A Website Full of Vegan Meats & a Taco Recipe!

Recently I came across a website called FakeMeats.com and needless to say, I was intrigued. FakeMeats.com is everything that it's name suggests and so much more. Pretty much anything fake meaty can be found on this website. You will find items like vegan meats of pretty much any kind and also condiments, meal starter kits, broths, and other fake meaty spices! You can also grab a gift basket, sign up for a subscription service or meal pack, and so many other fun foodie things! And currently, they are including a recipe card with each order. Seems like they always have cool promotions going on. This website is pretty incredible.

Upon receiving my package from FakeMeats.com (and after doing a little happy dance), I noticed a nice spicy smell. The box alone had me in a spice trance. It was the Tikka Masala seasoning packet; talk about stimulating the sense of smell! So what I have here from my Fake Meats package is:

Easy Indian Authentic Tikka Masala packet that makes an authentic Indian dish when added to a few other simple ingredients like vegan protein, tomatoes, and oil. This packet smells so amazing and I cannot wait to make this dish and post the recipe on here soon!

Edward & Sons Not-Beef rich and savory broth and seasoning cubes, which make an absolutely beautiful broth and are extremely convenient and easy to use. These taste great added to soups and any recipe that calls for broth or meaty flavor. Definitely a must have; I love this product.

Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth and Seasoning packet is also another vegan broth that adds a beautiful color and flavor to any vegan dish. You can use this in soups, stews, and boiled meals and it truly adds a special something.

Great Life by Lucinda Garden Veg Veggie Burger Mix that makes veggie burger patties simply by adding hot water and cooking! Voila! I will be posting a separate post and recipe using this soon.

BeefNot fortified chunks that are dehydrated and you rehydrate them and use them in any meal the same way you would use any other vegan protein. These are really neat for a lot of reasons, but a big reason is that they can hang out on your shelf until you are ready to use them and have a much longer shelf life than refrigerated vegan meats. BeefNot also has a whopping 25 grams of protein per serving, and the servings are only 140 calories each! That is just amazing! The entire 1 pound dry bag makes 3.4 pounds when rehydrated! At first I was scared to try these because they look and smell kind of like dog food that someone would give to their dog if they didn't like them. It was weird at first, not gonna lie, but after I rehydrated and cooked these fake beefy morsels, I got a run for my money! These were absolutely amazing (as you can tell from the before and after picture below) and were awesome in my vegan taco recipe that I'm sharing with you right now.

Before: Kibble-resembling BeefNot. After: Hot and steamy BeefNot!

Butler Soy Curls were the last item in my FakeMeats.com package. Soy Curls are dehydrated vegan "chicken" that are so simple to use and taste absolutely delicious! This versatile product takes just 10 minutes of soaking in warm water, then drain and use in anything and everything! I will be posting some recipes using these in the future, so stay tuned!

Vegan BeefNot Tacos Recipe!

What you will need:

12 taco shells

2 cups of BeefNot chunks

2 cups of water

2 tbsp canola oil

1 packet of taco seasoning

4 cups of greens

2 tomatoes, diced

1 can of beets, drained, rinsed, and matchstick chopped

5 slices vegan cheese, chopped into small chunks

1/2 cup taco sauce

What you will need to do:

Place taco shells on a cookie sheet and bake on 325 degrees for 7 minutes. Put BeefNot and water in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes, then drain. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat then brown BeefNot. Add taco seasoning and finish cooking according to taco seasoning packet instructions. Finally, fill taco shells with BeefNot and remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Look at how amazing this BeefNot turns out! Who would have known?

Taco Night!

And if all this wasn't too good to be true, FakeMeats.com also has a jerky of the month club! You read that correctly. Vegan jerky of the month club! And guess what, I'll be trying it out! Each jerky of the month package that I receive, I will be posting and sharing my reviews with you! So check back here for that. Be sure to check out FakeMeats.com, browse their comprehensive variety of vegan meats and other items, and get your jerky on!

By the way...

This is Steven and Kim, the owners of FakeMeats.com. This is a small, family owned and operated business. So not only can you get groovy vegan goods, but you can also support small business, which I love. Us little guys have to stick together! To learn more about Steven and Kim, check out their About Us section on their website.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Fruit, and Nuts with Veggie Burger Pasta Alfredo

This recipe has such complexity in it's flavors that you really need to make it to truly understand. My inspiration for this was the lovely flavor compliments of cheese, nuts, and fruit; the savory and the sweet. You will love this recipe! Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Fruit, and Nuts with Veggie Burger Pasta Alfredo

What you will need:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups fresh brussels sprouts, halved
• dash of sea salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp mixed nuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp dried fruit, chopped
• 1 lb box of mini shells pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegan milk
• 4 oz vegan cream cheese
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan
• dash of sea salt
• dash of pepper
• 4 veggie burgers, cooked according to package and cut into chunks

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven 400 degrees. In a baking dish, toss olive oil and brussels sprouts, sprinkle salt and pepper on them, then bake for 35 minutes stirring once. Then mix in brown sugar, nuts, and fruit, and bake for 5 more minutes. Cook shell pasta according to package directions, drain, and mix with olive oil back in pan or in a large bowl. In a saucepan melt vegan butter and whisk in flour, then whisk in vegan milk, cream cheese, and parm and heat on medium until bubbly, stirring frequently. Once bubbly, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix well. Toss in brussels sprouts and veggie burger chunks and serve immediately, Enjoy!

YUM!

Crazy Pregnancy Craving Turned Amazing!

Welcome to the world of crazy pregnancy food. We pregnant women get cravings of all kinds, but the most intriguing of all, are the odd combinations. This combo came out pretty darn delicious and I just had to share the recipe with you.

Crazy Pregnant Dip

• 2- 3 tbsp salsa
• 2 vegetable burgers (either Trader Joe's Marsala or Dr. Praeger's), microwaved for about 1 minute or so
• 1/8- 1/4 cup Daiya Jack cheese wedge, sliced

Mix all ingredients together and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds more, if needed. Enjoy with crackers or chips!

What are/ were some of your (or your spouse's) pregnancy cravings or interesting combinations? Do you believe the old wives tale that what you are craving is what your body actually needs during pregnancy? I wonder if there is any truth to that.

I'm Not a Salad-Ordering Kinda' Gal

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." - Chili Davis

The yummy picture you see above, is the Johnny Rockets Streamliner burger with American Fries! This is nothing short of heavenly and delicious! Please read on to find out nutrition info about this meal at JR's, because it is indeed very vegan and very dirty! I mean that in the yummiest way possible...

From the Johnny Rockets website:

"A Note for our Vegetarian Guests
At Johnny Rockets we strive to meet the needs of all of our guests. The Boca Burger patty that we use in our Streamliner is their Original V35 and is manufactured as a vegan product. Our spec hamburger buns should not contain any dairy nor other animal-derived ingredients. Our American fries also should not contain ingredients which are of animal origin and are always cooked in 100% vegetable oil. Beef tallow, or flavorings derived from animal sources, are never intentionally added during the manufacturing or cooking process. However you should be aware that, due to the proximity of the manufacturing equipment to sources of animal protein or oil from animal sources there is the slight, though extremely unlikely, possibility that traces of these unwanted products may be accidentally transferred to our American fries during their production. For this reason, and this reason only, we feel compelled to list beef tallow as a possible (however extremely unlikely) ingredient.

Please be aware that we designate a special area of the grill on which to cook only the Boca Burger, and we do everything in our power to keep the area free from other materials. We also have special color-coded turners and tongs which help to keep cross-contamination to a minimum. However, due to the limited space and tight kitchen layout at Johnny Rockets, we cannot guarantee that there will not be unintentional contact with some small amount of material from an item which is animal in nature.

Almonds
Almonds, roasted in safflower oil.
Allergens: Tree Nuts

American Fries
Potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil). Disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate (to promote color retention), dextrose. Product contains 0 trans fat. 
Allergens: Soy"


So, you obviously can tell Johnny Rockets put some thought and effort into researching and accommodating their vegan customers. They use the vegan Boca patties, they use a bun that does not contain dairy or animal derivatives, their oil is 100% vegetable, and these items are grilled and cooked separately from the non-vegan items.


Whether you are in the mall or anywhere that a JR's is located, you don't have to order the salad...unless of coarse you want to. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Happy compassionate and Dirty eating!





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Quickie Veggie Burger Home-style Meal

Pay attention because this is going to be fast! A full home-style meal, made in just minutes. The taste is so satisfying and bold, you will fool anyone with it.

What you see above is a Morningstar Farms Vegan Griller, slathered in sauce and broiled to perfection over a bed of minute brown rice with sides of garlic seasoned green beans and buttery mixed vegetables. This took literally 15 minutes, probably not even that. And the meal is about 4 servings.

Rice - First make the rice according to the box's instruction. I used some minute-type brown rice that cooked in 5 minutes, so I had that going on the stove while I did the other part of the meal. If you have some leftover (I like to make big batches of rice at a time to use for a few meals), even better, all you have to do is warm it up slightly.


Buttery Mixed Vegetables - I used steam in the bag. Once that is done in the microwave, carefully transfer to a bowl and add 2 tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread, salt and pepper to taste, and mix it up.


Garlic Green Beans - I used steam in the bag again for these. I then transferred them into a saute pan, with 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp minced garlic (from the jar - think EASY), added garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste, and sauteed on low while I prepared the veggie burger.


Savory Onion Sauce Broiled Veggie Burger - take 4 vegan burgers (either Morningstar Farms Vegan Grillers, Boca Vegan burgers, or any other vegan burger you fancy) and microwave them for 2 minutes. That will get them defrosted and warmed, but not overcooked. Then take 4 tbsp Veganaise (or any vegan mayo), 1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos (or tamari/ soy sauce/ shoyu - whatever you have on hand), 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, and mix together. Spread on top of veggie burgers and sprinkle the tops with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Broil in your regular or convection oven for about 3-5 minutes. You want them to warm and the sauce start to become melty, bubbly, and lightly brown.

Finally, just take a scoop of each - rice, and sides - arrange in a plate and top with one of the veggie burgers. And there you have it, a super quick and extremely tasty meal. Enjoy!



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