Tonight’s ingredients I’ve never tried before: “Soy Chiken” and Apricot and Long Hots Pepper Jam!

Honestly, this “Soy Chiken” scared me a bit. Upon opening you discover some almond-shaped dried patties in powdery seasoning-stuff. You boil all this in water and then simmer for 25 minutes and then let it rest for 5. It seemed like a recipe for grossness but it was pretty good. I also dredged the patties in seasoned flour and then fried them after the boiling part was over. The flavor was tasty, but the texture was a little too moist for my liking. If I made these again I’d probably squeeze out some of the water before frying.

To go with these I made oven-roasted turnips, cauliflower, and garlic (roasted in Earth Balance because I somehow managed to run out of olive oil- the horror!- but am just too damn lazy to go to the store just for oil), and also Israeli couscous and a warm escarole salad with radish, carrot, and leeks and a blood orange olive oil and basalmic vinegar dressing. The pepper jam had such a nice flavor on its own- perfectly sweet and spicy – that I didn’t even add anything to it but just warmed it in a pan to make it more sauce-like.