Valley Earth Fest Pasta Salad!

Wow, it has been SUCH a long day! I can't believe how much fun it was to table at the Valley EarthFest today...I met a lot of great people and passed out a ton of samples and literature. I want to post more, but being as tired as I am, I am just posting quickly for those of you that I promised the pasta salad recipe to! It cannot be easier...or tastier :) Chick'N Pasta Salad
What you need:
Two packages of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (frozen food section)
 One box of pasta shells
 One jar of vegan mayo (I used Nayonaise, but Vegenaise would also be great)
Diced: cucumber (seeded), bell pepper, celery, black olives, spring onions
 Two TBSP olive oil
 Salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
 Cook your pasta and drain it well. Add olive oil to the water to prevent sticking. Put into a large bowl. Put some olive oil into a skillet and sauté your Chick'n Scallopini cutlets. What is nice about Gardein is that it caramelizes if you cook it for long enough! Once they are cooked, set them aside to cool for a bit. While the cutlets are cooling, add the veggies to the pasta. Add about half of the jar of Nayonaise and stir well. add the salt and pepper...I said to taste, but I add about a half of a teaspoon of salt and an entire teaspoon of ground pepper. Stir again. Dice your Chick'n, and put it into a container. Chill the rest of the salad. When you are ready to serve, add the Chick'n. If you add it too soon, it will not have the same chicken-like texture. Serve and enjoy! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see me today, I hope you take the time to read some of my earlier posts, there is all sorts of useful information, especially if you are like me...working full time and trying to create a healthier lifestyle for my kids at the same time. If you were lucky enough to talk to my fantastic children today, you know what I mean!! Check back again soon for more about my experience at the Earth Fest today, including my thoughts on some of the topics that you lovely people brought up to me today!

Gardein Rules

 I am in LOVE with Gardein, and my love for it only gets stronger with time, haha!  My local grocery store has recently started carrying even more selections from this fantastic brand of mock meats.  IF you are a fan of plant-based meats and you are in an area that carries this brand, give it a try.  My personal favorite so far is the orange chick'n...I sautee it in a frying pan and then set it aside on a small plate while I cook a frozen vegetable stir-fry mix that I buy in bulk from the wholesale store.  After the stir-fry veggies are cooked, I put the chick'n back in and add the sauce that it came with.  One pan, unless you cook up a few packages of Ramen Noodles (minus the seasoning packets) to put the stir-fry on top of.  Be sure to use the plate that you put the chick'n on as a serving plate, less dishes.  After working all day at the school and squeezing in a workout before picking up the kids, it is nice to have a fast but really yummy meal to put on the table.  If there is no Gardein to be found near you, look back through to my 2010 recipes and mix up a batch of seitan for your stir-fry.  AND if meat analogs are not your thing (I understand!) then get some REALLY great mushrooms and pile them on top!  As soon as you are finished, rinse your plate, it makes the dishes easier to do :)