Veg Food in Review, Pt. 1

As a new vegetarian, I'm currently testing and either accepting or rejecting vegetarian-geared foods, particularly protein substitutes. For any who are either making the big leap or are new to vegetarianism, I can say (and this has really helped my boyfriend, who has gone veg with me) that it's easier to accept "meat substitute" products if you don't think about them as being meat. Fake 'steak' will never be as good as real steak, ever--actually, I take it back. Sometimes the fake stuff does taste as good, or almost as good, as the real stuff; the problem that I find is that it doesn't taste similar to the real stuff. I set myself up for disappointment time and again. The trick is to think about the products on their own merit, not as being 'meat substitutes.'

Here are some findings so far. Opinions may vary from people who have been eating vegetarian for a longer span of time than I have!

Morningstar Farms vegetarian sausage patties: Big thumbs up from me. They actually do have similar taste and texture to the real thing; this is the only exception I have ever, ever found in the fake meat arena. The big plus is that they're less greasy and rich than real sausage patties, which I have a hard time eating more than one of (HAD a hard time.. you get the idea). It's a great addition to any breakfast-type meal. The best part was that I could microwave them while the potatoes were still going.

Morningstar Farms Veggie Bites (Spinach and Artichoke): As expensive as these are, they are little nuggets of joy. I'm going to be testing recipes for these within the next few weeks because they are terribly expensive for that little bitty bit of food that you get in a box. It's more like having a restaurant appetizer than cooking at home! I know I can make these cheaper. If you're looking for a delicious quick snack, though, these are great.

Vegetarian Salami (brand to be determined when I get home): This has to be the most awful thing--wait. I take it back. It's not, but it's pretty damn awful. The seasoning is fine, I think, but the slice of vegetarian salami that I ate was frighteningly close in taste to envelope adhesive. Thumbs down. Way, way down.

Stonewall's Jerquee: My friend Dean loves this stuff. I like it, but I'm partial only to the Pepperoni and Pastrami flavors. I've tried those two plus the Spicy Chicken and the mild 'regular' flavor, and the latter two just didn't do it for me. (It kind of tastes and smells like dog food.) I'm slightly addicted to the pepperoni-style, though--just promise me one thing: If you try this, and you don't initially like it . . . just chew on it for awhile. And have another one. What happens eventually is that the weird, dog-food-esque flavor leaves your mouth and you just notice the texture (chewy and juicy) and the spices (delicious and surprisingly pepperoni-like). You will get hooked on these babies, too.

Field Roast: Gross. I ate this stuff once--and only once--when I worked at Wild Oats. Disgusting. Surprisingly, their Celebration Roast is actually quite tasty. Thumbs up for the celebration roast. Thumbs down for the field roast.

Tofu: Tofu is not a meat substitute, I know. It is a great way to get protein into our non-meat-eating diets, though. Most people I know are afraid of tofu. It's really very easy to prepare and make delicious! When it's cooked to my liking, it's firmer than scrambled eggs but has a similar mouthfeel, and it tastes like whatever you marinate it in.

How I cook tofu:

First, you have to press it. That's the step they (wait, who are "they"?) always seem to leave out. Lay it out in a square casserole or something, place a cookie sheet on top, then weight that down with heavy stuff. Yeah, your tofu is going to get a little squished out of shape; just try to distribute the weight evenly. Don't skip this step! Let it it out a few hours. Don't worry, it won't hurt it--I once left tofu out overnight by accident, and I still ate it. I know no fear.

When the liquid is leached out of the tofu (you can lightly salt it before you press it to help this process), dump out the liquid and replace it with a marinade. The marinade doesn't have to be anything fancy--last time, I mixed soy sauce, that chili garlic stuff from the jar, honey, and... wait.. I think that was all I used. For the tofu currently in my fridge, I plan to use a bottled sesame dressing. Let it marinate for a few hours, overnight if you can! The tofu will begin soaking up the marinade. (Tip: It's a good idea, if your marinate can be eating as a dip--like the salad dressing--to preserve some for serving.)

When you go to cook the tofu, I prefer to grill it. I guess you can saute it; I like to grill it. The point is, cook it like you would a piece of meat, I guess. I fire up my cast iron grill pan and (carefully) rub peanut oil on it to help prevent the tofu from sticking. The tofu usually sticks a little anyway. Just be careful when you're flipping it. I generally will cook the tofu over just above medium, but not quite to medium high. I like to cook it until it's nicely blackened where the grill marks are, and I also cover it with foil while it's cooking (or, if we're being environmentally conscious, use some pot lids) to make sure it gets nice and done.

For service, you can serve it like you would serve meat. I like to serve with dipping sauce because tofu will soak up any sauce that it's in, which is delicious.

I think that's all for now. I smell the first good fresh strawberries I've had all season, and my mouth is practically crying for them. Sayonara!