Vegan Favorites, Part 2 - Tofu

I understand Nasoya is the brand of choice when it comes to Tofu. In fact, Isa Chandra Moskowitze, author of Vegan Brunch and Veganomicon, refers to quite often in her books. I'm sure Nasoya is everything you could ever dream of and more, but the sad truth is that in my area we just don't carry this brand. Here are my top picks for tofu in the order of which I adore them:

1. Liberte Tofu - Sure, they are a dairy company but you don't need to worry about your tofu coming in contact with any milk or egg products. According to a rep from the company, their tofu is made in a completely different environment than the dairy products. This brand of tofu is organic, and I always buy the extra firm. It is by far the best brand of tofu that I can get at my grocery store right now.

2. Sol Cuisine Tofu - Sol Cuisine has a lot going for them. They are dairy, egg, gluten and wheat free and are kosher. They're hitting quite a few dietary needs, there! If you're lucky, you may spot some sesame ginger tofu, or even herb flavored by this vegetarian company. Their regular tofu is nice and firm, though it isn't as vaccuum-packed as I would like it. I know, I know, this may be such a minor and silly thing to even notice but the taste is just fine, though it isn't quite as up to snuff as Liberte. I've also tried their spicy bean burgers in the past...and all I can say really is "ew." I'm interested in trying their falafel, but if the burger is any indication of how their freezer foods are in terms of quality and taste, I think I may pass. Still, they have some pretty good tofu and I don't mind using it!

3. President's Choice Silken Tofu - I usually trust President's Choice when it comes to my food, and their silken tofu is high quality for a very affordable brand. I am pretty sure this brand is only available in Canada, but if you are fortunate to have a President's Choice Superstore in your area you probably already know that they have quite the assortment of vegetarian and vegan goodies. I was delighted to see that their chik'in strips (faux chicken) were actually made by Gardein!

Vegan Awareness Month Kicks Off!

Vegan Awareness Month is now in full swing, and if you are an avid twitter or facebook user and a foodie, you probably already know about it! The month kicked off on November 1st, which was proclaimed as "Vegan Awareness Day!" Vegan Awareness Day started in 1994, which is the anniversary of the creation of The Vegan Society.


In honor of Vegan Awareness Month, I've prepared a list of my absolute favorite vegan things - ranging from products to books and restaurants!

Here is Part 1 of 2 for my personal vegan favorites. Enjoy!

Favorite Vegan Cookbooks







Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz was one of my first vegan cook books, and it should be yours, too! This extremely colorful book is filled to the brim with beautiful photos on almost every single page and shows you how to make a delicious tofu scramble and tempeh bacon (a personal favorite of mine). The recipes range from the daring to the more usual brunch fare. If you are a pancakes fan, you owe it to yourself to invest in this cook book If you thought that eggs benedict just wasn't possible once you go vegan, Isa shows you that anything worth making can be made, and made vegan.















The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen is the new kid on the block for vegan cook books, but it's probably the best one money can buy right now besides Vegan Brunch. Tal is the chef famous for getting Oprah to go vegan (at least for a little while), and there's a very good reason for this. Every single one of his recipes are in vibrant, full-color photos. Tal's book features guest chef interviews and recipes, interviews with key players (such as the man who introduced North America to quinoa, and the creator of Gardein) and his favorite ingredients. He doesn't simply scatter his favorite ingredients out onto a page in list format, however. He makes very good use of colorful photos and shows you his favorite herbs, pickled things and spices.
Because telling isn't nearly good as showing, I was fortunate enough to find an amazing video of Tal cooking! In the following video, Tal shows you how to make a vegan "chicken" scallopini using Gardein's "chicken" breasts:








My next favorite vegan cook book is one with soul...literally. Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen came out in March of 2009, and I think I picked it up during the same week it came out by chance. So far I haven't cooked too many things from it, but what I did make was extremely satisfying. My sister - who still lives at home with my parents and eats my father's cooking - mentioned that when he made the Citrus Collared Greens with Raisin Redux, it tasted "so healthy!" Soul food is often times regarded as high in calories and not good for you, but Bryant Terry dashes away the negative stigma so easily in his book! His drinks are perfect for a really hot day, and his black eyed pea fritters are unique and tasty.


I found a video of Bryant on youtube (where you can find pretty much anything you want) making a California "Slurricane" in his own kitchen.




Favorite Vegan Food Products

These products can most likely be found at your local grocery store, and are worth trying even if you aren't vegan.



Gardein's Tuscan Breasts came in small packages that you can either stick into the microwave, which takes only about 2-5 minutes, or you can pan fry them. I prefer dredging mine in a little bit of whole-wheat flour first and then pan frying it with some Earth Balance for a really hearty taste. The breasts are extremely versatile and go wonderful with rice, quinoa or pasta dishes. The best part about the Gardein line is that isn't heavily processed crap that you don't want in your body - the ingredients (which are grains, to my surprise) are slow cooked for a very long time until it congeals into something with a very convincing texture. They are texturally satisfying and filling, and cheap enough to buy a few at a time and keep them on hand for nights when I don't feel like cooking. For more information on the Gardein line, head over to their website! Do it now!

Mmmm...Veganaise. This creamy, delicious mayonaise substitute is perfect on veggie sandwiches or for dipping potato chips into. At first, I was skeptical. I was never a fan of regular mayo, so I had my doubts about this vegan staple. Well, you know the old saying of "don't knock it 'til you try it." It applies here, one-hundred-percent. Even if you don't like mayonaise, give this a whirl and spread it on some crispy, flaky bread for an irresistable sandwich.


My mother loves Earth Balance because it tastes just like butter, but without any of the nasty bits involved. I love using this when I make my Gardein chik'in piccata and other yummy dishes that call for butter. It's made of compressed oil, so it's better for you. Earth Balance also tastes great on just a plain piece of toast! For more information on this amazing brand, visit their website, and then go out and buy some...just trust me on this.

Toronto, Land of Many Vegan Eats

The town of Strathroy, Ontario would truly benefit from a health food store or two. A health food cafe would be laughable in this town, where I can't even count the number of pizzerias (most of which are part of a chain) on two hands! My husband and I do not eat dairy, eggs or meat. Occassionally I've been known to slip a scallop or piece of shrimp, but for the most part I do not "cheat." I'm only human, though and I make some mistakes and I waver from time to time.
I think I'd do a lot better staying true to my lifestyle if the rest of the world would throw me a bone every once in a while. Strathroy just doesn't have any desireable vegan eats. You have your KFC (yuck), Burger King (more yuck, but they have soy patties here), and McDonalds (barf). There's also a Taco Bell and an A&W Restaurant, and a Crabby Joes. See my perdicament, here?
I currently live about two hours south of one of the great cities in the world: Toronto. What makes Toronto so incredibly special that I deem it to be one of the greatest cities in the world? Why, it's probably due to the fact that it's an amazing mixture of culture, glamour and fantastic shopping all rolled into one.
"But most cities are like that!" You may retort.
True, but most cities don't offer veggie dogs on the street corners or boast as many vegan eateries as Toronto. I haven't been to New York City in quite some time, though it recently won a Vegnews Veggie Award for being the most veg-friendly city. If it were up to me, I would have given Toronto this award. Last time I stopped into Toronto I ate at a little shoebox sized vegan restaurant called "Fresh."
Fresh's menu was double sided, laminated and written with very tiny print - ugh. The noise levels were almost enough to make my hair split on end but the hole-in-the-wall joint had a sort of bohemian, carefree charm to it. The colors of the decor were vibrant, friendly and very inviting. I was sitting so close to my neighbor that I nearly bumped them in the side with my elbow; I love a restaurant that lets me sit in the corner, away from others.
All of this was overlooked though once I took in the menu. Power drinks and elixirs, homemade veggie burgers, tofu scrambles and noodle bowls. There were also other obscure items on the menu, such as a the coconut tempeh and indian dosas. My choice of appetizer was the lucky spring rolls, which were of generous portion and oh-so crispy and delectable. A good spring roll that is light and crisp and not drowning in grease is extremely hard to find these days.
My father barely spoke during the meal, and I attributed this to the fact that he just couldn't hear private conversations but rather everyone else' conversations all at once. Having lived in Strathroy with very few interesting options, I was just pleased as peach to be even sitting inside a restaurant that catered solely to vegans. They offered cow's milk, but that seemed to be the only non-vegan item on the menu.


The Buddha Bowl, which I chose for my entree, comprised of soba noodles, marinated tofu, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, chopped peanuts, cliantro and their own house thai peanut sauce. I placed a piece of the pickled tofu into my mouth and felt...extremely underwhelmed. For a restaurant that serves vegan food, I was expecting so much more from the tofu; it did nothing for me. At home I normally cut my tofu into small chuncks and pan-fry the bits and pieces until they are golden brown and crispy. I love a good piece of crispy tofu. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. There is nothing I love more than these two textures together during a meal.
There were soups on the menu I noticed, but the weather was far too hot outside to even consider ordering one. Before leaving I noticed they had small area beside the counter that stores already-made sandwiches and salads all ready to go for the lunch rush. They were also selling copies of their cookbooks, and of course I picked up a copy of "Refresh" before heading out the door. Unfortunately the next morning I learned the hard way that they don't open until 11, and I was hurtin' hard for a tofu scramble and some toast. Instead, I made my way down the street to a hotel restaurant where I ate a very flimsy, soggy waffle that was adorned by three measly little strawberries.
Deep down I have this feeling that Fresh was a nice offering of what the city has in store for vegetarians and vegans, but it isn't the best. The service was impersonal, the noise from the other patrons left me with a dull headache and the good was just good - not great - just good. Still, it's a cheap fix if you're in the area and have nowhere else to go...which should not be the case in Toronto, where a vegean and vegetarian health food store was just a block or two away.