Little House on the Prairie: "Chick'n" and Dumplins

Little House on the Prairie - Recipe #2

For my 2nd Little House recipe, I decided to make “Chick’n” and dumplin(g)s. Making biscuits always puts me in mind of making dumplins, which I love equally as much, so I just went ahead and made this dish right after baking the biscuits…

Ingredients:

• Stew

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large onion, diced

  • 2 medium-sized (or 1 large) carrot, diced

  • 3 stalks celery, diced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (not sprigs)

  • 1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped

  • 1 tsp. salt (+ more to taste)

  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (+ more to taste)

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

  • 1 cup nutritional yeast (flakes, not powder)

  • 6 cups veggie broth (I used Imagine brand No-Chicken Broth)

  • 2 cups seitan, chopped/sliced (or your favorite pland-based chicken-alternative! I used Westsoy by Yves Seitan Stips)

  • 1 cup oat milk (or other unsweetened plant-based milk)

  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

  • 1/2 cup frozen lima beans (optional… I just LOVE lima beans…)

• Dumplings

  • 2 cups flour (I used all-purpose, but you can use whole wheat if you like)

  • 2 tsp. baking powder

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • 4 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Miyoko’s)

  • 1 cup oat milk (or other unsweetened plant-based milk)

  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (not sprigs)

Instructions:

1. In a large soup pot or cast iron dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and saute until onions are beginning to turn translucent and veggies are starting to soften.

2. Add rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper, and saute for about 2 more minutes over medium-high heat.

3. Lower heat to medium and slowly stir in flour and nutritional yeast. Cook for 5 minutes or so.

4. Add broth and stir. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the dumplings:

   • In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.

   • Slowly mix in oat milk, thyme, and vegan butter, one tablespoon at a time.

   • Using your hands, kneed the dough slightly to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.

   • Using your fingers, roll dough into small 1-inch balls, and smash into rough oval-shapes (make sure they are flattened and not spherical to ensure they cook through!)

6. Bring the stew to a boil, and carefully drop dumplings in, one at a time (you can use a slotted spoon if you are afraid of boiling splash-back!)

7. Let dumplings cook in a low-boil for 20 minutes

8. Stir in oat milk, frozen peas, and lima beans. Bring back to a low-boil and cook for 5 minutes.

9. Stir in seitan (or other chicken-substitute) and cook for another 5 minutes.

10. Add parsley and stir to incorporate. Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired.

11. Garnish each serving with parsley, and enjoy!