happy Sunday! I am in Germany and I am struggling a bit with my jetlag. The problem is that I just can't sleep on planes so I basically lose a whole night of sleep when I fly from America to Germany. The flight itself was a bit of a chaos but that's a topic for another post. I need to take care of some things here in Germany - which is also a topic for another post. The weather isn't that great over here. It's raining most of the time. I am hoping for some sunshine.
Today I want to talk to you a little bit about my favorite German vegan products. I talked about the differences between American and German food before and being in Germany I have to take the chance to eat my favorite vegan products.
1. Wilmersburger - vegan cheese.
I stopped eating meat when I was eleven or twelve - and I have never missed it. I never craved a Schnitzel or any other meat product. I have never been a huge meat eater. But it is a bit different with cheese. I really liked to eat cheese. My hometown is 15 minutes away from the French border so I lived really close to the best cheeses in the world. So when I went vegan I had to adjust to not eating cheese anymore. Which wasn't too bad in most cases but sometimes you just crave a lasagna or a Käsebrötchen ( bread roll with cheese - we Germans love our bread). I started to try many vegan cheeses and I have to say that lots of them tasted like paper. But then came Wilmersburger and saved me. They offer different flavors (tomato-basil, paprika, olive...) and my favorite is "Würzig" (spicy). It even melts - which lots of vegan cheeses don't. So if you ever travel to Germany and look for a vegan cheese, I highly recommend buying this one.
2. Carobella Duo
People in my hometown would say that I am a "Süssschniss" which basically means that I love to eat anything sweet. And yes, as a kid I loved to eat the famous hazelnut spread from Italy. I like this one even better because it is not as terribly sweet as Nutella. Plus it is mixed with vanilla so you can't do wrong.
3. Vantastic Foods "Schnouggi"
As I said, I really have a sweet tooth. This one is a nougat bar and I love the fact that the only ingredients are sugar, hazelnuts, cocoa butter, low fat cocoa powder, salt. The only negative - the bar is way too small so one just isn't enough.
4. Vantastic Foods - Veggie Fish Filets.
Yes, vegan fish. I was a bit skeptical at first but I gave it a try and I loved it. It definitely had a bit of a "fishy" taste - as far as I can remember. I guess that comes from the seaweed. The ingredients are wheat fibre, water, soybeans, olive oil, saccharose, salt, seaweed, spices. I love to eat it with potatoes, roasted in olive oil and garlic.
5. Provamel - Rice Coconut drink and Rice Almond Drink
I love to use the coconut drink to make smoothies and I prefer the almond one for hot chocolates or in coffee. I am so glad that we have so many options now. When I went vegetarian there were only a few vegetarian options - I will never forget the first soy Schnitzel my Mom prepared for me. I felt like eating an eraser and the smell wasn't very nice either.
I don't eat things like meat or fish alternatives every day, it is more of a special thing to do. My daily meals consist of lots of veggies, potatoes, couscous, pasta and things like that. But sometimes it is nice to put something on the grill or have a good old Schnitzel. A cruelty free one please. I have never regretted my decision although many people thought it is just a phase and won't last very long. But I guess I have proven them wrong. I can't imagine to ever change my diet back. The plant based diet definitely is the right one for me.
Please stay tuned for part II.
What are your favorite vegan products? And if you are not a vegan: would you try products like vegan fish or vegan "meat"?
Have a happy Sunday!
I can't sleep on planes either! I hope everything is ok in Germany, and that it is an enjoyable visit there!
ReplyDeleteIf I was to become a vegan (which would be very difficult for me to do I think) cheese would also be the hardest part! I eat every kind of cheese and love it so. Good for you for sticking to it! ~Stephanie
All the people around me are always asleep but I am never able to! Everything is okay, thanks for asking. Just some annoying things I need to take care of!
DeleteI really was a cheese lover. I am hoping for a bigger selection of good vegan cheeses!
I hope you get over the jetleg soon!!
ReplyDeleteI avoid the faux meat products in general, but have a lot of soy or almond milk in my tea. Honestly I just prefer veggies etc anyway!
Thanks, Celeste!
DeleteI prefer veggies too, I eat them every day! I also like to try new vegan products, some of the faux meat stuff is really tasty. But I would not want to eat that every day.
Hope you will be over the jetlag soon :)
ReplyDeleteI have never been a big cheese person but when I do use cheese for something (like burritos or pasta) it bugs the heck out of me that it won't melt! I keep trying different brands that promise to melt like dairy cheese, but they LIE.
Your German vegan fish sounds much better than the one I tried from the grocery store, it tasted more like chicken than fish. Okay but nothing I'd try again. I've begun to realize that I can't eat a lot of soy anyway, so all of those "chicken strips" and "burgers" and other meatless products have to be more of a once in a while thing than a daily meal item, anyway.
It is nice that the vegan market is expanding! I would hate to have to eat the same thing every day. I'm far too picky for that.
Thanks, Martha!
DeleteHave you tried Daiya cheese? I had that once and it melted! And it really tastes good. Growing up close to France I have always loved cheese.
I had some vegan scampi once and they also tasted more like chicken than fish. It was okay but I don't need to have that again. I want to try more meals with tempeh or seitan, I need to experiment a bit more! But yeah, I don't eat it very often but I do eat my veggies every day!
The vegan market really is expanding. You did not have many choices ten years ago!
AH, you're in Germany, I had no idea! So now we're really close! enjoy your trip! Hugs xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Chrissy! Yeah, we are really close. :) Hugs!
DeleteHey! I didn't know you are going to Germany! I hope you have a lovely time in Germany, and also a bit of sunshine, too! Thanks for sharing the list of these German vegan products! Of course, I want to try this Wilmersburger - vegan cheese someday! And this hazelnut spread...have you tried Valsoia? It's so cheap here - but it's also an Italian brand, it's about 2 euros for the jar and we just bought a couple of them to bring them with us. Man, that nougat bar? I want to try it!!!!! And as always, a huge Provamel fan. You will find vegan fish products at most vegetarian buffets/restaurants in Asia!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, I need to take care of some things over here. So far I am still waiting for the sunshine. We only have lots of rain!
DeleteI hope you can try the Wilmersburger cheese, it really is good! I haven't tried Valsoia yet, I need to try to find it here!
I would really love to travel to Asia to eat at a vegan buffet there. :)
I feel liek being vegan in Germany would be way harder, but then maybe it's not! So fun you're here, but also ironic that you come here and I go to the US on Weds :)
ReplyDeleteIt isn't that hard anymore. It was harder 10 years ago but now you are able to find so many great vegan products!
DeleteHaha, seems like we switched countries for a while. Have safe travels!
Ooooooh, you're in Germany? For how long? I'd soooo love to see you!
ReplyDeleteLove the Provamel products, too - especially the hazelnut and almond milk on my breakfast cereal :D If I get a chance I'll need to try out the other things.
Ich drueck Dich gaaanz fest liebe Katrin :)
I would love to see you too, Beate! Just sent you an email!
DeleteOh yeah, I forgot to mention hazelnut milk! Love that too! So good and so much better than "normal" milk!
Ich drück Dich, meine liebe Beate!
I'lll be honest, I've never had German food but these sound super good!! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. They really are delicious. I have never been into the heavy German meat dishes. But I do love Sauerkraut. :)
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