Tag Archives: viana

Dec 17 2012
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Reviews

The Lazy Vegan: Veggie Bratwurst

Happy Monday, Vegans! Let me take a minute to remind everyone about our December giveaways! There are still two more chances to win a Bubble & Bee Lotion Stick as well as enter to win a TofuXpress. Be sure to read the rules and enter to win some awesome prizes!

Awhile back, I reviewed Viana’s veggie gyros. It was a decent product so I thought I would try out another Viana product:

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The bratwurst is made up mostly of wheat protein and tofu, so it is neither gluten-free nor soy-free. Preparation is easy — it does say “HEAT AND SERVE!” right on the package — but I have to wonder what one has to do in order for the brats to look the way they do on the package. Viana is vague on how they season their products. The texture of the bratwurst is slightly more rigid than that of your standard vegan hot dog and is definitely a bit more spicy. In terms of taste or texture, there’s no mistaking that this is a meatless product.

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I heated up a brat in the microwave for a minute (hello, I am lazy and didn’t want to have to wash a pan) and ate it with garlicky fried rice. It went really well with some mustard. I won’t say I don’t like the product, but I thought it tasted a lot better with the strong garlic and mustard flavors than it did on its own. I think my general complaint about vegan sausages is that the texture is just not that appealing (read: rubbery).

I don’t think I’ll buy this product again. I would definitely try another Viana product again, though. It was good and if you have any interest in trying it, you definitely should! –Melissa

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Oct 17 2012
4 Comments
Lazy Vegan, Reviews

Viana Organic Veggie Gyros

Gyros sandwiches are something that we typically had as a treat growing up. I’ve had birthdays where my dinner request was a gyros sandwich. If you haven’t figured it out yet, gyros is one of the things I really, really miss since turning veganese. Luckily, there is a packaged vegan version at the store for when I’m feeling lazy.

I was initially hesitant to try Viana Veggie Gyros.Some vegan substitutes can be a little heartbreaking. But I had a gyros craving so bad that I just needed to pick this up.

Here’s the good: it’s tasty, good texture, none of that grease, organic, and chock full of protein (it is a tofu/wheat product).

The bad: None.

The could-be-better: I’m used to gyros meat that is thinly sliced and these were more like ‘meat’ strips. In addition, the ‘meat’ was packaged in a way that made it a task to separate the pieces, and it many cases, I ended up breaking the pieces into much smaller chunks.

This didn’t fill my gyros craving 100%, but a lot of that was my fault. I didn’t have any pita or appropriate ingredients with which to make a vegan tzatziki  sauce, so I ate the ‘meat’ with brown rice, tomato, and onion. Since I’m used to a greasy, saucy gyros sandwich, the dish felt too dry.

I’m glad to know that this product is out there (you can buy it from Vegan Essentials) but I think I would be better off making my own vegan gyros. That will have to wait for a day when I’m not feeling like a lazy bum.

Have you tried Viana Veggie Gyros? Have you made your own? What was your experience? –Melissa

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