Vegetarian Brazillian Steakhouse

I just heard about a place called Churrascaria Plataforma. This is a Brazillian Steakhouse with a tag line "The Steak House That Even Vegetarians Love!!!!" Seriously. It is branded on their web site's header and is even part of their CitySearch write up (where it got a 9.3 rating I might add)

I heard about it because my buddy ate their last night and was telling me about it. You see, you sit at your table and flip a disk from red to green and these guys come around and huge skewers of meat and slice it up for you right there. This place is so meaty that the file name for the page on their web site where this is all described is meat1.html. Caution, meat1.html has an image of a big stack of meat on skewers. It looks as if the meat is attacking the peppers and asparagus on the chopping block.

Sounds Veggie-tatstic!! I am going to hold the next meating of my "vegetarian pals" dining club there.

Seriously, my buddy that ate their last night wrote "I took a vegetarian there ... and he really enjoyed it ... their salad bar is ridiculous"

I don't know. Maybe I'll go and report back.

Happy Thanksgiv-Ming

Nothing says Thanksgiving like Ming Tsai, Ocean Spray and Tropical Fruit.

The cooking philosophy of world-renowned chef Ming Tsai centers on the use of
master recipes to give traditional meals a boost of East-West excitement.

While Ocean Spray shouldn't be faulted for including Ming in their Holiday celebration, didn't the pilgrims travel from west to east? Ming is likely a good dude. However, he has been on my hit list for over 5 years. He served a five course course meal/presentation at my hotel in Hawaii when I was there on my honeymoon. There was no vegetarian alternative so we were shut out.

Oh man. Just when I was giving Ocean Spray a break I did a search of their site for 'vegetarian'. The single hit has the following user-submitted vegetarian "basting"

Tofurkey!As a new vegetarian, I was determined to create a
veggie-friendly meal for my meat-eating clan. What a fiasco! "What the H*LL is
that?" muttered my dad. "Tofurkey!" I announced ... To-tasteless" snarled my teenage son who was highly annoyed. At least I was sane enough to not mess with the cranberry sauce!

Oh thank goodness! Ocean Spray saved Thanksgiving. That lady doesn't need a new turkey, she needs a new family with some manners.

Now say Grace.

Vegan-gate or is it Ve-gate

Vegetarian cook books are a dime a dozen. Nonetheless, I was reading a review of a few vegetarian cookbooks and enjoying the write up when I noticed something. Jennifer Cornbleet and Sarah Kramer look a lot alike. Too alike, if you ask me, to be a coincidence.

So I did a search for the two of them on Google trying to find a picture of them together and no results.

So, they are obviously the same person. I bet the raw movement doesn't dig when one of their pundits cooks vegan food. She must be in the raw movement relocation program. Oh man. I just totally outed Jennifer Cornbleet-Kramer. Call the special prosecutor!

Ps. My trick for evaluating a vegetarian cookbook is to look up the Veggie Chili recipe. If the recipe contains one new ingredient or different twist on veggie chili, then consider buying it. Else, it will just be "vegetarain lazagna with mixed vegetables" from cover to cover.

Review: V-Dog Veggie Dog food

The original vegetarian dog food, Happidog from England, is now available
in the USA as V-dog. ...V-dog is a complete high protein, nutritionally balanced food providing all the natural goodness a pet needs in an appetizing and easily digestible form. The
carefully selected ingredients used in V-dog provide a healthy alternative to
meat-based pet foods.

I'm just kidding about the review. I'm not going to eat the stuff.

I don't have a strong opinion one way or another about having a veggie or non-veggie dog. I did browse the health benefits section of the v-dog site.
"A meat free diet can help in cases of sensitive digestions, skin problems and suspected allergies to meat."

Only three possible health benefits.? Dogs seem to really like meat. A lot. A whole bunch. That's a pretty thin lists of reasons to take a dog off meat.

The grenhouse series: new home

The greenhouse series has moved. You can find it here (http://pvcgreenhouse.blogspot.com/).

I should have some good progress on my own greenhouse contruction after this weekend. I should also be able to focus some attention on the dreadlobster veggie-eats content.

BTW, I was in Vermont this weekned for a wedding. We were visiting my inlaws on their Dairy Farm. Vermont is total cow-ville and very veggie unfriendly. We have to haul in all our own tofu and mock meat if we expect to get any protein (that is not in cheese form)

Also, it snowed 5 inches!!!

The Greenhouse Series: Pre-game

COME ALL, COME ALL, SEE HERE THE START OF THE AMAZING GRANDIOSE STUPENDOUS ALL PVC ROOF DECK GREENHOUSE!!!!!


Last year I overwintered my trees and shrubs by simply packing them with additional mulch and pushing them against the building where there was a slight overhang. They didn't do too well.

Pictured here is the start of my Greenhouse. I am planning a 6' x 8' A-Frame that will be about 9' high at its peak. It will have a door at one end that will be hinged at the top and open like a garage door. It is based on the plans for this wood/pvc combo greenhouse. I've adapted that in-garden design for my own all-pvc roof deck concept.

I have 270 feet of PVC pipe, about 50 pipe fittings (elbows, tees, crosses) for the joints, metals screws, some wire ties, and PVC pipe glue ready to go.

The goal is to have a sturdy structure, that is light weight, as air-tight as possible, that can be broken down in the spring and stored behind the fence out of view.

Updates soon

Tags: greenhouse, pvc, roof deck

October is be nice to froggie month

As if you could even consider taking a scalpel to one of these cute little froggies...

October is Peta's "Cut Out Dissection" month. Peta is encouraging kids to "Cut class, not frogs" in a campaign to raise awareness and end Bio-lab frog dissecting. It is apparently so popular with the kids that PETA cannot distribute campaign promotional stickers to kids fast enough.

While I wouldn't have needed an extra reason to cut class in high school, this seems like a pretty good idea. Fortunately for our high schools, they are not trying to combine their anti-fur campaign with this pro-frog movement: "I'd rather go naked than dissect that frog"

Tags: vegetarian, PETA, peta2

Phoenix walks the line "cruelty-free"

Phoenix has big shoes to fill in his role as Johnny Cash. However, msnbc.com reports that when he fills those shoes he will do so "cruelty-free"

When Joaquin Phoenix walks the line in a Johnny Cash biopic, it will be in plastic cowboy boots. The moody actor is a staunch animal-rights supporter, and drove the wardrobe folks a little batty by insisting on wearing an entirely "cruelty-free"wardrobe, says a source.

Review: Red Bamboo

Red Bamboo is a fine vegan restaurant in New York City. It was recommended to me for it s nice array faux meats. This place did not disappoint. Everything was very good and some of our selections were excellent.

I am keeping this review brief because it is really just for my NY City readers and I don't want to be unfair to my national audience.

I can say that
1) It is small so make reservations
2) They could use a better offering of cocktails
3) A few non-vegan entries (clearly identified)
4) I liked the Grilled Bourbon Chicken particularly

You should try it.


Red Bamboo
140 W 4th StNew York, NY 10012
(212) 260-1212
Cross Street: Avenue of the Americas

Review: Adams Rib

I have been way to slow getting the good word out about Gardenburger. They created this scrumptious fake meat product that is hearty and flavorful. Riblets come two to a box and are individually wrapped. You pierce the plastic wrapper and shove the whole thing in the microwave. Two minutes later you have a big chunk of 'Riblet' in a better that good sauce. The Riblet itself pulls apart like its meat cousin. They really nailed the texture. The sauce it good and smoky. Unlike other fake rib or spare rib product Riblets have no hint of bone-like matter. There's no bone, no fake bone, no molded bone, no picture of a bone and no bone replication.

Riblets are found in the freezer section with about 8 to 10 other similar Gardenburger products. This series is all quite good but all have the same flaws: A bit pricey, too much packaging, and small portions. Nonetheless, I would say you should still sample this product at least once. I don't think it will be on your weekly list but I don;t think you might crave it once and while and bring it home as a treat. I know I do.



Meatless Riblet (Soy Protein Concentrate-Hydrated, Wheat Gluten-Hydrated, Canola Oil, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Yeast Extract, Isolated Soy Protein, Vegetable Gum, Salt, Corn Grits, Malted Barley, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Water), Barbecue Sauce (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Tomato Puree, Molasses, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Natural Smoke Flavor, Spices, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Cayenne Pepper).

• Overall Rating: 4
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 5
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 4
  This product contains corn, soy, sunflower and wheat.
  
  
  
  
  Meatless Riblets
  Serving Size 1 Riblet with sauce (142g)
  Calories 160
  Calories from Fat 45
  Total Fat 5g
  Saturated Fat 0g
  Trans Fat 0g
  Cholesterol 0mg
  Sodium 720mg
  Total Carbohydrate 11g
  Dietary Fiber 4g
  Sugars 7g
  Protein 17g

Vegetarian? Phuket!!!

Thai news reports:

During October 3rd to 11th the whole island of Phuket will covered with
mostly yellow flags, and local people in white clothes, symbolizing the ancient
vegetarian festival which has been practiced for almost two hundred years.

Chairing a press conference held last Friday at the Navamin square in Phuket City, Governor of Phuket, Udomsak Uswarangkura reaffirmed that the island is ready to welcome participants and tourists, both Thais and foreigners, to join in the ceremonial festival, with ample security and facilities.

Wow, what a nice statement from Governor U. Phuket. Phuket's cultural ambassador Holly Cheet added "If you are going to Phuket for the festival you'll surely leave with a smile' and "bring your mother to Phuket"

Mitt Romney and me

Redstate.org reports

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney likes to tell conservative audiences that
being a conservative Republican in Massachusetts is like being a cattle rancher
at a vegetarian convention.

Of course, the article is rather crtiitical of Mitt but...

Oh, poor victimized conservative republican. It must hurt to be in the minority on all political and social issues including vegetarianism...oh wait, that's me. I'm in the minority.

Poor me.

September is National Chicken Month!

September is National Chicken Month! There is no better way to celebrate Chicken Month than by visiting Eatchicken.com. It is a site created and sponsored by "individuals in the chicken business".

My favorite feature on the site is the 'advanced' chicken search. It is so advanced that it needed a 'tips'' section so that they could explain to the audience the eatchicken.com advancements in chicken search.

"All recipes have been categorized by the chicken part used to prepare the dish. Some recipes use more than one chicken part and are categorize as such. To search for recipes based on chicken part, you can select one or more of the listed parts. Selecting more than one chicken part will not find recipes that contain all of the parts selected.

If more than one part is selected, the results list will include recipes that contain any of the selected parts. For instance, if "Leg" and "Whole" are selected, the ingredients of the resulting list of recipes will include either leg meat or a whole chicken, not necessarily both."

Wow, that is advanced. You need a chicken-parts degree from chicken university to figure out the logic of their search. The sad thing is that I did an advanced chicken parts search on "beaks" and only got one recipe...for Chicken McNuggets (just kidding)

The really suprising thing about eatchicken.com is that it is sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Associations. Don't you think those two assoictions would actally be mortal enemies. Isn't the egg asocition like a Pro-life group and the chicken association more like Pro-choice?

Oh parody namesake! How you disappoint.

I browsed over to the red lobster site just for giggles today. They have the most bizarre flash movie running. It is a 360 degree panoramic view of a Maine-like scene. To view all three degree you have to mouse over the left or right side. I'm not sure how most users would know to do that. There are no instruction what so ever.

In fact when it first start moving I though it was rocking like a boat. I thought I was sea sick.

(also, turn on you sound for ocean and seagull sounds. Do you think seagull is on the menu this week?)

Review: Stonewall's Jerquee

This is just a quick "thumbs up" review for a product I have enjoyed for years. Stonewall's vegetarian Jerquee comes in 8 flavors and I like seven of them ( I've never had the Cajun Bacon). Some are spicy and some like the "wild" and some are almost sweet like the "Terriyaki".

I grabbed a bag at a local store this weekend and munched in the checkout line. This reminded me how much I like the product and that I owed it a review.

The bag contains little round pieces of flavored jerky that you pop into your mount. You will be denied the "tear" and "chew" that you get from veggie jerky sticks or strips. Nonetheless, this is great line of products.

Try 'em. I used to order box loads online.

Hot Salami!!

It seemed like it was high time to review some new faux deli slices. So the next time I was browsing the virtual aisles of Fresh Direct I added Yves Veggie Salami Slices. The folks at Yves make a really good veggie Turkey slice so I was really interested to see if their whole deli counter held up.

The Yves Veggie Salami Slice is, in a word, spicy!! The texture is really good and taste is a very close match for actual salami. But then the spicy back end kicks in an whoa boy. I am in no way squeamish when it comes to spicy food. I've review a few spicy products and I continue to search for great veggie buffalo wings. I like spicy salsa and spicy veggie jerky. However, this Salami packs an unexpected kick that is a bit unsettling. It is no way the spiciest thing you'll ever eat. You won't be running to the sink and drinking from the faucet to quench the heat. However, these slices are bit on the wild side. The heat come from a lot of black pepper (or the like) in the slice.

Overall, this is a good product. I'll have this in the fridge now and then. It makes a nice sandwich and Yves continues to be a vegetarian's friend with this item. It isn't the most exciting product but it adds variety to the Yves line.

• Overall Rating: 3
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 4
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 3

Ingredients:
water, vital wheat gluten, isolated soy protein, tofu (water, soybeans, magnesium chloride), spices, salt, wheat starch, natural flavor, organic evaporated cane juice, yeast extract, beet root powder, garlic powder, onion powder, natural liquid smoke, carrageenan (from seaweed), vitamins & minerals (vitamin B1(thiamine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin),pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate), iron oxide, iron (ferric orthophosphate), zinc (zinc oxide), magnesium (dimagnesium phosphate), potassium (dipotassium phosphate)).

PETA's Golden Bun Awards

Peta rated and ranked restaurant and chain veggie faux-meats and such awarding top products their Golden Bun Award. They did a pretty good job giving high marks to some of my favorite brands such as Boca, Gardenburger and Yves.

Bad call on the Veggie sausage from Lightlife. I guess they missed my review

I'll have to get me some Tofurky sausage

Animal lovers group want vegetarian mayor

"The animal-loving PETA folks are hoping to convince Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to stabilize his fluctuating waistline by going vegetarian.
He's a good mayor and a good man, but he could stand to lose some weight"

That's funny

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=101718

The truth about "The Shire"

Well, it is no secret that most Worcestershire sauces are non-vegetarian. Lea & Perins Worcestershire sauce is no exception. Their FAQ contains the details. Their honest statement in the FAQ is in clear and unambiguous. Always appreciated. Their unwillingness to create a vegetarian version, less so.

Here's the relevant FAQ:

"Do you make a vegetarian version of Worcestershire Sauce? No. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is made to the original recipe created in 1837 and contains anchovies - a type of fish. We believe that altering the recipe to exclude a key ingredient such as anchovies would mean that Lea & Perrins would no longer be the 'original and genuine' Worcestershire Sauce, as claimed on the bottle. "

Worcestershire and anchovies are big Vegetarian 'gotchas' for folks looking for off the shelf barbecue or hot sauce in the average grocery. Many sauces throw in tiny bits of them in rendering useless for the watchful vegetarian.

For those interested Annie's Natural makes a Veggie version of Worcestershire. I've never tried this brand but have found other brands to be perfectly good for the home kitchen. (Should it get one of those 'oh so catchy' veggie names like Best-o-shire)(maybe not)

Review: Breakstone's Sour Cream Fat Free

Breakstone's Sour Cream Fat Free...What would I do without you?


Anyone who has followed my reviews knows full well I am a card carrying ovo lacto vegetarian but not a vegan. In case I have not been fully outed as a non-vegan, this post will leave no doubt. I am about to extol the virtues of Breakstone's Sour Cream Fat Free.

Generally speaking, Mexican cuisine lends itself very nicely to a vegetarian lifestyle. Beans, rice, tortillas and cheese can be combined, mixed and matched into all sorts of concoctions. This fare get even better when spiced up with good old salsa or some other sauce. Here's where we get to the sour cream.

Sour cream on top of cheesy spicy hearty fare really adds contrast and coolness. Real sour cream also adds tons of fat.

I find the BreakStone's Fate Free Sour Cream to be a truly great substitute for its fatty cousin. You get all the flavor and coolness without the fat and guilt. You may not end up like me, but I have come to prefer the fat free variety over the real thing. Real sour cream just seems too heavy to use. It is so thick and so rich it is almost feels like butter now. It overwhelms the food rather than just complimenting it.

I have tried a few different fat free sour creams and Breakstone's stands out. It is thick and creamy and, again, without the fatty weight or real sour cream. Some other brands run a little like Yogurt. The Breakstone's can really stand up on a spoon. The 'sour' comes through and provides the flavor contrast to your meals when desired.

So while this is not strictly a vegetarian product, it is quite yummy and useful

• Overall Rating: 4
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): n/a
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 5
• "Would I get them again?": 5

Ingredients: CULTURED PASTEURIZED GRADE A NONFAT MILK, DRIED CORN SYRUP, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, CREAM, LESS THAN 2% OF STARCH, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, MALTODEXTRIN, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE.

Serving Size 32g Servings per package 14
Amount Per Serving
Calories
30
Calories from Fat
0
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g

0 %
Saturated Fat 0g

0 %
Cholesterol 5mg

1 %
Sodium 25mg

1 %
Total Carbohydrate 5g

2 %
Dietary Fiber 0g

0 %
Sugars 2g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium 4 %
Iron 0 %

Review: Gimme Lean! Sausage Style

From our friends at LiteLife comes their Gimme Lean: Sausage Style. This impressive packaged faux meat is truly loaded with "Style". I like the sausage casing-like wrapper, the density and weight of the unit, and the very fashionable strawberries flanking the sausage patties on the design. This is a faux meat that is ready to go out on the town.

Unfortunately, I don't find this to be the best tasting veggie sausage around. I've had this product in my house numeorus time. I use it mainly for breakfast sausages. It could be that it has other, better, uses than as a breakfast sausage (maybe the strawberries are trying to tell us that this is more of a dessert sausage).

The sausage flavor is too subtle and the main flavors that come through seem to be salt and pepper alone. I prefer other patty style sausage like the ones from Boca or Morning Star. Additionally, with those two brands the patties are made for you. The Gimme Lean is pretty inconvenient and has nether a patty or link version of their product

The first few times I sampled Gimme Lean: Sausage Style, I made the mistake of opening up the whole casing and making patties like one would make hamburgers. Don't bother. If you do like Gimme lean, let me suggest that you take a sharp serated knife and cut into the wrapped sausage hunk and pre-make patties that way. (see image below)It was much easier and saves you the trouble of dealing with patty formation early in the morning.

• Overall Rating: 2
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 3
• Similarity to actual food described: 2
• "Worth it?" Rating: 2
• "Would I get them again?": 2

About these ratings

Nutrition Facts
Per Single Serving
Serving Size 2 oz. 57g

Calories 50 Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 330mg Carbohydrate 4g Fiber 2g Sugar 1g Protein 8g Soy Protein 7g

Ingredients
Made from water, soy protein concentrate, tapioca starch, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, malt extract, evaporated cane juice, beet powder, spices, natural flavors (from vegetable sources), vegetable gum. No nitrites. No MSG.

Don't eat it!

Here's a bug I found on my roof top garden today in Brooklyn. There's nothing in the image to give it a sense of scale but it is longer than my middle finger.

World's Sexiest Vegetarian

"The veggie voters have spoken, and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin have been selected as PETA’s 2005 “World’s Sexiest Vegetarians” "

Expect no review from this reviewer

Review: Vegetarian Ground Beef

Here's a fun product from Lightlife called Smart Ground (Taco / Burrito). I used it in soft tacos and burritos. Typically with some cheese, salsa, and Fat free sour cream. This is a pretty good product with a nice texture and a very good attempt at taco meat flavor. The major drawbacks are that it is pricey, it comes shrink wrapped in a pretty unappetizing bubble of plastic and it is very salty. The saltiness is the biggest downside of this product and many other faux meats.

If you need something fast than you can be satisfied with this. My personal preference is for my own faux ground beef made from TVP, honey, soy sauce, chili powder, (vegetarian) worcestershire sauce, black pepper, onions and garlic. Muy excellente.

Back to the product:

• Overall Rating: 2
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 3
• Similarity to actual food described: 3
• "Worth it?" Rating: 2
• "Would I get them again?": 2

Nutrition Facts
Per Single Serving
Serving Size 2 oz. 57g

Calories 50 Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 330mg Carbohydrate 4g Fiber 2g Sugar 1g Protein 8g Soy Protein 7g

Ingredients
Made from water, soy protein concentrate, tapioca starch, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, malt extract, evaporated cane juice, beet powder, spices, natural flavors (from vegetable sources), vegetable gum. No nitrites. No MSG.

Marathon running for charity

Bad news. My NYC Marathon Entry was denied.

but...

Great news!! I joined the New York Road Runner's Team for Kids charity team and I got in!!!

Please feel free to contribute to my $2,500 pledge commitment to the Team for Kids. Use this URL to donate online

https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/donations.htm
Remember to use my last name and entry #:

Ingberman #27778

Really Good Turkey Deli Slices

Maybe you saw my post about a really good sandwich. What made it so good was this Turkey Deli Slice I was trying. Well the turkey deli slice has been a hit at home and is now a regular (and worth a quick review)

It is called Veggie Turkey by Yves. The slices are quite good. They hold up well in a sandwich or even straight from the fridge. They taste great and texture is as meat-like as I prefer. Some mock meats can be salty but these are well balanced in that department. This is strictly turkey slice or turkey roll style. This is not in any way like turkey breast. (for turkey breast see Tofurkey[no review yet]). The slices are a tiny tiny bit slimy out of the package.

One downside is not about the product but rather the packaging. The plastic sealed slices are vacuum sealed and hard to open. Once opened, the slices are hard to separate without tearing. I often end up with a double-slice (that I cannot be bothered to separate) or a torn slice (bcz I was rushing).

This is fine product and lost of fun. It may not have a lot of WOW factor but it has been really good. For lite summer time lunch or picnic, these turkey slices make a nice sandwich.

• Overall Rating: 3
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 3
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 3

[About these ratings]

Ingredients:
Water, soy protein, vital wheat gluten, natural flavor, canola oil, organic evaporated cane juice, yeast extract, salt, spices, carrageenan, wheat starch, natural liquid smoke, citric acid, vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride), vitamin B12 (cyanocolbalamin), pantothenate (calcium pantothenate), iron (ferric orthophosphate), iron oxide, zinc (zinc oxide), magnesium (dimagnesium phosphate), potassium (dipotassium phosphate)
Nutritional Information
Veggie Turkey Slices: Nutritional Information


Serving Size: 62g

Servings per package: 2.5


Amount per serving:

A good sandwich

Today I am having a vegetarian Turkey Club wrap. The bread is a really neat low carb flat bread I get at Costco called "Roll Ups" from Damascus Bakery. I have Veggie Turkey from Yves and Smart Bacon from Light Life (read review). I also have ice berg lettuce, Kraft Fate Free Shredded Cheddar and Fat Free Blue Cheese dressing from Wish bone.

I wish I had a camera phone. I would post a picture of it.

yum

Review: Bringing home the Bacon

Just recently we've been buying veggie bacon and having a few strips in the mornings with our breakfast. I have always preferred veggie breakfast sausage link as the breakfast meal mock meat of choice. On some whim I brought home Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Bacon Strips. These were quite good. The problem is that our local grocery delivery company, Fresh Direct, doesn't carry Morningstar brand products. Since Fresh Direct tends to be cheaper than my local Grocery I like to use them whenever possible so I order their mock bacon from Lightlife called Smart Bacon. All of this lead to a parade of "fakin' bacon" in my house and this dual product review.

Overall, I'd say that Lightlife Smart Bacon is quite good but is not as good as Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Bacon strips. The Veggie Breakfast strips do a better job of visually and tactically replicating the bacon strip. I'd pick the Veggie Strips every time however Smart Bacon is a good second choice.


See full reviews for:

Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips

Light life Smart bacon

Review: Lightlife Smart Bacon

Lightlife Smart Bacon

Here, the maker of my favorite seitan, offers a mock-bacon. Their product is tasty but comes up short in the bacon simulation. Their strip reminded me more of pastrami than of bacon. They were heavier cut than the Morning star and the texture had a stringy graininess that is more like pastrami (or some other cuts of steak) rather than bacon. I just had the idea to try their mock pastrami to test my theory that their bacon is more of a bacon-pastrami (look for a review ;)

• Overall Rating: 3
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 2
• Similarity to actual food described: 2
• "Worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 2

Review: Morningstar farms Veggie Bacon Strips

Morning Star Farms Veggie Bacon Strips

In my world bacon goes with eggs. My mock-bacon reviews are currently based solely to bacons a x breakfast meat. In the future I will review based on a mock--BLT or added bacon to a Boca Burger to do a some kind of end to end test. The bacon as breakfast meat is a more grueling test in that the mock meat has to be visually appealing on the plate (not covered with bread, lettuce or Mayo) and is generally enjoyed as a main food and not a garnish.

Given this criteria, the Morning Start Farms Veggie bacon strips are a very fun and tasty addition to your breakfast. They look like bacon strips and have a bacony sort of taste. They cook up nicely in the pan. You can microwave them but I would recommend doing so only to defrost. I recommend cooking these in the pan with some light cooking spray for best results (as opposed to breakfast sausage links which I like microwaved).

• Overall Rating: 4
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 2
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 4

I had to give this a low score for similarity to meat only because bacon is so unique. This is a quality mock meat but you just cannot fake bacon (which is probably a good thing) . This also got a medium "worth it" rating because I find all small grocery sized boxed of mock-meat to be on the pricey side.

Goooooogled!!!

Dreadlobster now comes up in Google search results. See:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dreadlobster

About these ratings

The information below is intended to give readers an understanding of the product review rating system.

Overall Rating:
Name say it all. This is just my high level total opinion of the product.

Similarity to meat (but in a good way):
If a product is a mock meat then this is intended to rate how well it is mocked.
Tofu, for instance, wouldn't get a rating because it is not trying to mock anything.

Similarity to actual food described:
This is a rating about the preparation of the food. If the product is mock buffalo wings, this rating is more about the buffalo sauce than the quality of the mock meat.

"Worth it?" Rating:
Packaged veggie food can be expensive and high calorie. This is an attempt to rate whether you really want this product in your house and if you should spend you dollars elsewhere.

"Would I get them again?":
There is a good chance that I may crave an expensive high calorie item once in a while.
Just because I don;t buy cases of a certain item I may see myself buying once or twice a year
(even if I know I shouldn't)

I'll should hear on June 1st

My NYC Marathon Lottery entry ...still waiting

Review: Favorite Vegetarian Hot Dog

There are all sorts of vegetarian hot dogs on the Market. Some are great, others good, and others downright awful. There are two test for a vegetarian hot dog

1. How do they taste straight out of the fridge?
2. How do they taste on a bun with mustard and sauerkraut?

The best product out there in this category are Lightlife: Smart Dogs


These are quite good. They definitely pass the "out of the fridge taste test" and they also heat well for bun use. I haven't found a vegetarian hot dog that does well on the grill. They don't crisp up like real hot dogs. On the other hand, the number of barbecue grills Ii would cook my food on are fewer than the number of buns in a package minus the number of hot dogs in hot dog package.

• Overall Rating: 4
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 4
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 4
• "Would I get them again?": 4

Lightlife: Smart Dogs
Nutrition Facts Per Single ServingServing Size (1)
Calories 45 Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 320mg Carbohydrate 2g Fiber 1g Sugar 1g Protein 9g Soy Protein 7g

Ingredients: Made from water, soy protein isolate, wheat gluten, evaporated cane juice, salt, yeast extract, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), granulated garlic, carrageenan, spice extracts, natural flavors (from vegetable sources), vegetable gum, natural liquid smoke flavor, potassium chloride, tomato pulp. No nitrites. No MSG.

Review: Best Vegetarian Chicken

I have searched for the vegetarian equivalent of a dozen hot Buffalo wings, carrots, celery and blue cheese for years. Chicken is the last thing in the world I want to eat and actual little chicken wings fall even behind that. However, the hot and spicy taste of really buffalo wing sauce is fantastic. It has the red hot, almost metallic, spiciness that is oh so good. Dowse that fire with some ice cold blue cheese and celery and you have yourself a meal worthy of the beer you are drinking.

A few months ago I discovered Bill's Best Minit Meat Chik. This is a seasoned powder that is part soy flour and part wheat gluten. You combine the mix with water and boil. It is a little difficult to master (if it is too loose you do not get the chicken effect, too tight and you get a rubbery finished product) I think I've got it pretty much down now and I love it!! It is very useful and I can make 'chicken' cutlets and nuggets and the like. It is the core ingredient in my vegetarian Chicken Wing Experience

This is a solid product but I find the small cans are a little pricey. I get the larger, more economical, tub size from Uncle Don's

• Overall Rating: 4
• Similarity to meat (but in a good way): 4
• Similarity to actual food described: 4
• "Worth it?" Rating: 4
• "Would I get them again?": 4
  
  CHIK
  no msg, all vegetable ingredients
  
  Nutrition Facts
  
  Serving Size 0.9oz(25g) -dry
  Servings Per Container
  Amount Per Serving
  Calories 94
  Calories from Fat 9
  Total Fat 1g
  Saturated Fat 0g
  Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 294mg
  Total Carbohydrate 3g
  Dietary Fiber 1g
  Sugars 0.6g
  Protein 18g
  Vitamin A 8 IU
  

Review: Buffalo Wings by Health is Wealth

I has these wings the other day and they were quite good. The spice was present but no too strong. They were breaded and not saucy at all. These are more like really good mock 'chicken nuggets' than mack 'buffalo wings'.

• Overall Rating: 3+
• Similiaraity to meat (but in a good way): 4
• Similiarity to actual food described: 2
• "Are they worth it?" Rating: 3
• "Would I get them again?": 2+

Here are the details form their website:
Ingredients: Water, Textured Wheat Gluten, Textured Soy Protein Concentrate, Natural Chicken Flavor (Tapioca Flour, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Yeast Extract, Sea Salt, Flavorings), Isolated Soy Protein, Vegetable Gum, Wheat Fiber, Dehydrated Celery, Spices, Garlic Powder.
Breaded With: Unbleached Stone Ground Wheat Flour, Barley Malt Solids, Yeast, Sea Salt.Battered With: Water, Yellow Corn Flour, Corn Starch, Sea Salt, Spices, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Red Bell peppers, Guar Gum, Extractives of Paprika, Natural Flavors and Vinegar.Coated With: Vinegar, Aged Red Cayenne Peppers, Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum. Browned in Soybean Oil.


Serving Size 3 Nuggets (63g)
Servings Per container About 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100 Calories From Fat 15
% Daily Value
Total Fat 1.5g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 490mg 20%
Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 0g
Protein 10g
Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 4% Iron 40 %
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Difficult to know if Red Lobster has anything vegetarian on the menu?

From the Red Lobster FAQ


http://www.redlobster.ca/company/faq.asp#q22

Which menu selections are vegetarian?
It's difficult to say from one restaurant to the next, but only because our chefs are constantly creating and customizing recipes for our menu. While we don't have vegetarian items on our menu, some recipes can be prepared without meat or seafood. Please speak with a manager about specific menu suggestions to best meet your needs.

"Er, um, excuse me sir. When you have a moment and when you are not reeking of fish and tartar sauce, could you tell me if you have anything not made of fish? Also could ask the chef to wear gloves before hanldoing my food. Oh, and bring it on a paper plate with a plastic knife and fork."

Welcome to dreadLobster!!

I am the only person in my office right now for two related reasons

1) There is a going away party for a colleague at Red Lobster
and
2) I am a vegetarian. Have been for 12 years.

Please expect a very upbeat non-militant perspective on being a vegetarian in all of my writings to follow. I am going to post my thoughts on recipes, grocery products, restaurants and general vegetarian lifestyle.

I'll keep it light.

ai