Veganism is taking the mainstream by storm. It doesn’t get any more mainstream than Oprah… when Oprah speaks the world listens. And listen they did earlier this week when Chef Tal Ronnen paid a return visit to the Oprah show to plug his new book, The Conscious Cook as well as some great new vegan products by Gardein.
Tal Ronnen is the chef behind Oprah’s 21-Day Cleanse where she went vegan for nearly a month. Kudo’s to them both, that was probably the first time many American’s had ever heard the word vegan before. While she didn’t end up sticking to a vegan diet she has remained quite a good ally to have on our side as she does do her part to get the good word out there. Her segment with Chef Ronnen that aired this week was nothing short of being a very positive advertisement for veganism. Props to Oprah for that.
First a bit about Tal’s book, then we’ll get to the tasty bits.
The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat
By Tal RonnenA former steak lover himself, Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. By applying traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine, he found that he could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat. The Conscious Cook shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food.
You’re going to want this book. What I like about his approach to vegan cooking is that he’s going for taste and flavor- he’s not afraid of fat and isn’t going to try and convince you that you’re going to hell for using a bit of olive oil or Earth Balance butter. The food he’s making is by default pretty healthy, but it’s not a health food book, it’s a book of delicious vegan food that anyone would love to it.
The first thing Chef Ronnen prepared on the Oprah show was a Celery Root Soup with Granny Smith Apples which looked really tasty and easy to make. The next thing he made was Gardein “Chicken” Scaloppini. They didn’t show him cook it on the show but it looked so good I was drooling (stick around til the end, I’ve got you covered).
This makes for a perfect segue to talk about Gardein. Some of you are already familiar with this product, a newcomer on the vegan food scene which has taken over our taste buds by storm. Many restaurants are starting to offer vegan meals thanks to the faux beef & chicken products by Gardein, and now they’ve expanding to making their stuff available in markets so that regular folks like you and me can serve it up at home.
Well if this Oprah episode seemed like an ad for veganism it was also a huge ad for Gardein. Not only did Chef Ronnen use Gardein’s faux-chicken as the main ingredient in his recipe, but he & Oprah spent a lot of time talking about Gardein, explaining vegan protein and basically just talking up what a great product it is. I can only imagine that sales and stock for Gardein must have skyrocketed overnight as soon as that show aired. This is seriously awesome.
Awesome because Gardein is totally delicious, totally vegan, and totally coming to restaurants and markets near you. I don’t mean only the hippie markets either, here in L.A., Ralph’s supermarkets have started carrying the brand new frozen line of Gardein and most of the stores seem to have them in stock already. This is major news people! Vegan meals and snacks in your nearby frozen food isle!
I was recently given the opportunity to try out this new line of vegan goodies and I am most thoroughly impressed. Have a gander at what’s in store for you…
First lets talk a bit about Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza (No Cheese). This is one delicious pizza as far as things that come out of box and into your oven are concerned. I loved this long before I went vegan and I still do today. Amy’s pizza is the one item in the freezer aisle I always have a tough time resisting. 
It’s no secret that bloggers love to get free stuff, myself included. For some reason my blog and I have not made it on to the list of “cool people who like to eat yummy stuff and write about it” radar of most vegan specialty companies. It’s always the other cool kids getting awesome stuff in the mail to sample like vegan ice cream, marshmallows, cheese, what have you. I hardly ever get offered anything exciting and it’s a cryin’ shame.
