I often wish I could say I’ve been vegan all my life, but it’s been 11 years now. Better late than never though, right? It struck me the other day how far veganism has come since even my early days just over a decade ago. Here’s a quick take on what’s changed.
Vegan cheese, please.
There weren’t really many options back then other than Daiya. Well, Teese was available for a hot minute or two. I only managed to buy it a few times before they changed their business model from retail to food service. I’m still a little bummed about that to be honest. So yeah, for a while it was only Daiya. I remember the first time I tried it too. I topped some Cincinnati chili with some of the cheddar style shreds. It filled a melty void that nutritional yeast couldn’t, but it didn’t “wow” me.
Now though?
There’s almost too many to count! Violife, Miyoko’s, So Delicious, Treeline, Field Roast, Follow Your Heart, and so many more I’m both forgetting about and haven’t heard of yet. I mean, just look at that cover of VegNews’ Holiday 2021 Issue!
Even grocery stores are coming out with their own versions; Kroger under its Simple Truth line and Whole Foods’ 365 by Whole Foods Market store brand are two that I can think of offhand.
Vegan meats have gotten better too.
Long gone are the days of the only vegan meat options of tofu, tempeh, mushy bean burgers, and only Boca, MorningStar, and sometimes a Tofurky roast in the freezer section of the grocery store. At least, that’s all I can really remember.
Side note: I still don’t like any sort of bean burger. It’s a texture thing. Or a lack of texture thing to be more specific.
Side note #2: I didn’t like tempeh the first time I tried it. I found it too bitter. But now? I love it! The trick is to steam it first for about 10 minutes. Steaming it will get rid of the bitter taste and help the tempeh to absorb flavors better.
What was I talking about? Oh yeah, how far vegan meats have come over the past decade. Impossible and Beyond have burgers that “bleed,” with other brands coming out with their own versions. There’s also Gardein, Lightlife, Field Roast, Upton’s Naturals, No Evil Foods, The Very Good Butchers, and many more that offer all kinds of vegan meats these days; everything from vegan alternatives to beef, chicken, pork, and even seafood.
More than just French fries or sad iceberg lettuce at restaurants.
Going out to restaurants used to be tricky, with a lot of time spent scouring online menus looking for someplace that had any sort of vegan (usually accidentally so) or veganizable option. It was slim pickings back then, usually consisting of a plate of lettuce or some fries. I never realized just how much meat and cheese dominate the menus at most restaurants until I became vegan.
Most places are still that way, however more and more are adding vegan options on their menus. Big chains such as Mellow Mushroom, Yard House, Blaze Pizza, P.F. Changs, and Olive Garden (believe it or not, their bread sticks are vegan!) all have something to choose from. Even fast-food places such as White Castle, Taco Bell (just order anything vegetarian fresco style to remove the cheese and sour cream), and Chipotle (the guacamole is free if you order the veggie) are just a few.
Sometimes though, ok most of the time, the local places are where it’s at. Here in Dayton, the best place for vegan options is at Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery. Why are they the best (other than the food, obviously)? They prepare their vegan options separately from the meat dishes. Most of their menu can be made vegan if it’s not already and everything is clearly marked (no trying to figure out if that “v” means vegan or vegetarian and then being disappointed when it means the latter).
Another of my favorite haunts is Old Scratch Pizza. When they first opened five years ago, they didn’t offer vegan cheese. I had an opportunity back then to ask the owner about adding vegan cheese to the menu. He wasn’t too keen on it at the time because he didn’t like any that were available at the time (fair enough). Fast-forward to now, and they offer Follow Your Heart and Miyoko’s vegan cheeses as well as their house-made vegan sausage made from Impossible.
Eudora Brewing is another local spot that’s recently added vegan options, such as an Impossible burger with pesto (don’t knock it till you try it – so good!), fried pickles, and buffalo cauliflower (both come with vegan ranch).
A few other of my favorite spots to check out if you ever find yourself in the Dayton, Ohio area are Wheat Penny, Ghostlight Coffee, and China Dynasty (be sure to ask for the vegetarian menu),
Vegan hits the mainstream.
A decade ago, I could have counted on my fingers the number of times I heard or saw the word vegan out in the wild. Saying no to all products made from animals was an idea on the fringes. On the rare occasion I would overhear someone say the word vegan, I’d instantly look around to find the vegan (I still do that, just not quite as often or as obvious).
Grocery shopping was a minefield of ingredient lists, no plant-based or vegan labels meant at least a half an hour in the bread section alone looking for at least one without an animal-derived ingredient.
Today? Vegan or plant-based (I do have my issues with that, but that’s a subject for another day) labels are turning up on products on the regular. Celebrity chefs are getting in on the action. Even staunch carnivore Gordon Ramsay has softened his stance a bit on cooking vegan food.
Commercials for vegan foods are popping up on television. It’s no wonder. Sales of plant-based food reached a staggering $7 billion in 2020, a 27% increase over the previous year.
More and more people are making the choice to go vegan, with the number reaching 9.6 million in the United States alone.
