I know that I should be grateful any time that a vegan or vegetarian book gets some press. However, I can’t help thinking that Kathleen Purvis’ article in today’s Charlotte Observer about “fried chicken – vegan style” may do more to turn carnivores off, than to turn them on to the idea of eating a non-meat version of a classic Southern dish. Please don’t get me wrong – I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kathleen for trying out the recipe and writing the article. But really – three days to make a dish? I just don’t have time for that! Do you?
When there are so many good tasting vegan and vegetarian products on the market that closely replicate chicken, why would anyone bother spending three days to try to make tofu taste like chicken? I would rather break out the vegan Gardein Chick’n Scallopini or the Lightlife Smart Cutlets and make one of the 30 minute recipes in my book, Fool a Carnivore!
In fact, I’m hard at work on a new recipe – Chicken Paprikash – a Hungarian favorite from my childhood. I asked my mom what she remembers about my fraternal grandmother’s recipe, since it’s been many, many years since I’ve eaten the real thing. Unfortunately she couldn’t tell me a lot of specifics. If you have a version you’ve made with “real chicken” that you’d like to share, I would love to read your recipe. I am really trying to get my spices and the proper thickness of that lush, velvety sour cream based sauce just right. Last night, I made my first attempt at a non-meat version with Quorn Chick’n Tenders, and it was pretty darn good – but I know I’ve got to do a lot more tinkering with it before it’s ready for my next book.
