Vegan Orange Sesame Grilled Chicken Tenders

Over a five year span, I quickly matured from an angsty, teenage hooligan to a jolly little old lady. I write this post from Flagstaff, Arizona, where I'm helping my best friend move into her new digs. Today, to decompress, I unpacked, organized and cleaned every nook and cranny of her new kitchen. I derived more joy than was expected.   

Home upkeep and decorating have become my go-to stress relievers and sources of pure happiness. I'm starting to wonder if I'm loosing my wild side. Am I wrong to worry that I should instead be glowing after a hot, steamy hook-up or a night of drunken, spray-painting debauchery? In addition to my domestic bliss, seeing a smile grace someone's face when they enjoy my food gets me all hot and bothered. 

My little sister has always been the harsh food critic in the family. That's my really eloquent way of saying she was one hell of a picky eater. If it's mushy, sauce-covered or smells funny, she scrunches up her nose in disgust. Did I mention she's 21? If I can impress her, I know I've cooked up something really special. As a little girl, her go-to meal was chicken fingers and french fries. Not just any french fries. They had to be fried crispy on the outside, the potato still creamy on the inside. She wouldn't eat potatoes in any other form. 

She'd eat pasta, but really only if they were cavatelli. She would never eat pasta with the tomato sauce covering the noodles. The bowl would get sent back to the kitchen. Her cavatelli was ordered specifically as a bowl of plain pasta with a small bowl of sauce on the side. She would dip each cavatelli into the side of sauce, saturating it to her liking before consumption. She didn't always have such restraint, though. I'd say her fickleness set in around 3 years old. 

I remember one day during her Terrible Twos, she, my mother and I were rooting through the woods looking for Autumn-hued leaves to send via mail to our cousins in California. All of a sudden, my mother and I hear her cry out "Mmm...Boo-berries [her pronunciation of blueberries]!" We turn around to discover she'd devoured several unidentified not blueberries in a matter of seconds. The Youngstown Poison Control center got to know us very well that day. I'm happy to report that they were not toxic berries, but were quite a way to make our Jewish mom panic. 

My sister is slowly becoming more adventurous with age. She loved my Seitan Meatballs, which really made my day. I made these Vegan Chicken tenders knowing that her palate could discern good tenders from bad. If she likes them this much, I think everyone will.

Vegan Orange Sesame Grilled "Chicken" Tenders

• 2 lbs Seitan Chicken breasts (Recipe Follows), or Packaged Vegan Chicken Breast
• 3 TBSP Dijon Mustard
• 3 TBSP Frozen Organic Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed
• 3 TSBP Light Agave Nectar
• 2 tsp Light Sesame Oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground White Peppercorns
• Salt, to taste

Cut each Seitan "Chicken" crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. 

In a large bowl, whisk together Dijon, OJ concentrate, Agave, Sesame Oil, Salt and White Pepper. 

Add the Chicken Tenders, and toss well to combine. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  

If you've got a stove-top grill pan, fantastic! Get it preheating. Of course, you can also preheat an actual grill, skillet or carefully use a broiler. 

Lightly oil your grill pan, grill or skillet, then remove the chicken strips from the marinade. 

I reserved the marinade, and made a reduction by simmering it for 10-15 minutes to use as a dipping sauce, and found it to be quite delicious. 

Grill or broil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on all 4 sides. 

Sprinkle with Sesame Seeds and Enjoy! 

 Oh. In case photo 1 wasn't enough, here's a little back-side action: