Chikin Cacciatore

Chikin Cacciatore
An orifinal recipe by Alaine Chang
(Orzo accompanies the Chikin Cacciatore in the recipe’s photo)

My Grandmother was a fantastic cook. She loved clipping interesting recipes out of the newspaper’s food section and then making them her own. It was in the late 1970’s that a recipe for “Chicken Cacciatore” caught her eye. As it made quite a lot, she invited my husband & me over to try it. Back then I was an omnivore. Still, the great flavor combination of the garlic, tomatoes, onion and peppers served on a bed of hot seaming rice, was such a hit, that it became a family favorite. When I became vegetarian, it was one of the dishes I really missed. It took me twelve years to come up with a really good vegan copy of my Gramma’s recipe (one that was just as delicious the day you made it, or reheated the next…or even frozen, thawed and reheated), but the wait was worth it. This recipe is simple comfort food; the hallmark of my Gramma’s cooking.

FYI: This recipe uses Elephant Garlic and I know it looks like a lot, but Elephant Garlic is a member of the Leek family and has a milder, sweeter flavor with no after bite.

Makes about 1 ½ Quarts (10-12 Servings)

Ingredients:
16 oz Vegan Seitan (chikin flavor: homemade or store bought)
½ to 1 Cup Unbleached Flour
½ to 1 Cup Vegan Shortening (I used Spectrum)
1 lb Onions, cut into wedges top to root
8-10 oz Pepper (Any kind or color; chopped, sliced or in chunks)
7-8 oz. Elephant Garlic, very thinly sliced
16 oz. Sliced Baby Bella or White Button Mushrooms.
28 oz. Can Whole Tomatoes & their Juice
28 oz. Can Plum Tomatoes & their Juice
15 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
1 tsp. Sea Salt
½ tsp. Dried Oregano

Instructions:
Cut seitan into pieces like chikin tenders approximately 3 inches long by 1-2 inches wide.

Chop or slice peppers, onions & garlic. Open tomato cans and slice tomatoes into long strips. Set all aside.
If mushrooms are not sliced, do so & set them aside too.

Place flour in a bowl. Lightly dredge seitan pieces in flour & place the coated pieces in a single layer on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Melt ¼ Cup of the shortening over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. When shortening is melted and hot, lightly brown the dredged seitan pieces on all sides, adding more shortening as needed Remove lightly browned seitan to a separate dish or bowl & set aside. I usually do the browning step in several batches.

When all seitan is done & set aside, turn the heat up on the pot. When the pot is hot, add the peppers and onions. “Stir-fry” on high for ie. 30 seconds. Add salt and stir fry another 30 seconds. Add garlic and mushrooms and stir-fry another 30 seconds. Cover. Reduce heat to low or medium-low and let simmer till all vegetables are tender (about 15-20 minutes).

When vegetables are tender, add the canned tomatoes (including their juice). If you didn’t slice then earlier, break the tomatoes up as you add them. Add tomato sauce and oregano. Mix well. Turn heat up to high.

Return seitan to the pot, gently mixing it with the pot contents so that all seitan pieces are covered.

Reduce heat to low or medium-low, cover the pot and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes. You may want to check it about half way through and gently mix it to be sure nothing is sticking on the bottom.

Serve over cooked rice, mashed potatoes, orzo or any pasta or grain of your choice.


Notes:
I used Morning Star Farms Meal Starter Chikin Strips, but you can use any mock chicken seitan, homemade or store bought. To make this a truly whole foods recipe, make your own chikin seitan from scratch.

The flour and shortening amounts will vary based on the size and type of seitan, just use as much flour as you need to lightly coat the seitan pieces and as much shortening as you need so you do not have a dry pot bottom and can lightly brown all your seitan pieces.

Buying fresh sliced mushrooms is the same price as buying whole ones, but less work.

I just thinly slice each whole elephant garlic bulb. A mandolin works great for this, but I sometimes just do it by hand.

This recipe freezes really well.

You May post this original recipe elsewhere if you credit me, Alaine Chang, The Vegan Whole Foodie and provide a link to this site http//vegwholefoodie.blogspot.com

Previous Recipe posts: Better than Chicken Soup Miso Soup, Asian Scallion Hummus, Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes w/ Garlicky Mushrooms, Vegan Borchst (Red Beet Soup)

Watch for these Recipes to be posted: Wasabi Hummus, Peanut Seitan Congee

Better Than Chicken Soup Miso Super Soup

Better Than Chicken Soup Miso Super Soup
Reconstituted: Makes 10 Servings ( ie. 16 2/3’s Cups Soup)
Each Serving about 1 & 2/3 Cups

One the things that inspired me to create this recipe is that I never seem to have enough room in my refrigerator. Soup takes up so much space, especially if you want to make enough for a week. Years ago I had a cold and really wanted a substitute for Chicken Soup that was quick & chock full of vitamins and minerals. The result was this soup…super nutritious, easy to make and tastes great from the first reconstituted bowl to the last. It’s my “go-to instead of Chicken Soup” soup for winter especially during cold & Flu Season. The soft texture and soothing creaminess slides down sore throats easily and its warmth opens sinuses and eases flu-like aches. It’s a great cold and flu preventative, too. But these days it’s the taste I really make it for…simply a great comfort food…like heaven in a bowl.

Ingredients:
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
3 tsp. Naturade Soy Free Protein Booster (a Peas based Protein Booster)
1 ½ Tbsp. Red Star Nutritional Yeast (Vegetarian Support Formula also called T-6635)
12 oz. Onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 ½ Cups – it’s roughly 1 softball sized onion))
1 lb. Carrots, chopped (ie. 2 ½ Cups chopped – roughly 3 super large carrots)
1 lb. Frozen Broccoli Florets
1 lb. frozen Cauliflower Florets
1 Cup Quinoa (not cooked)
¼ Cup Tahini
½ Cup Sweet White Mellow Miso (or Barley Miso or any light color miso)
½ Cup water (to add at the end)
2 ½ 8oz. pkgs. Smokey Baked tofu, cubed ¼” X ¼” (I used Soy Boy Smoked Tofu)
2 ½ Cups Minced scallions

Instructions:

1. Put Vegetable broth, Vegetable protein booster and Nutritional Yeast in a large size pot or Dutch oven.

2. Add chopped onion, carrots, frozen broccoli & cauliflower. Mix well.

3. Bring pot of veggies & broth to a boil.

4. Cover, Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add quinoa & cook for 10 minutes (if quinoa is not all “puffed up” cook cover for 10 more minutes or until quinoa is cooked)

6. When quinoa is done, add miso, and tahini. Stir & simmer (do not boil) for 5 minutes, then stir in ½ cup water.

7. Remove from heat. When cooled completely transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.


(Photo of Finished Concentrated Soup)

Notes:
I have noticed that what you use as you vegetable stock (either homemade or powder based or store bought may vary the color and taste of the soup, but whatever I’ve used it’s still always turned out great. The same can be said of brands of Tahini and brands and flavors of miso. I use a thinner Tahini. My favorite brand is Krinos. If all you have available is a very stiff thick Tahini, you may need to add extra water at the end. Of the light miso’s, I like Miso Master’s Sweet Mellow White Miso . My 2nd favorite is their Barley Miso. The color of the miso will change the color of the soup somewhat.

RE: Cooking Miso: According to the website: Living without Drugs, Natural Cures for Colds to Cancer
Gentle simmering stops the fermentation process, so that the miso will not continue to ferment – and produce gas – in your stomach and intestines. However, the simmering heat is not strong enough to kill the friendly bacteria present in the miso. Thus, miso soup prepared in this manner will nourish you with beneficial friendly bacteria, which helps disgestion and enhances immunity. http://www.natural-cancer-cures.com/miso-soup.html

When I can get them on sales, I love using baby carrots and then I just coin them.

If you can use fresh broccoli and cauliflower; just chop it a little smaller so it will be tender by the end of the 1st 20 minutes of cooking. And yes…the frozen cauliflower & broccoli will kind of disintegrate into the broth, but that’s what makes it creamier 

This recipe turns out best with White not Red Inca Quinoa and with sweet white mellow miso.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing this soup because that might kill the beneficial bacteria of the miso in it.

This makes a concentrated soup. Depending upon how thick or thin you like your soup add either 1 cup of concentrate to 2/3’s cup of water or 1 Cup of Concentrate to 1 Cup of water.

For an individual serving: Combine 1 Cup Concentrated soup to 2/3 Cup water. Add 2 Tbsp. of cubed smoked tofu and 1 Tbsp. minced scallions. Mix well and microwave covered on 50% power for 5-5 ½ minutes.

For 4 Servings: 2 Cups Soup Concentrate Plus 2 2/3 Cups Water. Add ½ Cup Cubed Tofu and ¼ Cup Minced Scallions

To Reconstitute the entire recipe: Add 6 2/3’s Cups water plus 5 Cups cubed smoked tofu and 2 ½ Cups Minced Scallions. Reheat on stove or in microwave. If you are making this and then serving it, you can just add these after step 6. In that case I would add 6 2/3’s cups hot (not boiling) water instead of cold.

You May post this original recipe elsewhere if you credit me, Alaine Chang, The Vegan Whole Foodie and provide a link to this site