Cranberry-Walnut “Chik’n” Salad (& London’s 3rd Birthday Party!)
Have you ever tried serving a vegan meal for a group of non-vegans?
Sunday was London’s 3rd birthday party. Every year, we have a party for her and invite all of our friends and family. And, every year, I wonder what to serve for food. I don’t want to get too health-freak on the non-vegan guests like I might at home… so foods like my healthy no-bake peanut butter cookies are out of the question. I want to make vegan versions of common foods that are served at get-togethers; nothing too crazy that’s going to make it seem like you have to be a tree-hugging health-freak hippie in order to be vegan.
So, for her first birthday I set up a taco bar. Make-your-own tacos.
For her second birthday, I made giant sub sandwiches and cut them up like you would get from subway.. but I used lightlife vegan deli “meat.”
This year, I served this Cranberry-Walnut Chik’n Salad on whole wheat buns (okay, a little bit of health-freakiness slipped in there… lol. WW4Lyfe). Unfortunately, I forgot to add the celery. 
I think it’s really necessary in this recipe… so try not to leave it out like I did!
I also made:
Vegan Taco Dip served with Garden of Eatin’ Blue corn and Multi-grain tortilla chips
Classic Pasta Salad with homemade Italian Dressing
Fruit Pizza
A veggie tray with Vegan Ranch Dressing
Mashed potatoes with Imagine Wild Mushroom Gravy
Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n
… and a vegan Yo Gabba Gabba cake, made by Compassionate Cake!
I had one happy little Birthday Girl! :)
Okay, okay… I know you came here for a recipe, but instead I went on and on about London and the food at her party. What can I say? My daughter & food = two of my favorite things! lol 
Here you go:
Ingredients
- 1 package of vegan "chik'n" strips (I used Morning Star brand)
- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream (I used 1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme Plain and 1/4 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme Guacamole)
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
Directions
- Cook the vegan Chik'n strips according to the directions on the package. I heated them in the microwave and over-cooked them slightly to give them more of a chewy texture.
- Shred the strips into smaller pieces and put them in a large bowl. Mix in the celery, cranberries, and walnuts.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the vegan sour cream, parsley, garlic powder, and white pepper.
- Stir the sour cream mixture into the Chik'n mixture. Serve cold on bread or buns.
2 Responses to Cranberry-Walnut “Chik’n” Salad (& London’s 3rd Birthday Party!)
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I loved the Cranberry-Walnut Chik’n Salad you had at London’s birthday party, for that matter, for the rest of the tasty vegan food too. Mark and I enjoyed the leftovers you sent home with us. It was nice going to a party and choosing what I would like to eat. As a vegetarian, when I attend a party I have to look for what can I eat. This was my first all vegan party that I have been to since I made the change to eat healthy vegetarian style. Thanks for all you do in the health department of food!
It’s funny you say that, about choosing what you want to eat instead of looking for what you *can* eat, because that’s how I feel whenever I go to a vegan potluck! And the first time I went to a vegan restaurant in Chicago felt so weird to me… knowing that I could look at the whole menu- and order anything I wanted! lol. “milkshakes” “cheesecakes” “ruebens” “philly cheesesteaks” …… the menu didn’t say “vegan” on it and it all had normal food names (like it didn’t say VEGAN chocolate milkshake… just ” chocolate milkshake”), it just didn’t seem normal and I kept thinking that it was too good to be true.