Delicious Discoveries

My first trip to the grocery with "vegan eyes" was draw dropping. There are so many foods with animal in them I gasped. But then I discovered several that were not and I rejoiced!

1) The veggie burger. A truly beautiful thing. When piled high with lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish - YUM! I love them so much right now it seems to be my go-to staple when in hurry (which I am all the time these days). To make them a whole meal, I also add tater tots or oven fries. Giddy up.

Warning: There are several types in the grocery store. I have learned to stay away from veggie patties - they are made up of ground peas/beans/lentils and have the least amount of flavour. I bought a box of PC brand and could barely get through one - they were just so bland. The brand my husband and I really like is the Good Veggie Burger by Yves Veggie Cuisine.

2) Nature's Path Organic Peanut Choco’ Granola Bars. These taste like a candy bar but are good for you (and vegan). Go figure. YUM! I pack these babies in my purse with a banana so I have them at all times. I call it my emergency purse stash.

3) Coconut milk. I've been using coconut milk in a few of my thai recipes for a while now. I used it to make a mushroom stroganoff the other night (in place of cow cream) and it was fantastic. I should probably post this recipe so I don't forget it. If I don't write it down I might loose it..

4) Canned pumpkin. I was watching Rachael Ray several months back and she had on Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien. I believe she was making low calorie/low fat cupcakes. She substituted canned pure pumpkin for the traditional milk, butter and eggs. I tried that idea back in October for a birthday cake. It worked! Back then I'd been doing it to try to make cake more nutritional sound (only a girl would think of this) - but now - I'll be doing it to make vegan cupcakes, muffins, and cake.

5) Veggie ground round. I'm hooked by the very first brand I tried - Yves Cuisine Original Veggie Ground Round. It takes like ground beef that has been sauteing in gravy. Great with mashed potatoes and veggies.. like a shepherd's pie. I've been using it in any recipe that calls for ground beef.