Recipe Remix: Vegan "Chicken" & Dumplings

When it comes to comfort food, chicken & dumplings is right up there with mac n’ cheese, greens and cornbread dressing. It is one of those things that combines everything I want: vegetables, thick sauce, meat and a little bit of love. But I must admit, I was a little skeptical when I made this recipe by Darius Cooks at first, because it was vegan, but he never failed to disappoint! This dish was SO GOOD! You have to try it. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of pulled jackfruit
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 cup of diced onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of diced celery
1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper
1 cup of diced carrots
1 cup of frozen peas
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 cups of vegan half and half
1/2 cup of vegan cream cheese
About 1 cup of Pillsbury crescent rolls, cut into squares
Chopped parsley, to garnish

Directions:

To start, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Then, saute the onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and carrots for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant.

Then, add in the seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground fennel, and onion powder.

Cook for a few more minutes being sure to stir well. If the pan is a bit dry, you can always add a bit more olive oil.

Then, add in the vegetable stock, jackfruit, half and half, fresh thyme, and bay leaf.

Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes until the stew has reduced some. Then, add in the crescent rolls and cook until they’re done.

The last thing you’d want to do is stir in the vegan cream cheese (creamy factor insurance policy!) and then top it with chopped parsley.

PLEASE READ: After making this a few times, I’ve noticed that sometimes I might want the stew to be thicker. If you do, then, just whisk together about a teaspoon of cornstarch with a teaspoon of cold water.

Pour half of the cornstarch slurry into the stew while it’s still cooking – it’ll thicken right away. If it’s still not thick enough for your liking, add