Breakfast Meats Are My Crack

My boyfriend and I make breakfast together most Saturday and Sunday mornings. Usually my choice of food is an egg white omelet with an crapload of mushrooms and spinach. One thing that I have had a problem with, while attempting to eat less animal products, is getting rid of that "breakfast meat." Mind you, we would either eat turkey bacon, turkey sausages, or roast beef hash (eep!).

Last weekend, it just so happened that my local Waldbaum's had Morningstar breakfast "meats" on sale - 2 for $5! What better time to try them than that?!

I bought the Morningstar Bacon Strips AND the Original Veggie Sausage Patties. I could not explain to you how excited I was to try them. I rushed home, took out my omlet pan and actually cooked one individual sausage patty. After it looked done enough, I quickly cut off a piece and...fell in love (while burning my tongue)! Yes, they were that good! As a testament to these Sausage Patties, I can tell you that my vegetable-hating boyfriend, and THE PICKIEST eater I have ever met, loved them!! If I didn't know any better, you could convince me they were the real deal!

The bacon strips were a little less exciting. Although a little off-putting in color, they satisfy that smoky, bacon craving with a little bit of crunch. My boyfriend did not hate these, either, and actually ate half the package with me during our usual weekend breakfast pig out! :)

So although not vegan (and the sausages are made of TVP, which a lot of y'all be hatin' on), I think both are a perfect, meatless substitute! If nothing else, they are a lot less unhealthy than the real thing, and I don't think they sacrifice much of the taste.

This fake meat experience was A LOT better than the time when I tried veggie dogs. ::vomits::

Delicious Veggie Fast-food!

Today it's a billion degrees outside here in NYC so the last thing I feel like doing is cooking a meal that actually requires effort. Because of this, I decided to try the Yves Good Dog veggie hot dogs that I purchased at Westerly. I also decided to try the Boca Chick'n Spicy Patties.

I had a horrid experience with Smartdogs veggie hot dogs so I was a bit skeptical. Instead of boiling them, as I did previously, I decided to cook them in a hot pan with some cooking spray. They browned pretty nicely and after a few rotations, looked fairly done. I tried a piece without toppings and it was actually not bad! That was most definitely a step up from Smartdogs. I enjoyed the veggie dog immensely. I had it with some bread and ketchup for dipping. Yum! I'm so happy I found a delicious veggie hot dog! Yves rocks! I can't wait to try their other meat-less sausages!

As far as the Boca Chick'n Patties go...also super delicious!!! I don't think anyone would be able to tell they weren't chicken! They had a nice aftertaste of spice and were just sooo yummy! I also cooked these in a small pan with a spray of cooking oil.

I'm so happy that both of these products were good. I feel like I definitely have more options now, especially at cook-outs and the like. I've been a vegetarian for 1 1/2 months now and I still love it!

Veggie Dogs ::shudder::

Two weeks ago, I purchased "Smart Dogs," which are 100% vegan hot dogs. They're soy and they're also horribly disgusting.
I decided that for breakfast today, I wanted chilli with hot dogs. I got my Amy's Organic Chill (which is yummy) and decided to google the best methods for cooking Smart Dogs. Every website recommended steeping them in boiling water as the best method. I tried it out and yuck! I mean, hot dogs are pretty disgusting to begin with but I was hoping I could find an alternative to veggie burgers, which I adore.
My experience with faux meats/cheeses has been pretty horrid so far. I'm scared to try any veggie cold cuts because of this. I think I'll stick to more natural foods which agree with my taste buds better. The only positive I've found is Tofutti cream cheese. Mmm...