Have you ever wondered about the origin of different dishes? Chicken a la King has about four different stories of how this recipe came into being. They range from Florida, to New York, to England. And then we vegetarians come along and substitute Loma Linda/Worthington Fri-Chick. Then the dish morphs into a vegan variety with chickpeas (garbanzos) replacing the Fri-Chick and plant-based milks replacing the milk and cream in the sauce.

Several years ago, I read in one of my cookbooks that certain recipes in that book could be pressure canned for preservation. I remember making some Chickpea a la King and canning it to take with us on a trip. The pimentos and peas were added at the time of opening, heating and serving. It certainly made our Sabbath dinner easy on that particular trip.

Chickpea a la King on toast points
Steamed Broccoli
Carrot, Celery, & Cucumber sticks
Dessert of choice

Pre-Sabbath Prep:
   A’la King: Make toast points on Friday, you don’t want them done too far in advance. Make the Chickpea a la King and put in casserole dish and refrigerate.
   Broccoli: Steam the broccoli for about 4 or 5 minutes – not quite done. Place either in a foil packet or a small casserole dish and season to taste. Add a few little smears of Earth Balance buttery spread on the broccoli.
   Veggie Sticks: Make the vegetable sticks or salad and refrigerate.
   Dessert:  Prepare dessert of choice.

Sabbath Prep: I place my food in my propane oven after breakfast with the pilot flame on and then turn the heat up to around 300° about an hour before I plan on serving. If you have a time-bake feature on your oven, this is a good time to use it.
   Chickpea a la King: Put casserole in oven to warm.
   Broccoli: Place foil packet or casserole dish in over with the entrée.
   Salad or vegetable tray: remove from refrigerator an hour or so before serving.

Chickpea a la King (1/4 recipe)
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 Tablespoon oil
1/2 Tablespoon water
3/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons Chicken Seasoning
dash salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 Tablespoons chopped pimentos, or diced red pepper sautéed with the onion
1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzos)

Sauté onion (and red pepper if using) in oil and water until onions are clear.  Add the flour to the sauteed onions and begin to make a roux. Add the milk and seasonings, stirring until thickened. Add pimentos, peas and garbanzos to saucepan.  Continue to stir until peas are broken apart and mixed in. Turn heat off and place in casserole dish.

At this point, you can put the chickpea sauce in a baking dish to reheat on Sabbath.

Toast Points
2-3 slices of bread
1 tablespoon or less of Earth Balance butter
Seasoning of choice (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°
Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove, but just barely melted.
Use a serrated knife and a sawing action to cut the crusts from the slices of bread.
Lightly brush 1 side of bread with butter mixture. Sprinkle with seasoning of choice. (optional)
Cut each slice of bread into triangles (2 or 4 depending on the size of your bread).
Place the bread, buttered side up, onto a baking sheet.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until golden and toasted.
Allow to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.

Once cooled, toast points can be stored in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.