All Vegan Cheesy Chik-n Fingers! Made with Match Vegan Meats, Daiya Cheddar & Eco-Planet Non-Dairy Cheddar Crackers.

World Go Vegan Week starts Sunday and if like many people you are trying out the vegan lifestyle for the first time, you might find yourself wondering : Do I have to give up everything I loved as kid to try this out? The answer : Nope!

I’ve been vegan a long time and even I – from time to time – get nostalgic for food I enjoyed in my childhood. I loved those little cheddar cheese goldfish crackers. One of my favorite memories was my grandfather putting them in my soup every Fall. I took them to school with me almost everyday in a sandwich bag and when I went vegan I admit I missed them. That’s why when I found these Eco-Planet Non-Dairy Cheddar Crackers I may have freaked out a little. They have filled that space in my heart that thought about those those little crackers from time to time. They also made it possible to veganize Betty Crocker’s cheesy crunchy chicken fingers (see recipe below) which would be a hit at any football or baseball playoff party this Fall… or just a Thursday night dinner.

Here’s a few other childhood favorites that some of you newly veganed folks might be interested in to help make that transition into cruelty free living :

• Marshmallows! There are several brands these days that make vegan marshmallows. Sweet & Sara are a favorite of mine and they even have special Halloween marshmallows shaped like bats & ghosts on sale right now. There is also Chicago Soy Dairies’ Dandies which are pretty perfect in Hot Cocoa.
• Which brings me to Instant Hot Cocoa! Ah!Laska’s Organic Instant Hot Cocoa is a pretty extraordinary treat for those nights when you just want to add water.
• Vegan Corn Dogs by Cedar Lake Foods. That pretty much says all I need to say about that.
• Memory can be kind to some old friends – like Cheetos and I actually think Tings are much better version of the cheesy snack puffs. I think Tings are actually better than most things. To quote Food Fight Grocery “Better than squirrels and kittens hugging.”
• Of course a lot of you are wondering what to do about Vegan Halloween candy. VegNews has a great list of Vegan Candy you can give away that night and of course snack on between trick-or-treaters.

OK back to our recipe…

• 2 Cups Match Vegan Meat – Chicken (defrosted and formed into fingers – this should make around 8-10 – try to make sure they around the same size)
• 2 Cups Eco-Planet Non-Dairy Cheddar Crackers (crushed)
• 1/2 Cup Daiya Cheddar (shredded)
• 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• Your Favorite BBQ Sauce for Dipping

Heat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with Olive Oil Cooking Spray.

In a large resealable plastic bag, mix Crushed Crackers, Daiya and Nutritional Yeast. Add Vegan Chicken Strips to the bag one at a time, seal the bag and shake. Before removing form the bag gently press the Cracker coating into the Vegan Chicken Strip. Place the Cracker Crusted Chicken Strips in a single layer on the sheet. make sure they aren’t touching.

Bake uncovered for around 10 minutes. The larger the strip the longer it will take to cook so if you went big give them a little longer in the oven. Remove when the crackers begin to brown.

To find other Vegan Recipes for World Go Vegan Week check out IDA’s Recipe Page or Meet The Shannons.