If I missed a good product or website, please let me know!
There is a Canadian non-GMO, fat-free textured soy protein product that I really like. The "slices" (chunks) are great in vegan stews and stir-fries! You can order them online and get a discount for bulk, and free shipping in the US or Canada for orders over $40 Cnd. Here's their webpage: http://www.portello.com/
These stores sell vegetarian and vegan foods as well as books, they are often in rural areas, have buses that travel to even more rural areas several times a year, and they are world-wide.They carry kosher gel, Better Than Milk powder, vegetarian meat subs, yeast extract [Savorex] and many other foods, some hard to find.Prices are excellent [bulk items available] and the people are friendly.) Some of the locations have online ordering, too (for instance, the British Columbia store in Abbotsford, BC, Canada ). You can find information about where and when buses visit various areas, too.
Call 1-800-765-6955 to order from anywhere in North America (Canada included) or to locate an ABC store near you)
Or go to the Store Locator on their website (see the Information Guide on the lefthand side) to find ABC stores in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, and several other countries.
These are vegan meat, seafood and poultry subs that are, for the most part, ready to cook and eat. I have not included dry textured soy protein in these lists for that resson, though I use them and like them.
These are now available in literally hundreds of brands and forms in health food stores and supermarkets around the world.They usually contain textured soy protein, soy concentrates and/or isolates, and may also contain some seitan (wheat gluten).These new products take the shape of hamburgers and crumbled hamburger replacements for casseroles, etc. (vegetarian “hamburger crumbles”); hot dogs; sausages; deli meats or cold cuts; pepperoni for pizza; meatballs; ham or Canadian bacon; and poultry cutlets or nuggets.
Many (but not all—so read labels!) are very low in fat and can be either frozen or refrigerated.They usually require only heating, not cooking.Some brands may contain egg products—again, read the labels.Many brands are very delicious and are available in supermarkets, where they are purchased not only by vegetarians, but by shoppers who want to lower fat and cholesterol in their diets.
Here are some low-fat, dairy-and-egg-free products (not every product from these brands is recommended, only the ones listed), and have a resaonable sodium content (alot of commercial seitan and some other meat analogs are very high in sodium). I have listed them both by category and by brand (company websites included in this list).
You can order Chinese-style meat, poultry, and seafoods subs (most are vegan, but check each entry for ingredients such as whey protein or egg white, etc.) online from:
You can order Chinese-style seafoods subs, such as "shrimp", "salmon", "tuna", etc. (most are vegan, but check each entry for ingredients such as whey protein or egg white, etc.) online from:
Field Roast gluten-based roasts: Celebration Roast, Smoked Tomato, Lentil Sage, and Wild Mushroom (soy-free)
Field Roast Classic Mealoaf (soy-free)
White Mountain Foods Wheat Roast
BY BRAND: (Not every product from these brands is recommended, only the ones listed. Some of these brands also carry non-vegan items and items that are high in fat and sodium.)
Soy Curls® are a great dry chicken substitute similar to textured soy protein, but made from the whole soybean. They have a great texture.Though they are dry, keep them (double-bagged) in the freezer to keep them fresh. (gluten-free)
Organic Sunshine Burgers These are reported to be very tasty and the sodium count is reasonable. Because they are sunflower-seed-based, they may be too high in fat for some diets, but if you have to avoid both wheat and soy, it's a good trade-off. Here is a distributor: http://www.valksales.com/
Here's the nutrition facts for the original Sunshine Burgers (they have 3 varieties, plus burgers on a wheat-free roll):
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 patty (75g)
Servings Per Container 3
Amount Per Serving
Calories 190 Calories from Fat 110
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g
19%
Saturated Fat 1.5g
6%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 320mg
13%
Total Carbohydrate 14g
5%
Dietary Fiber 3g
11%
Sugars 2 g
Protein 8g
Vitamin A
90%
Vitamin C
10%
Calcium
4%
Iron
15
SOY-FREE ONLY:
Field Roast gluten-based roasts: Celebration Roast, Smoked Tomato, Lentil Sage, and Wild Mushroom
Field Roast Classic Meatloaf
Field Roast Deli Slices: Smoked Tomato, Lentil Sage, and Wild Mushroom
Field Roast Sausages: Italian, Mexican Chipotle, and Smoked Apple Sage
Soy Curls® are a great dry chicken substitute similar to textured soy protein, but made from the whole soybean. They have a great texture.Though they are dry, keep them (double-bagged) in the freezer to keep them fresh.
There is a Canadian non-GMO, fat-free textured soy protein product that I really like. The "slices" (chunks) are great in vegan stews and stir-fries! You can order them online and get a discount for bulk, and free shipping in the US or Canada for orders over $40 Cnd. http://so-soya.com/
The Mail-Order Catalog has lots of textured soy protein products which you can flavor yourself with gluten-free flavorings.
Non-Soy Vegan Milk Replacements
There are many non-soy commercial vegan milk replacements-- check your health food store and you will find rice milks, oat milks, almond milks, and hazelnut milk (delicious!). They vary from brand to brand, but can be delicious. Just remember that most of these varieties have far less protein in them than either dairy or soymilk. This website describes non-soy beverages and gives mail and website addresses for the companies that make them. It organizes them into rice-based, grain-based, nut-based, etc. By the way, although coconut milk is delicious, it is far too high in fat and calories (1 cup can contain up to 900 calories and 60 g of fat!) to use as a regular milk substitute!
Soy-free Yogurt or Sour Creme
BRYANNA’S CASHEW SOUR CRÈME (OR “YOGURT”)makes 1 and 1/2 c.
(wheat-free and soy-free)
1/2 c. raw cashew pieces
1 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. plain rice or almond milk
2-3 T. lemon juice
Blend the cashews, water and salt in a blender for several minutes, or until VERY smooth.Pour the mixture into a heavy medium saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens considerably.DO NOT ALLOW TO BURN or the taste will be awful!
MICROWAVE OPTION:Pour the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl andcook on HIGH for 2 minutes, or until quite thick.
With a wire whisk, whisk in the lemon juice (to taste) and the milk until smooth.Place in a covered container and chill.If it’s too thick after chilling, add a little water or more non-dairy milk.
For the “yogurt”variation, use just a pinch of salt and use water to thin the mixture to the consistency you want.Add a little more lemon juice if you want more “tang”.If you like, you can add some dairy-free acidopholis powder.
This website has recipes for non-soy milks that can be made in your soymilk maker.
Here are some recipes for making non-soy milks without a machine:
BRYANNA'S METHOD OF MAKING NUT CRÈME OR MILK
NOTE:If you prefer, you can toast nuts slightly before making crème or milk, but don’t toast them to a golden color.
Make the crème and then dilute it to make milk.
NUT CRÈME(makes 10 T.):
Blend for 3 minutes (don't cheat!) in a blender (not a food processor):
1/4 c. raw cashew pieces OR chopped blanched almonds, Brazil nuts or hazelnuts (filberts) (*see below for how to blanch, or remove skins)
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. maple syrup
pinch salt
You can use cashew or Brazil nut cream "as is".You might prefer to strain the almond or hazelnut (filbert) milk through cheesecloth (squeeze every last drop out and use the resulting pulp in granola or as a facial scrub).Keep tightly sealed and refrigerated.Make fresh every 2-3 days.
NUT MILK:
To make a little over 1 c. of nut milk, add 1/2 c. of water to the nut cream.
These mixtures will separate in the refrigerator-- just shake.Delicious on cereal and fruit, in hot beverages, etc.
NUT “BUTTERMILK”:You can curdle the nut milk with a bit of lemon juice to use instead of buttermilk.
NOTE: For cooking, omit syrup and salt.
* How to skin hazelnuts (FILBERTS), BRAZIL NUTS, and almonds (do this BEFORE toasting them):
For hazelnuts (and filberts) and Brazil nuts, bring 2 c. water to boil with 3 T. baking soda.Add the nuts and blanch for 3-4 minutes.Drain and rinse in a colander under cold running water-- the skins will slide off.
For almonds, place them in boiling water for about a minute, then drain them and plunge them into cold water.Squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger, and the almond will pop out of the skin (be careful it doesn't shoot across the room!).
HOMEMADE RICE MILK FOR COOKING makes about 1 quart
2 c. water 1 c. short grain brown rice 2 c. hot water
Bring the first 2 c. water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the uncooked short grain brown rice, return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Combine the well-cooked rice and the 2 c. hot water in a blender until smooth. (Leave the center of the blender lid off and cover the whole lid with a folded kitchen towel-- this will prevent the hot air from exploding the mixture out of the blender.)
The mixture will be thicker than dairy mik or soymilk, but may be thinned with a bit more water as desired. It will thicken further when chilled. Store in a tightly-covered, scalded jar in the refrigerator, and shake well before using. This only keeps for 2 or 3 days.
BANANA MILK
*SUBSTITUTES FOR BANANA: I understand that pawpaw is a good substitute for banana, if it is available in your area. You could also try peeled ripe pear.
Good on cereal!
1 ripe organic banana, peeled and chunked 1 c. very cold water 1/2 tsp. vanilla, or 1/4 tsp. almond or coconut extract
Process all ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Use immediately.
There is no hard and fast rule about them-- you have to experiment.Sometimes one works great in one recipe, but not in another.For instance, I tried my brownie recipe with flaxseed "glop" (recipe below), and then with EnerG egg replacer powder.It was all right with either one, but not great.Then I tried them together and it was great!For muffins, most yeast breads and coffeecakes, I just use 1/4 c. of soymilk per egg (of course, no egg replacer will work in a recipe that DEPENDS on eggs for structure and leavening), EXCEPT in bread machine doughs, then I add 1/2 T. EnerG egg replacer powder to the soymilk.Sometimes, when I think that the recipe needs the protein of the egg for structure, I will use pureed tofu, with or without egg replacer.It's really a matter of experience and judgment and experimentation.
I find that eggless doughs often taste a little “flat”, so I usually add a little more salt, too.
Here's how I make flaxseed egg replacer (from my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook"):
FLAXSEED—THE HIGH FIBEREGG REPLACER
When blended with water, high-fiber flaxseeds make a viscous mixture similar to egg white, so they make a good egg substitute in some baked goods when only an egg or two is called for. Simply blend 1 T. raw flaxseed (frozen is fine) with 1/4 c. water for each egg and use it immediately in your recipe (you can use warm water if the seeds are frozen).This can be done in a blender or with a hand blender.
If you want to use this, but don’t want the flecks of brown skin to show, you can strain it through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, OR use golden flaxseed.
You may want to experiment with adding about 1/2 T. of powdered EnerG egg replacer per 1/4 c. of flaxseed egg replacer in some recipes, to compensate for the leavening power of the egg, as well.
NOTE:I find that this eggreplacer can be a bit drying to some baked goods (flaxseeds suck up liquid), so I use it judiciously, not for everything.
YOU CAN WHIP ENER-G OR ORGRAN EGG REPLACER (SEE THE POSTING BELOW THIS ONE FOR INFORMATION ) TO A CONSISTENCY OF ALMOST-STIFF EGG WHITES.Use 2 tsp. powder for per 1 Tbs. water for each egg whiteand whip in a stand mixer for 5-10 minutes, or until soft peaks will stay up.Fold in as for egg whites.This cannot be used for meringues.
There used to be two great essays on vegan egg replacers and baking online, but the author's website isn't available anymore. However, I saved them and have posted them below.
****************** ANOTHER EGG REPLACER THAT MIGHT WHIP UP: (I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS YET!)
I have heard that the UK brand Loprofin whips up nicely. Write to these folks to see if you can get it in North America: http://www.shsna.com/html/loprofin.htm
Powdered egg replacers are not necessary for baking, but they can be useful. There are two brands that can be whipped up like beaten egg whites and used in cakes and omelets, though not in quite the same way as normal egg whites-- you have to use a recipe developed for them because the egg replacer does not contain the protein of egg white. I have such recipes in my newsletter, the Vegan Feast. You can use Ener-G Egg Replacer, which is readily available in "North America", or "Orgran No-Egg", which is Australian, but is readily available in Europe. For stiffly beaten egg replacer use 2 tsp. of either powder plus 1 T. water for each egg white and beat for 10-15 minutes.
In North America, from Ener-G Foods OR veganessentials.com (also from vegangoods.com, veganunlimited.com, healthy-eating.com, and many other sites, as well as most health food stores and some supermarkets)
