Monday, 21 February 2011 00:31
The leaps forward in vegan cuisine in the last decade have been astounding. So many options are available now, that even the most steadfast omnivore can get a meal they would find delicious, and half the time wouldn't know was vegan unless they were told. Even at parties I am able to bring some killer munchies that often disappear before everything else. However, veganism's toughest battle won't be fought in a restaurant, grocery store, or company party, but in a place that has woven itself into the fabric of our culture: the barbecue.
That's right, the barbecue. Most other places I can almost pass for human, but here I may as well have fallen to earth in a meteor. Tell me if this sounds familiar: hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steak, wings, but more appropriately, cows, pigs and birds skinned and dismembered and laying on the grill. Potato salad with eggs and mayonnaise, pasta salad with salami and parmesan, jello salad with flaccid looking chunks of canned fruit floating in it. The list goes on. If you don't come to the event you're antisocial, and if you do and don't eat anything you're a freak. Up until about 7 years ago, the hot dog and hamburger substitutes were minimal and had room for improvement.
That is until our good friends at Turtle Island invented Tofurkey sausages. Look the hell out. These things are unbelievable. 3 different flavors are currently in the line up including Beer Brats (made with Full Sail Ale), Keilbasa Sausage and Sweet Italian Sausage, my personal favorite. They've got weight, they've got girth (sorry), they grill up nicely, taste great and really fill out a bun. And to reward you for making a healthy, compassionate vegan choice, each dog is organic and has 29 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, compared to 8 grams of protein and 0 grams of fiber in a Jimmy Dean sausage, not to mention the cholesterol, sodium, msg, preservatives, hormones and antibiotics that are along for the ride.
So check these out if you haven't already, and bring some to the next barbeque you're invited to. Guaranteed you'll get some takers, and save a life in the process.
Learn more: Tofurky
Uncle Eddies is a vegan cookie you can brag to your meat and dairy eating friends about! They're soft. They're chewy. They're organic. They come in Chocolate Chip with Walnut, Oatmeal Raisin, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter, Cocoa Spice, Molasses and my personal favorite, Trail Mix. They are so damn good that I have run into my buddy a half dozen times in the store buying them, and he remarked that someone was going to have to do an intervention on him. Plus they have 3 grams of protein per cookie, and I have even used that as an excuse to eat them for breakfast after the gym. I wonder what my mom would say about that...
All protein powders are not created equal. Trust me, I’ve tried them all. Whey protein powder is out of the question, not just because it isn’t vegan, but because it is foul. All of the very worst things about milk – pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics – concentrated into a powder. If you are vegetarian, I would seriously rethink this stuff. It is easy to be lured in by it since it has a higher amount of protein per serving, but at what cost? You feed the dairy industry and stomp on your own health at the same time. 
