Summer is coming and with it comes Barbeque season and if you're a vegan or a vegetarian this is bad news. In our culture we use food for more than just nutrition. Food is a way of celebrating, a way of bonding, a way of communicating, making friends, and etc.
Little wonder that vegans and vegetarians get a reputation as "He thinks he's better than everyone else just because he doesn't eat meat." We often give people the impression that we're somehow superior to everyone else even though this is not the case. I think that this happens because when everyone else is gathered around sharing a meal and having fun, we are often left on the periphery (outsiders) not able to join in and this gives the impression that we don't want to join in, we don't want to be part of the crowd. This isn't true, it's a dietary issue.
This weekend I found my local health food store carries vegan bread and hamburger and hotdog buns (no milk or egg in the contents) so I couldn't resist the urge to try a few things I've been wondering about; so-called "Vegan Meats" I picked up vegan bacon, some veggie burgers, and some veggie dogs and thought I'd give them a try, (not all on the same day) I thought that I would critique this products so you can decide if it's something you would like to try.
Let's start with "Veggie Bacon"
I'm not going to name any brands in particular here, and I should say I only tried brand of each product, other brands may differ.
My wife and I thought we'd try some veggie bacon and make some BLT's, we picked up some "Veganaise" and some veggie bacon and gave it a try. Let me say this about veggie bacon. It is an abomination, this stuff is a crime against nature and an assault on the senses. This is an experiment I won't repeat.
First of all; it tastes nothing like bacon, it seemed to me that it didn't even try to taste like bacon. It had neither the texture nor the consistency of bacon and no amount of frying it could get it anywhere near crispy. It just stayed kind of limp and kind of soggy. My BLT sandwich turned into an LT sandwich. I don't feel the need to try any other brands to see if they're any better, I think I'll just leave this one alone.
Next we tried "Veggie Burgers."
I can say this about the veggie burger, they were rather tasty. Again, they had neither the texture nor the consistency of a hamburger, they didn't taste like a burger either. I knew what I was eating was not a hamburger but they were really very good just the same. I used the veganaise and a really good (spicy) brown mustard, lettuce, tomato pickles, and jalapenos (jalapeno burger... mmmmmmm) and even though it tasted nothing like a hamburger I did really enjoy this. There are a couple different types of veggie burgers, it seems there are as many variations on this theme as there are people who want to make them. The one I tried came from portabella mushrooms and a mix of various vegetables and there are a variety of ways to make a veggie burgers as well as recipes to make them at home. I thought I'd try a few other brands and types and see if I can find one that is closer to a real hamburger.
We tired veggie dogs next.
This was a real strange experience. I really could not tell that these were not real hot dogs. They had the look, the texture and the taste of a hot dog. I checked the package several times to make sure that what I was eating was not meat. The company that makes these has then down to a science. They look, smell, taste and even fry like a hot dog.
When we bought the veggie dogs we also found "Vegan Corn Dogs" I had to pick some of these up even though they we rather expensive. I haven't tried them yet but I have great hopes because of the veggie dogs. This would be a nice treat to put in my lunch
To sum it up.
Veggie Bacon - Give it miss, don't put yourself through it.
Veggie Burger - Try it, try a couple varieties
Veggie hotdog - A must try, these are awesome. When comes to neighborhood, church, or work place social events you could always bring your own (veggie) hotdogs so you can join in and not be left out.
Little wonder that vegans and vegetarians get a reputation as "He thinks he's better than everyone else just because he doesn't eat meat." We often give people the impression that we're somehow superior to everyone else even though this is not the case. I think that this happens because when everyone else is gathered around sharing a meal and having fun, we are often left on the periphery (outsiders) not able to join in and this gives the impression that we don't want to join in, we don't want to be part of the crowd. This isn't true, it's a dietary issue.
This weekend I found my local health food store carries vegan bread and hamburger and hotdog buns (no milk or egg in the contents) so I couldn't resist the urge to try a few things I've been wondering about; so-called "Vegan Meats" I picked up vegan bacon, some veggie burgers, and some veggie dogs and thought I'd give them a try, (not all on the same day) I thought that I would critique this products so you can decide if it's something you would like to try.
Let's start with "Veggie Bacon"
I'm not going to name any brands in particular here, and I should say I only tried brand of each product, other brands may differ.
 |
| Veggie Bacon |
My wife and I thought we'd try some veggie bacon and make some BLT's, we picked up some "Veganaise" and some veggie bacon and gave it a try. Let me say this about veggie bacon. It is an abomination, this stuff is a crime against nature and an assault on the senses. This is an experiment I won't repeat.
First of all; it tastes nothing like bacon, it seemed to me that it didn't even try to taste like bacon. It had neither the texture nor the consistency of bacon and no amount of frying it could get it anywhere near crispy. It just stayed kind of limp and kind of soggy. My BLT sandwich turned into an LT sandwich. I don't feel the need to try any other brands to see if they're any better, I think I'll just leave this one alone.
 |
| Veggie Burgers |
Next we tried "Veggie Burgers."
I can say this about the veggie burger, they were rather tasty. Again, they had neither the texture nor the consistency of a hamburger, they didn't taste like a burger either. I knew what I was eating was not a hamburger but they were really very good just the same. I used the veganaise and a really good (spicy) brown mustard, lettuce, tomato pickles, and jalapenos (jalapeno burger... mmmmmmm) and even though it tasted nothing like a hamburger I did really enjoy this. There are a couple different types of veggie burgers, it seems there are as many variations on this theme as there are people who want to make them. The one I tried came from portabella mushrooms and a mix of various vegetables and there are a variety of ways to make a veggie burgers as well as recipes to make them at home. I thought I'd try a few other brands and types and see if I can find one that is closer to a real hamburger.
 |
| Veggie Dogs |
We tired veggie dogs next.
This was a real strange experience. I really could not tell that these were not real hot dogs. They had the look, the texture and the taste of a hot dog. I checked the package several times to make sure that what I was eating was not meat. The company that makes these has then down to a science. They look, smell, taste and even fry like a hot dog.
When we bought the veggie dogs we also found "Vegan Corn Dogs" I had to pick some of these up even though they we rather expensive. I haven't tried them yet but I have great hopes because of the veggie dogs. This would be a nice treat to put in my lunch
To sum it up.
Veggie Bacon - Give it miss, don't put yourself through it.
Veggie Burger - Try it, try a couple varieties
Veggie hotdog - A must try, these are awesome. When comes to neighborhood, church, or work place social events you could always bring your own (veggie) hotdogs so you can join in and not be left out.
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