Lightlife Archives - Epicurean Vegan

Open-Faced Chick’n Sandwich

August 24, 2014 by Epicurean Vegan

Yummm . . . this open-faced sandwich is crazy good. It’s also super versatile. I used Lightlife Chick’n strips, but other good options would be garbanzo beans, Great Northern beans, tempeh or tofu. The creamy sauce and crunchy texture of the water chestnuts, are a wonderful combination. So much flavor in one bite. Because I used a fat loaf of French bread, I ended up with 3 sandwiches, but if you use a thinner loaf, you’ll easily get 4. This is also a very quick meal, so great when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands.

INGREDIENTS:
1 loaf of French bread, cut in half, then each half cut lengthwise
3/4 C vegan mayonnaise
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, chopped
1/2 C green onion, sliced
1-1/2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 C vegan mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 6-oz pkg. LightLife Chick’n Strips, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 C black olives, sliced or chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, water chestnuts, green onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt nutritional yeast and vegan cheese. Fold in the chick’n strips and tomato.
For the bread, hollow out the middle a little bit, otherwise, the filling won’t stay put.
Fill the bread with the filling and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bread begins to brown and the filling is hot. Top with black olives, slice and enjoy!

Open-Faced Chick'n Sandwich

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Yummm . . . this open-faced sandwich is crazy good. It's also super versatile. I used Lightlife Chick'n strips, but other good options would be garbanzo beans, Great Northern beans, tempeh or tofu. The creamy sauce and crunchy texture of the water chestnuts, are a wonderful combination. So much flavor in one bite. Because I used a fat loaf of French bread, I ended up with 3 sandwiches, but if you use a thinner loaf, you'll easily get 4. This is also a very quick meal, so great when you don't have a lot of time on your hands.

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

1 loaf of French bread, cut in half, then each half cut lengthwise
¾ C vegan mayonnaise
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, chopped
½ C green onion, sliced
1-1/2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
½ C vegan mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 6-oz pkg. LightLife Chick'n Strips, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 C black olives, sliced or chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, water chestnuts, green onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt nutritional yeast and vegan cheese. Fold in the chick'n strips and tomato.
For the bread, hollow out the middle a little bit, otherwise, the filling won't stay put.
Fill the bread with the filling and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bread begins to brown and the filling is hot. Top with black olives, slice and enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

July 7, 2012 by epicureanvegan

The (soon-to-be) Eighth Grader picked these out from Lightlife. The original recipe is for 12 rolls, but one large head of cabbage had about 8 good leaves to use, so we had some leftover filling. If you plan on making 12, you’ll probably want to pick up 2 heads of cabbage. These we actually pretty easy to make and were really flavorful and delicious, not to mention healthy. One roll is only 275 calories! You can also customize these rolls to suit your tastes—mix it up by adding your favorite ingredients. Next time, I’ll try mushrooms and zucchini. Keep in mind, the recipe calls for cooked rice, so you’ll want to get that going first. Also, you’ll need to steam the leaves ahead of time as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg Gimme Lean “beef”
2 Tbs olive oil
8-12 cabbage leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C cooked rice
15-oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2-4 Tbs water

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onions, and peppers and cook until tender.

Add the Gimme Lean. You could chop it up before adding it, or just dice it up with a spatula in the pan. You’ll want small clumps, or pieces. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and continue cooking until the “beef” begins to brown.

Add the rice…

In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and cider vinegar. Reserve a 1/4 cup; set aside. Add the remaining sauce to the pan and combine it well with the veggie mixture. After you’ve drained the cabbage leaves, pat them dry. Lay a leaf out flat and add about a 1/3 cup of the mixture in the center.

Fold in the sides, then roll up. You can also secure it with a toothpick if needed, but I found that these rolled up fine and stayed put.

Place the rolls in a 9×13 baking pan. Pour about 2-4 Tbs of water int he bottom of the pan to keep the leaves moist.

Mix 2 Tbs of water with the reserved 1/4 cup of sauce and pour it over the rolls.

Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

The (soon-to-be) Eighth Grader picked these out from Lightlife. The original recipe is for 12 rolls, but one large head of cabbage had about 8 good leaves to use, so we had some leftover filling. If you plan on making 12, you'll probably want to pick up 2 heads of cabbage. These we actually pretty easy to make and were really flavorful and delicious, not to mention healthy. One roll is only 275 calories! You can also customize these rolls to suit your tastes---mix it up by adding your favorite ingredients. Next time, I'll try mushrooms and zucchini. Keep in mind, the recipe calls for cooked rice, so you'll want to get that going first. Also, you'll need to steam the leaves ahead of time as well.

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

1 pkg Gimme Lean "beef"
2 Tbs olive oil
8-12 cabbage leaves
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C cooked rice
15-oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2-4 Tbs water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onions, and peppers and cook until tender.
Add the Gimme Lean. You could chop it up before adding it, or just dice it up with a spatula in the pan. You'll want small clumps, or pieces. Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper and continue cooking until the "beef" begins to brown.
Add the rice.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and cider vinegar. Reserve a ¼ cup; set aside. Add the remaining sauce to the pan and combine it well with the veggie mixture. After you've drained the cabbage leaves, pat them dry. Lay a leaf out flat and add about a ⅓ cup of the mixture in the center.
Fold in the sides, then roll up. You can also secure it with a toothpick if needed, but I found that these rolled up fine and stayed put.
Place the rolls in a 9x13 baking pan. Pour about 2-4 Tbs of water int he bottom of the pan to keep the leaves moist.
Mix 2 Tbs of water with the reserved ¼ cup of sauce and pour it over the rolls.
Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Vegan New England Chik’n Corn Chowder

June 22, 2012 by epicureanvegan

This may not be something you’d consider making in the summer, but on a rainy evening (which we could desperately use) this chowder would hit the spot. Even without the rainy weather, this soup is absolutely delicious! The Seventh Grader picked it out, so we worked side-by-side in the kitchen on this one. It comes together rather quickly—certainly under 25 minutes. The original recipe is from LightLife. We made some changes though and actually had to guess on some directions because they weren’t real clear on how some of the ingredients needed to be prepared. I also used Morning Star Chik’n Strips. The recipe makes only 3 servings, which is great for us, but you may want to double the recipe to feed more. (Note: You probably wouldn’t need to double the Chik’n Strips, because I think there’d be plenty for a double batch).

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg Morning Start Meal Starter Chik’n Strips
4 slices LightLife Smart Bacon
3 Tbs vegan margarine
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 Tbs flour
3 C almond milk
1-1/2 C corn kernels
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
If the Chik’n Strips are frozen, defrost a little, then chop up into bite-sized pieces.

In a soup pot, heat the vegan margarine until melted. Over medium/high heat, add the onion, celery, and pepper. (Remember, wear your rubbers when handling hot peppers 😉 )

Cook for about five minutes, stirring often, until the veggies are tender. While this is going on, you may want to get the bacon frying. Cook according to package instructions. Add the flour to the pot and cook about a minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the almond milk and incorporate it well. Add the corn, Chik’n, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.

Serve with some crumbled veg bacon on top. Enjoy!

Vegan New England Chik'n Corn Chowder

The original recipe is from LightLife. We made some changes though and actually had to guess on some directions because they weren't real clear on how some of the ingredients needed to be prepared. I also used Morning Star Chik'n Strips. The recipe makes only 3 servings, which is great for us, but you may want to double the recipe to feed more. (Note: You probably wouldn't need to double the Chik'n Strips, because I think there'd be plenty for a double batch).

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

1 pkg Morning Start Meal Starter Chik'n Strips
4 slices LightLife Smart Bacon
3 Tbs vegan margarine
½ C onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
½ to 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 Tbs flour
3 C almond milk
1-1/2 C corn kernels
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste

Directions

If the Chik'n Strips are frozen, defrost a little, then chop up into bite-sized pieces.
In a soup pot, heat the vegan margarine until melted. Over medium/high heat, add the onion, celery, and pepper. (Remember, wear your rubbers when handling hot peppers 😉 )
Cook for about five minutes, stirring often, until the veggies are tender. While this is going on, you may want to get the bacon frying. Cook according to package instructions. Add the flour to the pot and cook about a minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the almond milk and incorporate it well. Add the corn, Chik'n, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes.
Serve with some crumbled veg bacon on top. Enjoy!

Product Review: Smart Bacon and a BLTA Comparison

June 16, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Bacon. People love bacon. I have a friend who said that her husband would give her up before he gave up bacon. I swear it ranks up there with the right to bear arms; don’t take away my guns or my bacon.

Believe me, I’ve eaten my share of bacon before I went vegan, so I understand. But I can honestly say that I don’t miss it. Lately, I’ve been making sandwiches with Lightlife’s Smart Bacon and we really love it. The 5-ounce package is about 14 slices and come sealed.

The slices peel very easily. Lightly spray a skillet with cooking spray and cook the slices for 3 to 3-1/2 minutes on each side. Look at that! They’re not swimming in grease! They do, however, smell very similar to real bacon as they cook. They’ll start to get slightly brown on the edges and cook up rather crispy. Obviously, without all the fat and grease, Smart Bacon is dryer and crispier. We all really like the taste of it and agree that on a sandwich, it tastes amazing and incredibly like the real deal. By itself, you’ll notice it’s different, but it’s still extremely tasty in its own right. The other thing is that it’s thick; closer to the thick-cut bacon kind.

Here’s a list of ingredients:

Water, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, soybean oil, texured soy protein concentrate, textured wheat gluten, less than 2% of: natural smoke flavor, natural flavor (from vegetable sources), grill flavor (from sunflower oil), carrageenan, evaporated cane juice, paprika oleoresin (for flavor and color), potassium chloride, sesame oil, fermented rice flour, tapioca dextrin, citric acid, salt. Contains: soy, wheat, sesame.

Now, let’s look at the nutritional facts: (I compared it with Farmland Thick Cut Bacon)

1 slice of Smart Bacon contains 20 calories, 10 calories from fat, real bacon has about 100 calories and 80 calories from fat. Smart Bacon has 1 gram of fat, no saturated fat, no trans fat, no polyunsaturated fat, and no monounsaturated fat. Real bacon contains 9 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat and doesn’t list totals for the other fats. Smart Bacon has no cholesterol, where real bacon has 15 mg of cholesterol. Smart Bacon has 140 mg of sodium per slice where real bacon contains 320 mg of sodium. Even though there are 2 grams of protein in Smart Bacon and 5 grams in real bacon, I’m willing to grab some extra protein somewhere else—it’s not worth the added fat, sodium, and cholesterol those extra grams of protein come with.

*Keep in mind, there are a number of companies that provide several varieties of bacon. Even the thin-sliced, “all-natural,” uncured bacon still has over twice the calories and 4x the fat of Smart Bacon. By the way, turkey bacon isn’t that much better than real bacon. It still ranks up there with calories, fat, and sodium.

So let’s get to the BLTA (bacon-lettuce-tomato-avocado) sandwich! Put it all together, let’s compare the caloric intake.

I used Rudi’s Sourdough, reduced-fat Vegenaise, 2 slices of Smart Bacon, 1 medium sliced tomato, 3 slices of avocado, and a large iceberg lettuce leaf. It’s important to remember that regular mayo (including Vegenaise) contains 90 calories per tablespoon. The reduced fat is 45—the same for both regular and soy-based ones. Bread makes a big difference, too. That’s actually where the bulk of the calories come from. 1 slice of Rudi’s Sourdough has a whopping 100 calories! (Yes, I will be finding a healthier version).

A regular BLTA:

2 slices of bread: 200 calories, 2 slices of bacon: 200 calories, 1 Tbs reduced-fat mayo: 45 calories, 1 medium tomato slice (1/4″ thick): 4 calories, 1 large leaf of iceberg lettuce: 2 calories, 1/8 of an avocado (3 slices): 70 calories. For a grand total of: 521 calories

Don’t eat me!

A vegan BLTA:

2 slices of Rudi’s Sourdough vegan bread: 200 calories, 2 slices of Smart Bacon: 40 calories, 1 Tbs reduced-fat Vegenaise: 45 calories, 1 medium tomato slice (1/4″ thick): 4 calories, 1 large iceberg lettuce leaf: 2 calories, 1/8 of an avocado (3 slices): 70 calories. For a grand total of: 361 calories.

I definitely recommend trying Lightlife Smart Bacon! Have it on sandwiches or crumble it up in salads. It’s a great tasty, healthy alternative to real bacon. Your colon will thank you! By the way, if anyone knows of a delicious vegan, low-calorie bread, let me know!

Open-Faced Chick’n Sandwich

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Vegan New England Chik’n Corn Chowder

Product Review: Smart Bacon and a BLTA Comparison

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