Since my oncology doctor wants me to go vegan I made a few modifications to some of my recipes. Here is a vegan sweet and sour chicken that is also gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. I intend on staying cancer free and eating a plant based diet seems to be the general consensus for doing so. I will say it’s extremely hard because a gluten free diet and vegan diet really clash. Many vegan foods are made with wheat or soy and I cannot have either one. I am however, up for the challenge!
In order to make this recipe vegan I had to use plant based chicken. I had to read a lot of labels to find a plant based chicken without soy, but I finally stumbled upon one. I also had to replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos. Even though I had to radically modify my original recipe, it tasted amazing.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box Dr. Praeger’s classic chick’n tenders (vegan)
- baby carrots, diced
- mushrooms. sliced
- bok choy
- rice noodles or rice
- sesame seeds (optional)
INGREDIENTS – SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
- 1/4 coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
TIP: If you are not able to have soy sauce, you can use coconut aminos in its place. Coconut aminos are similar in color to soy, but are made from the sap of the plant. They are gluten free and soy free.
Making Vegan Sweet and Sour Chicken
Making sweet and sour chicken that was gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and vegan was a challenge, but one I was ready for.
Put on a pot of water for the noodles or rice, which ever you wish to use. If making noodles, boil the water, add the noodles, turn off the pot and let stand until soft. Rice usually requires a rinse. Add rice, water, salt and margarine to pot. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed. Check the package instructions as they vary.
Add a tablespoon of oil to a frying pan and heat it up. When heated follow the instructions on the package which state to cook 3 minutes per side. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
For the sweet and sour sauce, mix together coconut aminos, rice vinegar, cornstarch, ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic, then set aside.
Dice the carrots, slice the mushrooms, and set aside. Rinse the bok choy and cut off the bottom portion. Mince the garlic, peel and dice the ginger. In a separate frying pan, toss in the carrots and mushrooms, then cook for about 5 minutes. Add the bok choy and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and cover to keep hot.
Dump the sauce in the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes until sauce thickens.
Add the vegetables and chicken back into the pan. Mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure everything is heated through before serving.
In the bottom of a bowl place noodles or rice. Spoon a portion of the vegetables, chicken, and sauce over the noodles or rice. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top of the vegan sweet and sour chicken if desired.