Nuggets and Ranch

Hi folks. I made some nuggets following this recipe, and some ranch following this recipe. This post is basically adventures in things white people eat. Ranch has always terrified me somewhat. And I'm sure someone somewhere has written something like this about ranch--that condiment so distinctive, it no longer needs the noun 'dressing' to follow its originally adjectivalness.

I added some of Clare's awesome adobo seasoning to the breading mix for these nuggets... but otherwise I pretty much followed the directions. The final product? A little too gummy to pass for chicken, but at least I know exactly what went into it!

Chickie Nuggets 

(from my vegan cookbook)

Ingredients

Nugget Ingredients:

1 c Chickpeas, Drained

1/4 c Almond Flour

1 TB Ground Flax-seed

2 TB Nutritional Yeast flakes

1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Seasoning Salt

1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper

1/2 14-oz. Block Extra Firm Tofu, Previously Frozen, Thawed

2/3 c Vital Wheat Gluten

1/2 c Filtered Water

1 TB Soy Sauce

2 TB Hot Sauce
*

Nugget Coating Ingrdients:

2 TB Ener-G Egg-Replacer Powder

1/2 c Filtered Water

1/2 c Panko Bread Crumbs, Plain or Whole Wheat

3 TB Wheat Germ

1 TB Ground Flaxseed

1 TB Almond Flour

1 TB Nutritional Yeast

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Lemon Pepper

1/4 tsp Seasoning Salt

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning

2 tsp Canola Oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and chop them until they resemble a course meal. Then add to this the rest of the dry ingredients for the nuggets (that includes the tofu), except for the wheat gluten. Pulse this a few times and dump it into a medium sized mixing bowl. To this add the wheat gluten and mix together. Now in a coffee cup mix together all of the wet ingredients for the nuggets. Pour into mixing bowl and mix this with your hands for a few minutes to activate the wheat gluten.
3. Lay out a sheet of wax paper to place the nuggets on. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the nugget mixture and place on wax paper and shape it into about a 1 1/2 inch nugget. Repeat until all the nuggets are made.
4. Now mix together the egg replacer and water, with a fork, in a small mixing bowl. Place the dry crumb coating mixture into a food processor and pulse it a few times to get the oil to coat the crumb. Put this into a medium sized mixing bowl. Take the nuggets and dip them in the "egg" mixture, then dredge them in the crumb mixture. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake covered with tin foil for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes, then take them out and flip them over and cook 5 minutes on the other side. Let them cool for 5 minutes before eating. Note: It's best to have someone help you make these so that 1 person can have their hands in the wet and the other keeps their hands in the dry.

*

Ranch Dressing

(from the ppk)

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegan mayo, homemade or storebought

1/4 cup unsweetened unflavored almond or soy milk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

Instructions

Mix.