Some Southern Fried P

Seriously ridiculous:

I've had that song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" song from The Sound of Music stuck in my head for DAYS. *stifled scream*




But anyways...

So my friend P rocks, and for a while (namely during the warmer weather), she'd frequently have me over for dinner. (You can check out a couple of the things she's cooked in the past both HERE and HERE.) She's also the creator of the WICKED-MAD vagina dentata cake I posted a while back:



Anywho, to my great pleasure, she invited me over for dinner again this past Monday. She had made a batch of seitan over the weekend and wanted to use it for some sort of dish. What she settled on was a "Southern Fried Vegetarian 'Chicken'" recipe that she'd stumbled across on the interwebs.

And holy crap am I glad she DID stumble across this recipe, as it is FINGER LICKING GOOD, for sure.

Her seitan was plump and moist, real nice and juicy and a great consistency that I have somehow not yet managed to match with my own.

And the batter & breading: holy mother, so good. It LOOKS remarkably chickenish, and the flavor has fantastically yum undertones of mustard:

I liked this so much that I've been thinking about it off and on since Monday and pondering when I should tackle making a batch myself.

Soon, for sure.

And not only is P a fantastic cook, she also has mad vintage style--I'm always admiring her kitchenware/decorations/crafts every time I'm at her place, so I figured I must must must share with you what she got me for my b-day (it's kitchen-related!):



Using her mad-vintage-style radar, she managed to hone in on these lovely cloth napkins that match the avocado-green of my kitchen:



this freakishly gorgeous (and retro) trivet:



and this pineapple decoration/towel/decoration (which matches both the avocado green of my kitchen and the handtowel hanging next to it at home):



So yes: I just have to gloat and say how wonderful it is to have such lovely friends as Ms. P.

Now if only I could get her to marry me, that way I can have her barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen on a daily basis, apron tight around her bulging waste as she whisks up some pancakes in one of her bright pyrex bowls and gives me a peck as I grumble off to work to bring home the (veg) bacon... well... that would just be a dream come true.

Southern Fried Vegetarian "Chicken"

                                       from Recipezaar

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 t. salt or seasoning salt


• 1 t. onion powder


• 1 t. garlic powder


• 1 t. black pepper


• 1 dash cayenne (optional)


• 1-1/2 c. flour


• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast


• 1/4 c. prepared mustard (from my nosey viewpoint, I can tell you that she used some Dijon and some yellow, I believe)


• 2 T. baking powder


• 1/2 c. water


• 1 lb seitan, cut into 1-2-inch square pieces


• oil (for frying)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium to large bowl, mix together the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, flour, black pepper, cayenne and nutritional yeast.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mustard and water. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and combine well.
Add baking powder to the flour mixture and combine well.

Coat pieces of seitan or mock chicken with the mustard batter, then coat each piece with the dry flour mixture.

Fry chunks of "chicken" in the oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet for 3-5 minutes, turning once until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel, serve with ketchup or barbeque sauce and enjoy! (I say leave it unadorned. That's how good it is--the Ketchup Freak Extraordinaire loved it sans condiments.)

Tip: If your chunks are turning brown or black rather than a crispy golden brown, your oil is probably too hot! Reduce the heat a small amount and try again.

(Recipe from Recipezaar)