"Chicken" and Dumplings

For the dumplings:

• 2 cups all-purpose white flour
• 4 TBSP margarine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup soy milk

For the soup:

• 1 large onion
• 3 large stalks celery
• 3 medium carrots
• 4 TBSP margarine
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup corn starch
  
• 1 lb vegan "chicken" strips
• bay leaves

The first thing you want to do is make the dumplings. Combine your flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the margarine until you have a crumbly mixture resembling small pebbles or aquarium rocks. Gradually mix in the soy milk until you have a soft, velvety dough that holds together. Knead this for a few seconds and then set it aside while you make the soup itself.

For the soup, first melt your margarine over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, and celery; sauté until the onions are fragrant and the vegetables are soft. Add the corn starch, broth, salt, pepper, "chicken," and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil.

Now you should add the dumplings. You can roll the dumplings out and cut small squares, but I like to treat it like gnocchi. For this, roll a portion of the dough into a cylinder about a quarter of an inch wide and cut it into chunks between a quarter and a half of an inch long. Drop the chunks into the soup one at a time, stirring between each, and cook for about 25-30 minutes. Stir periodically to ensure that the dumplings do not stick.

Serves 8.