Review: Gardein Breakfast Sausage Patties and Upton’s Bacon Seitan

A cruelty-free breakfast definitely doesn’t include sausage and bacon…unless those items are made from veggies and grains.

If you’re a plant-based eater and want a hearty protein with your fluffy pancakes and tofu eggs, than I would definitely try Upton’s Bacon Seitan. If you pan fry it, it retains its chewy texture, but I found that when I cooked it in the toaster oven (on a tray, no oil), it crisped up a bit. 

Whenever I have Upton’s Bacon in my fridge, I eat 2-3 slices every morning. Yup, every morning. I usually just stick it between two pieces of toast with a savory spread. Otherwise, I enjoy it with tofu eggs or pancakes. It’s chewy, savory, and has a lovely spice. It doesn’t taste like bacon, but when crisped slightly in the toaster oven, it does taste like crisp, dark brown bacon.

Upton’s bacon is sliced thinly, and I find the contents more than generous. I think one box lasts me easily a week.

Gardein's sausage patties that I pan fried with fennel seeds to bring out a savory flavor.

When it comes to breakfast sausages, I haven’t found one that I really like. Gardein’s Patties look like an imitation pork patty – like what you’d get at McDonald’s. But, it tastes like mushy carrots. Now, I like carrots, so that’s not a bad thing, but if you want a savory, sausage taste, pan fry the patties with some fennel seeds. I found that gives it that sausage taste you might remember.

The patty is tender and hearty, but I just wish it had more of a savory and spiced taste to it.

So, buy the bacon seitan, but skip the Gardein patty – unless you like mushy carrots with your eggs and pancakes. 

Upton's bacon seitan sandwiched between two pancakes.

Happy Vegan New Year

I stopped eating animal flesh and anything that comes from an animal in early January 2013.

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by and how incredibly easy it has been to follow a plant-based diet. There were a few factors that helped me in my journey, including:

• Working from home: I have time throughout the day to experiment with recipes, go grocery shopping, and spend time on the Internet looking for inspiration. 
• I live near NYC: I can find so many wonderful ingredients at local ethnic stores and, of course, Whole Foods. But, I was pleasantly surprised at how my local Indian grocery store carried a lot of the items I need on a routine basis -- black salt (kala namak), jackfruit, spices, lentils, coconut milk and more. The Giant Farmers Market in downtown Hackensack is a haven for low-priced fruits and veggies, as well as the organic tofu that's sold for only $1.99 (the lowest I've seen around). 
• Many people follow a Kosher diet here: Thanks to a wonderful Jewish population in the region, dairy substitutes are plentiful at small shops and large chain stores like Shop-rite (I don't know the exact rules with Kosher, but there's something about not mixing meat and dairy in a meal or during the cooking preparation). So, Tofutti and Daiya and many vegan food items are not difficult to find. Plus, I've seen Tofutti for as low as $1.79 at local markets that cater to a Jewish audience (all are welcome!). What I couldn't find locally I found on Amazon, Vegan Cuts, VeganEssentials, Food Fight Grocery, Pangea, Rabbit Food Grocery, and The Vegetarian Site. 
• I turned to Facebook: I added as many vegan Facebook sites to my interest list as possible. From activist pages to recipe pages, I was constantly surrounded with vegan words of support and information to make me a more educated consumer. 

When I finally opened my eyes to where my milk and eggs and packaged meat products came from, it was easy to go cold-turkey to a cruelty-free lifestyle. I can't believe I used to think that cows just naturally produced milk. Truth is it's easy for today's consumers to be in the dark about where their food comes from or how it's produced. First of all, we never see the animals getting butchered. Also, I'm so tired of all the happy-cow commercials on TV. There's one commercial on TV where a mom and a cow standing next to her are crying as the child goes off to her first day of school. My 6-year-old asked why the cow was crying and I said without hesitation that she's crying because her baby was taken away and her milk is being given to humans. He didn't understand what I was saying, but I'm sure one of these days he will.

Because I handle all the cooking, my husband become plant-based by default. He quickly lost 20 pounds and his fasting blood sugar went from the 160s to between 100-110 (He's diabetic and on medication). Although he's still on medication, his doctor was pleased with his blood work when she saw him six months into our plant-based journey.

My son has autism, so feeding him has always been a challenge. I've seen some children with autism eat better than neurotypical children, but my son isn't one of them. From birth he was a picky and small eater. While other kids were downing 12- to 16-ounce bottles of formula or breast milk in one shot, my son was full at 4 ounces. He was even still eating pureed foods until 3. I have no way to prove this, but I really think my son tastes things differently from those of us who are neurotypical. He only eats a few bites of chocolate, candy or ice cream. He'll tell me something sweet tastes like pickles (I'm not sure if he's just throwing that out or is serious). Food that almost anyone would wolf down, my son nibbles on and then gags. One of his favorite things to eat is a plain flour tortilla -- not toasted or filled with ingredients -- just pulled straight out of the bag. I long for the day when he eats any meal in under 40 minutes. My son isn't completely plant-based, but little by little I'm finding recipes and vegan substitutes that suit his palette. He doesn't drink cow's milk, and he doesn't care for cheese or most meat. I'm happy he at least loves my vegan smoothies with Sunwarrior Warrior Blend protein powder.

As for me, I used to feel heart palpitations at least once a week. They have since disappeared. My last physical was in August of 2012, so when I go later this year, I'll be curious to see the results of my blood work. All my numbers were in range, but I have a feeling my cholesterol is probably down. I've lost about 15 pounds and I'm aiming to lose a lot more this year by just cutting back the calories and exercising more. I didn't reduce my caloric intake this past year, but I will going forward into 2014. I've starting eating more lentils (dal) for dinner and a baked sweet potato for lunch. I'm still a sucker for a few slices of Upton's vegan bacon for breakfast.

I welcome 2014 with a renewed faith and spiritual heart and the peace that comes from living cruelty-free.

Happy New Year everyone.

The Hunt for the Red Food Truck

My first Cinnamon Snail experience began like a treasure hunt.

The generous, whimsical Snail crew were going on a month-long hiatus, so my sister and I wanted to try some menu items before she returned home from visiting me in New Jersey.

Fortunately for us, the Cinnamon Snail was giving away one savory item and one sweet item per person on their last day -- Dec. 23. Anticipating the huge crowd, the Snail said they wouldn't post their location until they were parked on Monday morning. So, on the 23th, we took an early bus from Jersey to the Port Authority and waited around 42nd Street until they listed their location on Twitter. It was raining, so as soon as we found out where they were parked, we grabbed a cab and set out.

The red food truck was easy to spot, and with four of us in our party, we got to try eight heavenly food concoctions.

For those of you blessed with the opportunity to visit the Cinnamon Snail, here's a review of the free food we received:

1. Blue Corn Pancakes with pine nut butter and and Vermont maple syrup ($9): The three pancakes were a lovely light blue (as to be expected) and they were hearty and tasted like sweet corn tortillas. The pancakes soaked up the nut butter and syrup and were great for sharing.

2. Maple Mustard Tempeh Sandwich on grilled spelt bread with roasted garlic aioli, kale, tomato, and onion ($8): This was our favorite savory item out of the bunch. It was the easiest to eat, too, because it was the least messy and had a sheet of wax paper in which to wrap around it. Those who order this during their lunch hour won't get their clothes, face, and hands dirty with this sandwich. The sandwich had a mix of sweet and savory flavors, with the slice of raw onion providing a zing with each bite.

3. Lemongrass 5 Spice Seitan with curried cashews, arugula, Szechuan chili sauce and wasabi mayo on a grilled baguette ($9): This sandwich was a few inches larger than the MMT sandwich and was messy because the seitan was in chunks. The bursts of wasabi were wonderful mixed with the curry and chili spices.

4. Thanksgiving Sandoo with porcini mushroom simmered seitan, rosemary parsnip bread pudding, marinated kale, orange cranberry relish, roasted garlic aioli on grilled baguette ($10, seasonal item): This sandwich is a favorite among Snail-iens (the term used to describe Cinnamon Snail fans). It was the same size as the Lemongrass sandwich and was equally messy because of the seitan chunks and globs of tender stuffing.

5. Cranberry Glazed Doughnut and Pistachio Doughnut ($2): These cake doughnuts were bursting with flavor and were nice and oily. I like oil-soaked cake-like things, but those who don't like fry-bread-type items may not like the texture. The cranberry glaze was tart and a perfect accompaniment to the slightly sweet cake.

6. Cinnamon Snail Roll ($3) and Norberweiberberweiberhydrafab Doughnut ($2): The cinnamon roll was dry, but full of cinnamon flavor. The sweet glaze on top prevented the pastry from being overly dry. The Norber... doughnut was very sweet -- a little too sweet for my liking, but my sister loved it. This doughnut has a white-chocolate glaze and is stuffed with bourbon hazelnut ganache and dusted with dirty blonde streusel.

If you have a chance, look up the Cinnamon Snail on YouTube and see if you can find a video featuring Adam, the owner. He's a hoot! You can tell the Cinnamon Snail is a labor of love and is all about bringing the best food and best attitude to the masses.

Tip for the over-thinkers: Because I'm one of those people who overdoes the planning phase of any excursion, I knew we would need extra napkins and silverware. Looking back, I should have packed a few paper plates as well because the sidewalk got to taste a couple chunks of tender seitan. Don't worry; I cleaned up after everyone.