Orange chicken stirfry

I was scouring Food Fight grocery store the other day for wheat-free faux-meats and came across a frozen box of Vegan Orange Chicken By Vegetarian Plus. They have a number of yummy-looking products, but only the orange chicken and the vegan Kung Pao chicken appear to be made without wheat.

These pre-made or marinaded saucy meat substitutes make for a great meal idea launch pad. You can extend or change the sauce, but you have a good flavor base to start with. I tasted a bit of the orange chicken sauce and found that it wasn't quite as salty as I like, but other than that, I tried to mimic the tangy, just-sweet flavor when I added ingredients to cover the whole dish in sticky orange sauce. I also wanted to keep the dish quick and easy, so I stuck to the basic veggies-- broccoli and red pepper-- but you can use anything.

The Vegan Orange Chicken chunks themselves are stringy and chewy in a way I really enjoy. The flavor isn't as meaty as some faux meats; it's more an intense version of the sauce. I will definitely buy it again.

Here's the basic recipe.

Orange Chicken

vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients

• 10 oz dry or enough for 3-4 servings of thin, flat rice noodles, like the kind used for pad thai


• 1 box of Vegan Orange Chicken By Vegetarian Plus
  
  (or 10 oz or 1 1/2 cups of faux meat of your choice, plus triple or more of the sauce ingredients later)


• 1/2 an onion, sliced to make long strips


• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed


• 1-2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli


• 1/2 a red pepper, cut into strips


• cilantro for garnish (about 1/4 cup)


• mung bean sprouts for garnish (about 1/4 cup)


For the sauce:


• 1 tbsp tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)


• 1 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate


• 1 tbsp rice vinegar


• 1 tbsp brown sugar or mirin

Directions

• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions while cooking the veggies. Err on the side of less cooked noodles, since we'll add them to the stirfry later.


• Prepare your wok or pan-- drizzle with oil and heat to medium-high.


• Add onions, stir til just browning, about 5 minutes.


• Add garlic, stir for 1 minute.


• Add faux meat, stir for 3-5 minutes.


• Add broccoli, stir for 3 minutes.


• Add all sauce ingredients, stir for 1 minute.


• Add cooked rice noodles, stir til coated with sauce. Leave for 3 minutes, stir, leave for 3 more minutes.


• Add red pepper, stir for 1 minute.


• Turn off heat, add garnishes.