Chicken-less Scallopini with Saffron Gravy (Dessert: Chocolate Bars!)

A beautiful saffron gravy-smothered Match Meats Chicken patty with a side of oven roasted rosemary potatoes and some green beans. Good vegan grub for hungry winter appetites. Mr. Thyme said, "A meal I'd pay for in a restaurant." A compliment of the highest order in our house!

This is what the Match Chicken looks like after it's been breaded and fried. For those who say, I cannot give up the chicken--Oh yes you CAN! Look at that--it's so pretty, and it's all plants!

You can see the saffron threads in the gravy. I love saffron! It can be pricey, but it is worth it! The gravy comes together nicely, but be sure to keep an eye on it and taste it as you as you cook.

Mmmm. Vegan Chocolate Bars. These were to die for--seriously. And just to be sure, I ate some more of them this morning for my after breakfast snack! Yep, still good.

I like to check in with the New York Times for my online news. My favorite part being "The Most Emailed Stories" list. Well that is, second in line after I read David Brooks. Love David. I have deep curiosities about human nature: What drives us, what inspires us, what generates buzz. Last week the top story that remained #1 most emailed was the one about the Three Things You Should Do Now on Your Facebook Account--or something like that. (Even though I am no Facebook Fanatic, I went ahead and did them.) The story remained on top for several days. I didn't imagine twenty somethings keeping vigil over this as much as I did my own generation--more prone to being skeptics and more leary of the world at large--reading this in despair as we are not as "virtual friendly and open" as our younger counterparts.
 (Note: I don't share a ton of personal information. And no, I'm not in some witness protection program either. I just play my cards close to the vest because, well, I don't trust many people, that's all. I'm amazed at the amount of personal data bloggers share--amazed! For instance: don't tell people exactly where you live, please, and don't share your vacation plans--especially after you've taken aerial shots of your home or have a Google map locator button on your front page, or don't share your birth date--I'm just saying.). There's a country song by Billy Currington that goes: God is great, beer is good and people are crazy. (I don't agree with the entire song. . . but "people are crazy" is as true as the day is long.)

Yesterday on the NYT page, this "most emailed" story caught my eye: Rules Worth Following for Everyone's Sake by Jane Brody. (I love her cookbooks by the way!) In this article she discusses Michael Pollan's new book, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Pollan is a mover and shaker in the food industry--or maybe the food industry would like to move and shake him. Nonetheless, he's carved a niche out for himself by walking a fine line and nearly casting off meat-based diets as bad--and best stay far away from any of that "processed" junk while you're at it. As Brody shares, Pollan has outlined a mere 64 rules for us eaters. Only sixty-four? One statement he makes in his new book is this--and I find it brilliant: If it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don't.

Have you ever tried to shop for groceries by playing the No High-Fructose Corn Syrup game? Neither have I. I worked for an arm of the Ag Industry--I know personally how much lobbying goes into keeping that little ingredient right where it is in our food processing chain, thank you very much. (I cannot divulge any more than this for fear of being hunted down and forced to drink gobs of corn syrup.) Another suggestion made by Pollan is one we've heard before--shop the perimeters of the store (avoiding the barrage of "mystery" chemicals throughout the middle aisles of the grocery stores). I try very hard to do this. But it's like sending an alcoholic into a bar and asking them to just talk to the sober folks. How in the "H" are you supposed to do that? Is it possible? Yes. I have a little voice in my head when I enter the "Aisles of Despair" that says: Step away from the words you cannot pronounce! And probably the most immediate reaction I got from reading Brody's review was Pollan's exclamation that we just "cook". Yes, it's that simple. Cook. Your. Food. Cook at home. What a novel idea! Taking the concept that real veggies, used in real recipes, made by you in your own home, may lower and in some instances, eliminate the number of diseases straining our health system. The book delivers sixty-four rules. I think if one were able to winnow it down to say four or five--you might be on the right track.

Eat vegan. I know this is "fringe" speak here for many folks who think being vegan is just a "fad"--especially for those who may have stumbled into this blog wondering what the heck a vegan is or just what do they eat anyway? I'm here to tell you, we eat just fine, and we eat delicious food. Plants. It's what's for dinner.

For last night's dinner--I came across a recipe on Giada's Everyday Italian segment. The original recipe is a chicken scallopini with saffron cream sauce. Well for starters, I took out the chicken using my fave: Match Meats Chicken. Next, I took out the cream. And finally, I added my own spin by using a few other twists. Here is my adaptation of her recipe made vegan--or "plants". Below this is the recipe for my new Vegan Chocolate Bars. My dessert bars are adapted from the cookie queen, Maida Heatter and her cookbook: Cookies. Her Dutch Chocolate Bars were turned into my Vegan Chocolate Bars--I increased the chocolate, removed the egg, used soy milk and vegetable spread sticks instead of butter. The bars are amazing! You must try them! (*Consider this a two-fer post--you get two recipes for one post--to compensate for my "yeast" diversions of late.)

Chicken-less Scallopini with Saffron Gravy

1 package Match Meats Chicken, thawed, but still cool to the touch
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Spike seasoning
dash of Italian herbs
dash of basil
dash of oregano
For dredging patties in: 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and a teaspoon paprika
canola oil for frying patties

Prep the Match Meats first. After it's thawed out, place in a bowl with all of the ingredients listed--except the flour--that's for dredging before frying--and should be sitting a bowl on the side. Use a little pan spray to coat your hands and really mix this together well in the bowl. Now, shape the mixture into about four patties--make them as flat as you can without having them fall apart. Heat about 3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Carefully place the patties in the flour mixture, on one side press them down, then carefully lift them up and dust the other side with some of the flour mixture. You don't have to go nuts here--you're just wanting the outside to crisp up a bit. Place the Match patties in the pan to fry. I was able to fit three in at once. Cook for about five minutes per side--until they are nice and golden. Remove from plate and place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels, then place in your oven to keep warm. Now, make the gravy.

For Saffron Gravy

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion diced
5 garlic cloves minced or chopped really small
1/2 cup white cooking wine
pinch of saffron or 1/4 teaspoon
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups veggie stock
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
Spike seasoning or S & P to taste
fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil

In the same pan you cooked the Match in, go ahead and add olive oil to this--keep heat on medium. Keep all the remnants of the frying in there--they'll add flavor! Next, add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while. Next, add the seasonings to the pan--including a pinch of saffron. Mix it well. Now add the white cooking wine. Bring heat up a bit higher and allow to simmer for around ten minutes--allowing the wine to reduce a bit--but not all the way. Next, sprinkle a tablespoon at a time of flour over this whisking at the same time--to keep lumps away. Whisk this well. A few lumps of flour aren't going to harm anything. Next, add the veggie stock and soy milk. I always make sure I add a cup at a time. Bring to a boil--for about five minutes. This will reduce a bit more. Keep whisking. Now, check on thickness. If it needs thinning, go ahead and add more veggie stock. Lower the heat and keep an eye on it. The last few minutes of cooking, the gravy will thicken. You can see from my photo what happens. Pour over the Match and enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Bars

For the crust:
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar--light or dark
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or coconut *optional
6 tablespoons melted unsalted vegetable margerine sticks

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil an 8" square pan. Place all of the dry ingredients (minus the oats) into a medium bowl and whisk together. Next, add the oats, pecans and melted margerine. Use a spoon and mix well until the majority of the dry ingredients are moist--it will be very crumbly--that's okay. Spread the crust mixture on the bottom of the pan, pressing down to try to make it even. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you work on the filling.

For the filling:
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate  (I used Ghiradelli)
3/4 cup sugar (I used Florida Crystals)
4 tablespoons unsalted vegetable margerine sticks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons soy milk

Make sure you keep your oven preheated to 350. Prep your Ener-G Egg Replacer and set aside. Next, place the chocolate and margerine in a bowl and microwave for a few seconds until the margerine melts. It should not take long--15-20 seconds, whisk the chocolate and margerine together to incorporate. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Now, add the melted stuff plus remaining wet ingredients (including the egg replacer) to the dry ingredients. Mix well with a spoon until the mixture is smooth. Spread this over the crust--all the way to the edge. Bake for about 24 minutes. Maida recommends longer--I think that might be because of the egg--I was no where near her 35 minutes. You do not want to over bake these, so if your oven has "issues" you may want to keep an eye on them. When the edges look pretty baked, and the middle has a "crust" on top--and you can smell the chocolate and it's close to the finishing time, go ahead and pull them out--they'll bake a bit more sitting in their pan. Allow to cool. Slice into as many pieces as you like. Store in an airtight container at room temp--these should last a good few days! Or not.