Your Burning Vegan Questions, Answered

  • Vegan foods are often already abundant in any given kitchen! Some examples include:
    Tortilla Chips & Salsa
    Mr. Noodles Beef
    Mr. Noodles Chicken
    Mr. Noodles Vegetable
    Mr. Noodles Spicy Chicken
    Chef Woo Braised Beef Ramen Cups
    Chef Woo Roasted Chicken Ramen Cups
    Bread/Nut Butters/Jam
    Uncrustables
    Quinoa
    Rice
    Potatoes
    Smiley Fries
    Curly Fries
    French Fries
    Frozen Hash Potatoes
    Frozen Potato Hash Patties
    Wheat Pasta
    Lasagna Noodles
    Tomato Sauce
    Rice Noodles
    Pinto Beans
    Chickpeas
    Black Beans
    Refried Beans
    Mini Corns
    Frozen Peas
    Frozen Berries
    Cheemo Potato & Onion Perogies
    Cheemo Ukrainian Style Garlic Perogies
    Almonds
    Cashews
    Olives
    Quaker Instant Oat Meal Apple & Cinnamon
    Quaker Instant Oat Meal Maple & Brown Sugar
    Maple Breakfast Beans
    Tomato Breakfast Beans
    Oreos
    Fudgee-os
    Many of the “Dare” cookies
    Triscuits (nondairy flavours)
    Wheat Thins
    Vegetable Thins
    Breton Crackers (Most flavours)
    Sweet Chili Heat Doritos
    Nutella Peanut Spread
    Dunkaroos - Cinnamon Toast Crunch Vanilla Cookies & Cinnadust Frosting
    Truffle Oil & Sea Salt Kettle Brand Chips
    “Strawberry Rhubarb” Bakery Pies in clear clam shells from IGA
    “Apple” Bakery Pies in clear clam shells from IGA
    President’s Choice Protein Tortillas
    President’s Choice “Sweet & Salty” Kettle Corn
    Dempster’s Tortillas/Wraps
    Old El Paso Soft Flour Tortillas
    Old El Paso “Stand & Stuff” Taco Shells
    Old El Paso “Crunchy” Taco Shells

    Most breads and bagels. (Always skim ingredients, and watch for L-Cysteine.) but here’s a quick list:
    All Dempster’s
    Costco Blueberry Bagels
    Silver Hills Breads
    Wonder Bread “Ballpark Classics” Hamburger Bun
    D’Italiano “Gusto! Sesame” Hamburger Buns
    D’Italiano “Gusto! Brioche Style” Hamburger Buns
    Ace Bakery “Sourdough Bistro”
    “Jumbo Hotdog Buns, 12” from Superstore
    “Brioche Hamburger Buns, 12” from Superstore
    “Bagel, Blueberry 6-pack” from superstore
    Country Harvest Whole Grain & Protein Blend Bread
    Wonder Bread “Ballpark Classics” Hotdog Buns
    Country Harvest 14 Grains & Protein Sliced Bread



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  • Subway footlong veggie on artisian italian (add your own Tofurky and cheese if desired), all dressed chips or whatever other vegan chips, soda or water!

    A&W burger - no uncle sauce, no mayo. Onion rings are vegan in Canada! Rootbeer obvs

    Burger King - Impossible Whopper, no mayo! French toast sticks! Pepsi

    McDonalds - fries are vegan in Canada, fruit pies (just not the chocolate pies etc). Coke/coke zero, their new redbull drinks look bomb

    Chopped Leaf Harvest Bowl is my favourite, add double tofu if you want to!

    Panago - pepperoni, daiya cheese, impossible chicken nuggets, vegan honey mustard, build your own salads go hard! (either use your own dressing or their balsamic vinaigrette  is vegan)

    Pizza Pizza - an entire “plant based” section with pepperoni, vegan cheese, chicken sandwiches, panzerotti and stuff!

    Red Swan Pizza - No vegan meat, but really delicious vegan cheese, sesame crust

    Meltwich - chicken sandwiches, poutine

    Edo - Teriyaki Tofu slaps!!

    Tim Hortons -  potato wedges, hash patties, sliced almond milk lattes, soy/oat/almond lattes, unbuttered (dry) english muffin with peanut butter

  • Download the HappyCow app on your phone to have all the options at your fingertips! There might be more vegan options in your area than you think!

    Cactus Club - Crispy Tofu Bowl, they have way more vegan options in BC which is annoying, HOWEVER the crispy tofu bowl is great

    Earls Restaurant & Bar -  They have an entire “plant based” menu! Kale & mushroom pizza, Vegan Garden Burger, Vegan Hunan Kung Pao, Korean Tofu Bibimbap, Crispy Chili Tofu

    The Old Spaghetti Factory -Spaghetti with Impossible Meatballs !! Their minestrone is also vegan to start, and their bottomless whipped garlic butter and bread is vegan!!!

    Original Joe’s - Chicken Club Wrap, The Kona Burger, Cajun Chicken Cheddar Sandwich, Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl and more - they are very specific on their menu as far as what modifications you have to make when ordering!

    Milestones - brunch served until 3pm weekends and holidays and they have a vegan brunch option! “M CLASSIC BREAKFAST - VEGAN scrambled 'just egg', smoked apple sage 'sausage', roasted potatoes, schiacciata bread”
    Rest of menu: Tofu lettuce wraps, roasted mushroom soup (i would double check that one is vegan but is has the symbols on it)
    Specifically in their “plant based” section: stuffed portobello mushroom cap, shiitake teriyaki bowl, Vegan med bowl.

  • Wondering what our national codes of practice for the care & handling of farmed animals looks like? Canada guidelines can be found here:

    https://www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice


  • For many when first going vegan, the apathy of those around them can be the most jarring part of their journey. Not only can a lack of support be disappointing, but it can be confusing and disorienting when we show our loved ones what is happening to the animals… and their immediate reaction isn’t a desire to to stop contributing to the horrors. The will dig their heels in. They will double-down.

    …but at at the end of the day, that’s the most difficult part about veganism. The rest is easy. And in my experience at least SOME of your friends &/or family will be cool and supportive which will bring you even closer because we love supportive people! Some of them might go vegan with you. It’s a numbers game.

  • I encourage all vegans to join their local vegan facebook groups for support and to keep in the loop. You’ll find out about all the important stuff like new vegan options/products, vegan meet ups, Veg Fests. When planning trips, one of the first things I do is join the destination’s vegan facebook groups! I want to know where the locals are eating and what they get up to. These groups can also indicate if there is any activism happening in the area if that is something you have interest in participating in (highly recommend taken action for the animals whenever possible).

    You also want to get your algorithm on track because there are so many vegan creators in so many different niches. Find recipes, food inspo, scientists, doctors, politicians, debaters, activism, musicians, comics, gym/trainer content…. it’s endless. Immersing yourself in the online vegan community makes you feel less alone and it’s one of the most supportive communities ever. Don’t know where to start? Steal my algorithm! Go to my instagram “reposts” @veggiedawwg, and watch and interact with few of the reels! Your FYP will be more vegan friendly in no time.

  • A “May Contain” statement at the end of an ingredient list is to warn that the ingredients listed may be present by accident due to particles in the air or shared factory equipment and is generally considered suitable for vegans.

    For efficiency and to save time while shopping, I recommend skipping to the “Contains” section first. If you see milk, dairy, or eggs there, you don’t need to read the rest. If it doesn’t, skim the ingredients!

    Insidious Ingredients to keep an eye out for:

    Confectioner’s Glaze (bugs)
    L-Cystene (hair and feathers)
    Rennet (Taken from the inner lining of a young animal's stomach, usually a calf - in parmesan!!)
    Gelatin (boiled skin, bones, cartilage & sinew)

  • Most of the restaurants listed above have cross contamination in their kitchens, please modify your orders as necessary, depending on if a shared fryer bothers you or not.

    A shared fryer does not cause animal suffering, and is purely preference. As somebody who is not comfortable eating out of a shared fryer or off of a shared grill - it’s disheartening when we judge or shame others who are. Do I wish more places/all places had separate cooking surfaces? Yes. Will I judge fellow vegans who aren’t bothered by it at this point in their journey? No. Do I believe we all have internalized speciesism, myself included? Yes. If a restaurant was cooking dog or human meat in the kitchen but had a separate fryer for vegan stuff.. hell, if a place serves foie gras or shark? I’m not stepping foot in there. However, I will eat options that I speculate to be low to no cross contamination at somewhere like Spaghetti Factory.

    Eating out of a shared fryer does not increase animal suffering, but infighting certainly has potential to. Extending the same kindness and compassion we extend to animals to each other when it comes to topics like this is always a good idea.

    Note:
    I have never found a McDonald’s without a fryer used exclusively for french fries, and their french fries are vegan in Canada.

    When going out for dinner, I recommend calling in advance in order to keep things as easy as possible when you arrive at the restaurant. If you want to help other vegans out, you can include these details about fryers/cooking surfaces in a HappyCow review.

    To not have to think about any of this: support your local vegan restaurants when possible!

Do you have grocery anxiety as it is, let alone trying to shop vegan? Don’t overthink it, sub out the meat/cheese products for these recommended brands! It can be helpful to familiarize yourself with their logos and the gist of what they offer so you feel like a pro by the time you’re gracing the vegan aisles. Overwhelmed by all the options? I have noted my favourite products under each brand, start there!

All your favourite foods, just made vegan!

Gardein

Gardein is a frozen line that makes fish filets, veggie ground beef, chicken tenders, chicken burgers, unbreaded chicken strips , chicken nuggets, round breakfast sausage patties, and wings.

Where to buy: In general the best price for them is at Walmart, followed by Superstore! Also found at Save On, and sometimes Safeway. Freezer section.

☆ Liv’s Gardein Recs ☆
Chick’n strips, pan fried with cajun seasoning and fresh lemon!

Tofurky

Tofurky is has been around since the 80s, and make the famous Tofurky for holidays. They also make really good staple products like sausages, deli meat, and chick’n pieces.

Where to buy: You will find these in the “natural aisle” fridge section at Superstore, in the produce section at Safeway, and most likely in your save on and IGA, always refrigerated.

☆ Liv’s Tofurky Recs ☆
Highly recommend the hickory smoked deli slices for sandwiches, too easy! Also the “lightly seasoned” chick’n pieces to throw straight onto a salad.

Field Roast

Field Roast is another elite brand, they make sausages, breakfast sausages, bacon, hotdogs, burgers, deli slices, meat shreds & crumbles, mini corn dogs, wings, roasts, and more!

Where to buy: These are also in the fridge, found at Superstore and Safeway! Once again, great protein content. 

☆ Liv’s Field Roast Recs ☆
Definitely the apple & sage smoked sausages, followed by the Italian garlic & fennel, and then the celebration roast. Let’s add the mini corn dogs in too for good measure.

Sunrise Soya Foods

Sunrise is who first started commercially producing and selling tofu in Vancouver which is pretty cool! My favourite tofu brand. They make a famous “Smoked Tofu” in a brown box, you can eat it raw on salads, you can shred it, or cube it on charcuterie. The nice thing about tofu is that it’s budget-friendly, healthy, and versatile. You can use tofu to make everything from a breakfast scramble, to Alfredo sauce, to cheese cake!

☆ Liv’s Sunrise Recs ☆
I use the Tofu Puffs in both Thai and Indian Curry, it absorbs the sauces so well. I love the soft tofu for creamy pasta sauces, and medium firm for breakfast scrambles.

Lightlife

Lightlife is a relatively new player in the plant protein arena but they make some really great stuff! They’ve got bacon, hotdogs, jumbo hotdogs, veggie ground (Mexican and regular), tenders, and tempeh.

Where to buy: You’ll find these in the fridge at Superstore, Safeway, and Save On.


☆ Liv’s Lightlife Recs ☆
I love their hotdogs for a classic hotdog, and I love their bacon! Chopped up and pan heated for “real” bacon bits on caesar salad.

Beyond Meat

Beyond meat has me in a chokehold, I feel like it makes everything taste better. They make frozen products like burgers, ground beef, tenders, sausages, breakfast sausage links, and steak tips!


Where to buy: You’ll find Beyond in the freezer at Superstore, Safeway, Walmart, Save on, and more.

☆ Liv’s Beyond Recs ☆
I like to use the burgers for when I’m making single portions/cooking for one - easy to track, and to pop out of the freezer. At the moment it is my favourite veggie beef to use in pasta/lasagna/chili/shepherds pie etc, I even make a soy sauce vermicelli dish with beyond, it just tastes great! The steak tips are amazing to add onto salads, use for tacos (with cajun seasoning), breakfast hash… anything you would use steak tips in. The sausages are the absolute best for camping, they drip like meat sausages… it’s so weird! Good for everyday life as well on pasta, as a hotdog, or with mashed potatoes and broccoli or whatever! The chicken tenders are great alone with some smiley fries, or as crispy chicken on a salad, or in a chicken caesar salad wrap!