Friday, October 19, 2007

Vegan "Chicken" and Dumplings

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I grew up in the South and I have this thing about Southern comfort food. I adapted this recipe from something I found somewhere on the internets years ago. I don't remember my mom cooking very much when I was a kid, but I do remember her making the most amazing chicken and dumplings. I did my best to recreate what I could remember that tasting like.

I always get excited when it starts to get cool enough to make stuff like this again. It just doesn't seem right to eat this in the summer and I'm always excited to have it for the first time again each year. This is good 'ol stick to your ribs soup. It's absolutely fantastic for one of those cold fall or winter nights when you want something warm and soupy, but also something hearty.

This post is extra exciting because I finally got a camera. Yes, folks, this is officially the very first digital camera that I have ever owned. I have been borrowing Roman's camera for the longest time. I took these right after getting home from the store, so they're not as good as they will be in the future. I had just stuck the camera on auto and shot. Now that I've read the manual on my awesome new Canon Powershot A720 IS, my picture are going to get better and better. :D Yay!

Also - the veggie broth I was using this time was store-bought and not home-made, that's why it's a little bit yellow. (Or should I say yeller since it's southern. ;) ). I think it was the Pacific Foods Organic Veggie Broth.

Vegan "Chicken" and Dumplings

Dumplings:

1 Cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Egg replacer to replace 2 eggs (I like to use Enger-G Egg Replacer for these)

Mix the soy milk and vinegar together and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg replacer and soy milk mixture together. Pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and stir gently. Mix just until combined.


2 Tablespoons margarine (like Earth Balance)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 Cup carrot, chopped
1/2 Cup celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or if you're like me, you'll add 6)
2 bay leaves
1/4 Cup flour
6 Cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy cream (Silk makes a good one. You can use soy milk if you can't find this.)
1 package faux chicken pieces or 1 Cup seitan
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, melt the margarine and olive oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tablespoon of flour. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the broth stirring as you add. Let everything simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the soy cream.

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Chop the faux chicken pieces (or seitan) and add it to the broth. Bring the soup up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the soup. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the dumplings are firm and puffy. Grind some fresh pepper on top of each serving.


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17 comments:

  1. This chic'kn soup looks delicious.

    I loved your comment-
    And hopefully you are right- karma needs to come for all those people & the "artist"- it need to come for them in a big way.

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  2. Looks delicious! I've never made dumplings... but you made it look easy! I'll have to give it a try. :)

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  3. I love your pot! It's so gorgeous and vintage-y!
    Ok, with that out of the way, let me just say that I can't get enough of chicken and dumplings, but I've never made it quite successfully at home. I'll have to try your recipe!

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  4. Thanks! I love this pot so much. I think I'm going to take it with me when I move. (I'm in a furnished apartment temporarily).

    This recipe is really easy, I make it all the time. It's even quick enough to make after work.

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  5. Hey,
    we have this on our stove right now.
    We came across a possible error in your recipe.
    for the soup, you list 1 T flour and then 1/4 C flour. In the directions, you include only the 1 T flour and not the 1/4 C.
    When do we add it? Thanks,
    Crystal and Chris

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  6. Thanks for catching that! It should just be the 1/4 cup of flour. You'll want to add it right after you've finished sauteing the vegetables. Stir it for a minute or two and then pour in the broth.

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  7. What kind of person would I be if I told you I was making it and then never told you what I thought?
    This was perfect for dinner on a chilly day, and even better the next day for lunch. This was really perfectly yummy. Thanks so much.

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  8. I just made this recipe and I just have to say.....it ROCKS!!! I grew up with my mom making chicken and dumplings from scratch and was a recipe that I missed since becoming vegan. For Easter my mom made her recipe again, so I decided to go online to find a vegan style chicken and dumpling recipe....I miss my mom's recipe no more!! Funny thing was that while her pot of chicken and dumplings was simmering it turned sour...must have been that nasty dairy and meat....haha! Thank you for the post...you Rock!

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  9. I know this post is pretty old, but I just found it.

    When I make my own version of this, I use the Pacific Foods organic Not-Chicken broth. It's vegan and delicious.

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  10. Thank you for this recipe! I'm vegetarian, my husband is omni, and our 17-month-old son is allergic to both dairy and eggs, so finding meals we will all eat is a bit of a challenge at times. We all LOVED this one. Next time I'll roll the dough out a bit and make dumplings that are a bit more noodle-like, since that's what my husband likes.

    Has anyone made the broth/veggies ahead of time, then frozen it? I imagine I could thaw it in the fridge during the day, then heat it and make and cook the dumplings.

    What other veggies do you recommend adding to it?

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  11. Dumplings were my biggest cooking disaster ever in college. I tried your recipe, and it worked great! Thanks!!!!

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  12. Very good recipe! I added half a sliced onion to the veggies, and I used a homemade veggie stock - so needed to season with a fair amount of salt. Very delicious, even my husband and son loved it!

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  13. I'm glad you like it! I use homemade broth these days, myself. This is still one of my favorite winter time recipes.

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  14. OMG, I made this recipe tonight and it was amazing. I used Better than Bouillon chicken free chicken broth for the broth and it was so delicious. Thank you!

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  15. Made this today. This recipe is a KEEPER. Thank you!

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  16. I made this last night with leftover turkey. It was so simple and delicous!!

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