Seasonings

• Mushroom Seasoning Brands like Po Lo Ku and Imperial Taste can be found in Asian markets if you live outside Asia. This seasoning adds a lovely chicken-like umami to soups, sauces, and chick'n or fishy recipes. They also tend to have vitamin D!

• Garlic Salt can be substituted or combined with the above to enhance the flavor.

• Not Chicken Bullion and similar products exist which generally include spices like salt, and herbs including garlic which are generally associated with chicken recipes.

Alternatives to Chicken

If you want to make chick'n alternatives from scratch, the following are some of the most convincing alternatives we've found.

Firm - Extra Firm - Super Firm Tofu

Some of the best recipes we've tried include tofu which is high in protein and has a mild flavor, meaning it can easily be flavored like anything including chicken, fish, beef, and pork. 

Mushrooms

Hand-shredded mushrooms such as Lion's Main and King Oysters also make good chicken pieces as far as texture and flavor go. Go easy on the oil, and let the mushrooms get a little crispy around the edges for the best effect.

Mushrooms tend to be a lot lower on protein than tofu or chicken, so it's a good idea to find alternative ways to include protein with ingredients like peas or legume-based pastas to even things out. Blending a block of silken tofu can create a thick and creamy sauce that's packed with protein or you can use soy milk to make high-protein alfredo sauce. 

Drumsticks

• Like Meat offers two flavors of boneless drumsticks that come with sauces like BBQ and Buffalo Sauce. These are also good plain if you forget the sauce or want to save the sauce for other recipes.

Fillets

Holiday Roasts

Nuggets

• Like Meat offers a wide variety of chicken replacements, including gluten-free nuggets.

Brands Worth Trying

Tools & Apps

Finding Safe Food

As a gluten-free vegan, I've found the best way to find food is to search with both of the following apps, and see which restaurants pop up in both. Then check out their online menu's/reviews to see if the foods overlap. If that info isn't available, calling the restaurant often clears up any lingering safety questions.

• Find Me Gluten Free "Either plan ahead by entering your destination or find places near your current location. New restaurants listed every day all across the world!" This app focuses on GF food, but some of the restaurant descriptions or reviews will mention or show menus with soy-free, nut-free, and other allergy friendly options.

• Happy Cow "find vegan restaurants nearby" great for eating locally or traveling internationally.

Diet Tracking

People with dietary restrictions are at higher risk of nutrient deficiencies, and even more so when we are very active. To be on the safe side, it helps to use a diet tracker, and the one bellow is the best I've found so far.

• Cronometer Free diet-tracking app allows you to create new foods and recipes, which saves a lot of time if you make big batches and eat lots of left-overs. There's also a "Copy to today" option if you left-click a food you already ate, "explode recipe" and other useful features.

Infographics

• Hidden Soy Learn how soy has snuck into most of our food, especially via livestock feed, which is much less sustainable or efficient than consuming soy directly.

Grants & Funding

International

• Beyond Animal "Where investors and vegan businesses meet" "Using technology, for online funding, networking and business services, to accelerate the transition to an economy free of animal exploitation. Our vision: a kinder, cleaner, healthier world."

• EA Animal Welfare Fund "The Animal Welfare Fund supports advocacy, research, and movement-building work aimed at improving the wellbeing of nonhuman animals, primarily farmed and wild animals. This includes corporate and policy advocacy, research, and the promotion of alternative products."