Veggie substitutions in your own favourite recipes

1. Veggie ground round such as Yves Veggie Ground Round Original can be used to replace ground round in recipes such as spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chili or stuffed peppers. Yves also has a Mexican flavoured veggie ground round that is tasty in tacos. There are other brands of veggie ground round that would work equally well. An example is our delicious easy to make Chili recipe. There also brands of veggie "meatballs" that can be used in spaghetti sauce.
2. Veggie "beef" strips to replace beef: These products can be used in stews or stroganoff or even an elegant dish such as Almost Beef wellington with Bisto Gravy.
3. Tofu to replace chicken:There are a couple of things you can do with tofu to improve its texture. First, press it between paper towels to remove the excess moisture. Next, you can cut it into bite size pieces and brown it in olive oil over a medium heat. Or, you can cut it into one inch cubes and bake in the oven at 350F (180C)for about 20 minutes. Then, use the tofu to replace chicken in your favourite recipes. An example is Sweet and Sour Tofu.
4. Tempeh to replace veal or fish: Veal and fish have quite delicate flavours and it is often the sauce that makes the dish. Tempeh has a firmer texture than tofu and a slighlty nutty flavour. It usually comes in squares that are about 1/2" (1.25 cm)thick. Cut the squares horizontally to make them 1/4" (.6 cm) thick. Then cut the squares diagonally to make trangles, for presentation purposes. Coat the pieces in flour, then in a liquid such as soy milk, egg replacers or real egg. Dredge them in FRESH breadcrumbs (can be made easily in a blender.) Then brown the pieces in olive oil over a medium heat. Use with your favourite sauces. One of our dishes that use tempeh is Tempeh "Parmigiana".
5. Veggie dogs, burgers, sauages, and deli slices can be used for snacks and lunches. There are several brands that when "dressed up" taste like the real thing.
6. Veggie breakfast sausages and patties can be used to replace breakfast meats. See "Hash" for Breakfast for a delicious healthy weekend brunch.