VANCOUVER, B.C. – The holidays are traditionally a time to celebrate with family and friends and what better way to do so do than with delicious foods that taste good and are good for you?
The makers of gardein™—a line of great tasting high-protein, low-fat, plant-based foods—and Los Angeles-based Celebrity Chef Tal Ronnen have created two new holiday recipes that are well-suited for people looking to eat healthier and add more veggies to their menus this holiday season.
gardein™ pot pie is a tasty and hearty take on a traditional winter favorite. It is also the perfect ‘comfort food’ for a cold winter night. This recipe uses gardein chick’n scallopini (frozen) or gardein chick’n filets (fresh), instead of chicken. This vegan-friendly dish includes sautéed gardein, puff pastry, onions, carrots, peas, thyme and sage and then baked.
On Friday, December 11, this recipe was featured on “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” On the show, Ellen’s personal chef Roberto Martin made a vegan pot pie recipe featuring gardein chick’n scallopini. Ellen Degeneres said, “gardein is the greatest product that came along.” To view the segment online, http://ellen.warnerbros.com/videos/?mediaKey=b56f09e0-1a8a-4184-abdd-2a9eb41486fc&isShareURL=true.
gardein™ Pot Pie
- 1 pack gardein scallopini, cut into ¼ cubes
- 6 cups vegan chicken stock (i.e. Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup peas
- ¾ teaspoon thyme, minced
- ¾ teaspoon sage, minced
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutrional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespon tamari
- 1 puff pastry sheet rolled out to 12”x10”
Roux
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup Earth Balance Butter
pre-heat oven to 375º degrees
brown gardein scallopini in a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon canola oil. season with salt and pepper. remove from pan and set aside.
to make Roux, melt Earth Balance in a sauté pan, add flour and whisk constantly until light brown in color. cool and set aside.
in a 5.5 qt. stock pot cook onions in canola oil for 3 min. and add carrots, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
continue to cook for 5 min. add already boiling stock and simmer for 5 min. whisk in yeast flakes.
add the roux a bit at a time and contiune to cook as sauce begins to thicken.
stir in gardein scallopini, tamari and peas. pour mixture into a large shallow pan to cool.
once mixture is cool, pour into indiviual ramekins, glass pie pan or small casserole dish.
cover mixture with puff pastry (be sure to leave a small excess of pastry for folding and fluting of the edge) and seal edges.
cut small slits. bake for 35 min. or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
makes 6 servings
holiday stuffed gardein™ scallopini is a delicious meat-free main course that is sure to be a new classic. It features gardein chick’n scallopini to provide a tasty protein source. Two gardein scallopinis are joined together and then stuffed with sautéed onions, celery, wild mushrooms, French bread and seasoned with sage, thyme and rosemary. The stuffed chick’n is then breaded and baked in the oven.
Holiday Stuffed gardein™ Scallopini
8 gardein scallopini
- ¼ cup vegan butter (try Earth Balance brand)
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- ¾ cup finely diced celery
- 3 oz. assorted wild mushrooms, thinly sliced (try shiitake and oyster)
- 1 teaspoon sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ loaf French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and toasted in a 300°F oven to dry out
- 1 cup faux chicken broth or vegetable stock
Flour Dredge
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon sage, minced
- ¼ teaspoon thyme minced
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary, minced
- salt & pepper to taste
thaw 2 gardein scallopini.
once thawed, press to ½ their original thickness and join 2 together at one end.
in a large sauté pan, heat vegan butter and sauté onions and celery for 3 minutes. add mushrooms and dried spices and cook for 5 minutes.
add cubed bread and turn off the heat. add stock and gently toss. let sit off the heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the bread.
once stuffing mixture is cooled, evenly scoop onto joined scallopini leaving ¼” around edges.
cover with remaining evenly pressed scallopini and seal all edges.
dredge lightly in flour dredge mix and pan fry until all edges are brown.
transfer into an oven safe pan and bake at 375º degrees for 25-30 min or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
makes 4 servings
More recipes can be downloaded at www.gardein.com/recipes.php.
About gardein™
gardein™ (garden + protein) is a line of tasty plant-based foods with a meaty texture. It is made from a blend of soy, wheat and pea proteins, vegetables and grains. gardein is high in protein and easy to digest; the majority of gardein products provide a good source of fiber too. gardein is free of cholesterol, and trans fats. gardein products contain no animal or dairy ingredients and the majority of products are also low fat. Today, gardein foods are available in the fresh and frozen sections of 5,000 grocery stores across the United States and the fresh sections of grocery stores in Canada. For more information, visit www.gardein.com.
