Sweet and Sour 'Chicken'

This was my first time marinating Gardein chicken, and I'm happy to report it worked great!

You'll need 4 Gardein Tuscan chicken breasts for this recipe; discard the sauce that comes in the package, or save it for another use. Place the 'chicken' in a large plastic bag and add 1 cup teriyaki sauce; seal the bag and toss gently to coat.

In a second plastic bag, place 2 cups (1-inch) cubed pineapple, 3/4 cup yellow bell pepper strips, 3/4 cup orange bell pepper strips, 1 and 1/2 cups red bell pepper strips, and 2 cups sliced Vidalia onion. Add 1 cup of teriyaki sauce, seal the bag, and toss to coat. Refrigerate both bags for 2 hours.

Note: since I don't have large zip-top bags, I marinated both the 'chicken' and the vegetables in shallow baking dishes, and stirred at the half way mark to make sure all sides marinated evenly. I figured this method is probably better anyway, since it means less trash at the end of the day! For the teriyaki sauce, try Premier Japan, which is certified vegan. Other brands on the market may be vegan by default, but make sure to read ingredient lists when shopping, because some brands include chicken stock or honey.

After marinating, drain the pineapple mixture and discard the marinade; stir 2 cups cherry tomatoes in with the rest of the vegetables. Drain the 'chicken', and discard the marinade. From here, you have two options: the original recipe said to cook everything together in a large aluminum foil pouch on the grill. If you do so, make sure the pouch is closed securely, then cut 6 small slits in the top, and grill for 25 minutes.

I was afraid, however, that my indoor grill pan wasn't large enough to ensure that the mixture would cook evenly. Instead, I placed everything in a 13x9-inch baking dish, covered with foil, and baked at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Whichever way you cook it, sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped cilantro at the end. 1 piece of 'chicken' plus 1 cup of the pineapple mixture makes a serving of 340 calories.

Cost:
Gardein chicken $7.98
teriyaki sauce $8.98
pineapple $3.50
yellow bell pepper $1.86
orange bell pepper $1.74
red bell pepper $3.00
Vidalia onion $2.81
cherry tomatoes $2.50
cilantro $2.00