How To Get Past Veggie Hate

Ah, veggie hate. It's alive and well in practically every corner of the world.

First, I blame parents. I blame the parents that cook vegetables into a mushy pile of nastiness and force children to eat it before leaving the table because 'veggies are good for you.. eat them'

Not cool.

Secondly, It's a scientific fact that younger people have more taste buds so it stands to reason that they are bigger tasters in general so strong flavors are sometimes hard to deal with. This is one reason why most kids like the milder flavored veggies like corn, potatoes and peas and won't appreciate the stronger flavors until they are older.

If you still have veggie hatred in your soul, it's time to get past it. why? Veggies are good for you .. eat them!

Only this time, you'll eat them because you like them, they make you feel fantastic, they taste good and no one is forcing you.

Reasons for Veggie Hate

Childhood Trauma - I never recall anyone ever forcing me to eat anything but I have friends that lived this horror show and I can absolutely empathize with them but if this is your past, it's time to grow up and exorcise your veggie demons.

Attack of The Mush - if you grew up with parents that thought all veggies had one texture - MUSH - then I really do feel for you. It seems in the day and age of canned and frozen foods, it was forgotten that vegetables are not meant to be cooked into a blob. Veggies have texture! Who knew?! The only time you want mushy is in a baked sweet potato or mashed potatoes. Those you want nice and soft.

Afraid of Trying New Things - if you grew up seeing corn and peas on your plate night after night, you probably weren't really excited to eat something that looked like a mini tree or some oddly shaped bean. we tend to like what we know and anything new or different can send us into a tailspin... it's even worse as a kid.

Conditioning - if you touch a hot a stove, you know not to touch it the next time. The same can be said for less than stellar introductions to new veggies. If someone made you eat a poor pitiful brussels sprout that was cooked into mush then I can understand you being hesitant to ever try one again... but it's all in the preparation. I also know people that hate veggies so they deny their children veggies (or only give them the ones they like, never trying new ones).. which is probably one of the worst things ever. I can help you get past your conditioning.

I will also be talking about a few fruits, like tomatoes. As well as mushrooms and legumes (beans) in this post as most people consider those 'veggies'.

Exorcising The Veggie Demons

You know this will involve you eating veggies, right?  Stay with me. You can do this. I promise.

First, I want you to grab a piece of paper and make these four columns on it: Love, Meh, Hate, Never Tried

Here is how I define these columns:

Love - you buy this veggie and you make it and you love it. When you go to a restaurant, you'll order this veggie or it will make it onto your plate at a buffet or salad bar. You probably have a garden and grow these veggies.

Meh - you don't buy this to make at home but you wouldn't pick it out if it ended up on your plate at a friends house or in a restaurant. You don't love it, but you don't avoid it.

Hate - you would never buy this to make at home and when eating out you will specifically ask that it not be placed into your food. If you were to get a dish with this in it, you probably wouldn't be able to eat it or even pick it out. For example, I have severe hatred for green peppers. If I pick them out, it is still all I can taste. It ruins a dish for me.

Never Tried It - obviously, you've never tried it or you last tried it as a child. If you recall eating this as a kid, and hating it but haven't tried this as an adult.. you should place it in this column.

This list is not every single veggie on the planet.. but it has the most common ones available in a grocery store or specialty produce store, either fresh, frozen, dried or canned.

Now, plug these veggies into your chart... you may need to google them to see if you've had them before. Be specific. Some people love raw tomatoes but not cooked ones, I know people that eat onion rings but won't eat onions in anything else. I'll eat red peppers but I despise green peppers. List those in two columns. 

Let's be general in placing things in columns... if the only way you can eat a sweet potato is if it's loaded with sugar and cinnamon or the only way you'll eat an onion is if it's dipped in batter and deep fried, call that a 'love' for now but we'll need to talk about that later on. (wink)


Greens/Veggies and a few fruits:

arugula
bibb/boston/butter
kale
romaine
bok choy
broccoli
broccoli rabe
cauliflower
carrots
brussels sprouts
cabbage
celery
beet
collard greens
mustard greens
dandelion greens
endive
iceberg lettuce
spinach
pumpkin
zucchini
red pepper
green pepper
yellow pepper/orange pepper
cucumber
green onion
yellow onion
red onion
russet potatoes
sweet potatoes/yams
red potatoes
gold potatoes
peas
green beans
radicchio
swiss chard
tomatillo
watercress
avocado
eggplant
corn
baby corn
white mushrooms
cremini mushrooms
shiitake mushrooms
portobella mushrooms
tomato
butternut squash
kabocha squash
spaghetti squash
acorn squash
jalapeno
artichoke
capers
okra
garlic
asparagus
leek
chives
shallot
kohlrabi
daikon
bamboo shoot
radish
jicama
parsnip
rutabaga
split peas
water chestnut
dulse
hijiki
kombu
nori


Legumes (beans):

black
pinto
chickpea/garbanzo
lima
mung
red lentils
green/brown lentils
adzuki
black eyed
fava
white beans (northern)
kidney/red beans

edamame (soy beans)
tofu
tempeh
soy curls



Ok.... now that you have your columns, let's look at them.

The love column - obviously, you already love these but lets examine why you love them. Take a look at the flavor and the texture of the ones in your love column. Do you see any patterns? (are they all fried?, are they sweet? are they soft or hard in texture?) Make a mental note.

The meh column - this column has some potential. The potential for some of these foods to move into the love column. I suspect that maybe if you had them prepared a new or different way, you could graduate these into your love column.

The hate column - there may be things on here that have potential. I'm sure you have things that you wouldn't eat even if you had a gun to you head but there may be hidden gems that have been unfairly judged and placed in this festering pile of hatred. I suspect anything you had as a child is here in this vast wasteland. Also, pay attention to what the hate items have in common .. soft or hard? soft flavors or strong? certain groups? (for me, I don't like any squash except zucchini)

The never tried column - well, just look at all the fun in your future! What culinary adventures await you?

Please take a trip to the store and pick up a few things on your meh and hate lists. Try them in a completely new way. You can buy a small amount to try. Give the veggies a second chance. You may discover a new love. 

If you have kids.. encourage them to try new veggies by letting them choose one and then you can both find a recipe to try. Make it a weekly game.


The Right Technique

If you think cooking veggies involves a sauce pan and water, we need to talk. I'm certainly not saying that every vegetable you buy and prepare has to be fresh. I can appreciate canned, frozen and dried goods but you need to know the good from the bad and the ugly. These are just my opinions, of course but it's a good place to start. Fresh is usually best if you can get it.

The good - canned beans, canned tomatoes (for stew, soup, sauces and chili), canned spinach, frozen corn, frozen broccoli, frozen mixed veggies like corn/pea/carrot for soups, frozen potatoes, dried lentils and beans, jarred artichokes, canned and jarred olives, frozen spinach for recipes

The bad - anything canned that isn't in the 'good' section. Seriously... canned veggies = mush.

The ugly - frozen brussels sprouts, canned mushrooms, canned beets, frozen squash, jarred asparagus (really?)

If a veggie is on your meh or hate list, it could be just a matter of trying it prepared in a different way. I can't tell you the number of people I've converted into brussels sprout lovers with this recipe for Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts.

You can certainly scour the internet for recipes for individual veggies but I first recommend trying the all-purpose and easy roasting technique.. many veggies are amazing when roasted.

My faves are carrots, brussels sprouts, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, onion and asparagus. Many root veggies work great roasted so give them a try with turnips, rutabagas and the like.

Chop your veggies and put them in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and whatever else you like (I like to use an Italian seasoning and nutritional yeast) and drizzle olive oil over them (not a ton. just enough to coat them very lightly). Toss to coat and then pour them on a baking pan and bake at 400 degrees until they are done to your liking. Remember, veggies have texture and bite to them. They should be fork tender but you should have to chew them!

Another great technique is steaming. Steamer baskets are cheap and you can usually find them in any grocery store. If you have a rice cooker, you can steam veggies as you're making the rice as well. some pan sets come with a steaming insert. You may have one and not even know it. They also make microwave steamers and even fancy electric steamers.

Click here for a nice tutorial of the different ways to steam.

I also like to pan fry/saute some veggies. The Brussels sprout recipe above is a pan fry recipe. I prefer my mushrooms pan fried in a little Earth Balance and sprinkled with garlic salt. For a side dish, I like mushrooms slightly browned but not cooked until they lose their moisture. Stir frying veggies is quick and really simple... just heat up a little olive oil or Earth Balance in a pan and saute them. Serve them over brown rice or toss with whole grain pasta and a little marinara. 

Just remember that there are a variety of ways to prepare all veggies. You may like some raw, some cooked, some partially cooked, some baked into a dish or some in a smoothie. I know people that swear to me that they hate kale until they try kale chips. You may only like beans baked into brownies or tofu when it's made into a chocolate pie. You won't know until you TRY a variety of things. If you love to use the 'it's a texture thing' excuse.. get over it and change the texture.


Turning Good Veggies into A Nightmare

Remember that sweet potato you could only eat if it was slathered in sugar, cinnamon and butter? Well... it's time you stopped doing that on a regular basis. If I get a baked sweet potato at a restaurant I usually use the cinnamon and sugar because it's already mixed together and I may even bring some Earth Balance to totally splurge but I probably have one sweet potato a year in a restaurant. At home I usually only use cinnamon as it's really sweet enough on it's own.

If you can only eat broccoli if it's covered in velveeta, your salad is swimming in ranch, if all your veggies are fried or if a baked potato is only attractive if it's covered with sour cream, cheese, bacon and butter then you need to take a serious look at your diet. 

Don't you dare utter the words 'at least I'm eating vegetables'. I will not be amused.

Veggies really are delicious all on their own with a pinch of salt. When you deface them with secretions and flesh or deep fry them... you are destroying their flavor and their worth. Plus, eating animal products has totally compromised your taste buds so you won't ever be able to fully appreciate veggies until you stop eating it.

You deserve better.

If you need a little transition time, try using similar products on your veggies ... salsa and fresh veggies on a baked potato, make some vegan queso for your broccoli, switch to Earth Balance instead of butter, maple syrup on your sweet potato, make homemade onion rings and bake them instead of frying them, tempeh bacon instead of pig flesh. You can find a way.


Recipes:

Massaged Kale Salad

Not Roast Crockpot Veggies


Our fave around here ..... Kale Chips - see Mimi Kirk making them here ..... you can also bake these in an oven slowly at 200 degrees or at 350 if you really watch them closely. I mix this with my hand, massaging the ingredients into the leaves.

Easy, Cheesy Kale Chips by Mimi Kirk

1 bunch of curly or dino kale

5-6 tablespoons virgin olive oil

4-5 tablespoons gluten free tamari (or soy sauce or Bragg's Aminos), depending how salty tasting you like them

Nutritional yeast, I just pour on top and mix with tongs until leaves are coated. It’s your choice how cheesy you like them. I like them cheesy.

Sprinkle in seasonings of choice, example; cumin, curry, pizza seasoning, chili pepper or none if you prefer, it’s good just with the nutritional yeast.

Directions.

Remove stem from kale and place in a bowl. Try to obtain large pieces as the kale shrinks in the dehydrator.

Pour the olive oil on top and mix with tongs until leaves are coated. Add the tamari and mix again. 

Lastly, add nutritional yeast and any seasonings you choose, and mix again. Nutritional yeast get thick when damp, so make sure to scrape sides of the bowl to incorporate.

Place on mesh screen of dehydrator tray and spread out somewhat. One bunch of kale will usually make 3 trays. Dehydrate 3 or more hours at 105–110 degrees until crispy like a potato chip.

Beans!

I want to talk about beans because many people call them veggies and many people have a deep hatred for beans. First off.. you should eat beans. They are a crazy good source of protein and so full of amazing nutrients and fiber that you are missing out on health wise if you refuse to find a bean or two you can love.

First up - gas. You should know, the more you eat beans, the more your body gets used to them and the less gas you have. If you use dry beans, soaking them and rinsing them before using and/or adding in a piece of kombu into the pot will get rid of the gas inducing properties and make them easier to digest. You can also buy OTC products like Beano.

I usually hear the word 'texture' when it comes to beans. I'm just not sure what an individual means when they say they don't like the texture of beans. Do they not like the bite of whole beans in chili? Do they not like the smoothness of refried beans or hummus?

I know people that love hummus but they tell me they don't like chickpeas. Hummus is made from chickpeas. I know someone that doesn't like straight up black beans but he is fine eating black bean soup or black bean burgers. Some people love pintos and hate kidney beans.

Please don't lump beans into one group... beans have very diverse and distinctive tastes. You really need to try all of them in order to truly say you dislike them. If you like baked beans then you like white northern beans, if you like refried beans then you like pintos, if you like hummus then you like chickpeas/garbanzos and if you like chili, you like kidney/red beans.

And if you are resisting me.. you can make refried beans with black beans, chili with pinto beans, and hummus with any bean. Your excuses are not valid here. If you don't like the texture.. change it.


Here are some tasty bean recipes for you to try:

Pintos & Brown Rice Bowl  - quick Chipotle Burrito Bowl clone!

Here is an easy and delicious recipe for refried beans from Happy Herbivore. I make these just about every week. I like to make quick bean tacos out of it but it's great as a side dish as well. I also add in garlic and onion powder. Feel free to play around with it.

Morgan at The Little House of Veggies makes amazing soups... here are my fave bean based ones:

Black Bean Tortilla Soup. I like to add a squirt of lime juice and ume plum vinegar to mine. You can adjust the texture of this soup. Keep it a little chunky or make it completely smooth.

Split Pea Soup. I make this in the crock pot. I skip the rice milk in this and it's still fantastic.

Two of my fave bean recipes come from Josh - he has this Chick Spread recipe that is really yummy. You can adjust the texture so it's flaky like tuna or smooth like a hummus. I like it as a sandwich or wrap filling or to top a salad. I skip the tofu but I like to add shredded carrot, some No chicken bouillon and extra nutritional yeast to mine. Make it your own! Here is a link to my adjusted recipe.

He also has my fave black bean burger recipe. I double this recipe and freeze the cooked burgers. Then I just thaw in the microwave (or on the counter) and then pan fry in a little olive oil. I love it topped with some chipotle mayo.

You can try my tempeh bacon recipe or my recipe for chocolate mousse! You can also see my review for Soy Curls, which is just soybeans pulled into a meaty ingredient! Try my Chickpea Patties for a great main dish.

Roasted Chickpeas - these are addictive! You can make them any flavor you can think of. I love to make them cajun! You can cook them until they are crunchy or pull them out when they are still soft.

Recipe - Baked Seitan Loaf

Thanksgiving is just a week away so here is a recipe for a basic seitan loaf that is easy .. you bake it!

This recipe is from 'Vegan on the Cheap' by Robin Robertson. 

I made the additions to get the flavor closer to the Tofurky brand Hickory Deli Slices. My husband and I both agreed it tastes the same. I usually make half a loaf for the two of us (half loaf is shown in the photo). I slice it up and serve it as the main course along side veggies and potatoes. if you can slice it thin enough, you can use it on a sandwich! It's also great chopped up and stir fried into dishes. I also pan fried it in a little oil and it got a lot like bacon.. I guess, turkey bacon. 


Baked Seitan Loaf

1/2 cup white beans (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (I use bouillon in water)
2 cups vital wheat gluten (wheat gluten flour)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

Shelly's Additions:

1 tsp liquid smoke (if you want a smoked flavor like the Tofurky hickory slices), 1/2 tsp celery salt and some Better Than Bouillon No Chicken flavor bouillon. I didn't measure the bouillon. I just added some into it until it tasted good.

Preheat oven top 350. In a blender or food processor combine beans, soy sauce, oil and broth until smooth.

in a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Mix to combine. Stir wet mixture into dry and make a soft dough. Make sure you have the gluten 'strings' .. pull it apart and you should see some elasticity to it. 

Knead for three minutes and shape into an oval loaf shape.

Place the loaf in an oiled sheet of foil and close it in the foil. Place loaf in a 10 inch baking pan. add an inch of water to the pan and lightly cover the entire pan with foil. Bake until form, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Note from Shelly - It doesn't take the full 1 hour and 45 minutes if you do half a loaf.... make note of how it feels before you bake it and then you'll understand what 'firm' means and when it's done. Also.. the water will burn off so check that and make sure you add more when needed otherwise the bottom of your loaf will be burned.

Original Recipe: Pintos & Brown Rice Bowl

I am a fan of Chipotle Grill but I don't get there very often and lucky for me, I can make a yummy Burrito Bol here at home.

Chipotle offers their black beans for vegans as their pintos have bacon in them (boo hiss). So, I thought I'd create a pintos & brown rice bowl for us!

This recipe is basically one serving with a serving of the beans leftover.. unless you're really hungry.. then you can eat it all. I won't tell.



Pintos & Brown Rice Bowl

Beans:

15 oz can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
few shakes of liquid smoke

Place the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the water has evaporated some and you are left with saucy beans.

Brown Rice:

1 cup prepared brown rice
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Combine ingredients. If rice was refrigerated when you mixed everything together, warm for 45 seconds in microwave. don't overcook it, it will get lumpy and dry!

Corn Salsa:

1/4 cup of your fave salsa
1/4 cup cooked corn

Mix together.



Additional optional ingredients:

Vegan sour cream (warm for 10 seconds to make it thin enough to drizzle)
Cheesy sauce - I like the vegan queso recipe on this post or you can use Daiya cheese.
Fresh veggies like lettuce, fresh tomatoes, peppers and onions.


Assembly:

Layer the brown rice on the bottom, then saucy beans, then corn salsa, then vegan cheesy sauce and finally, sour cream.

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You, Sir... are NO LION!

Meat eaters love to liken themselves to carnivores. Humans are not carnivores. In fact,  biologically, humans are herbivores. If you look at our nails, our teeth, our jaws, our digestive tract, digestive juices, and our intestinal track, it matches that of an herbivore, not a carnivore and not an omnivore.

Check out the chart below.

Humans have chosen to be omnivores, which basically means 'humans eat anything' but I think we all know that just because you can eat something, doesn't mean you should.

I'm looking at you, Cinnabon!

If humans were carnivores or even 'natural' omnivores as some argue (meaning biologically designed eat both plants and animals, like bears, raccoons, and chickens) then seeing road kill would make you want to stop and eat it or seeing a horse in a pasture would make you want to stop and kill it for dinner. Does that describe you? I sure hope not.

I had to adjust the size of the chart to fit here so I realize this chart might be hard to read here on the blog.. so please click here to see a bigger version. It's fascinating. Hard to argue with the facts, man.

The Lion Defense

When a meat eater uses the lion defense it irritates me. There is a big difference between a lion killing a zebra and a human killing a cow. Lions killing zebras is natural. Humans killing cows, is not. It's what we've been conditioned to do through the generations. It comes back to the child equation - if you put a child in a room with an apple and a rabbit ... the child will play with the rabbit and eat the apple. Not the other way around.

1. Lions don't breed zebras in captivity.
2. Lions kill one zebra at a time as needed. One lion kills around 15 animals a year. Lions are scavengers the rest of the time. The get 40% of their meat  from dead animals or stealing from other carnivores.
3. Lions don't torture and neglect the zebra before killing it.
4. Zebras have the possibility of escaping from the lion.
5. Lions kill their prey as swiftly as possible.
6. Lions eat their prey raw and they eat all of it - even the hide and the hair.  Without condiments.
7. Lions catch, kill and eat their prey without the use of tools, traps, weapons or a grill.
8. Lions swallow their food whole.

1. Humans breed herd animals because herd animals don't fight back. Why do you think humans use cows for milk instead of a lion? There is no nutritional need for the milk of other mammals. Cows were chosen because they are docile and can be easily exploited.

2. Humans kill more animals than they need and hundreds of thousands of pounds of flesh is thrown away and wasted on a daily basis .. making the sacrifice of that animal's life even more horrible and senseless.

3. Humans routinely torture and neglect the animals they keep for food.

4. Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and other food animals have no means of escape from humans because we keep them captive.

5. Humans love to believe they have 'humane' slaughter. There is no such thing. Food animals must have a beating heart in order to bleed out at slaughter so 'humane' apparently means 'knocked unconscious'  but that doesn't always happen. It is very common for animals to still be awake and aware as they are being butchered - sliced open, bled and chopped up. At the very least.. animals are still alive even if they are knocked out.

6. Humans are not true carnivores since they do not eat their flesh raw and they only eat certain parts of the corpse. Humans must cook the flesh of animals in order to make it safer for consumption. Humans season their flesh in order to make it edible. Humans use ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, salsa, herbs, and spices.. which are all PLANTS. so.. humans use plants to make their rotting flesh edible.

7. Humans require tools and traps and weapons to catch an animal and while it's possible they might be able to kill certain animals with their bare hands, they'd need tools in order to dismember and eat one and they'd surely need fire to cook it. When was the last time you saw a lion with a Weber?

8. Humans must chew, a lot. In fact, humans don't chew as much as they should. Read this!

So, if you are a meat eater using this tired old debate.. you can stop now.

Original Recipe: Shelly's Chik'n Salad

Feel free to share this recipe but please link back to this blog.

I recently discovered a couple products that mimic the texture of chicken in a way that you can use them to make old favorites like 'chicken' salad.

This photo was the salad I made using Augason Farms Chicken Substitute but I have to be honest, I didn't like it as much as I loved Soy Curls so I would recommend making this with the Soy Curls instead. You'll just need to chop those up a little after rehydrating them.

The Augason Farms product had an odd aftertaste to me and it is far more processed and has more ingredients than Soy Curls so health-wise, choose the Soy Curls.

Give my friends at Fake Meats your business as they are an independent company and appreciate your orders! Their shipping is very reasonable and they ship quickly.



Shelly's Chick'n Salad

1/2 cup chick'n substitute or Soy Curls
1 cup water
1/2 tsp no chicken bouillon
2 stalks celery, diced
5 baby carrots (or one whole carrot), diced
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp season salt or Original Old Bay
1/2 tsp lemon pepper or lemon-herb Old Bay
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped (or sub sunflower seeds!)
Veganise (or other vegan mayo), to taste
salt & pepper to taste, if needed

You can also add in anything you'd like to make this amazing.. perhaps green onion or pickle relish!

Boil the water and bouillon and then add in the substitute or curls and cook for a few minutes to rehydrate and warm it up. Drain and squeeze out the excess water from the chik'n.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the mayo until blended. Add in the mayo a little at a time until it is how you'd like it. You want it to hold together but not be too wet and gloopy. Serve on a whole wheat bun, in a wrap or on top of a salad. You can also chill it for a more traditional salad before serving.

Review: Soy Curls

So, I have a bit of a story to tell before I review Soy Curls.

The first thing.. do you know how hard it is to not type Curlz with a Z at the end? It was right there for the taking and they squandered it. Z, man.. Z

Anyway.....

I believe that the universe sometimes works in mysterious ways. Not an otherworldly or superior being-ish way.. just a sort of an odd 'wow.. look what had to happen in order for this to have come about' sort of way.

This is how I found Soy Curlz.. uh, Soy Curls.

So, a number of years ago.. many, many moons.... I met a girl online named Dee. She and I met on a message board. We stayed in touch thru the years and when Facebook came into being we ended up being FB friends.. and that is how I met her cousin in law, Pam.

Pam is a runner and she has a blog. I make jewelry and sell it on Etsy (yes, I'm going somewhere with this) and I created some running jewelry for Pam and then I expanded the 'Run' line and in order to promote the line, I offered Pam the opportunity to hold a giveaway on her blog because the universe knows, I am so not a runner and I needed exposure to runners.

She ran the giveaway and her friend, Kim, won it.  Kim is a vegan and she lives in the same regional area of Chicago as I do! What are the odds? I'm always happy to meet new vegans. While Kim and I were chatting via email she casually said 'oh, hey.. by the way.. my husband owns fakemeats.com .. here is a discount code for 15% off.'

I had heard of Fake Meats.com and I even 'liked' them on Facebook but I had no idea it was based here in Illinois where I live and I had no idea she was a friend of Pam's. I've even browsed their website. Now, if you know me.. you know that I rarely buy anything online without a discount code.

So.. off I went to browse again, 15% code in hand. I found Soy Curls (and some other chicken substitute and some cheddar bacon popcorn and..... but let's get back on topic, shall we?!) Now, I had heard of Soy Curls but hadn't really researched it or checked for reviews or looked for recipes. It isn't anything I can buy locally so I hadn't tried it yet. I honestly thought it was just TVP but it isn't. It's actually whole soybeans.. nothing else!

Yes.. it's a whole food.. like tempeh is. Hardly processed, really.

The Butler Foods website says this about Soy Curls "Select certified Non-GMO soybeans grown without chemical pesticides are soaked in spring water. Then the soybeans are cooked and delicately textured after which they are dried at low temperature thus ensuring the natural goodness of the whole soybean high in fiber and omega-3. Soy Curls™ are one of the most pure, healthful products on the market containing no chemicals, additives, or preservatives."

So ... by some strange universal magic... I found my way to Soy Curls via my friends Dee and Pam.

So... onto my review.... I f'ing love these things and so did my 'vegan at home' husband (he's an omnivore when he eats away from home). I can see these getting lots of use in my house!

I re-hydrated them by soaking them in a no chicken bouillon for about 20 minutes. Then I dredged them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and pan fried them in canola oil and drained them on paper napkins.
That gave me the base for what will become a staple around here... I had perfectly breaded morsels of goodness ready for whatever sauce I wanted... I coated them in buffalo wing sauce and served them as is with fries. We loved it!

They have a delightfully chewy meat-like texture and I'd imagine they'd pick up whatever flavor you cooked them with. I had a hard time staying away from them after frying them up. So, make extras for snacking.

Here are the photos I took of the process:

My husband made the same remark I did when seeing them .. they look like clam strips. so, I figured I could maybe season them with Old Bay sometime and make those for him. I could also imagine using sweet & sour or teriyaki on these and making fried rice or a stir fry. Kim says she makes fajitas out of it (sans breading) .. so, I think anything you can do with shredded chicken, you can do with Soy Curls.

Two thumbs up.. for sure. I'm gonna need to order more.