My first published recipe

Few months ago I entered the annual Vegetarian Times Magazine recipe contest. This year's theme was "holiday favorites from around the world" and I decided to send them my veganized recipe for a traditional Czech Christmas dinner. Traditional Christmas dinner in the Czech Republic is fried carp, fried chicken, or fried schnitzel and potato salad. Here, the chicken was replaced by Gardein Chick’n.

In order to participate in this contest, contestants had to use some ingredients from the contest sponsors so I had to recreate my recipe based on the sponsors brand names, but luckily it turned out great. I don't usually measure anything when I make the potato salad, plus sometimes I am out of certain root vegetables or don't want to bother peeling the potatoes....My favorite vegan mayo has always been Vegenaise (Original) and I was happy that I could use it in my contest recipe. I have tried several vegan mayo products and nothing came even close to this one. It has the right amount of sweetness and sourness and it has a very pleasant flavor that mimics the real mayo. It is not too thin or too thick unlike other vegan mayo products that I have tried.

I entered their annual recipe contest every year for the past three years and never won, until now.

They received hundreds of recipes this year and picked the best. I won a cookbook and my recipe was chosen as an honorable mention in this contest. I am really happy about this. The three years of trying finally paid off. The recipe was just featured in the newest issue of Vegetarian Times Magazine (November/December 2010). But enough bragging about myself....

I "stole" the nice picture from Vegetarian Times Magazine since my picture was not nearly as pretty as theirs.

Her is the recipe if you want to try it. Please, let me know if you try it, I would like to know your opinions. What are your traditional holiday meals?

You can create the recipe using other brands of your favorite and easily available product. I use German or Polish pickles (gherkins) since they are very similar to Czech pickles.

Christmas Chick’n Filets and Potato Salad

1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1 cup)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas
6 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup Follow Your Heart Original Vegenaise
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet pickles
2 Tbs. yellow mustard
2 Tbs. Fleischmann’s organic white vinegar
1 tsp. Florida Crystals natural cane sugar
2 7-oz. pkg. Gardein Chick’n Filets or
2 9-oz. pkg. Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

1. Cook celery root, carrots, and parsnips in large pot of boiling water 10 minutes. Add peas, and cook 5 minutes more. Drain, and cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in large pot of cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and cool completely.
3. Stir together onion, Vegenaise, pickles, mustard, vinegar, and sugar in large bowl. Add cooled vegetables, and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Prepare Chick’n Filets according to package directions. Serve warm Chick’n Filets with potato salad and lemon wedges.