Viana Cowgirl Veggie Steaks

Tonight we tried out a new vegan product we haven’t had before, Viana Cowgirl Veggie Steaks. This product is imported from Germany and is a high quality vegan product. The ingredients are all certified organic, GMO-free, high in protein, and they are really easy to prepare. This is the only vegan steak currently available in Australia.

So first impressions, the ‘steaks’ look very much like a cooked meat steak. When I first took took them out of the pack I thought they were a bit small, however they are also quite thick as well. There was not really must instruction on the box. It just had a picture of a pan with ‘5 mins’. So I just cooked it in a non stick pan with a drop of oil for about 4 mins on each side. I served it topped with Chimichurri and some vegetable sides. Once it was cooked it looked very much like a nice steak.

The taste wasn’t too bad either, definitely doesn’t taste like a real steak, but the texture is very convincing. It wasn’t dry or chewy like meat is when its cooked as much as the texture felt like when you ate it, so it was easy to eat. It was also really filling. Its been two hours and I can still feel it in my tummy.

I think this is probably the best vegan mock meat product in terms of quality and nutrition. It tasted pretty good too, but next time I will use a heavy sauce. It doesn’t taste that beefy, so its also good for those people who don’t like the flavor of meat. I would eat it again, well I will be eating it again, since I have another packet in my fridge. I recommend for people who are transitioning or like to still enjoy meat like dishes. Marco really liked it, even though he loves real steak, so you can also share it with your carnivore friends.

This is the first time I have made Chimichurri. It is actually an Argentinian sauce, however it is also used in Uruguay. It is used for grilled meats as a topping or as a marinate. It is traditionally made with finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white or red wine vinegar. However, there are many variants using coriander, paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, bay leaf, tomato and red bell pepper. It was quite nice and fragrant sauce. It definitely needs to be used as a condiment. By itself its not that nice.

This is the second time I have made Cauliflower mash. The first time I made a macrobiotic recipe with millet. I told Marco it was mash potatoes. He hated it and made me promise to never make it again. He was very skeptical when I told him I was making cauliflower mash again, but he ended up loving it. It was very silky and delicious and all it needed was a bit of salt to bring it alive. It went really well with the Sweet Green Onions to give a sweet and savory taste. Even if you don’t like cauliflower, you still like this!

Cowgirl Veggie Steaks with Chimichurri (vegan, nut free)

Ingredients:

2 Viana Cowgirl Veggie Steaks (or other vegan steak)

olive oil to cook

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced oregano

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon white or red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or red chilli flakes

sea salt or black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients, except for cowgirl steaks, in a small bowl to make the Chimichurri. Then set to the side. If making the ahead of the time leave in the fridge to chill.

2. Cook Cowgirl Steaks in a pan with a drop of olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook for 5 mins on each side.

*Serve steaks with Chimichurri spoon on top.

*Serves 2