Funny how I am pretty much a city girl at heart, yet I hear about NYC vegan things from far away and unexpected sources. This time it was my Dad’s wife who lives in Westchester, NY. Ok.. it’s not that far but I’m surprised that I don’t know these things. She sent me an article about MAY WAH market in Chinatown and how they sell all kinds of frozen vegan imitation foods. Interestingly enough, I often wondered where NYC restaurants bought their soy.. in bulk. Now I know at least one place! So off I go to experiment now. I recently wrote an in-depth blog post about the pros and cons of soy. This kind of soy is one I try to limit– the good thing here is that it is GMO FREE.
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Before I get into my recipe, I will say that I am grateful to be an OUT, LOUD and PROUD vegan lol. Sometimes I think I am too much.. ok don’t agree too quickly now! The best part though is that THAT IS HOW I LEARN THINGS! People think of me when they hear of something new and vegan. THEY share it with me and that’s how I become more informed. SO THANKS BONNIE… and all those who think of me and forward me information on my Facebook page and other outlets. I really appreciate it!
OK back to the soy. I have an upcoming holiday party at work so I want to make a few different dishes. One will be straight up vegan- no imitations. For the other one though, I want to make something that can compete head on with a traditional meat dish. I am gearing up to make a vegan arroz con pollo or a vegan bobo de camarao. Both of these are holiday party dishes that I have made in the past. I went to MAY WAH to buy all different types of soy to see what would compete the best. Why do I keep saying compete? lol This is a holiday party.. not a competition.. but of course, I get carried away!
This was just a test run experimenting with two soy chickens: Gong Bao and Ginger Chicken. I felt guilty that I was playing with soy so I added a healthy twist. I soaked some chick peas the night before and then sprouted them. They were raw and crunchy.. and very healthy! Here is the recipe:
Soy chicken with sprouted chick peas and brown rice
First soak the hard version chick peas overnight in water. These will expand so leave extra water in the sprouting jar. The next day drain and rinse the chick peas and leave them at room temperature to sprout. They sprout beautifully and are a perfect food right there in their raw state!
I made perfect brown rice using a 1:2 ratio rice to water. I added a little olive oil and sea salt and then let the rice cook on a low flame and covered.
Next I opened my soy packets Gong Bao and Ginger Chicken. I wanted to taste them both. I sautéed these chickens in some extra virgin coconut oil and onions with a tiny bot of tamari.. oh and chili sauce. Great flavor right here! I added the chick peas for a one minute or so sauté as too not ruin the nutrients in the chick peas.
I mixed in the rice and seasoned further with cumin and black pepper! I brought this to work and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was delicious yet not what I will use for my competition lol. Back to the drawing board!
Soy chicken
Chick peas
Extra-virgin coconut oil
Tamari
Chili sauce or plain chilis
Red onion
Brown rice
Cumin
Black pepper
Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
[Saturday, November 24th 2012 blog]
