Vegan Challenge 2K11: The Report Card

Well folks, we're halfway through the first week of the challenge. And I'm still in it. I even gave up free Ben & Jerry's ice cream to keep in line!! Don't worry, I am so buying Jimmy Fallon's ice cream as soon as this is over.

One of the reasons why I thought becoming Vegan might be possible was because a lot of the items I saw on the suggested Meal Plan from Oprah's website were either things I already eat or things I've eaten before that I didn't think were disgusting. Bagels? Check. Tofu? Check. Fake butter? Check. It also probably helps that I'm not that picky of an eater, so I most certainly will try those beefless beef strips.

Luckily, Trader Joe's also has a handy list of foods they carry on their website that are Vegan friendly. Below is a a report card of a few of the new items from TJ's that I've never tried before - and will never try again.

First up are the Dairy and Gluten Free pancakes. Overall, I'd give these a B+. For some reason, I expected them to be bigger, but they're actually like silver dollar size that you would get from Perkins or something. I prepared them in the suggested method of cooking, in a toaster, which surprisingly made the centers soft and the edges a little crispy. But as far as the texture goes, that's where I deducted some points, as it got to be a little ... spongy? Overall taste was pretty decent, if I didn't know these were dairy and gluten free, I probably wouldn't have known the difference.

Next up is the Vegetable Pad Thai. This was a winner, winner, charlie sheen dinner. The sauce, noodles, tofu and spices were perfect. There might have been a little too many bean sprouts, but still amazing none the less. This one gets an A!



Finally, we have the beefless beef strips I mentioned earlier. Now I decided I'd get all Bobby Flay and mix these strips up with some garlic, onions and peppers, and put them over some rice, as suggested on the front of the box. Look how nice it came out:


Yeah, no. Looks are decieving. This was me:

I couldn't even finish this. The "beef" is made out of obviously NOT beef, and like beans and veggies instead. I just could not handle the texture of it, and the other shit I put in did not mask the disgustingness of it. So basically, Fail with a capital F.

I have higher hopes for the veggie burgers and chickenless nuggets... well, maybe.