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::

Tofu Scamble Terror

Last week, I decided to make a tofu scramble for dinner. I love me a good tofu scramble, that's for sure. Load it up with spinach and mushrooms and I'm in heaven. Now, usually I flavor my own scrambles with the spices I have on hand (always including Turmeric for that yellow, eggy look). This time around, I decided to try a packet of the Fantastic World Foods Tofu Scrambler.


I really, really wish I hadn't done that because I wasted a pound of perfectly good tofu on this not-so delicious seasoning. It smelled terrible and tasted like a moldy kind of sawdust, with some rolled oats thrown in for good measure. It was completely NOT salvageable and I threw out the rest of the seasoning packets without giving it a second thought.

I also have a box of Fantastic World Foods Nature's Burger Mix but after this experience, I'm a little scared to try it!

A Quickie

All I have to say is...thank God for Amy's Organic frozen lunches!

Brown rice and vegetables bowl?? Delicious!

Cajun-Seared Portobello Filets

Recipe stolen from Oprah. Heh.

Now here's the thing. This was absurdly delicious and absurdly spicey. Of course, me dredging the mushrooms in the Cajun spice mix didn't help matters. Would I make this again? Oh hell yes. Now, as far as the avocado cream goes...not a fan. This is most likely due to the fact that I made my cream using Nasoya mayo as opposed to Vegenaise. Nasoya definitely has the flavor of Miracle Whip and it just didn't...mesh well together. Next time, I'll surely wait until I have Vegenaise, or just skip the "creme" entirely as serve with some mild guacamole to counter the spice. Now THERE'S an idea!!


Excuse the crappy picture. The lighting was bad in my kitchen. :P

Ingredients:
Portobello Fillets:

• 3 portobello mushrooms , cleaned
• Extra-virgin olive oil to cover
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. Celtic sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano leaves
• 1 Tbsp. dried thyme

Avocado Cream:

• 1 ripe avocados , peeled and pitted
• 1/8 cup vegan mayonnaise
  
• Juice of 1 limes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- To make the Portobello Fillets, place the mushrooms in a hotel pan or large metal roasting pan. - Cover with olive oil and add the garlic cloves.
- Poach in the oven at 170° for 3 hours. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a dish to make the Cajun rub.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven.
- Remove from the oil and pat dry.
- Slice on a bias into 1/4-inch fillets.
- Rub the Cajun rub into the fillets and grill until heated through.

To make the Avocado Cream, combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Garnish the Portobello Fillets with the Avocado Cream and serve.

21-Day Cleanse Update

So far, so good! I haven't slipped yet except for the fact that I have a cup of black tea in the morning. I don't think that is too bad though - as far as caffeine goes. Plus, I have had NO coffee or diet soda so es bueno. Last night, I also finally made those Cajun-blackened portabellas and well...delicious!! I'll post the recipe later. I have to admit I wasn't a fan of the avocado creme though. Partially I think that was due to me using Nasoya mayonnaise. I have used Vegenaise in the past and generally enjoy it but Nasoya was just too...strong. I am not a big mayo person to begin with so meh. I don't think I'll be using Nasoya mayonnaise in the future. But my dinner was absurdly good. It's also my lunch today!

Grocery Fun

I bought a couple of items at Westerly today that I am would like to mention.

1) GT's Organic Raw Kombucha - I spoke with one of my super awesome veggie friends today and she recommended this drink, but warned me about the weird taste. I am drinking it as I type and well...I love it! The first sip was very weird, the second better and now...yum! I can only describe the flavor as tea with liquefied sour candy. I just wish I saw this around more and that it was a bit cheaper.

2) Lisanatti Almond Garlic and Herb Cheese - Yes, almond cheese. I am still looking for a good alternative to fatty, dairy cheese. I tried this one and, while very mild out of the package, it tasted pretty amazing melted. I got excited until I turned the package around and saw that the product was not vegan. It contains casein. Well, I guess my gradual transition is still just that- gradual.

3) SweetLeaf Stevia - I decided to finally break down and buy a bottle of stevia - which runs like $13 a pop. Stevia is a natural zero-calorie sweetener that is completely plant-based. It is also like 100x sweeter than sugar. The bottle that I bought comes equipped with a dropper. I placed one drop onto my finger and tried it. Wow! It was indeed super sweet. I am going to love playing around with this ingredient. I look forward to using it in smoothies, drinks, and baked goods (once I learn how to control the flavor). If you would like to read up more on stevia, check out this article on WebMD.

Other than that, I picked up a lot of essentials, including Vital Wheat Gluten flour for when I attempt to make seitan later this week. Now, THAT should be an adventure.