Vegetarian chicken 'n dumplings

One of my most cherished childhood memories are visits with my great-aunt Doris. Because she lives in Danville, Ky., we made the trek only about once or twice each year. Sure, we love our aunt, but what we really anticipated were her famous chicken ‘n dumplings.

After I went vegetarian, I thought my childhood favorite was a comfort food of the past. But my wonderful husband – who, curiously, can only cook chili and frozen pizza - has devised a recipe for vegetarian chicken ‘n dumplings. It’s not my aunt’s recipe, but its close. Oh, so deliciously close.

I don’t usually follow recipes, so alter the veggies to your taste. Here’s what we used:

Vegetarian Chicken ‘N Dumplings

3 cans Swanson vegetarian vegetable broth (any veggie broth will work, but we’ve found Swanson’s to be the most robust in flavor)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
5-6 celery stalks, diced
2 potatoes, diced
One bag of baby carrots
One bag Morningstar Farms Chik'N Strips
I also used various seasonings, like garlic, oregano and basil, along with salt and pepper.

Dumplings (recipe usually on box – we used 2 cups Bisquick HeartSmart Pancake and Baking Mix with 2/3 cup organic, fat free milk)

Combine all ingredients except the dumplings. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. Make dumpling mix. When carrots and potatoes are soft, bring to a boil again and drop in dumplings. Reduce heat, cook dumplings for 10 minutes.

Bon appétit.