Don't Fence Me In

Yesterday I decided I wanted to make some type of BBQ style sandwich with some more of the amazing soy curls. I didn't have all the stuff for homemade BBQ sauce, and all of the bottled BBQ sauce I saw at Trader Joe's had anchovies in it. So, I kind of MacGyvered a BBQ sauce. I'm trying to be really good about groceries, and only use what I buy during my shop, no little mini trips to pick up one thing that turns into several. The sauce i made was more of a sloppy Joe sauce than actual BBQ, but it was still really tasty. Sloppy Curls sounds kind of cute and catching, don't you think?

Simmering sauce!!

Curls added!

 

I toasted up some baguette and piled on the curls! It was really tasty. Like I said before, the texture of soy curls is really pleasing. It's meaty without really being meaty. They're much lighter than gardein or any kind of strip like that. I hydrated the curls first, then added them to the sauce. I think next time I might try adding them to the sauce dry, and let the sauce rehydrate them and really soak up the flavor.

I also tried these this morning so I could tell you all about them! This was one of my Grocery Outlet finds, they were very cheap, so I had to try them! They are vegan of course, and although the ingredient list is long, it's not too scary. It's lots of soy and soy products, and wheat gluten, etc. By no means are these health food, but they aren't going to kill you either. Unless you're allergic to wheat and or soy. Anyway, they are smaller than the box indicates, the box makes it look like these are similar to a burger, when in reality it would be more like a slider.

All cooked!

The box suggests either cook in a lightly oiled skillet, or cook in the oven. I chose the oven method, they were ready in well under ten minutes. They have a nice somewhat crisp exterior that is probably improved with cooking in a skillet. They have that familiar herb-y sage-y fennel-y taste, and they aren't greasy, but they have somewhat of a fatty type of flavor, in a good way even though that sounds super gross. Years ago I worked in a cute little restaurant that kind of specialized in breakfast foods and we had veggie sausage on the menu. I think it was Morningstar farms if memory serves. Anyway, tons of people ordered this, many non vegetarians! I would sometimes ask people why they ordered it when they clearly weren't vegetarian, and they always said that the veggie sausage was as good/better than regular sausage, so why not make the healthier choice?  I mean how can you argue with that beautiful logic, and why would you want to? So, I am stoked that this vegan sausage exists. It is very tasty, and I know it would be amazing with a tofu scramble and some toast. It would also make a fantastic McKind breakfast sandwich. High five Lightlife!

And just to please any health obsessed vegans, here is the beautiful salad I had for breakfast along with some orange carrot ginger juice! I feel like I've eaten and not eaten in every kind of way possible. I'm very open to suggestion, and I like learning about things that have helped other people get healthy and feeling their best, but ultimately we have to do what works for us. We are always growing and changing, so it's good to be open, and not so rigid about vegan food! I'm finding for me I like to flow back and forth between vegan treats and super healthy. It seems to be what satisfies me the most, and makes me the happiest. I don't really like to be locked into any one thing, and that includes vegan food.