This week on the show, we talk about tacos from Calaveritas at Bien Vegano and try Deliciou Plant Based pork.
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Table of Contents
Dave hates our gas stove.
Y'all, have you seen this report from Mother Jones about how "cooking with gas" is a scam? It is wild, and Dave ran across it just as our stove went on the fritz.
So now, we're trying to find out if we're able to switch to electric and looking for a good, electric stove, if that's a possibility. According to the salesperson I spoke to at Lowe's, switching from gas to electric is a whole thing.
More on this as it unfolds!
News: new vegan items at Trader Joe's
VegNews reported on lots of new, delicious vegan options at Trader Joe's. Here's a quick list:
- enchilada casserole, which is a frozen, stacked enchilada that looks fabulous
- pork rinds - We wonder if they are repackaged ones from Outstanding Foods that we reviewed!
- pasta bolognese
- tzatziki and caramelized onion dips
- an almond milk chocolate bar
- cookies and cream vanilla bean bon bons
Excuse me, as I tear across town to TJ's!
We ate Calaveritas tacos at Bien Vegano!
We were so lucky to make it over to the most recent Bien Vegano at Second Self Brewing! It's a fully vegan international market with food, crafts, and farm goodies.
The amount of food options was incredibly overwhelming. As a vegan, I'm so used to hunting down the one or two options at an event. It makes me bad at choosing when literally every food on offer is an option!
We settled on a 10-pack of tacos from Calaveritas. They offer five varieties, and we got one of each:
- Asada with meat made from rice, oats, and mushrooms
- Al Pastor starring adobo seitan and pineapple
- Carintas made out of oyster mushrooms
- spiced soy sausage Chorizo
- chipotle jackfruit Tinga
Y'all, every single one was stellar. I would order any of them again in a heartbeat.
The seitan al pastor were both Dave's and my favorite, though. It was far and away the best of the bunch.
The chorizo was a close second for both of us it had an amazing texture and a delightfully spicy-smoky flavor.
The only taco we didn't totally agree on was the oyster mushroom Carnitas. They had a strong mushroom flavor, so if that's your jam, you'll love these (I did!). If not, any of the other tacos they offer is probably more your speed.
Truly, I can't stress enough how much we enjoyed our visit to Bien Vegano! The next market is on July 25, 2021. If you're in Atlanta, definitely make plans to be there, and arrive hungry!
Deliciou Plant Based Pork
Y'all, I'd been seeing people sharing nuggets and patties they made using Deliciou Plant Based Chicken, so I made a special trip to Whole Foods to grab some. When I arrived, though, I saw that they also make a Beef and Pork. Vegan pork is sort of a rarity, so I couldn't resist snagging a box of the Plant Based Pork.
To make the vegan ground pork, you just reconstitute the contents of the box with water and a tablespoon of oil. Then, the box directs you to use it as grounds or use it any way you'd use animal-based grounds, and cook it by browning it in a pan.
When I emptied the box into my mixing bowl, the smell was incredible. I really felt like they nailed the meaty, savory notes of pork.
I used the grounds in a shepherd's pie, and y'all. It was incredibly disappointing. Mushy and bland, despite how great the grounds smelled on opening.
As I ate my terrible shep pie, I decided this was likely user error. I did not brown the grounds beforehand. Instead, I added them during the last five minutes of cooking. Maybe that caused the issue.
So, back to Whole Foods I went for another box. This time, I told myself, I will follow directions and brown the grounds first thing!
I settled on a pork taco recipe and followed it to the letter. I seasoned the grounds with garlic, onion, chili powder, and cumin. I browned them in a pan with plenty of olive oil. I piled the grounds into tacos with purple jalapeño slaw.
Another colossal miss! The grounds were still bland, despite the totally different preparation and additional seasonings. And the texture was slightly better, but still mushy.
These plant based grounds were incredibly disappointing. If you've had better success using them in a different way -- a patty, maybe?? -- let me know. I'm open to trying them again, but I would definitely need some assurances.
Where to listen
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