Friday, March 14, 2014

Scraps and Snippets ~ Steamed Brocc/Cauliflower w/ Vegan Parm and Review of Trader Joe's Mandarin Chickenless Morsels


I got home from violin and the grocery store right at dinner time, hungry and without planning ahead. 

Trader Joe's Mandarin Chickenless Morsels and fresh organic cauliflower and broccoli to the rescue. Yum. 

Vegan Parmesan

3 TBSP pulverized pecans (I've used almonds before, equally tasty)
4 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 TBSP sesame seeds

Mix well. This makes several servings. It keeps for a decent time. 

I preheated the oven to 425 and got my steamer water going. When the oven was ready I popped the chickenless tenders on the pan and slide them into the oven. 

I chopped the broccoli and cauliflower and tossed them into the steamer basket (just enough for dinner so about a 1/3 of each bunch.) 

I put together the parmesan and kept an eye on the steamer. It took about 12 minutes to hit the tenderness we like. 

I flipped the chickenless tenders and in twenty minutes we had a delicious dinner.  

My Review of Trader Joe's Mandarin Chickenless Morsels: 

I love these little suckers. Granted, they aren't whole food based and glowing with health and all those amazing benefits of something like quinoa and kale. However, there are meals that need to be plates of delicious greens and chockfull of veggie deliciousness and some that require speed and taste. 

I've used these chickenless morsels with omnivores and threw together an asian mandarin chickenless salad and not one eyebrow was raised or one snarky comment made. I honestly don't know that a meat lover could tell the difference. The texture and taste are spot on, even without the sauce. The sauce is perfectly tangy/sweet. And the price is right. 

Two thumbs up. If you are looking for a meat substitute that reminds you of chicken nuggets, or satisfies with minimal work or preparation give these a shot.