Local Vegetarians: help!

[mousme]

I need a source for TVP that's not six thousand miles away from me!

Anyone know of a place that's either in the Verdun-LaSalle-Ville Émard region, or else near downtown/Westmount/NDG? NDG is as far out as I'm willing to travel for my non-meat protein options.

Since BorderCrossing is a vegetarian, I'm trying to move my diet in a vegetarian-friendly direction, the better to accommodate her when she comes over to eat here. Turns out she's not a huge fan of chili and other bean-related dishes, but I figure that I can always try to do something else creative with TVP. Yay experimentation! ;)

Also, I am disappointed in the local selection of tofu. It all seems to be the type that's got a really grainy texture, which makes it sub-optimal for making smoothies (my primary use for tofu). I don't like feeling as though I've added half a cup of sand to my smoothies. :P My Loblaws used to have this nifty tofu-in-a-box which was nice and smooth, but they appear to not have it anymore.

In other news, I am wearing one of my polar fleece sweaters today, and feeling very toasty in it indeed. I still haven't figured out how to alter the dratted thermostat in this place. The thing says it's 19 degrees, but I am skeptical. It sure doesn't *feel* like 19 degrees in here, and on top of that 19 degrees is usually higher than I like it, so mnyeh.

My chili is in the crockpot, and in a few moments I'm going to do more dishes (funny how cooking produces a TON of dish-washing) and then start on the squash soup. With any luck, the soup will be ready just in time for me to start the muffins I forgot that I wanted to make. Once the floor guys make an appearance, I'm going to dart out to buy freezer bags and Tupperware, and then come back in time to make borscht and possibly spaghetti sauce. At this rate, the spaghetti sauce may have to wait until the weekend, because I'm rapidly running out of time. I may also have to pick up some more cans of tomatoes, because I just went through a whackload of them, and I'm back to pre-shopping levels of canned tomatoes (although I was very good and used the older cans, doing a proper pantry-rotating thing in order to ensure that all my food remains good to eat).

I am super excited about getting my chest freezer next week. Whee!

Comments

[foi-nefaste.livejournal.com]

No idea about the TVP - I've never used it - but if you want to raid my cookbook shelf for ideas, about half of the books there are for vegetarian recipes. Feel free. :)

[pasley.livejournal.com]

For health food stores, there's one on Monkland near Girourd, the name of which I've forgotten, but there's also A Votre Sante, on Sherbrooke and Vendome which is *just* outside of Westmount. (When I worked there, many many years ago, they sold several varieties of TVP.) I'm also sure that Optimum, downtown (forget exactly where, but it's near McGill) has TVP.

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I second A Votre Sante, on the south-east corner of Sherbrooke and Vendome - it's where I usually get my TVP, since Loblaws carries it in their Organic section only very sporadically. They also carry an excellent selection of eco-friendly cleaning products and MSG-free vegetarian stock cubes. For the smoothies, are you buying firm tofu (a cream-coloured block in a clear plastic wrapper) or silken tofu (comes in a rectangular tetra-pak box a little larger than a juice box)? You want firm tofu for savory dishes such as curry, and silken tofu for smoothies and fake cheesecake and other vegetarian and lactose-intolerance substitutions.

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Originally I was buying silken tofu, but local supplies appear to have dried out. I am put out by this. I have been reduced to buying firm tofu for the moment, but it is sub-par for smoothies and such.

I shall check out A Votre Santé, since I'm likely to be in that neighbourhood soonish.

Thanks!

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I have more luck finding silken tofu at asian food shops these days. Big grocery stores seem to stock it in a completely different section from the firm tofu - sometimes the asian section, sometimes the health food or organic sections, sometimes int he dairy section. If you go to A Votre Sante, they have it.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

What is TVP?

I have a recipe for a vegetarian "meat loaf" that is quite yummy. From the The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook by Jean Hewitt:

1 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans (I have used other nuts, and it worked well)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup grated mild Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup tomato juice
3 eggs, well beaten
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
Sea salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix togther the nuts, wheat germ and chees. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Turn into an oiled 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes. Serve like meat loaf.
Yield: Four to six servings.

[silly-imp.livejournal.com]

Branche D'Olivier (i think that is the name) on Wellington, in Verdun. Just 1 block west of de L'Eglise metro...

[elanya.livejournal.com]

What is BC's opinions of Lentils? Do they fall in to the bean category? I ask as I am eating some absolutely delicious lentil soup. Nyom.

You could try making a vegetatrian moussaka, which is like lasagne only with eggplant instead of noodles. Sort of Anyway, delicious and freezable in portions, I imagine.

For other ideas of veggie things that are potentially tasty and also make-able in bulk and freezable, go to the grocery store and look at what kinds of veg. things they sell in the frozen food section/microwave dinner etc?