Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Processed Food Heaven!

I'm one of those people that can't stand to be told what to do. Even if I'm doing the telling. So the day after Raw Day always becomes a naughty food day. I mean, not that naughty. Just a few processed foods and such, like in this Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini from The Kind Diet:

Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet is mostly filled with ultra-healthy, macrobiotic-friendly meals, but she also includes a few recipes for people transitioning into a vegan diet. Those dishes often include faux meats and vegan cheeses.

Now this certainly isn't my first vegan rodeo (is that an oxymoron?), but I still love fake meat. I'm pretty sure I always will. I've never understood why some vegans would desire to move beyond the need for fakin' bacon, soy sausage, and faux chicken. That stuff tastes awesome!

This panini was made from Van's frozen vegan waffles, Tofurky Kielbasa, Daiya cheese, and a spread made from Vegenaise, apricot jam, and herbs. It was absolutely yummy and perfect for re-toxing from my uber-healthy day yesterday. To add a little balance, I ate the panini with my leftover raw slaw.

18 comments:

Kari said...

This is seriously one of the weirdest combinations I've ever seen. And I think I would love it.

Susan said...

That is awesome... slightly disturbing... but amazing.

joyce said...

i made this after i purchased the kind diet and it was awesome!

Anonymous said...

I try to avoid a lot of processed stuff too, but every once in a while I just crave a Boca burger or some other meat-like product.

That panini sounds like an awesome breakfast sandwich!

Unknown said...

make me a happy vegan and give me occasional fake meats, too. I don't get the hate.

Helen said...

now THAT looks yummy! I think I'm going to try that out on some weekend guests one Saturday morning.

Alan Roettinger said...

With respect, my dear new-found friend, I don't think "processed food" and "heaven" belong in the same sentence--any more than "vegan" and "rodeo" ;-)

I do understand that some people may not be really ready to stop eating animals, even though they think or feel they really should, and for them there are meat-imitative products that afford them the comfort of familiar tastes and textures (without requiring them to actually go there). And if anyone likes to eat these products, I say by all means, enjoy it!

However, I would caution everyone who enjoys these products to eat them very infrequently, because there is always a price to pay when we eat heavily altered food.

There is a vast world of deliciousness in the plant kingdom waiting to be discovered. I'm constantly surprised, even after over 30 years of cooking for a living, reading, traveling, walking through ethnic and farmers' markets, writing about food, that I'm still finding totally new foods--nutrient-packed, with exciting flavors and interesting textures, each with its own unique story. The real thing is always superior to the imitative.

Meghan said...

I've been looking at this for at least 10 minutes trying to figure out if I want to eat it or not. I've decided I DO. Seems like it might have a little "chicken and waffles" type quality to it with the savory "meat" and the waffle. Yummy. Hey if KFC can have the double down and people lose their minds over it, vegans can have this. It's still not nearly as bad!!

Jess - The Domestic Vegan said...

This totally looks like vegan junk food heaven - and it's not even THAT bad. I certainly ate much "crappier" stuff before I was vegan, and a lot more often, too!

I will definitely have to try this.

Emi said...

LOL, it's like the vegan waffle version of the McGriddle. It's not even really all that much processed, since all of the parts have pronounceable ingredients :D

Just Us said...

How have I missed seeing this in the book? Now you know I am going to have to look this up when I get home and make one this weekend, cause yours looks awesome!

Amber @ Zombie Cats Eating Plants said...

YAY for naughty food day!!! =D

Keri - I Eat Trees said...

Looks awesome! I don't eat faux meat all the time, but I think (the good ones) are so yummy. And I don't get how worked up some people get over the stuff.

Erin said...

Amen, I'm eating Tuforkey italian sausage right now! I usually treat faux-meats as an indulgence, and don't feel bad about it if most of what I'm eating is whole-foods based.

Debra said...

That's such a cool and weird and awesome idea! ;-)

Blessings, Debra
Raw Vegan Diet

Brian said...

this is so wrong!,.. i love it :)

vegan.in.brighton said...

OH.MY.GOD I need to make that RIGHT now!

misss_e said...

This looks really really really delish.