Veggie Ribs!

I try not to eat too many packaged foods because it's cheaper and healthier to cook from scratch, but one thing I love is Harvest Direct's Veggie Ribs, made of wheat gluten. This is a powdered mix that you mix with water, then try to roll out (wheat gluten, I must say, is rather hard to work with), then mix in a nut butter-margarine mix before baking. Now, I can assure you that they do NOT turn out as pretty as they do on the box, but it still makes a nice dinner, and you can make them in maybe 30 to 45 minutes. You use your favorite barbecue sauce (bottled or homemade), and splash a little on the side, and it's yummy!

Another brand of veggie ribs is Gardenburger Riblets, which has both gluten and soy. However, the sauce is rather sweet and contains high fructose corn syrup, so I no longer eat them. They're also far more expensive, at least $4.75 a package, which contains two slabs that look frighteningly like the McRib sandwich that McDeathburger trots out every once in a blue moon. The Harvest Direct mix is less than $3.00 and makes, for me, three to four servings. I figure the nut butter and margarine add minimal cost. I also prefer the texture of the Harvest Direct.

Like I said, I'm trying to limit my consumption of packaged and processed foods, but there are days where I just don't feel like cooking or I just feel like veggie ribs or the soup bowl. If your local natural foods store doesn't carry them, there are numerous online retailers specializing in vegan products from food items to cosmetics to soaps and shower gels to skin care to hair care and so on and so forth. If I ever figure out how to make my own vegan riblets, though, I will rule the world!