Vegan Kung Pao Chicken

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Expo and Festivals are my favorite places to find new and exciting things to try out. I get all giddy and excited in the few days before, pretty much because getting to meet and chekout all the awesome vegan businesses out there make me happy to see that other people are also just as passionate as I am. AT the VegExpo here in Vancouver, I picked up some Butler's Soy CUrls, since I have heard so many great things about them.

The perk is, not only are they delicious as promised, they're alos made from non-GMO soybeans AND they are made with one ingredient. Soy Beans, in case that wasn't obvious.

They are really easy to use too, soak them in warm water or broth for about 10 minutes then dream up one of the million possibilities. I chose to make Vegan Kung Pao Chicken, mostly because that't my partner most favorite takeout chinese dish and also because I love making dishes that taste even better healthy than they do in their traditional oily ways.

The dish and the soy curls turned out pretty darn good. It was devoured by all so thats usually a pretty good sign. I did use peanuts as is traditionnal but if you have a peanut allergy in the house, or just avoid them in general, you can substitute any nut or seed that you enjoy most. Almonds would be most popular choice I'd think.

This is the kind of dish that I crave after a long day, where I might not really want to make dinner (it freezes well too!) but neither do I want to go out or order in because all the running, biking and working out I do is too damn much effort to just waste on take-out, other than the occasional treat. Its easy and come together quickly, the rice is pretty much what takes the longest to cook. Don't be scared of the long ingredient list, it's mostly pantry staples and goes into one pan.

Vegan Kung Pao Chicken Using Butler's soy curls, this is a fully healthy version of a take out favourite. More of an americanized version of the dish, it's full of vegetables and crispy protein strips. All without oil or processed ingredients! Portions

4 Difficulty

Medium Prep Time

15 Minutes Cooking Time

30 Minutes Ingredients: 1/2 package butler soy curls

3 cup no-chicken broth

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup braggs liquid aminos - or tamari

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1.5 cup water

2 Tbsp gluten-free flour

1 medium onion - diced

1 large bell pepper - diced

1 medium zucchini - sliced

2 cup mushrooms - diced

1 large garlic clove

1 inch ginger

1 Tbsp red chilli flakes

1/4 cup peanut butter

Crushed peanuts

3 green onions - sliced Directions: Soak your soy curls in the warm broth for at least ten minutes. When done, drain the liquid and toss in the flour. Bake in a 400F oven on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for about 25 mins, tossing halfway through.

To make the sauce, combine the vinegar, braggs, sugar, sesame oil, water and flour in abowl and set aside.

In the meantime, cook the onions for about 5 minutes with a splash of water. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes then after 2 minutes add all the veggies. Once they are almost fully cooked, add the sauce and peanut butter and stir until thick and done!

Toss the soy curls with the veggies when ready to serve. Top with chopped peanuts and green onions.

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