Veggie ground round options

When I first turned vegetarian, I hit up the vegetarian section of my local grocery store. It was full of veggie dogs, tofu, veggie sandwich meats, and even veggie ground round. I bought a lot of the vegetarian products and really enjoyed them.

The vegetarian ground round was very flavorful, and I even tricked my dad into thinking it was real meat in his spaghetti sauce. The only downfall to this product is the price; it’s about $4-$5 for a 340g package. At that price, I really did feel like I was getting ripped off, but I never realized how much I was getting ripped off until I discovered how inexpensive Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is.

 

 

 

Veggie ground round is essentially TVP with just some added flavours. So why not buy the inexpensive product and add your own flavour?

 

HOW TO COOK TVP:

1.     Add equal parts boiling water to TVP

2.   Let sit for about 5 minutes (until it becomes fully hydrated)

 

Wow, that was easy.

 

Now it’s time to add your flavour. Here are some of my favourites.

 

For tacos:

You can buy packs of taco seasoning, or simply add some chili powder, paprika, and salt.

Veggie Burgers:

To make veggie burgers, I usually add some mashed up beans to help the whole burger stick together better. For flavour, I typically open my fridge and add all that seems good. A little bit of ketchup, some bbq sauce, garlic, chili powder- pretty much anything goes.

Shepherd’s pie:

Fry up some onions in a large frying pan, add your cooked TVP. You can add a can of mushroom gravy. Put in some rosemary and/or other herbs. Toss in some frozen corn. Let the flavours blend together, then put it all in an oven safe tin, add your (garlic) mashed potatoes on top and bake on low for a half hour or so, then ENJOY!

These are just a couple of examples. TVP is such a versatile product that’s great to always have in the cupboard.

 

Also, take a look at the nutritional facts:

 

 

 

Happy cooking! 

 

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Eco Chic for Him and Her

When it comes to fashion, you don’t have to be a PETA supporting tree-hugger to make some environmentally-conscious and animal-friendly decisions. Many companies offer eco-friendly and/or vegan products, while other companies, like Etnies, are starting to put out full eco-friendly lines.

Etnies currently has a ‘Buy a shoe plant a tree’ line for men and women, in which the company plants a tree in Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest for every pair of shoes sold. The line also includes some vegan/animal-free styles.



The men’s Jameson 2 Eco low-tops are completely vegan, and are made using a recycled rubber outsole, recycled plastic in the shoe laces, and the inner sole is made of cork. Even though these canvas skater-style shoes are eco-friendly, they do not lack quality or style.



The women’s Caprice Eco shoe is also vegan-friendly and uses materials including hemp, and recycled rubber. These shoes come in a verity of colours and designs, and are sure to turn some heads.

Matt and Nat (short for mat(t)erials + nature) is a Montreal-based company making products with eco-friendly, recycled, and upcycled materials.



The women’s Trench messenger bag is 100 per cent eco-friendly and uses a 100 per cent recycled nylon lining. This bag is textured, giving a leather look and feel, without using any animal products.



The men’s Ethan cotton canvas messenger bag is also made of 100 per cent recycled nylon. The simple over the shoulder bag has two compartments, and is perfect for carrying a laptop.

Vancouver-based Elroy Apparel focuses on ethical, innovative, and sustainable fashion. Designer Leanne McElroy spends four months of the year working with their sustainable employment sewing cooperative in Indonesia.



The Jamesia jacket from Elroy is made of 100 per cent upcycled cotton.  This sleek trench-style coat features a wooden toggle button, and a tie waist closure.

Macbeth Footwear is a footwear, apparel and accessory brand from Southern California, which offers a number of vegan and organic products. The company was co-founded by Tom DeLonge from blink-182.



This Vegan Cow T-shirt is made of 100 per cent cotton and allows those who are vegan to show it.

These are just a few of the many options if you’re looking to make some environmental and/or animal friendly choices when it comes to your wardrobe.

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Minty Spring Fashion

Spring is finally here, and a colour that I’ve been gravitating to lately is mint. I’ve scoured the Internet looking for all things mint that are also vegan! Here are some of my cute finds:

This mint top from lulus.com is long, light and flowy. It looks great with a pair of shorts, but would also go great with leggings. The material is 100 per cent Rayon, and is a loose fit.

$36

This faux-leather headband from nastygal.com is sure to give you more of an edge, but the mint colour helps it from being too edgy.

$18

Also from nastygal.com is this synthetic leather wallet. The mint wallet features gold studs and textured detailing.

$38

This distressed faux leather cross body purse is from freepeople.com. The mint purse features metal stud detailing, two zipped compartments, and one open pouch compartment. You can even remove the strap on this purse to carry it as a clutch.

$38.74

These beautiful mint sandals from lulus.com are 100 per cent vegan friendly. The thong-style pair has a cupped heel that wraps around the ankle. They are very easy to throw on and even have a little bit of a heel.

$30

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Minty Spring Fashion

Spring is finally here, and a colour that I’ve been gravitating to lately is mint. I’ve scoured the Internet looking for all things mint that are also vegan! Here are some of my cute finds:

 

This mint top from lulus.com is long, light and flowy. It looks great with a pair of shorts, but would also go great with leggings. The material is 100 per cent Rayon, and is a loose fit.

$36

 

This faux-leather headband from nastygal.com is sure to give you more of an edge, but the mint colour helps it from being too edgy.

$18

 

Also from nastygal.com is this synthetic leather wallet. The mint wallet features gold studs and textured detailing.

$38

 

This distressed faux leather cross body purse is from freepeople.com. The mint purse features metal stud detailing, two zipped compartments, and one open pouch compartment. You can even remove the strap on this purse to carry it as a clutch.

$38.74

 

These beautiful mint sandals from lulus.com are 100 per cent vegan friendly. The thong-style pair has a cupped heel that wraps around the ankle. They are very easy to throw on and even have a little bit of a heel.

$30 

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Alternatives to honey for a vegan diet

Everybody knows that honey comes from bees, but not everybody knows or cares about the process.

To make a long story short, bees make honey and store it as winter food; humans exploit bees for their honey.

Yes, honey is sweet, and it tastes good, but there are many alternatives that taste just as good, or better.

AGAVE SYRUP:

Agave syrup is produced form several species of agave plants, and is sweeter than honey. Its consistency is thinner than honey so it flows a bit quicker, and it can even dissolve in cold beverages.

MAPLE SYRUP:

Maple syrup of course, comes from maple trees. The trees are tapped to collect their sap. The sap is then heated to evaporate the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.  According to the nutritional facts chart, maple syrup is also rich in vitamins and minerals.

BROWN RICE SYRUP:

Brown rice syrup is made by cooking brown rice flour or brown rice starch with enzymes. The syrup is filtered, and excess water is evaporated, making its consistency thick. This syrup is half as sweet as sugar.

DATE SUGAR:

Although it can be quite expensive, date sugar, made of dried dates, is a good alternative to honey or sugar. Date sugar does not dissolve into drinks or melt, but can be used to crumble on top of dishes like oatmeal.

RAW UNREFINED SUGAR:

Raw unrefined sugar is made from the juice of the sugar cane plant. When sugar is refined, all of the nutrients are stripped away. If you want to use cane sugar as a sweetener, then raw unrefined sugar is a better choice.

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Meet Shawn!

I’d like to introduce to you, my boyfriend, Shawn. He is vegan and will contribute to my blog from time to time.     -Kelly



Hi, I’m Shawn, nice to meet you!

 Let me introduce myself, I’m a 21-year-old journalist from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I grew up in Mississauga, Ontario and now I call Hamilton home.

 Let’s rewind about four years, I was in my freshman year at college, and I was on the college diet of hamburgers and Kraft Dinner. So one day I went back to my room in residence after a long day of classes, and I threw a couple frozen burgers on the George Foreman grill. After I ate my dinner, I looked at the nutritional facts on the box, and what I saw shocked me, over 100 per cent of my daily fat, sodium and trans-fat in one meal. Needless to say, I decided never to eat meat again.

Fast-forward about six months from that, after doing some research and watching some documentaries (including Food Inc., a great documentary, check it out if you haven’t seen it) I decided that I’d go vegan. It was a logical move for me; I felt that since I was vegetarian, I might as well go all the way and be vegan.

When I told my parents that I was vegetarian, they thought I was joking at first. I came home from college for the weekend and said that I didn’t want any meat, because I’m vegetarian now. Despite the initial confusion, my parents have been very supportive of my decision and eventually my brother became vegan too. My parents have been very supportive of all my endeavours in my life, and I owe a lot to them, and I’m always happy to have their support. My grandparents don’t really understand veganism, but they support me anyways. My grandma “veganizes” some of my childhood favourite meals when I visit, and she makes her chocolate cake, which happens to be vegan anyways.

I know that not everyone is supportive of the vegan lifestyle, which bothers me because people like to rip on it, without fully understanding it. I believe in tolerance, some people find solace in religion; you wouldn’t rip on someone for their religious beliefs. Some people (including myself) feel that being vegan makes sense to them, so why would it be acceptable to disrespect someone over being vegan? Bob Dylan says it best “don’t criticize, what you can’t understand,” (from The Times They Are a-Changin’)

Aside from becoming vegan at college, I also found the love of my life, Kelly. We started dating when we were both 18, in our freshman year. We have been inseparable ever since. When we first started dating, Kelly was not vegetarian, it didn’t really bother me, but I did want her to consider the change. She tried going vegetarian, but it didn’t last too long. A few months later, she tried again, and was vegetarian for a long time, until she recently became vegan too.

So about six weeks ago, Kelly came to me with an idea. She said how she wanted to do her own vegan lifestyle blog, which I thought was a brilliant idea! Two weeks later, Vegan Advantage was born. Kelly asked me if I would be interested in contributing to Vegan Advantage, and of course, I wanted to. I have to congratulate her on an impressive start-up! Six weeks ago, Vegan Advantage was merely an idea, and today it is an established vegan lifestyle blog.

Not only am I an advocate of the vegan lifestyle, I’m most importantly an advocate for healthy eating. I understand that veganism isn’t for everyone, but that’s okay, every person is entitled to their own decision- it’s what makes us unique. However, healthy eating is important, herbivore or omnivore. The obesity rate in Canada is at about 60 per cent, and our neighbours to the south have a 70 per cent obesity rate. Veganism helps reduce the amount of fats and trans-fats you take in and promotes healthy eating, and many studies show it reduces risk of disease, including heart disease. Vegan or not, eating healthy is important.

My vegan friends, I hope you find Vegan Advantage a resourceful tool for recipes, vegan fashion and even for some DIY projects on your down time.

For my omnivorous friends, please consider eating less meat or trying out the vegan lifestyle, even for just one day, or for one meal. I hope you too can find Vegan Advantage resourceful, try making one vegan friendly meal from one of Kelly’s recipes.

Thank you for reading, I know there are millions of pages on the Internet, and I thank you for taking the time to visit this one. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to say hello, drop Kelly a line at Kelly@veganadvantage.ca

All the best,

Shawn

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DIY Cork Board

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DIY: Cork Board

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