missi and meredith do vegan texas-style
As you've probably noticed in her previous guest blogs, my friend Missi Pyle's little sister Meredith has been accompanying her ON THIS vegan journey. In the fifth edition of their kind chronicles, Meredith steps in for Missi and shares how she satisfied a meaty Tex Mex craving as well as some rules she's learned along the way:
Hey Everybody! It's Meredith in for Missi in the continuing adventures of Missi and Meredith In Vegan Wonderland!! !
Hello best friends. This is Meredith in for Missi. Missi got a job, woo hoo, filming The Mentalist this week; which has made her incredibly helpful and handy in the kitchen.
Uhhh not. And, since Missi constantly reminds me that her brain is old and how I am young and how I make her feel one-hundred and seven, I thought I'd allow her to use what little brain power the old fart has left to memorize her lines rather than help me in the kitchen. (Sorry Miss, but the getting old comments are getting well OLD.)
Glad I got that off my chest. So, this week, I took over the blog, the kitchen, and the menu for this week's Vegan adventures in Lost Angeles.
Side Note: Since I'm already here and all I thought it might be nice for you to hear my side of the story. I drove from Texas to Los Angeles, with father Frank, who still doesn't know where he is, to come and live with my sister. Upon arriving, Missi announced that she was going to try Veganism during our stint in Alicia's house, which BTDubs is amazeballs! Being that I had just spent two days in the car with Frank, learning all about Southwest vegetation and overdrive buttons, my defenses were down and I agreed to join her in her Vegan quest. I did this without remembering that my last meal was a truck stop Subway and I had yet to get my California ritual: Animal Style Double Double. That I hadn't tasted in years. Well, crap.
Side Side Note: Okay I'm from Texas. I talk like it. And I eat like it. I come from cattle ranchers on one side of the family and dairy farmers on the other. So to say it hasn't been easy is an understatement.
Now, I know I haven't been a non-meat eater for long but I have learned a few very important lessons this month.
Number 1. NOT ALL MEAT SUBSTITUES ARE EQUAL.
Number 2. Tofurkey is: NO way I'm eating it-furkey and
Number 3. If you see "Chicken-less" just turn and walk away.
So what is a meat lover like me to do?? If at first you don't succeed- fry fry a hen. Just kidding. Kinda. Or you can take a tip from Miss Silverstone and go straight to the "meat" a.k.a. "proteins" section of The Kind Diet for a solution. And boy did I find it. Tex-Mex style. Not only did I find a meat that tasted good, but it actually tasted like MEAT! Woo. Party. It's the Chorizo found in Alicia's Chorizo Tacos found on pg. 157 from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.
Meat AND Mexican?? Done. Yum.
First, I started by prepping all the Taco fixin's. (That's Texan for fixings).
Side Side Side Note (last one, honest): Before starting this recipe, I searched endlessly for Tofutti Sour Cream and according to Carlos at Trader Jose's it is discontinued!! How dare they! I've basically been LIVING on the Tofutti Cutie Faux-Ice cream sandwiches. So I had to improvise and replace Guacamole for sour cream to provide the creamy texture and appropriately give it some 'ole Tex-Mex flare!
I started with making the guacamole. As you can imagine, guacamole in Texas is a religion, everyone has their own recipe, which they swear by. And I'm no different. I use avocado, red onion, lime and cilantro. Mash up the avocado, dice the onion, add the cilantro and lime, a heapin' of salt, and there you have it. Tex-mex guacamole. And here's a fun serving tip, take the avocado shells you just scraped clean and put your mixed guacamole inside. Fiesta on a plate.
After you make the guacamole, assemble more chopped onions, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, cilantro, and Vegan cheddar cheese, and any other fixin's you may desire.
And now for the meat. Soy chorizo is the way to go. It comes in a tubey like concoction which is really gross and has to be squeezed into the frying pan in a bit of oil.
Cook the chorizo for about 5 minutes and bring it to the table. I will say, the great thing about faux-meat is that it doesn't require serious cooking. Just browning or warming. Hooray.
The final result provided a beautiful display of colors and choices. While Megan and I made Tacos, Missi opted for a Tostada.
So, if you're a Texan and you find yourself hankerin' for some meat, remember that a great Tex-Mex meal can quickly and easily be made Vegan (by careful faux-meat selection), without losing the taste and memories that remind you of home. 
Yay, Meredith! Side note, Tofutti still makes their soy sour cream, but you may have to get it at Whole Foods or another specialty store.
What vegan ingredient hits home for you?
Related Stories:
Guest Blog: Missi Pyle's Vegan Quest - Day 1
Guest Blog: Missi Pyle's Vegan Adventure!
Guest Blog: Incredible Cruciferous Veggies!
Agave...Oy Vey!
15 comments
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I work at Trader Joes and we do have a couple of "chicken less" products that you may love! (I've tested them all).
Here are the best ones:
Beefless Ground beef = Awesome, but since I'm one person and am not used to eating 'ground beef' I can barely finish it.
Soy Chorizo = Better than real chorizo
Vegan Orange Chicken = Halelujah! It's been forever since I could indulge in this and it's amazing. You'll find it it the frozen section with other meatless products. (our vege burgers are amazing too!)
I was never a fan of Tofutti but Trader Joes does carry soy creamy icecream and icecream sandwiches!
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So glad to hear a success story with the Soyrizo. I tried it last fall and got major food poisoning from it, so I haven't tried it again. I may try a mockup to work into this recipe. I'm also a Texas gal and avocadoes are a daily staple for me. Also, if you're in the Houston area, try Texas Best Hot Habanero green salsa. It is locally made and AWESOME.
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This was one of the first recipes I tried from The Kind Diet and I have to say it was love at first bite...I cooked the Soyrizo with the onions in a little olive oil and then put it in a burrito type wrap with the vegan cheddar and the rest of the toppings. It was SO delicious even non-vegan family members loved it. I think I've made this recipe more than any other in the book because it is so EASY and so good!!!
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I like making meals with any kind of veggie meat from the frozen section! I make barbecue spagethi that will satisfy the taste! I put in lots veggies, veggie cheese and that mesquite smoke for the grocery store and few hidden surprises! I do also like BBQ slopy joes! Get createative and take recipes that you make and find better options! It basically taste the same but different meat texture. I also make BLT when I get hungry with veggie bacon!
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I'm a texan born and bred, but I find that as I do enjoy eating meat analogues, I'm actually don't seek it out for myself anymore. I've become more of a fruits, veggies and grains eater I suppose.
But, I can't live without vegenaise. Even if I weren't VEGAN, I would still want to roll around naked in it because it's THAT good. I also love Sriracha, but that's a given. You have to like kale and sriracha just to get your vegan card.
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This recipe has a great alternative to tofutti sour cream, made of cashews and fresh squeezed lemon. It's super tasty! And raw vegan <3
(not my blog)
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I certainly enjoyed the blog - very entertaining! I've had a hard time finding a meat substitute that tastes good as well, so I'm going to check out soy chorizo (especially since it's recommended from a fellow Texan!).
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We are lucky enough that our local grocery store carries Tofutti Sour Cream. My favorite food is mexican so we use it quite often. We've tried several different soyrizos and the best by far is from Trader Joes. Love getting new recipes!
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I made the Cheesey Oozy Guacamole bean dip for the super bowl and I went to whole foods and couldn't find the tofutti sour cream either!! So I used their cream cheese which was really good too but stiil super annoying I can't find it anywhere :( I must must MUST make these chorizos they sound incredible and I am a huge mexican fan and so it my boyfriend.
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Amazeballs!! Can't wait to try and my husband will be grateful! BTW they have the tofutti sour cream (or newest version) at Sprouts!! I will have to check for the ice cream sandwiches, I totally forgot about those!!
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Another Texan here, loving this post!!
Having a gluten allergy, it's hard for me to find good meat substitutes, so I am always open to suggestions. And on a related note, we just learned that our first Trader Joe's is finally coming to Dallas - soooooo excited! -
I am a Texan too and it sure is hard to find any faux meat let alone live among them trying to explain my vegan ways to them. However my local grocery store does carry soy chorizo. Thanks for your input always look forward to them.
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