Some products I love

Of course I love having a kitchen full of fresh fruits and vegetables and all kinds of grains and spices and accoutrements to help me make delicious vegan food from scratch.  But I also love having certain go-to products that make cooking easier and faster and still meet my standard of not contributing to the cruelty in the world.  Here are a few of those favorite products.

Rice Dream - Vanilla Enriched:  I've been using this product for about 20 years and I love it.  Sometimes I buy the Trader Joe's version because it's a little bit cheaper, but I really think the Rice Dream tastes better.  I use it in coffee and on cereal, for smoothies and protein drinks, and for baking, and I occasionally just have a glass by itself.  An 8-ounce serving has 30% of your daily calcium, 25% of your B-12, and some other vitamins.

Earth Balance products:  Let me count the ways.  I use the "buttery spreads" just about every day - the Whipped version on bagels or mixed in with pasta, rice or steamed vegetables, and the Original version for baking.  The Original version has given me perfect cookies, cakes, breads and even pie crusts.  Plus it's really flavorful and delicious all by itself.  The peanut butter is out of this world - it's no-stir, which is great because I find it pretty much impossible to deal with natural peanut butter that has separated, and it's sweetened with agave which gives it a light, sweet taste.  Really yummy on a sandwich.  I have a recipe for vegan peanut butter cups up on my computer screen right now, and I think the Earth Balance peanut butter will be perfect in it.

Soy Vay products:  I've been using these sauces forever, in my stirfrys and as a dipping sauce for potstickers.  My favorite is the original Hoisin Garlic sauce, but I also really like the Veri Veri Teriyaki and the Island Teriyaki with pineapple juice.  These sauces make it possible for me to come home after a long day and whip up a quick, really good dinner - I just chop up some tofu and veggies and saute them in a little oil until they're almost done, then pour in some Soy Vay, cook it for a couple more minutes, and I'm done.  The flavor is complex and interesting, and it's thick enough that it really sticks to the vegetables.

Imagine Organic Creamy Tomato Basil soup:  The creaminess comes from soymilk.  This is a new discovery for me - I think it's a pretty new product - and I've been using it a lot.  I basically use it as a condiment for rice or pasta.  It has a fresh, comforting, slightly tangy taste. 

Daiya vegan cheese:  I'm so crazy about this stuff - I don't know how I ever lived without it.  I use the Mozzarella Style Shreds on pizza, and it really melts and acts a lot like real cheese.  I usually top my pizzas with Tofurky Italian sausage, broccoli and red bell peppers, but a couple of weeks ago I made one with brussels sprouts, corn, and thinly-sliced purple potatoes, and it was incredibly yummy (not to mention really cool-looking).  The Daiya makes all of this possible.  I also like the Cheddar Style Shreds - I use it for quick mac-and-cheese (cook some pasta - bowtie is best, but any kind will do, drain it, then while it's still really hot stir in some Cheddar Style Shreds and sprinkle in some pepper).  One of my favorite comfort-food dishes lately. 

Whole Foods vegan chocolate chips:  I don't have a link for these, but I almost always have a bag of them in my pantry.  My philosophy in baking is that just about anything is made better with the addition of a little chocolate, so I love having these chips around to throw into banana bread, zucchini bread, various kinds of muffins, etc.

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini:  I'm seriously crazy about this stuff.  I generally stay away from vegan "meats" - they're just not my thing - but Gardein does such perfect things with the texture and flavor of this product that I can't resist it.  You get them in the frozen foods section and throw them in the freezer, then when you want a really quick, warm, satisfying dinner you saute them in olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes and they're done.  They're perfectly seasoned, so you just put them on your plate and go.  Each serving has 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein, and 25% of your daily iron!  And I basically always eat two servings in one sitting, so those are some pretty impressive nutritional values.  Gardein has recently published a recipe for Sage and Pumpkin-Seed Encrusted Gardein with Cranberry Cabernet Sauce, which uses the Chick'n Scallopini filets as a base - it sounds amazing and I'm going to try it soon.