Morningstar Farms Chik’n Nuggets and patties are a great and we recommend trying Boca brand chik’n patties too. Below is a tip on how to prepare vegetarian chick patties to make the best fast-food style sandwich. It is not meant to be healthy and could even be considered junk food, but as long as you don’t eat this way everyday, you can have fun with it.

Tip: Cook each patty separately in the microwave on high for 55 – 65 seconds depending on the power of your microwave. Then place both patties in a toaster oven directly on the rack for about 2 minutes on low to give the outside a little crunch. Spread mayo on the buns, place cooked patty on bun, then (here’s what gives it the fast-food flavor) sprinkle a generous amount of seasoned salt on top of the hot patty, top with shredded iceberg lettuce.

Yves meatless hot dogs and Lightlife Smart Dogs are both really great. Dress them up anyway you like. Add them to baked beans for an easy casual meal. Either way you bake em, grill em or slice them…have fun!

Please note that substituting real meat with vegetarian “meat” replacements may be more costly. This is because the meat industry is subsidized, keeping costs down. If this the cost of being a vegetarian is an issue for you, try offsetting the cost of a meat replacer or two by cooking with fresh vegetables and/or beans with rice or pasta on occasion. We are working hard to post more recipes that will hopefully be of help in creating those meals.

You will need:

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted (warm at 350˚ for about 5 min. You’ll start to smell them just as they are done.)
• 1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
•  large goat cheese (chevre) log made with vegetable rennet. Trader Joe’s Chevre with Honey is excellent and a great price at about $4.
• a bunch or bag of fresh arugula or you can replace the arugula with mixed baby greens. One bag will serve 3 as a main course and 4 – 5 as a starter salad.
• optional balsamic vinegar reduction (this can be purchased or made by slowly reducing regular balsamic vinegar over low heat which should be started first because it takes a while. But it is worth it if you have some on hand. It will reduced a lot, but you don’t need much once it is done, only a teaspoon or two.)

Start by:

1. Chop the pecans and rosemary in a small processor if you have one. If not, try to chop them as finely as possible.
2. Then spread the mixture on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
3. Make sure the goat cheese log is nice and cold, slice it into medallions (disks) about 3/8″ thick (somewhere between 1/4″ to 1/2″), 2 for each main course plate, 1 is fine for a starter salad.
4. Cover each goat cheese medallion with the pecan and rosemary mixture (pressing gently, be sure to cover the sides as well and you can turn it a couple times to get it covered completely, but have a light hand when you hold it.)
5. Place the pecan rosemary encrusted medallions on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Bake the chilled medallions in a 350˚ oven for 10 – 12 minutes
7. Mix the dressing by measuring one part balsamic vinegar and one part honey and then whisk in 3 parts extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper.
8. Gently toss arugula and dressing and then place proportionately on each of the plates.
9. Place two pecan encrusted goat cheese medallions on top of each and for even more tanginess, drizzle with a little balsamic reduction if desired.

Note:
The goat cheese medallions can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for easy entertaining. You can also use them alone as an appetizer by serving them on a plate with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil (you can also drizzle some balsamic reduction or try drizzling honey instead.) Serve the warmed cheese with crostini.

Fact is, it’s still better for you than real bacon even if you fry it with a good amount of canola oil. Just remove the excess oil “fat” by placing the cooked slices straight from the griddle on a paper towel just like you would regular bacon.

We like both Morning Star Farms Veggie Bacon Strips and Lightlife Smart Bacon and they are best used in BLTs and crumbled on top of potato skins.

A sushi bar is an excellent option as well. They usually have a veggie combo roll that might include carrot, cucumber, avocado and asparagus, or rolls with single vegetables. I am referring to the rolls made with Nori (edible seaweed) and sticky rice. If you haven’t tried that yet, please do. But there are other things as well, like tempura (fried vegetables). I say go with the new and exciting. However, plain vegetable tempura will not at all satisfy any craving you may have for traditional restaurant fried food. It might just make you feel unhealthy. The veggies used are sometimes really big and great all on their own that frying them seems a shame. Sushi bar’s tend to be a perfect environment where you can try a number of different creations even in the veggie world so be adventurous.

Sushi One is a highly recommended local sushi restaurant in Naples Florida that is happy to provide vegetarian options and they have these great little sushi tacos that you can request with vegetables only. And don’t forget to leave it up to the chef if possible. I seem to remember that once we had them with fava beans, called “Soramame” in Japanese. Crazy cool and so good! 

You’ll need:

• 2 1/2 tsp Taco Seasoning (illustrated above, recipe below)
• 1 cup soy protein “meatless” crumbles (There are a number of available soy protein products out there, many of which are great. We generally use Boca meatless crumbles, and have also tried their vegan version, but there is a slight difference: the vegan is a little chewy, which in a way could be more “meaty” if you’re okay with chewy meat.)
• 2 tbsps minced white, yellow or sweet onion
• 4 to 8 tbsps of Canola Oil (4 will add flavor and help provide the “meatiness”, 6 to 8 tbsp will add that real greasiness of real taco meat. It’s really fun this way, go for it!
• Hard Taco Shells (this tip is for about 9 small or 6 to 7 large shells, or soft shells could be used instead)
• 6 to 8oz. of finely shredded cheddar, depending on how much you like (We use Cabot Farms because it tastes great and all their cheeses are made without animal rennet.)
• 1/4 to 1/2 head of shredded iceberg lettuce
• Hot Sauce (we like Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce)

Traditional Taco Seasoning
(this makes more than enough and will be great to have on hand the next time you make these tacos):

2 – 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat 4 to 8 tbsp of canola oil in a small sauce pan on low. You can always start with 4 and add extra after the “meat” is added.
2. Add minced onions and cook on low for about 20 minutes or until translucent and stir every so often.
3. Add veggie crumbles and turn up heat to low/med (4), stir together.
4. Once the “meat” is warm add 2 1/2 tsp of taco spice. Cover and stir frequently. After about 5 minutes on low/med: stir and lower heat to simmer. Keep covered.
5. Cook taco shells according to directions.
6. Shred the cheddar & lettuce.
7. Assemble tacos by – scooping in a layer of “meat” onto each taco distributing it evenly, on top of the “meat” sprinkle just a little cheddar, then add a layer of shredded lettuce, on top of that add a layer of hot sauce (unless you prefer adding it a little at a time or none at all), then add a layer of shredded cheddar.

You’ll need two packages of Amy’s cheese enchilada, one can of vegetarian refried beans, and a package of spanish rice (always check to see if has animal ingredients because some prepared rice has a chicken stock or byproducts.)

• Prepare rice as directed, heat he beans in a pot on low. Stir frequently and keep it covered before serving. We recommend cooking the enchiladas in the oven according to the directions.

• When the Enchiladas are ready, plate the beans & rice then the two enchiladas. Make sure to get all the red sauce from the box it’s cooked in. Serve alone or with with shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa or pico de gallo and guacamole.