Vegan Beef Jerky… Sam’s Harvest Soy Curls Jerky

I’ve been hearing the buzz about Soy Curls.  So what are they?  I had to find out.  I went on Butler’s website, makers of Soy Curls, and found they are a meat alternative made from soy. 

Soy Curls are chemical-pesticide free and made from non-GMO soy.  Yeah! 

Soy Curls Jerky

So, I decided to hit the company up.  A few days later, Dan Butler sent me a great sampler package filled with Soy Curls, Sam’s Harvest Jerky, and ButlerChik-Style Seasoning.  I eyed the jerky and snapped a few pics.  I showed Craig and we tore into the package.

Soy Curls, Sam's Harvest Jerky, Butler Chik-Style Seasoning

We noticed the jerky has a smoky aroma and chewy, firm texture.  Craig is a former beef jerky freak, he said it reminded him of the taste of a Slim Jim... hearty, flavorful with a hint of zing.  I haven’t had a Slim Jim in eons, so I’m taking his word for it.  Next sampler, Stacy… thumbs up! 

Soy Curls Jerky lookin' meat-like

We had to crack open the second bag the next day.  It seemed like the taste was even better.  How does that work?  We devoured that package and are longing for more. 

Our Neighborhood Vegan Jerky Lover

Sam’s Harvest has a meat-like, firmer texture.  It is a knockouts!

Stay tuned for my next post on #Soy Curls.

Thanks Dan!!!

#Sam’sHarvestSoyCurlsJerky

The Beast Burger… Yes, it’s a Quarter Pound Vegan Burger

The Beast Burger topped with Grilled Onions, Daiya Cheddar, & Thousand Island

In 2014, I did a promo with Brian from Beyond Meat at The High Octane Car Show, benefiting The Gentle Barn.  We were showcasing Beyond Meat’s grilled strips and my street tacos.  Brian had given the tacos a thumbs up. 

Rikki Rocket, Poison drummer, enjoy'n our street taco
made with Beyond Meat at the High Octane Car Show

Later that year, Brian told me Beyond Meat was going to be launching an exciting, new product.  He couldn’t reveal what it was, but he was totally thrilled about it. 

Last week, I was at my local neighborhood Sprouts store and came across a package in the freezer section.  Enticing, eye-catching, bold box labeled The Beast Burger.  I couldn’t resist.  I had to give this daddy a try. 

Beast Burger

The burgers have a deep, rich, brown color.  No pale veggie burger here. 

The Beast Burger
Straight from the Package

I made a batch of my thousand island dressing and grilled up some onions.  Now for the burger, I pan-fried ‘em up junk food style and added a couple of touches (soy sauce and liquid smoke).  Salt & peppered those bitches (as Craig would say) and melted some Daiya shredded cheddar.   Now they were ready to go.

Grilled up Beast Burger

Craig took a bite first.. “Holy cow!!!  But it’s not cow.”  He couldn’t believe how close to the real deal it was.  I more than agreed.  We both thought that these were by far the best frozen veggie burgers we’d tried. 

The Beast … a quarter pound burger definitely earns its name.  This is a big boy.  Served with a side of steak fries and you’ll be more than satisfied. 

I noticed that they have a sliders version.  I’m looking forward to trying them soon.  Craig said I’d better get back to Sprouts and pick up some more packages.   

Fireball, the donkey, check'n out the Beast Burger

Stay tuned.  Next stop, the vegan version of the Burger King Quarter Pounder.  
#BeyondMeatBeastBurger

Thousand Island Dressing

Three ingredients only... how simple.  I go by feel and color for my thousand island dressing.  I use Trader Joe's ketchup, which may be a little darker in color.  The thousand island looks slightly pinkish-orange, rather than light orange like store bought brands... but it tastes great.  I'll measure soon and give you an update.

Vegeanaise, Just Mayo, or any other vegan mayo

Ketchup

Pickle Relish

The Vegg French Toast Mix - Product Review

Vegan egg yolk?  Huh?  Well the folks at the Vegg have a plant-based egg yolk.  I heard about the product, so I hit Rocky Shepherd, the company’s founder, up for a sample.  He graciously sent me a package of the company’s French toast mix. 

The Vegg French Toast served with Maple Syrup & Agave

The product comes in a shiny silver pouch.  It is in powdered form and is made with:

WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE MILK POWDER, FORTIFIED YEAST FLAKES (DRIED YEAST, NIACIN,
PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID, B 12), SODIUM ALGINATE, BLACK SEA SALT, ORGANIC SPICE, BETA CAROTENE

The Vegg French Toast Mix

Each package makes 18 slices and sells for $7.99 on the Vegg’ssite. 

The Vegg French Toast Mix with Soy Milk

I had some bread around, so I decided to give it a try.  The package says to whisk 2 tsps of mix with ½ cup water.  (Rocky suggested I try replacing non-dairy milk for the water for a richer french toast.)  This will make 4 slices of French toast.  So I went whisking away… Wow!  I didn’t expect this… the product started to smell like eggs.  When Craig walked in the door, he even said it smelled it. 

The smell dissipated and I placed the mixture in the frig as directed on the package. 

A few minutes later I was ready to coat the bread slices. The mixture soaked in evenly.

Bread soaked in the Vegg French Toast Mix

I coated a skillet with extra-virgin coconut oil and placed the slices in the skillet.  I went to flip the slices and they stuck a little.  When I tried again, the slices didn't stick.  They actually browned nicely with a little crispness around the edges.  Maybe my pan wasn’t hot enough at first.

The Vegg French Toast

So now the taste-test.  It actually tastes like French toast.  I topped them with the ole’ standard maple syrup and agave.  Yum-mee.

Craig is not a french toast guy, so I decided to try it out on a couple of my friends, Barbara & Stacy.  They came over for a Vegg French Toast tasting.  Barbara was really impressed.  She said, "I'll have this anytime." Stacy liked the crispy-lightness of it.

The verdict?  I highly recommend the Vegg French toast mix for an easy, almost fool-proof way to make French toast.  All you need is the bread, non-dairy milk (or just plain water), and some oil to coat your skillet.  This makes me want to try the Vegg baking mix.  Craig says he’d like to have some “eggs” with a runny yolk.  Let’s see what the product can do.  I’ll keep you posted.

Ener-G Egg Replacer - Product Review

Eggs.  Eggs. Eggs.  So, how do you replace those cholesterol laden, artery clogging nasties?  Ener-G Egg Replacer to the rescue.  It’s economical and works great for baking and as a binder.  You can get the equivalent of 113 eggs per package, with only 15 calories per serving and at 0 grams of cholesterol ...  How can you go wrong?  I get them from Vitacost at about $4.75 per box.

 

Ener-G Egg Replacer

I use Ener-G egg replacer mainly for baking.  I love using them in the pancake recipe from the Candle 79 cookbook.  The pancakes come out perfect with great taste and texture.  

When I substituted Ener-G in boxed cake mixes that require eggs, I found the only difference was that the cake comes out moister and lighter.  Not bad, but watch out if you're substituting for boxed brownies.  You should probably cut back on the oil, I find they come out with an oily film on top if you follow the directions on the box.

You can use them in place of a binder (non-vegan eggs are used that way).  Just substitute each egg with the equivalent of the Ener-G egg replacer.  I use them in my savory dishes, like for the coating on my Buffalo Chick’n Tenders.  As for dishes like scrambled eggs, stick with the good ole tofu based substitute.  You can try the tofu substitute in my Good Morning Vegan Eggster Pita.  

I keep a box on hand and the beauty is ... they don’t rot like eggs.  

Vegan Carnitas Tacos from Helen's Kitchen

I have been on a vegan taco binge, so I decided to try a new product,  Helen's Kitchen Organic Veggie Carnitas.  I found the package at Whole Foods Market.

The "carnitas" are pre-seasoned, pretty heavily with a strong cumin overtone and a bit of citrus .  I like cumin and citrus, so it's not particularly bad.  I heated the "carnitas" in an oiled skillet and added a squeeze of lime.  Like I said, "I like citrus."  Well, to my surprise, it was pretty tasty.  You know, I'm usually not a big fan of using a product straight out of the package, but this one works

Helen's Kitchen Vegan Carnitas

I put the "carnitas" on a white corn tortilla and topped them with shredded cabbage, cilantro, tomato, onion, and a drizzle of vegan sour cream and sriracha (for a little heat).  Wow!  This is a winner with very little effort.  Very flavorful and a decent texture.  Craig was hesitant to try them (sometimes he has new food phobia), but when he did he absolutely loved 'em... even asking for more.  This is an easy go-to if you want to do a little fast & easy bachelor-style cooking.  Straight out of the package.  What could be better?  Helen has other varieties that I'd like to try ... vegan Italian sausage anyone?  I'll let you know the score when I do.