PETA's Vegan Cook-Off Contest Winners

This article originally appeared on PETA Prime.

After PETA announced a Vegan Cook-Off contest in the summer 2010 edition of Animal Times magazine (receiving the magazine is one benefit of membership),  we received scores of mouthwatering dishes from contestants in North America and England. We thought, "Why should we be the only ones to savor these healthy and humane dishes?" So not only are we posting the two winners of the contest on PETA PRIME, you'll also see in the weeks ahead other delicious contest entries, all of which are winners for animals!

PETA's winner for North America is the Chickie-Couscous Salad recipe from Lorraine Rengers. England's winning entry is Isabel Hill's Oat & Onion Roast recipe. Lorraine's entry won her valuable coupons for fabulous faux-meat products from Gardein; Isabel's sweet reward consists of coupons for some of the delicious products from Redwood Foods.

We hope you'll try these recipes and share them with family and friends because a vegan meal is good for those who are eating it as well as for animals. Let us know how they came out. Bon appétit!

Chickie-Couscous Salad

1 1/4 cup faux-chicken broth (try Better Than Bouillon brand)
1 cup couscous
1 Tbsp. nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic, minced
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked and diced faux chicken (try Gardein brand)
4 large scallions, sliced
1 large apple, diced
1 large rib celery, diced

• In a medium pot, bring the faux-chicken broth to boil. Add the couscous and margarine. Return to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cook.
• In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, coriander, mustard, garlic, and pepper.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked couscous, "chicken," the scallions, the apple, and the celery. Add the olive oil mixture and toss to coat all the ingredients.

Makes 4 servings

Oat & Onion Roast

1-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 large onions, finely chopped
8 oz. (250g) vegan cheddar cheese (try Cheezly, Daiya, or Follow Your Heart brands)
8 oz. (250g) rolled oats
2 tsp. Marmite or Vegemite (available in the international, condiments, or jam section of many supermarkets)
2 tsp. dried mixed herbs
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs (try EnerG egg replacer)

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook for 30 minutes until really soft and translucent.Turn off the heat but keep the pan on the stove top so that it doesn't cool down too quickly.
• Add the vegan cheddar cheese and the oats to the onions and stir well until the "cheese" is melted.
• Add the Marmite or Vegemite, the herbs, and the salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
• Stir in the egg replacer.Add a bit of hotwater if the mixture is very solid. It should be easy to stir (a bit sloppy).
• Pour the mixture into a big (12-inch or 30-cm)flan dish or similarly sized flat baking dish. Use a spatula to spread and smooth the mixture.
• Bake at gas 6 (200°C or 400°F) for 30 to 45 minutes until very golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• Cut into wedges.Can be served warm or cold.

 Makes 8 servings