Food Network Friday 12/4 and Tofurky Dinner

If you came here looking for Food Network Friday, this is the week it usually would have been. Because of the holiday and leftovers, we pushed it back a week so it will close on December 4th. This week's recipe was chosen by Veg-in-Training and looks like it should be a lot of fun! I've never made sopapillas but they sound pretty wonderful. If you join us in the Cook-Along, be sure to post a comment here on the upcoming December 4th post. (I can't believe it's almost December!) Here is the idea straight from her.

"Ok here is what I'm thinking...and this is a challenge because there is no recipe posted. I saw this on an this episode of Diners, Drive-in's, and Dives. It looks crazy delicious. The video shows it with a cilantro cream sauce, but the restaurant menu also offers a red or green enchilada sauce option.

Here is what I was able to gleen from the video as far as ingredients and prep go. Good luck on this mission should you choose to accept it!

Chicken Stuffed Sopapillas

Flour
Salt
Baking powder
Water

Mix to make tacky dough. Cover Let sit for 1 ½ hours.

Marinade for chicken

Lemon lime soda
Water
Fresh lime juice
Red wine vinegar
Soy
Black pepper
Chili powder
Garlic
Whiskey
Marinade for 24 hours.

Grill chicken then chop chicken.

Take 4 oz ball of dough dusted in flour and roll out to about 8 inch round.
You have to work quickly or the dough will get soggy.
Fill with refried beans
Chicken
Jack and Cheddar Cheese
Fold over in half then fold over the ends.

Fry in enough oil to completely cover 1 ½ minutes per side.

Put on cookie sheet or pizza pan. Top with your choice of Cilantro cream sauce, red or green enchilada sauce and cheeses. Stick in a 400 degree oven until cheese melts.

Garnish with cilantro and onion. Watch your pants get tighter!"


You just know I wouldn't leave you without a photo of some delicious food. We enjoyed this dinner a few weeks ago when the nice people at Turtle Island Foods kindly set me a coupon for a free Tofurky. I made it exactly as the package directed with the exception of using a lot more vegetables. My goal was to determine the minimum amount of hands-on-time needed to make a real feast. All in all, it took about 10 minutes up front to scrub/chop the vegetables and make a baste and then another 10 minutes toward the end of the cooking time to make a gravy and the greens. With only 20 minutes of attention, we had this fantastic meal. Granted, it wasn't as flavorful as the homemade feast from Robin Robertson which hardly took any more work (thank you, puff pastry), but it is a great alternative and we'll have it again. The basting sauce added a lot and the 'stuffing' was actually very good. We liked the texture of the roast. The vegetables, after cooking in the marinade, were a big hit. The package says it should serve 5, but even with the extra vegetables that wouldn't work in our house. For a new or busy vegan, or when you want to have a fancy Sunday dinner but don't feel like preparing it, this is a terrific option. This would be ideal for a partner who doesn't cook much to make for a romantic dinner for the perma-cook in the house, too.

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Stay tuned for another book contest next week.