Superfood Breakfast… Quinoa to the Rescue

My mom and her two sisters took a summer trip to Peru, home of the Incan superfood… quinoa.  I know.  I know.  Superfood?  Sounds healthy.  Where’s the junk food?  Well, I’m going to take a small break and give you a healthy breakfast, then back to the trash.  I promise.

Breakfast Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries & Soy Milk

So what is quinoa?  It’s a grain that is high in protein.  Actually, it’s a complete protein.  You may be asking, “What is a complete protein?”.  It’s a protein that has all nine of the essential amino acids in correct proportions.  Not bad for a little grain.  

Uncooked Quinoa

The United Nations General Assembly even declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa.

You can find quinoa in the bulk food section in your favorite health food store or boxed in stores like Trader Joe’s. 

 To cook, put 1 cup of quinoa into a saucepan with 2 cups water.  This will make about 3 servings.  (If you want to make more or less, the ratio of quinoa to water is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water.)

Cooked Quinoa

Cook on medium heat, until the water starts to boil.  Lower the heat and cover.  Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Turn off heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.

Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries

Now, here’s the fun part.  You get to choose whatever ingredients your little heart desires to add to the quinoa.  I used fresh cut strawberries and a little chia seed (to make it even healthier).  I’ve tried cinnamon, cocoa powder and peanut butter, and sliced bananas. 

Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries & Topped with Chia Seeds

Top with a little non-dairy milk, almond milk or soy milk should do just fine.  I used the vanilla flavored soy milk from Trader Joe’s for this batch.  Try it.  See, that wasn’t so bad.  

Ener-G Egg Replacer - Product Review

Eggs.  Eggs. Eggs.  So, how do you replace those cholesterol laden, artery clogging nasties?  Ener-G Egg Replacer to the rescue.  It’s economical and works great for baking and as a binder.  You can get the equivalent of 113 eggs per package, with only 15 calories per serving and at 0 grams of cholesterol ...  How can you go wrong?  I get them from Vitacost at about $4.75 per box.

 

Ener-G Egg Replacer

I use Ener-G egg replacer mainly for baking.  I love using them in the pancake recipe from the Candle 79 cookbook.  The pancakes come out perfect with great taste and texture.  

When I substituted Ener-G in boxed cake mixes that require eggs, I found the only difference was that the cake comes out moister and lighter.  Not bad, but watch out if you're substituting for boxed brownies.  You should probably cut back on the oil, I find they come out with an oily film on top if you follow the directions on the box.

You can use them in place of a binder (non-vegan eggs are used that way).  Just substitute each egg with the equivalent of the Ener-G egg replacer.  I use them in my savory dishes, like for the coating on my Buffalo Chick’n Tenders.  As for dishes like scrambled eggs, stick with the good ole tofu based substitute.  You can try the tofu substitute in my Good Morning Vegan Eggster Pita.  

I keep a box on hand and the beauty is ... they don’t rot like eggs.  

Vegan Buffalo Chick’n Tenders

Fall weather and football season are here.  Whether you’re a Chargers, 49ers, or Raiders fan, you probably love Buffalo chicken wings or tenders.  Craig gave me a tailgater challenge to create some good ole Buffalo chicken tenders.  Well, of course I’d have to come up with a satisfying vegan version that would meet his approval. 

Vegan Buffalo Chick'n Tenders served with Ranch

To tell you the truth, unlike Craig, I’ve never had Buffalo chicken tenders, so I didn’t really know what they should taste like.  I knew they were supposed to be hot and served with ranch or bleu cheese dressing.  I did a little research and found some meat based recipes.  I asked Craig a few questions and decided to veganize one of the highly rated recipes I found. 

I served them up two ways... as an appetizer and as a sandwich.  Craig flipped for them both.  He was amazed at how close I got to the real deal (especially on a first try).  He loved them so much, he had them the next day too.  I have to admit, they're not the healthiest, but they do taste great.

 

So, here’s my version of Craig’s new favorite Buffalo Chick’n Tenders.

Vegan Buffalo Chick’n Tenders Recipe

1 c flour 2 tsps salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer 1 Tbsp warm water 1/2 c unsweetened non-dairy milk 1 pkg vegan “chicken” 1/2 c Frank’s Red Hot sauce 2 Tbsps Earth Balance (margarine)

I used VeriSoy “chicken” strips to get the look and feel of the tenders.  Fortunately, I live close enough to Vege USA in Monrovia, California and can get the food service packages of VeriSoy “chicken” strips.  If you don’t live in the Los Angeles area, try Beyond Meat, Gardein, or any other vegan “chicken”.  .  In an oiled skillet, cook the “chicken” pieces until slightly golden. (I gave a splash of apple cider vinegar to make sure the soy taste was gone. )  Set aside. In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, pepper, cayenne powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  Stir together.  In small bowl, stir together Ener-G Egg Replacer and warm water.  Add in non-dairy milk and continue stirring.  Flour Mixture Coated "Chicken" Pieces Take “chicken” pieces and dip in Ener-G mixture.  Then, dip the pieces into the flour mixture.  Repeat until all pieces have double coating.  Place coated pieces in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Pan Frying "Chicken" Pieces Heat skillet with about 2” of oil.  You can tell if oil is ready when you place the end of a wooden spoon in the pan and it bubbles around the stick.  Coated & Pan Fried "Chicken" Pieces Place coated pieces of “chicken” in skillet.  Pan fry until the coating is slightly browned, then turn over and repeat.  Drain and set aside. In a small pan, add Red Hot sauce and Earth Balance.  Heat and stir until Earth Balance is melted.  Red Hot Sauce coated Fried "Chicken" Pieces Place fried “chicken” pieces on a cookie sheet.  Pour hot sauce mixture on top of each piece.  Place in oven (I used my toaster oven.) and broil for a few minutes until sauce cooks in.  Remove from oven and serve with side of vegan ranch or vegan “bleu cheese” dressing (I served with my Coyote Mountain Ranch.)  Craig wanted to have the Buffalo chick’n tenders on a sandwich.  I lightly toasted a hamburger bun and topped it with the Buffalo chick’n tenders, shredded cabbage, slivered onion, and sliced tomatoes.  Smother with vegan ranch or vegan “bleu cheese” dressing.  Touch down!

Buffalo Chick'n Tender Sandwich served with Ranch