My partner and I have been vegetarians for years and are now slowly moving towards a more vegan lifestyle. I really didn’t eat too much red meat – mostly chicken/turkey/fish and the occasional beef burger, so the transition to becoming vegetarian wasn’t really that difficult. I recently made a commitment to become vegan and thought that this transition would be much more difficult than the transition from carnivore to vegetarian because I loved cheese. To my surprise, it really wasn’t that difficult because there are so many companies that specialize in great tasting and nutritious non-dairy and meatless products.
My blog today is to hi-lite some of those companies that make it much easier for me to eat nutritious and delicious meatless products, or what I call “faux meat”. I will also include personal photos of some of the recipes I have made using some of these great products.
GARDEIN
Gardein offers a great range of products such as; sloppy joes veggie ground, beefless sliders, holiday roasts, meatless meatballs, crispy chick’n patty, breakfast patties, BBQ riblets, turkey cutlet, crispy chick’n filets, chick’n strips, sweet & tangy barbecue wings, mandarin orange crispy chick’n, chipotle lime crispy fingers, classic style buffalo wings, home style beefless tips, lightly seasoned chick’n scallopini and the ultimate beefless burger.
The Gardein products I have had the pleasure to cook with are their: the Tuscan breasts, sante fe good stuff, chick’n fillets, herb dijon breasts, mandarin orange crispy chick’n, the holiday roast and classic style buffalo wings. Thus far, everything I have tried was very tasty and enjoyable. Here is a dinner I made with their mandarin orange crispy chick’n strips:
GARDEIN MANDARIN ORANGE CHICK’N STRIPS SANDWICH with MIXED BEAN SALAD
GARDEIN VEGGIE GROUND TACOS with TOFUTTI NON-DAIRY SOUR CREAM
GARDEIN TUSCAN BREAST with ROASTED POTATOES and SEASONED BROCCOLI
For more information about GARDEIN, their products, nutritional information, offers, recipes and where to buy – please visit their website: http://www.gardein.com/index.php
TOFURKY
Of all the meatless products I have been eating since becoming a vegetarian – The Tofurky brand is what I have cooked with and used the most. They have a great vegan italian style pizza (they collaborated with Daiya Cheese) and great deli slices that include; oven roasted, peppered, hickory smoked, bologna, italian and roast beef flavoured that would taste great with vegenaise (non-dairy mayo) and on any submarine sandwiches.
Tofurky also has a great holiday roast. You can buy the roast individually or as a feast. The feast includes: 1 Tofurky breast, savoury giblet gravy, wild rice/whole wheat bread crumb stuffing, tofurky jurky wishstix and an organic chocolate cake (from Amy’s Kitchen) – all cruelty-free, absolutely delicious and 100% vegan.
Tofurky also makes great Gourmet Sausages, they currently have 3 choices: Beer Brats, Italian and Kielbasa. I love cooking with these and adding them to pasta dishes.
TOFURKY ROAST with vegan MASHED POTATOES and SEASONED VEGETABLES
MIXED BEAN SALAD with TOFURKY ITALIAN SAUSAGE
For more information on where to buy TOFURKY, their story, recipes and why you should eat vegetarian – check out their website: http://www.tofurky.com/
TOFUTTI
The Tofutti brand is new to me and I am so delighted to have discovered their amazing non-dairy desserts, sour cream, cheese slices and cream flavoured cream cheeses. I tried their non-dairy ‘Marry Me’ dessert and was hooked right off the bat. They have a bite-sized cream style sandwich that has no dairy or cholesterol called – CUTIES, also very delicious. I have not tried their version of ice-cream but, if it tastes as delicious as their Marry Me bars…..I can’t wait!!!!
TOFUTTI ‘MARRY ME’ BARS
For more information about TOFUTTI, products, store finder, coupons, recipes and FAQ’s, please visit their website: http://www.tofutti.ca/Home.aspx
SILK SOY BEVERAGES
For those of you that are having a hard time finding a great tasting alternative to milk – try Silk soy beverages. This is a non-GMO (genetically modified organism) product and they include: organic, light, true coconut (original), true almond (original), true almond (vanilla), true almond (unsweetened) and chocolate non-dairy beverages. They also have a great coffee cream alternative.
For more information about silk and soy myth-busters – please visit their website: http://www.drinksilk.ca/
Here are other pictures of some of the great-tasting meatless meals I have created:
PC SCALLOPINE with FLAVOURED RICE and SEASONED BEAN/VEGETABLE SALAD
SEASONED TOFU BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE
TOFU “EGG SALAD” ON MULTIGRAIN
There are so many non-dairy and meatless foods that I use everyday to make delicious and cruelty-free dinners that are much tastier and nutritious than the foods I used to eat. Many people are so inclined to believe that we must eat meat and dairy in order to be healthy and to receive the proper nutrients that our bodies require. This is not true. All you need to do is some research and you will find that most of the things that make us sick come from diets high in meat and dairy products. You don’t have to take my word for it…..all I ask is for you to do the research – seek the truth about milk. Most people do not even understand the huge impacts raising livestock has on our environment and water supply. Make the choice to go vegetarian or vegan for a month and experience the benefits first-hand. There are many great resources out there to help you on your way to a more healthier, delicious, nutritious and cruelty-free diet. I have included some links below.
http://www.peta.org/living/default.aspx – Recipes and tips on becoming vegan/vegetarian
http://www.veg.ca/ – Toronto Vegetarian Association
http://followyourheart.com/products/category/vegenaise/ – Information about the mayonnaise substitute I use by Follow Your Heart
http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/ – My choice for non-dairy spreads and substitutes for butter, margarine, etc
http://www.daiyafoods.com/ – My favourite choice for non-dairy cheese substitute
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 