Vegan foods are hotter than ever, and the natural foods expos have literally every animal-based food covered with insanely good and gourmet substitutes. We have new food crushes weekly these days. Here are our top 5 this week. All of these pyt’s are available at your local health food store or Whole Foods.
Tofurky Pockets – aka vegan hotpockets.. WHAT?! With three flavors: Pepperoni Pizza, BBQ Chick’n and Turk’y Broccoli Cheddar , these pockets are ready to heat and eat when you are. The crispy whole grain crust locks in the moisture of the Tofurky and Veggies inside for a delicious meal on the go that says no to our thighs but yes to our hearts. Sexy as fuuudge.
On a cleaner note; We’ve begun starting our mornings with Moringa! It is considered the most complete, nutrient rich plants on earth. Organic India offers a vegan, gluten-free and organic formula with leaves that are abundant in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, B1, B3, B12, iron, magnesium, potassium, amino acids, and polyphenols. This super supplement is perfect in a smoothie! Organic India even shares a few in its Smoothie Series. Its leaves have been eaten for thousands of years as a super food nutritional supplement, a potent culmination of 46 antioxidants, 36 anti-inflammatory compounds, seven times the vitamin C in an orange and four times the vitamin B12 in one steak serving. Breakfast never felt so good!
Vegan cheese keeps evolving and evolving, which is a good thing because we have no intentions of ever chowing down on cow tit hardened juice ever, ever again. Treeline Cheese is totally dairy-free. It is made of pure, wholesome cashew nuts, acidophilus culture, salt and pepper. No animals are harmed, or even touched in its production. And it’s not soy based and chemical-y, so you’ll feel clean eating it. Have we mentioned it’s totally delicious?!
Vegan chicken has won in the form of Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat has been the recipient of a number of awards and national press. Recently, Fast Company named Beyond Meat the World’s Most Innovative Company in Food for 2014 and the company headlined an in-depth article in the New York Times about the importance and momentum of plant-based protein. But who cares about all that, this line is fantastic. The most trick-able chicken protein we’ve tried! And the kiddles heart it longtime.
Sunridge Farms is a great line of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, that are not all organic and vegan (though most are!), but are made in California products and produced in SunRidge Farms’ recently expanded solar-powered manufacturing facility (hooray.) In this case we always go the more “local” and green route (when China is where your organic goji berries come from, half way around the country is always more local) over the organic. This company is powered by 70% solar, and is a certified green business (not an easy certification to get!). They use biodiesel delivery trucks, offer recycling education, and pay employees (!!) to bike to work! Hand-crafted in small batches using the freshest ingredients, they are Non-GMO, and contain no preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or Trans fats. Available in 7-ounce resealable, BPA-free packaging (this is major!), the below snacks are an eco-friendly choice that easily pack in a lunch box or clutch.
We fell CRAZY in love with the thai cashews, that are only available in bulk packs. But seriously, who cares! There is nothing on the market that tastes this yummy!
Sophie’s Kitchen is a line of vegan seafood made after a family found their daughter allergic to seafood. This line has been an eye-opener for those of us raised kosher! We get to try shrimp, crab, calamari, and more! The fish sticks, crab cakes, and scallops are crazy realistic in texture and perfect to cook with! With allergies, over fishing, mercury toxicity, and religious regulations – choosing plant based, non-gmo shellfish is a no-brainer. Vegan Breaded Coconut Shrimp, say whaaaaa…
Sweet Earth Natural Foods make the best vegan frozen burritos we’ve ever tasted, but their seitan is also the best of the best. Much pre-made seitan tastes like rubber, this stuff just tastes like goody deliciousness. And they’ve recently launched a vegan burger line, which we’ve yet to try, but hear incredible things from our foodie crew. The packaging and branding for this line wins, in terms of cool, and it’s all made in their California kitchen!
cover image via Alfred Eisenstaedt