Vegan Buffalo Style “Chicken” Salad

I have to admit – this is not my original idea, but after seeing the traditional recipe with real dairy and chicken in Eating Well magazine, I knew that I had to try to veganize it. The final result was great – it is perfect for a light dinner, or an easy lunch. There won’t be much left over, though, because this is so good. My husband is already looking forward to having this again. Also, I used Heidi Ho Veganics brand feta (it is neutral enough that it tastes a bit like feta, and a bit like blue cheese, so it was a great choice – if you can’t find it, you can substitute it with any specialty crumbly vegan cheese).

Vegan Buffalo Style “Chicken” Salad Dressing: 1/4 cup vegan blue cheese or feta, plus more for topping salad 6 Tablespoons almond milk 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast Salad: 1 package vegetarian chicken strips, cut 1/2″ thick 2 Tablespoons flour 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 Tablespoon olive oil 2 Tablespoons hot sauce 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce 2 cups diced carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced Salt to taste 1. Blend all of the dressing ingredients in a small glass bowl. Stir, slightly mashing the vegan cheese, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 2. Put the flour and ground pepper in a freezer bag. Place the chicken strips into the freezer bag and toss to coat. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden and just beginning to form a crispy crust, about 5 minutes. Pour hot sauce and vinegar into the pan and continue to cook just until coated, about 1 minute. 3. In a salad bowl, toss together lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumber and bell pepper. Drizzle dressing over salad and top with “chicken” and additional blue cheese, and salt if desired.