The L-Plate Vegan

(Non-) Meaty Products

Not every vegan wants to replace meat with a ‘meaty’ alternative, but there are so many yummy products out there that the chances are you’ll be tempted by some of them. Although the words sausage and burger suggest meat, or at the very least ‘meat flavour’ it is important to bear in mind that quite a few will taste nothing like meat, especially if they are made with nuts or tofu. Try the following…

Sausages and Burgers

Fry’s Sausages. Choose from Original Hot Dog Style; Braai (barbecue) Flavour or Traditional. Also try their Burgers which are available in a choice of Traditional or Spiced

Ambrosian Foods Sosages in Savoury Herb; Tomato & Garlic; Plain or Hot as Mustard. Also try their Organic Burgers. Choose from Savoury; Chilli Bean or Sesame & Sunflower Seed

Realeat Vege Bangers

Granose Sausalatas (these come in a tin!)

Vegetarian’s Choice Vegetable Protein Sausages and Burgers

Goodlife Spicy Bean or Herb Bangers; Mexican or Nut Burgers and Nut Cutlets. Organic Vegetable Burgers

Cauldron Foods Crunchy Carrot, Peanut & Onion Nut Burgers; Chilli Flavour Spicy Bean Burgers; Chilli, Brown Rice & Tofu Burgers

Dragonfly Organic Beany Burgers – Tomato; Nut; Smoky or Spicy

MacSween’s Vegetarian Haggis (tasty and very filling)

Wicken Fen’s Gourmet Sausages – choose from Mushroom & Tarragon, Tomato & Garlic; Country Herb; Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable or Tasty Mexicana Sausages (all great on the barbie)

Tesco Nut Cutlets (in the frozen cabinets)

Linda McCartney’s Cocktail Sausage Rolls; Sausage Rolls; Sausages and Sun-Dried Tomato Sausages

This is not a definitive list, so if you’ve munched your way through this little lot and are still looking for something different, there’s plenty more out there.

Gravy

Now you’ve got your sausage and mash dinner, all you need to complete this gourmet meal is gravy. Every main supermarket stocks Bisto Original Powder for Gravy, Bisto Onion Gravy Granules and Oxo Onion or Vegetable Gravy Granules and these are all vegan (NOT Bisto complete Gravy Mix). The Co-op also produce Gravy Mix, but you can also ask in your local health food shop, as there are many more out there such as Naturally Good Vegetable Gravy Powder.

If you prefer to make your own gravy using stock, try Oxo or Knorr vegetable stock cubes or opt for the Kallo Organic Vegetable ones. For a browner gravy try adding a small amount of Co-op Gravy Browning. For a really healthy option try Leafu from health shops. This is pure organic leaf curd, and you use it like you would a stock cube. You can grind it, grate it or liquidise it and add it to soups, sauces, pasta, in fact any dish where you want to add colour and flavour and plenty of nutrients too.

Soya Chunks and Mince

Soya, that oh-so versatile bean, has also been made into chunks and mince, and can be used in a whole host of recipes. It’s also known as TVP (textured vegetable protein), and you’ll find that most supermarkets and health food shops stock at least one type of TVP and most of them stock more. Sainsbury’s own brand of flavoured TVP is great – just add water and boil. If you prefer frozen, then we recommend the Realeat chunks and mince. It’s just a question of trying them all until you find your favourite. Remember that plain TVP is not meant to be eaten au naturelle. You will need to flavour it with herbs, spices or whatever takes your fancy. So, if your favourite meal is lasagne, shepherd’s pie or ‘meaty’ casserole, you won’t feel in the least bit deprived!

Talking of lasagne did you know that you can now build your own?! Dixie Diner do a lasagne kit that even a novice chef would find easy. Available from the Vegan Store – a vegan’s mailorder dream come true. Check out their website at www.veganstore.co.uk or call 01273 302979. 

Cheatin’ Meats

Redwood make a whole range of meat-like substitutes. The ‘bacon’ is truly yummy, especially with lettuce, tomato and vegan mayo (you’ll find a choice of mayos in health food shops – we recommend Plamil’s range) in wholegrain bread.

Or try their Cheatin’ Chicken, Ham or Roast Beef (great in sarnies with wholegrain mustard). What’s more they make delicious Cheatin’ Garlic Sausage and Pepperoni Slices that are great as a pizza topping. And if you think you’ve seen it all, wait until you sample their seafood-less seafood; try the ‘salmon’ paté, ‘tuna’ chunks and ‘scampi’ pieces. (In health shops or direct from www.redwoodfoods.co.uk.) There’s even Fishless Fish Cakes (Realeat), and tinned Mock Duck (Granose)! You’ll also find Mock Duck (labelled as Wheat Gluten) in most speciality Chinese supermarkets. What will they think of next? Snail-less Escargot?!

Tofu

Tofu is the Japanese word for beancurd. It is made from soya beans which means that it’s very high in protein and low in fat. In fact, it’s the richest and cheapest source of protein available in the world and is so popular in the Orient that tofu shops are as common as bakers in Britain. There are different types but the best for savoury cooking is the firm sort (you can make it even firmer and chewy by freezing it in a plastic bag for at least 24 hours – thaw it thoroughly and squeeze out excess moisture before cooking). Choose the softer textured ‘silken tofu’ when you’re making cheesecake or for whisking into sauces to add a luxuriously creamy texture.

You buy tofu in packets – watch out for Cauldron tofu in the chilled cabinets and Sanchi in most supermarkets. It looks and feels a bit like a soggy sponge (!) – but don’t worry, it tastes great so long as you use it to absorb flavours (see Get Saucy with Tofu). You can also buy smoked or marinated tofu which are much tastier, and ready to cook without flavouring them first – take the tofu out of the packet, cut into thin slices and use in a stir fry with your fave veg. (Look in recipe books for other ways of cooking tofu. See Viva!’s Books for Life catalogue – call 0117 944 1000 for a free copy.)

Get Saucy with Tofu

If you buy plain tofu, take a few mins to soak it in a sauce such as the following before frying it:

Mix together 1 heaped tsp grated ginger, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tbsp soy sauce and pour over chopped up pieces of plain tofu. If you’re in a rush, fry it with other veg etc straight away. If not, soak the tofu in the sauce for an hour or two and fry in a wok until golden brown and crispy on the outside – mmm, gorgeous!

Scrambled Tofu

Scrambled tofu is a great alternative to scrambled eggs. One block of tofu is enough for two people. Remove the tofu from its wrapper, pat dry using a clean tea towel and then squash it between two plates so that the excess water drains out. Add one tablespoon of oil to a frying pan and heat gently, then add one small finely chopped onion. When the onion is beginning to soften and brown (after about five minutes) crumble in the tofu – it should be in small pieces about the size of peas. Gently fry for a couple more minutes and add some turmeric (a yellow coloured spice sold in all supermarkets), a little bit of salt, pepper and then serve with toast and other breakfast things like grilled tomatoes and mushrooms. If you like things hot ‘n’ spicy, add a little chilli powder along with the turmeric or you could also add some finely chopped fresh green chilli or spring onion at the end to add some colour.

These days you can also get a great range of ready made tofu products from good health food shops, such as Mr Bean’s Mediterranean Organic Ravioli in Tomato Sauce. And the Taifun range includes: Wiener (long hot dog style sausages) Sombrero (the spicier version) or Grill sausages; Spelt Sunflower Tofu Cutlets; Hazelnut Cutlets; Curried Pineapple Cutlets; Terrine ‘Graffiti’ (tofu with mixed vegetables)!

Tempeh

Tempeh is made from fermented soya beans and makes a healthy and tasty meat substitute. You can buy it either frozen or chilled and once cooked you can use it for anything from a sandwich to a stir fry. Try Impulse Stir Fry Tempeh pieces which are ready marinated and absolutely delicious thrown in the wok with your favourite vegetables. Add some noodles or rice and you’ve a really tasty meal in a matter of minutes. The more adventurous may want to try a Tempeh kit such as the one from Polly Syred in Powys that contains all you need to make 12 850g blocks of tempeh together with a handy illustrated recipe book (tel 01547 510242).

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