Baby Spinach, Chicken and Golden Grape Tomato Salad with Brazil Nut, Black Garlic, and Dill Dressing

Well, what an epic blog post this is going to be. First, I have two HUGE ANNOUNCEMENTS! Alright, settle down now. Here's the first one:

A) My cookbook, "Veganize This", is now available in stores nation-(and maybe world?)wide! Yay!

B) I, Jenn Shagrin, have collaborated with the kick ass vegan Pollution Studios to create the most amazing TV Pilot EVER!!! It's called "Veganize It", and it will kick some serious ass. We shoot next month, in case you were wondering.

In other news, I did my first ever book signing with my home girl Melisser Elliott. She wrote The Vegan Girl's Guide To Life, which I contributed recipes to to tantalize your taste buds Now get your but over to Amazon.com and give us both some 5 star ratings....or else! I'm doing a second book signing at Cinnaholic in Berkeley, CA on Feb. 11th...details on the "Veganize This!" Blog.

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On a side note, THIS has become my new anthem and musical shero.

In my social life, we had a vintage night out! Look how HAWT (oh yes, I spelled it that way) Jane and I looked....

and with our favorite posse...

In other news, I have been getting tattooed like a monster lately. I started with paw prints to match the ones Jane already has in the same place...
Then I went crazy and let Roger Saliner just do my whole damn arm. Now I am one sexy biotch. We'll see how this looks when I'm 80. Teehee.

Baby Spinach, Chicken and Golden Grape Tomato Salad with

Brazil Nut, Black Garlic, and Dill Dressing

For the Dressing...

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 2 TBSP Brazil Nut Oil
• 1 TBSP French White Wine Vinegar
• 2 TBSP Fresh Dill, finely chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 4 cloves Black Garlic, minced

For the Salad...

• 1/2 lb Baby Spinach Leaves
• 1/2 lb Golden Grape Tomatoes, halved
• 1 bunch of Scallions, chopped
• Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/2 batch Chicken Style Seitan, cut into 2 inch long strips (recipe follows)

First, make the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then whisk vigorously to combine. Set aside.

Place the spinach leaves, tomatoes and scallion in a large mixing bowl, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine.

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, then cook the "chicken" pieces for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.

Place the "chicken" pieces atop the salad, the give the dressing another good whisking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then toss and serve immediately.

Vegan "Chicken" Style Seitan

Makes 1 batch

“Chicken” Seitan Dough:

• 1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1 scant cup Water mixed with 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon® No Chicken Broth Paste
• 1 1/2 TBSP MimicCreme

“Chicken” Seitan Broth:

• 8 cups Water mixed with 9 tsp Better Than Bouillon® No Chicken Broth Paste
• 1 cup MimicCreme
• 7 Whole White Button Mushrooms
• 1 tsp Shallot Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Roasted Garlic Powder
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Pinch of Celery Seeds

First, take all of the Seitan Broth ingredients, and mix them together in a very large pot. Bring to a boil.

While the broth’s starting to heat up, make your Seitan Dough by mixing and kneading the vital wheat gluten, water/bouillon blend, and MimicCreme until it’s completely mixed. It will be a little more wet than most seitan doughs. Squeeze out the excess liquid, and form the mixture into a ball. On a cutting board, flatten the ball out, and use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to cut into six pie wedge “Chicken Breast” shaped pieces. Before putting in boiling broth, flatten each part down by pressing it firmly between your hands, then drop each part into the pot.

Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer, and let the seitan cook for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Don’t throw out the broth! Use a slotted spoon to remove each “Chicken Breast,” and place into a colander to drain. Let both the “Chicken Breasts” and the broth cool. Allow the “Chicken Breasts” to marinate in the broth until ready to use, if time allows you. Drain again before using.