Hello again, fellow food adventurers!

Sorry I've been away so long, but life keeps getting in the way...

I've started paying a lot more attention to my diet over the past year or so. With so many people around me developing various food intolerances and digestive disorders, wanting to get healthier and in better shape, and starting a nutrition class last week, I find myself looking at food in a very different way than I used to. I scrutinize food labels and ingredient lists even more than before. I think about whether the food I'm about to eat is going to be beneficial to me in any way or if I just want it for comfort or pleasure, and whether I could make a better choice.

I still continue to try new vegetarian products as I find them (and there have been a lot of new ones in the past couple years, yay!). I like to think that by doing so, it helps encourage the companies to keep putting out these new products. I'm especially pleased to find so many new products from Gardein, my current favorite meat replacement. All of their products are vegan, use non-GMO soy, and are addictively delicious! While I've tried a number of their frozen offerings, my favorite continues to be their Seven Grain Crispy Tenders.

I would like to get back to reviewing products, making restaurant suggestions, and just trying to blog more often over the next few months. If there's a topic or product you'd like me to cover, feel free to leave a comment here!

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

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Here is a really simple recipe for cranberry sauce that I've been making for several Thanksgivings now. It's the only cranberry sauce recipe I've tried, because it was so easy and well-received that I didn't need to try any others. :) It's one of those traditional dishes that is enjoyed by vegans and omnivores alike -- so much better than the stuff out of the can. I recommend making this a little ahead of time -- though it cooks up really fast, it can take a while to cool and thicken.

It's a slightly altered version of a recipe I found somewhere on the internet... I wish I could remember where so I could give credit!

Yummy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 12-ounce package of whole cranberries, rinsed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 cinnamon stick

Directions:
Combine sugar and orange juice in a sauce pan over medium heat. When sugar is dissolved, add cranberries and cinnamon stick. Stirring frequently, cook until cranberries pop, then remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

It's November again!

It has been one year since I went vegetarian full-time! I am as happy about my choice as ever, and really can't imagine ever going back.

And you know what else this means -- my second vegetarian Thanksgiving is approaching! Time to start planning the menu!

Many new vegetarians (and non-vegetarian guests at a meatless holiday table) may feel like they will miss having a turkey, that it just won't be Thanksgiving without one. I say, what's so special about it, anyway? Most of my memories of Thanksgiving turkey weren't so great -- it was usually really dry and chewy, no matter how it was cooked (sorry, Mom!). I suspect lots of other people secretly feel that way about their experiences of Thanksgiving turkey, too -- but it's such a deeply ingrained American tradition that it's hard to let go of. But just think of all the poor turkeys! :(

Well, there are other options! Of course, there are various turkey substitutes available from Quorn (their meatless turkey roast -- a log-shaped, very tasty substitute which has a firm, meat-like bite -- I highly recommend it), Tofurkey (a meatless roast complete with stuffing -- not bad, but a little rubbery in texture), and Field Roast Grain Meat Co. (I have yet to try their stuffed Celebration Roast). Or you can decide to move away from the turkey tradition altogether and make another main dish -- my meatless "meatloaves" have been a big hit at the past two Thanksgiving dinners! Or take it a step further and have a completely untraditional meal -- whatever you want! Try a new hearty vegetable soup recipe with garlic toast or sandwiches, make a smorgasbord of your favorite breakfast foods, barbecue up some veggie burgers and tofu dogs, bake a vegetable lasagna or some meatless burritos with all the fixin's... or just get some take-out! Don't be afraid to think outside the box. The world will not come to an end if you don't have turkey and green bean casserole on the fourth Thursday in November. ;)

Over the next two weeks, I intend to share a few recipes and review a few Thanksgiving-related veggie foods. Stay tuned!

<3 jazzhands