When I was still eating some meat and some fast food, I have to confess I was addicted to Wendy's Spicy Chicken Fillet. It's still hard to resist, but having this sandwich in my lunchtime lineup helps. Here's how to make an easy and delicious vegan "fried" chicken sandwich using Gardein Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers that's satisfying and nutritious. I do it all the time, even when I'm in a hurry, which I guess is all the time.

THE INGREDIENTS

2 pieces Gardein Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers
1/2 cup fresh watercress or arugula
1 Oroweat Double Fiber English Muffin
1 tablespoon eggless light canola mayonnaise
1 healthy squirt of sriracha sauce
Several slices of persian cucumber sliced thin on the diagonal
2 slices of tomato and two slices of avocado

Prepare the chicken fingers as per the instructions, or do it my way by microwaving it 45 seconds, then pan frying in hot lightly sprayed pan until crisp on both sides. Toast the english muffin. Assemble all the ingredients, laying the two "chicken" fingers side by side on the muffin & mixing the sriracha into the mayo with a knife as you spread it. Simple. The hardest part is grabbing all the ingredients out of the fridge. Enjoy.

Vegetarian bbq "chicken" panini with collards & brussels sprouts

Where I used to work in Los Angeles, on Wilshire blvd, we had a great little cafe downstairs, called "The Garden Cafe". We all used to trundle off to get a sandwich or a salad for lunch. They had a fantastic arugula and pear salad that I'd get on most days, but so many more temptations if I wanted to eat meat. They had this amazing Barbecue Chicken Panini that had bbq sauce, cilantro, and red onion which they served on a grilled ciabbatta with melted cheese. It was so good, I wished they had a vegetarian version. So now, I'm here working at home, and I finally have it. It's pretty simple, really. I just substituted tofu chicken strips (I like the ones from "Beyond Meat" and I ramped up the veggies by adding some sautéed collard greens & shaved brussels sprouts.

After this, I'm cutting out the cheese in my life. Umm, somewhat...

THE FILLING

"Beyond Meat" Southwest Flavor Chick'n Strips (Available at Whole Foods)
1/4 red onion
Small handful of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 cup leafy greens such as slivered collard greens, kale or shaved brussels sprouts

THE PANINI

2 small ciabatta rolls
1 oz Gruyere cheese
1 oz light mozzarella

Mix together in small bowl Chick'n strips, sliced onion, cilantro and bbq sauce. Sauté the leafy greens with part of the red onion and set aside. Spray olive oil on outside of roll. On the bottom half of roll, layer on the gruyere, chick'n mix, greens, and then mozzarella before covering with other half. In lightly oiled grill pan, or panini press, heat until cheese melts, flipping halfway through. There you go. I use the light mozzarella to hold the calories down. MAKES 2 PANINIS.