Pine Nut & Basil Fried Chick'n and Beefless Tip Stir Fry

It's official; Gardein is taking over the world...or at least my kitchen. I have loved Gardein since the moment I sunk my teeth into my first Chick'n Scallopini. My love affair quickly extended to Beefless Tips and Chick'n Tenders. But, up until recently, I had to drive a considerable distance to procure any. As a result, I probably only had Gardein once every couple of months. Cut to last week, when my local grocery store FINALLY started carrying it. Now, I'm in the throes of a full-on addiction. In the last five days we've gone through two packages of the scallopini and one package of the faux beef. Gardein is such a great product, because it's an all-natural, reasonable facsimile of meat, making it a great product to serve to carnivores. It's also delicious for those of us who grew up eating meat, but who've chosen a more compassionate lifestyle. So, here's what I've been up to with Gardein's faux meats:

Pine Nut and Basil Fried Chick'n

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 cup wheat pastry flour

1 tsp dried basil

4 Gardein Chik'n Scallopini, thawed

4 tbs canola oil

1. Place the first three ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the pine nuts are chopped into small chunks.

2. Pour some of the pine nut mixture onto a plate and dredge the chik'n in it, pressing the pine nut mixture into both sides of the chik'n.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chik'n pieces in the oil about 2 minutes each side, or until both sides are golden brown.

4. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain a little, then serve.

If you're like me, you'll have a TON of breading left over so just pop it into a sealed container and keep it in the freezer. I served this chik'n over wilted bok choy leaves, which I cooked for a few minutes (until wilted) in a cup of vegetable broth and a little white wine with bacon salt. It went perfectly with this:

White Wine and Oregano Pasta

4 shallots, thinly sliced

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1/2 cup fresh oregano leaves

a pinch of crushed red pepper

1 cup dry white wine (I used a dry Riesling, but a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay would work, too)

6 ounces dry penne pasta

Vegan Topping (parmesan sprinkles)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

2. Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the oregano and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or until shallots are completely soft.

3. Add the wine and pepper to the skillet and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

4. Drain the pasta and toss with the shallot mixture. Top with Vegan Topping and serve immediately.

And last night, I veganized the Ginger Beef Stir Fry recipe out of my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbs cornstarch

1/4 cup dry red wine

3 tbs soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & chopped

1 orange bell pepper, seeded & chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 package of Gardein Beefless Tips, thawed

4 tbs canola oil

1. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients.

2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the Beefless tips and cook, stirring often, until browned. Remove the tips with a spatula and set aside.

3. Add the veggies to the skillet and cook on medium-high to high heat, stirring constantly, until veggies are crisp-tender.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the sauce (stirring once again, to mix in the corn starch, before adding to the skillet). Cook for 3-5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add the tips in to the veggie mixture.

5. Serve immediately over steamed brown rice.