper.

3. Shake the extra marinade off the chick-n and then dredge in flour.

4. Shake off extra flour and then dredge again in the marinade and coat again in flour.

5. Add enough oil in a deep large skillet to create a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium high heat until oil reaches 350 F.

6. Fry the chicken in batches until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

7. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Beef-Less Bourguignon

Here's is my take on a classic Julia Child recipe. Beef Bourguignon redone using Gardein's Beef-Less Tips and Lightlife's Smart Bacon. This is something that I totally thought I would never be able to veganise so well. I am absolutely loving Gardein's new Beef-Less Tips. It was my second time cooking with them and they really do make dishes like this possible again. Serve this dish alone or with a side of pasta noodles or rice.

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Serves 4

Ingredients

* 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

* 5 ounces vegan bacon

* 1 package of Gardein Beefless Tips

* 5 carrots, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks

* 1 yellow onion, sliced

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* salt and pepper

* 1 Tb all-purpose flour

* 1/2 cups red wine

* 1 cup "beef" stock, such as Better than Bouillon

* 1 Tb tomato paste

* 18 small white pearl onions

* 4 Tb vegan margarine, try Earth Balance

* 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

* 1 bay leaf

* 2 cups button mushrooms, quartered

Directions

1. In a large pot, saute the "bacon" in 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add another 1 Tb of olive oil to the pan and the "beef" and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the carrots and onions to the pan, add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

4. Return the "bacon" and "beef" back to the pot. Add the red wine and enough "beef" broth.

5. Add the tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

6. Combine 2 Tb of margarine and the flour and stir into the stew and add the pearl onions.

7. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of margarine for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and then add to the stew.

8. Bring the stew to a boil and the lower the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and season to taste.