WHAT VEGANS/VEGETARIANS EAT – PART II

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

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD A MORE POSITIVE ONE.

WHAT IN THE WORLD DO WE VEGETARIANS EAT ANYWAY????

I have been a vegetarian for many years now.  My choice in becoming vegetarian was for several reasons – I wanted to be proactive in helping end cruelty to animals, I didn’t want to eat meats that were filled with chemicals/for health reasons and my partner was a vegetarian.  The choice wasn’t really difficult as I didn’t eat meat too often – this was hard to believe for many as I was Portuguese and apparantely, the Portuguese are known for their carnivoreous apetitites.  What in the world was I going to eat????  I wasn’t really fond of tofu (so I thought), and I kept hearing so many ‘non-vegetarians’ say things like “you are only going to be eating vegetables”, “you are not going to get enough iron if you become vegetarian”, “you are going to be so limited in what you eat – there is nothing out there for vegetarians” – I thought I would do the research myself as ‘meat eaters’ certainley were not experts on vegetarian cuisine – am I not right?  It is like asking a bus driver to drive a plane.

In my research – I found so many different types of foods that would give me all the nutrients I needed and that were very delicious too.  I can’t believe how many great vegetarian products are on the market today – so many vegetarian friendly companies such as; Becel, Yves, Tofurkey, President’s Choice, Schneiders – yes Schneiders, Sol, etc…I now use vegan margarine, mayonaisse, cheese, milk, luncheon deli-styled ‘faux meat’ slices, substitute chicken breast, faux chicken burgers, faux meat burgers and so on…..I have never looked and am on the cusp of becoming vegan (a vegan does not eat any animal products).

So – have I piqued your curiousity?  Would you like to take a look at some of my delicious creations?  Look no further:

Rob’s Vegetarian Jambalaya

Rob’s Veggie ‘Breakfast’ Jambalaya

Tofurkey Roast and Roasted Veggies (going into the oven)

Tofurkey Roast and Roasted Vegetables (after cooking)

Meatless Chicken Breast with Roasted Vegetables and Broccoli

Vegan Naan Pizza with Tofurkey Italian ‘Meatless’ Sausage

Vegan Veggie Pizza

Just posting these pictures has made me hungry!!!  There are great vegetaraian and vegan cookbooks if you want to know more about how to cook vegetarian and on the benefits of a vegetarian diet.  There is still so many vegetarian dishes and foods I have to try and experiment with.  Living in Whitby, Canada – there really are not many vegetarian outlets but I have noticed that this is slowly changing.  Toronto has so many vegetarian and vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants – Fresh being my favourite  so far. 

I hope that I have inspired some of you to go out and try some of the great vegetarian food that is available to you….if you would like to know how I made some of these dishes, please email me at coalitionofpositiveenergy@gmail.com

Thanks for you love and support.  Together, we can make the world a more positive one!