My 4th Vegetarian Thanksgiving!

I'm very excited to be celebrating my fourth Thanksgiving as a vegetarian this week!

I don't have any new dishes planned, just my popular meatless Loaf, and some roasted veggies that went over well last year. I like how, more and more the past few years, everyone in my family brings something to the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead of the same stuff every year, there's always something new to try along with our favorites.

I'm really bummed that I haven't been able to locate Gardein's seasonal "Savory Stuffed Turk'y". I've become a HUGE fan of Gardein, and a Gardein turk'y sounds amazing... but according to their Facebook page, it is only available at Whole Foods and "smaller independent health food stores". If anyone out there tries Gardein turk'y for Thanksgiving, please let us know where you found it and how it was!

Yves Veggie Seafood - Veggie Shrimp

Holy %$#@! This stuff smells, tastes, looks, and chews so much like seafood it's eerie! I swear, as I was first trying it, I had to check the ingredients list about 10 times to make sure it was truly meat-free because it was so disconcertingly fishy.

I found it at Safeway a few weeks ago next to other Yves and Gardein veggie products in the refrigerated section. It was expensive compared to any other veggie product I've ever bought -- about $7 for a 6 ounce package (about 2 servings). I'd never been a fan of shrimp, but the fact that I'd never seen vegetarian seafood before, plus curiosity, plus the fact that I haven't tasted seafood in years all meant that I had to buy it.

The package sat in the fridge for a few weeks simply because I had absolutely no idea what to do with them -- until finally my boyfriend said, "Why don't you just cook them with pasta?" Duh! :) So I did, adding fresh peppers from my garden and a little alfredo sauce. It was a bit of an experiment all around, since it was my first (and possibly only) pepper harvest of the year, and both the sauce and the veggie shrimp were new to me. I'd say it turned out pretty well, though. I had to eat several shrimp before I could get past the weirdness of eating something fishy-tasting, but they did grow on me.

The package mentions two other Yves Veggie Seafood products -- a veggie shrimp scampi and a veggie tuna steak in sesame ginger sauce. I would really like to try the veggie tuna steak, but wish it was available plain -- just because versatility is nice in a meat substitute.

I tried looking this product up on the Yves website to borrow a picture for this post, but I couldn't find it. In fact, there is no mention of any veggie seafood at all. I can't help wondering whether this means the seafood line has already been discontinued (which would make me sad) or if they just haven't updated their website in a while. I may have to contact them directly to find out...

Protein source: Whey
Allergens: Milk, potato
Vegetarian

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini: My new favorite "chick'n"!

As you may already know, when I'm in any grocery store for any reason, I can't help peeking at their vegetarian frozen food section to see if there's anything new and interesting. A couple weeks ago I was doing just that, and stumbled upon a brand that was completely new to me: Gardein (= garden + protein). They only had 3 products on the shelf -- buffalo wings, beefless tips, and chick'n scallopini. I don't really know what "scallopini" is, but the picture on the package appealed to me the most at the time, and I was not about to leave the store without any Gardein to try!




















I followed the preparation recommendation on the package -- just saute in olive oil over med/med high heat until lightly browned (2-3 minutes each side). I don't remember what I ate along with it -- perhaps Annie's Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese (very yummy, by the way)? But I do remember my first impressions of the Chick'n Scallopini -- Mmmmm! :D So tender, so juicy! Two things that most other chick'n products lack. And the flavor? Delicious! It is a tiny bit wheaty, but that's something I've grown to like quite a bit.

There are four cutlets per resealable plastic package, and I just ate the third one for dinner. The second one was with a veggie and noodle stir fry, and it went perfectly with the Chinese-style flavors. The other I ate with cheese ravioli and tomato sauce, and it was great with that too! Definitely a very versatile product, and I can't wait to find other dishes to use it in. I think it would be amazing in Chick'n Alfredo! I also can't wait to try the other varieties I found. :)

Protein source: Soy, wheat gluten
Allergens: Soy, wheat, gluten, amaranth, quinoa, millet, Kamut, pea, yeast, beetroot, carrot
Vegan

Marshmallows! Real, delicious, vegetarian marshmallows!

For me, I think the saddest realization about going vegetarian was that marshmallows, containing gelatin, were now off-limits. I could deal with never eating lime Jell-o again, but marshmallow Peeps? S'mores? So sad.

I'd heard about people making their own squishy, sugary puffs of yumminess at home, but the recipes always contained gelatin. I found some vegan marshmallows you could order online or buy in select grocery stores, but they were expensive. I did find some vegan marshmallow recipes, but the reviews were disheartening. Finally, on the verge of giving up, I stumbled across a blog which referenced the marshmallow recipe in this cookbook (page 65). It uses xanthan gum rather than gelatin -- but vegans beware: it also uses egg whites to give it the firm, fluffy texture.

Upon seeing the picture of the homemade vegetarian "Peep", I felt renewed hope. But excited as I was, I also felt intimidated, as chocolate fudge was the whole of my previous candy-making experience. Plus, xanthan gum is expensive. And I don't have a stand mixer. Basically, I made a lot of excuses. But months later, as Christmas approached, I knew I had to try it. Assuming I succeeded, homemade vegetarian marshmallows would make the ultimate addition to the holiday treat line-up.

With the help of a friend (and her stand mixer), we set about making marshmallows. Turns out that it wasn't so hard after all! It was, however, extremely messy! By the end of the night, I was covered in marshmallow, corn starch, and sugar.

But...















...it was totally worth it!

They're not exact "Peep" clones, but according to a few taste-testers, they were even better! They have a wonderful soft texture and sweet, lightly vanilla taste.

A few notes for anyone who wants to make some of their own:

1. The ingredients in the recipe are measured by weight. While this is more precise (important for delicate recipes such as this), most casual cooks and bakers probably don't have a kitchen scale. I went to the trouble of looking up conversions for all the ingredients listed into cups, tablespoons, fluid ounces, etc. If you need this information, let me know and I can email you my notes. There is also this nifty website I wish I'd known about before. Either way, my marshmallows turned out well by my conversions.
   
2. MARSHMALLOW IS STICKY! Use more corn starch or powdered sugar than you think you will need to control the stickiness, then use some more. Cover the pan with it, the cutting board, the utensils, your hands, the newly cut marshmallows, your face, your dog, your kids...
   
3. If you want to try shaping with cookie cutters, use simple shapes. If the cutter has a lot of points or details, they'll get distorted as you try to push the sticky mass out of the little corners.
   
4. I've found that the best way to store them is spread apart on covered plates or storage container in the refrigerator. I had put some of them in a plastic bag, and within a couple days they had kind of melded together into one giant, gooey blob that was difficult to remove from the bag. :(

These squishy sweets have passed the taste and texture tests, but they have yet to be subjected to two other important marshmallow tests: the Hot Cocoa Test, and the Fire Toasting Test.

Allergens: Egg, corn
Vegetarian