Okay, here’s the thing: I have a relative who is vegan. He lives up north in what I gather is a high-desert-type climate – you know, sagebrush, scrub-oak, that kind of thing. His home is far enough from town to make shopping somewhat infrequent.
So my guess is that those piquant little delicacies, savories and condiments make all the difference in that kind of situation. Therefore, I want to send him a little box of tasty things he might not have ready access to which will liven up his winter staples.
Having almost no experience with vegan cooking, I am turning to my fellow Dopers. What are some versatile, sumptuous things I can send him in small quantities?
(Because he is into wildcrafting, I have gathered some peppercorns from local pepper trees; some local wild fennel seed; and some wild red sage and rosemary which I will dry.)
Does he cook or enjoy eating Indian dishes? I’ve always liked the look of Masala Dabbas, which are simple tins or tiffins of the basic Indian Masala/Curry spices… I figure I would probably start dabbling in Indian cooking if somebody gave me one of these and a few Vegan Indian recipes printed off the net or an Indian cookbook as a starter kit.
Maybe throw in some really tasty premium nuts or dried/candied fruits to the care package… maybe something that isn’t easily available, maybe some luxurious hulled pistachios or Cilantro Lime Pistachios and Pepitas and maybe some dried wolfberries
Fancy salts? They come in a million colors and textures now, and although yes, salt is salt, they are very different from each other when used as a finishing sprinkle on top.
Maybe a selection of local honeys? Lavendar, orange blossom, etc.
Aren’t there some vegans who object to honey? I don’t know if honey is really classically vegan? Best to know if he is a conscientious objector to honey.
Conceivably, aren’t there also some fancy salts, such as Fleur de sal or salt that is made in the classical manner on beaches that technically could contain dead sea creatures killed by the process… small crustaceans for example?
I know that’s vegetarian, but I don’t recall if it’s vegan.
Checking the ingredients list, I see “natural butter flavor” listed. So no.
Speaking as a vegetarian who does cook vegan on occasion, I’d suspect that salt is OK. Give white sugar a miss unless it specifically says it’s vegan (animal bones are involved. Really.), and skip the honey.
How about a very high-quality artisanal balsamic vinegar? Some kind of awesome olive or walnut oil? I’ve seen Latourangelle highly recommended for walnut oil.
How about a combination of vegan staples and vegan treats that are somewhat difficult to find?
For example, agave syrup (comes in different flavours, now, too), vegan sugar, vegan Worcestershire sauce, vegan marshmallows, Red Star nutritional yeast (the only kind that’s yummy, in my book), Primal Strips vegan jerky, vegan chocolates and candies, and vegan caramel popcorn, etc. would definitely be on my Christmas list. Even something like Liquid Smoke or smoked paprika might be fabulous for those who want to impart a smoky bacon/ham-like-flavour to vegan sausages or soups, and both can be a bit of a challenge to find.
The VeganEssentials website has lots of the treats I mentioned. I’ve never ordered from there, FTR, but I’ve read many positive reviews.
There are animal bones in cane sugar? Srsly? Is that sort of like “talc added to keep free-flowing?” Or the “cellulose” in grated cheese, a fancy way of saying “sawdust?” To me, it all comes under the general category of "cut."
How about turbinado sugar? Or dried cane juice? (Do vegans eat stevia?)
I also thought of maple candy. Is that generally ok?
Something I’m really curious about – what kinds of things does a vegan cook use to impart imami, aka savory flavor? (I call it "brown taste.) Like where you’d use buillon, or chicken base, or oyster sauce?
Bone char, made from cattle bones, is sometimes used as a carbon filter for producing white sugar. So it’s not really in there, but most vegans would feel oogy about this process being used just to whiten up some sugar, especially since there are alternative means. There are white sugars out there that don’t use it; among other types, apparently the beet sugar industry doesn’t use bone char, from what I’ve read. Turbinado will be fine too, as should Stevia, and any maple candy that doesn’t use added white sugar.
Most vegetarians and vegans turn to soy sauce/tamari as their source of umami. It’s chock-full of those yummy glutamates. There’s also the old-school “hippie” stuff called Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, also from soybeans, and other soy-derived savories.
High-quality olive oil? Truffles? Heirloom varieties of dried beans?
WRT Bacon Salt, I don’t know about it’s vegan-ness, exactly, but while the original flavor is Kosher-Dairy, the others are pareve (not dairy, not meat.) While eggs and fish are both non-vegan and pareve, nothing that I see in the ingredients of my container of hickory-flavored Bacon Salt seems non-vegan-friendly.
Mushrooms are also a good source of umami, FYI. I always throw some dried ones in my vegetable stock to add some richness.
There are many Vegetarian Mushroom/Oyster Sauces out there. They are a substitute for, and interchangeable with Oyster sauce for Stirfrys and Lo Mein and what have you. It says “vegetarian” not explicitly “Vegan”, but judging from the ingredients in Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian oyster sauceit could very well be vegan as well, unless the sugar disqualifies it?
Vegetarian Oyster Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients: Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat and Salt), corn starch, sugar, Sodium mushroom flavor, Benzoate (less than 0.1% as food preservative).
That you spent time gathering stuff is worth an awful lot. But since you’re still compelled to give him more, here is some stuff I really liked having around when I was vegan (and still like):
Really good peanut butter. Specifically, Maranatha roasted, creamy, with salt.
Nutritional yeast.
Furikake (not the kind with little shrimps or bonito, obviously).
Other suggestions for high-end, animal-free products:
Wild rice.
Heirloom beans.
Agave.
Fancy molasses, like pomegranate-flavored.
Really good dark chocolate. Most of the good stuff is vegan by default, anyway.