My 10th month VEGANniversary

It's been 10 months since I became vegan; I can't believe how time flies. The only things I have really missed out on are deep dish pizza and good ol' cheese. But, I have to say that my substitutions for most everything are pretty rocking.Soy milk and soy yogurt are mainstays, but I have been easing off the soy, in an effort to be more balanced. I have enjoyed many nut and rice-based milks and creams; I am especially thrilled to have discovered Mimic Creme, including a whipped cream version and a coffee creamer. Lean plant-based meats like Gardein have allowed me to create quick healthy meals, when I don't have time for a drawn-out dinner production. I've also come to love vegan cheese.
In the short time I have been vegan, Diaya cheese has become somewhat mainstream. You can find it on frozen vegan pizzas, at a number of vegan pizza chains and in several grocery stores, including Sunflower Farmer's Market. Teese cheese, made by Chicago Soy Dairy, is rumored to be coming out with frozen Teese mozzarella cheese sticks. We were lucky enough to try them in Chicago, at the Chicago Diner, and they are just like the real deal! Gardein has been popping up everywhere, including many major chain restaurants like Yardhouse and test-markets for Chipotle. So many of my friends have been contacting me when they see vegan products I might like and the people around me have been super supportive about my veganism.
I am pretty impressed that I haven't wavered, even once, since my vegan journey began. Early on, I did get fooled by a few non-vegan products, like non-dairy creamer and rice cheese, but unless the restaurants where I order vegan food have been serving me animal-based meals, I have been rock solid vegan. I look forward to continuing my vegan journey and sharing my food adventures with whoever wants to listen. Happy VEGANniversay to me (I just googled 'veganniversary' and apparently many people before me have used the word...I thought I was so clever! ;)

I got to have dinner tonight with my vegan idol: Tal Ronnen!

You might have an idol who is an actor, politician, artist or musician, but I have an idol who is a chef. I know, how many people idolize chefs? I absolutely adore Tal Ronnen. He is a chef, has a cookbook called The Conscious Cook, which was on the New York Times Bestsellers list, he's been instrumental in product development for Gardein, he's been on the Oprah show and he has been a great advocate for a vegan lifestyle.

I am just so inspired by his accomplishments. The most recent of which was his involvement in the launch of 25 new vegetarian and vegan options at The Yardhouse restaurant, which utilize Gardein. I got a text from my friend Roger asking me if I would want to go to dinner with him and his vegan chef friend Tal Ronnen, who was in town for work. I wrote him back and said that I was a big fan of Tal's and would be honored to join them for dinner. So, we made dinner reservations for 7:30 tonight at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Yardhouse. I didn't see the exact vegan option on the Yardhouse menu online, but I apparently didn't click on the right link for AZ printable menu, which shows all the available Gardein options. As I was looking over the menu, I was so impressed with the variety of menu items available-from appetizers, to salads, to burgers and entrees. Tal suggested that we order a few items, so that we could sample a variety of plates. We ordered a chopped salad, onion rings, veggie beef sliders, veggie BBQ chicken pizza (for our non-vegan friends), veggie chicken rice bowl and veggie orange peel chicken. If you are vegan and you order the veggie beef sliders, just make sure you order them dry.

Everything I tried was super delicious and flavorful. I know that I will be back 10,000 times in the future because it is a place I can go with my non-vegan friends and not sacrifice on my vegan options.

I found out tonight that chef for the Yardhouse in LA took over 6 months to find the perfect pickle to accompany the veggie beef sliders...guess a good pickle is hard to come by!

If you have an opportunity to eat at The Yardhouse, please support their vegetarian and vegan options. I can honestly say you will love them!

Here are some photos from my dinner tonight:

Veggie orange peel chicken

Veggie BBQ chicken pizza

 John posing with the veggie chicken rice bowl

Veggie beef sliders (ordered dry) with french fries and a pickle

 Me, Tal and Roger

Me and Tal

Our group: L: Me, Tal, Roger R: Stephanie, John and Kellen

John and Kellen sharing a manly bite of veggie orange chicken

Tal and Roger

My friend Stephanie

Roger and the onion rings

The cover of The Conscious Cook

Tal signed my book...so cool!

Here are your menu options available nationwide at The Yardhouse:

                                                              SUB VEGETARIAN 

Veggie Items Made With gardeinTM gardeinTM is a chicken or beef substitute made from soy, wheat, pea proteins, vegetables and ancient grains 

Veggie Boneless Wings buffalo | firecracker | jerk 10.55 

Veggie Fried Chicken Strips fries, maple dijon & ranch 9.65 

Veggie Beef Sliders classic or béarnaise served with fries & pickle 10.45 (vegetarian off the menu, could ask for no sauce or cheese to make vegan)

Veggie Thai Chicken Noodle Salad egg noodles, grilled chicken, spicy peanut vinaigrette & broccoli-carrot-sprout-cabbage-cilantro slaw 13.85 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan possibly)

Veggie BBQ Chicken Salad avocado, pasilla, corn, jack, tortilla strips, tomato, pinto beans, citrus bbq, fried onions, cilantro & chipotle ranch 13.95 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without cheese)

Veggie Chicken Caesar Salad grilled, breaded or blackened, hearts of romaine, parmesan crisps, croutons & egg free caesar dressing 12.85 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without parmesan crisps)

Veggie Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza firecracker sauce, mozzarella, macadamia nuts, carrots, green onion & cilantro 12.75 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without cheese)

Veggie BBQ Chicken Pizza mozzarella, cilantro, red onion, smoked gouda & bbq sauce 12.75 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without cheese)

Veggie Chicken & Avocado Sandwich swiss, lettuce, tomato & mayo on poppy seed onion bun 11.65 (vegetarian)

Veggie Spicy Chicken Sandwich grilled with blackening spices, cheddar, jack, cabbage & cajun aïoli on cheese flat bread 10.95 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without cheese)

Veggie Chicken Rice Bowl bok choy, baby corn, snap peas, carrots, shiitake, celery, peppers, broccoli & jasmine or brown rice 12.85 

Veggie Penne with Chicken crimini mushrooms, asparagus & sun-dried tomatoes tossed in marsala cream sauce, dusted with parmesan 15.95 (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without the cream sauce)

Veggie Chicken Enchilada Stack pasilla peppers, garlic cream, jack cheese, corn tortillas, pinto beans, tomatillo, red chili sauce & sour cream 15.85  (vegetarian-could modify to vegan without the cream or cheese)

Veggie Orange Peel Chicken crispy chicken breast pieces, baby corn & bok choy in spicy sweet orange glaze with jasmine or brown rice 16.85 

Veggie (Mac + Cheese)2 chicken breast, applewood bacon, wild mushrooms, cheddar, parmesan, campanelle pasta & truffle oil 16.25 (vegetarian...probably not easily veganized. I wish they had Teese or Diaya cheese!)

Veggie Burger gardeinTM substitute available on all burgers

World Vegan Day: Trying out gardein mandarin orange crispy chick'n

Today is world vegan day. If you want to try out a family-friendly vegan meal, head to your local Whole Foods or Sunflower and check out the Gardein products. You won't even notice you didn't have meat on your dinner plate!

Tonight we made a meal in 10 minutes using Gardein mandarin orange crispy chick'n with Fresh And Easy's organic brown rice and stir fry vegetable blend.

Super tasty, low in fat, high in protein....great combo. I love Gardein.

Gardein seven grain crispy tenders

Oh my goodness! I have a new favorite food! These Gardein seven grain crispy tenders are AMAZING! I even made my sister try one, and she loved it! I had heard that Costco was going to be carrying a big bag of these, but I called a couple local Costco stores and they didn't have them. But, the good news is that these are sold at Sunflower Market and Whole Foods. The Gardein website says that they may even be available at Albertson's and Bashas in Arizona. They have an online look-up on their site, so you can find them in your state. I liked the fresh gardein varieties I have tried, but these are over-the-top amazing. I don't know how they do it, but kids would love these. The texture is identical to a chicken tender. I find them to be a perfect compliment to a vegan caesar salad. They are crispy, flavorful and are actually good for you!

Gardein...I love the convenience of this garden protein!

With the opening of the Fresh And Easy just a block away, we have been determined to make use of it's convenience. Fresh and Easy has some nice options for vegans. We have tried the Fresh And Easy brand of blue corn tortilla chips, french baguette, fresh fruit cups, tortillas, vegetables, and everything bagels (which Matt LOVES). Our greatest discovery there has been Gardein garden protein products. I had read about Gardein on various food blogs and assumed that only CA and NY would have such a convenient vegan option available at their grocery stores. The Gardein products are located in the fruit and vegetable aisle, at Fresh And Easy. Gardein is being used as a vegan pizza topping on international pizza chain, Z Pizza's,  Berkeley vegan pizza. And, Chipotle is test marketing their marinated Gardein in select stores.

The first Gardein product we tested was the meat-free Tuscan Breasts. These are awesome. 120 calories and 21 grams of protein! They are ready-made, so you just heat up and enjoy. We paired with rosemary potatoes from Fresh And Easy and steamed green beans. A little Daiya or Teese cheese would have made the meal even more awesome!

Our next Gardein adventure was with the versatile meat free Chick'N Strips. 100 calories and 18 grams of protein! These were good, but I do wish we had spent some time with marinading before hand. I have a feeling that the Gardein would soak up most marinades and enhance the flavor of the Gardein.

With that said, if you are needing to put together a quick meal, these strips are easy and read-to-serve. I can see these being great for adding protein to a salad, pasta dish or even a pizza! We used the Chic'N Strips in a teriyaki vegetable stir fry. We got the stir fry vegetables and Gardein at Fresh And Easy. We served over white rice.

By the way, I love colorful, bold, bright frying pans and pots! I got this cool green one about a year ago. If you see a rad frying pan in your shopping adventures, let me know. I am always on the hunt!