Product Updates

Good morning from Mondays are Meatless, reporting to you live from the first day of a new week, living in the last minute. Due to bad planning and hours spent putting up a Christmas tree, I didn't get this message out on the weekend as I like to. I usually try to give you time to make sure you have all ingredients for a new recipe, but you're going to have to look back into the archive for dinner tonight, anyway, as this week's offering is a sweet, not a savoury. More on that later. First, some product updates.

Turtle Islands Foods makes some of our favourite meat-free and dairy-free products, including Tofurkey. They recognize the value of going meatless one day a week, highlighting the reduction in greenhouse gases to which we can all contribute. But in a self-serving marketing ploy, they have chosen an appellation with an alternative alliteration, deciding to promote "Tofurkey Tuesdays" instead. Whatever works, I guess. You can sign up for a quarterly newsletter (and they will send you an information package if you live in the U.S.) if you are interested in hearing more.

Another manufacturer with a product line worth promoting is "Lean Cuisine," the makers of low calorie prepared meals who have been around for years. They have now partnered with Gardein (winners of a Canadian Manufacturing Grand Prix New Product award - frozen category) to create a line of "Veggie Cuisine" products - low calorie, prepared meatless meals. Maybe this would be a good thing to have in your freezer for those "fright nights" when you are short on time. You now have the option of making it a Microwave Monday once in a while.

Lastly comes news of a new study showing that soy milk is a better option than cow milk when it comes to your cholesterol levels. In a randomized, controlled trial, the individuals taking the soy protein supplements showed significant improvements in their cholesterol levels: "Compared with milk protein, soy protein supplementation significantly increased HDL and significantly reduced total/HDL cholesterol ratio as well as lowered LDL cholesterol." So it increased the good and decreased the bad cholesterol. If you are thinking of switching to soy milk or even just want to try it, look for a brand made from "whole organic soybeans" and stay away from those made from "soy protein isolate." The former kind is just less processed than the latter and better for you overall. Good luck with those cholesterol levels!

Which brings me to this week's recipe, which includes a little bit of soy milk, coincidentally. This is a traditional holiday recipe which Christina, our resident expert on all things baking, adapted to be vegan. A delicious example of Christmas baking which you can serve to guests, whether or not it is Monday. Enjoy!