Vegan vegetable fingers?

[Veryblue2]

I wonder if anyone knows if there is a vegan version of the vegetable fingers (dalepak/birdseye/supermarket own brand)? I used to have them every year with my Christmas dinner...

Yeah, I know they are pretty simple: Potato, Sweetcorn, Carrots and Peas in a bread crumb coating. I have tried making them and my problem is the bread crumb coating... just can't get it right

Any suggestions?

[Risker]

Ooh, good idea!

What's the method you've tried so far? perhaps we can come up with an idea to improve it.

[sugarmouse]

I am going to be realy useless now, but I have had vegan veggie fingers before,but I cannot remember which ones they were! grr.I wil have a think.but on the plus side, they do exist!

[Mahk]

I wonder if anyone knows if there is a vegan version of the vegetable fingers (dalepak/birdseye/supermarket own brand)??

I had never heard of "vegetable fingers", at all. I don't think they sell them, or at least I've never seen them, "on my side of the pond", so being curious, I googled them to see pictures and now I have a good idea of at least their appearance. Trying to be helpful in your quest to find vegan ones, I included the word "vegan" in my google search and found this disturbing bit of info (read the second, purple colored question (about vegetable fingers) on the second page of this link):http://www.vpsg.info/docs/ns/PRIS01%202003-05.pdf

Ingredients under 1% don't have to be listed?! Anyone know more about this? Is it true?

[auntierozzi]

This might be a disastrous idea but I was just wondering whether or not using a small amound of arrow root in water might help breadcrumbs to stick..If you wanted to make your own.

[Veryblue2]

What's the method you've tried so far? perhaps we can come up with an idea to improve it.

Blitzed some white bread to make the bread crumbs
Blitzed the sweetcorn, carrots and peas a little
Then mixed the veg mix into mashed potato
Shaped into fingers (messy! )
Dipped into some soya milk then into the bread crumbs
Then george'd them

Some of the bread crumbs stuck it out, but also they fell apart really easily and no where near resembled the premade ones. Maybe you need to refrigerate or freeze them before cooking? Maybe shallow or even deep fry them? Maybe it's the bread I used? Maybe it's the type of potato? Maybe it's the missing potato flakes that seem to be in all the premade ones? Agghhh.... too many maybes!

I am going to be realy useless now, but I have had vegan veggie fingers before,but I cannot remember which ones they were! grr.I wil have a think.but on the plus side, they do exist!

Oooh Oooh! Were they good? Hope you can remember sugarmouse

http://www.vpsg.info/docs/ns/PRIS01%202003-05.pdf[/URL]

Ingredients under 1% don't have to be listed?! Anyone know more about this? Is it true?

Yeah, I googled vegan vegetable fingers and read that pdf as well... wasn't sure what to make of it - it is a bit old (2003). Though I would guess it may be specific to the wholesaler/suppliers they have for the prison food i.e. bulk packed as opposed to boxed, where they only have to supply printed ingredients sheets to staff listing the main ingredients over 1%. I don't know. Perhaps it may be worth contacting the VPSG to find out?

This might be a disastrous idea but I was just wondering whether or not using a small amound of arrow root in water might help breadcrumbs to stick..If you wanted to make your own.

Thanks for your suggestion auntierozzi, I will have try to that.

[Chocs4me]

I think asdas own veggie fingers are vegan - i have bought a box for my son (not that he has taken a great liking to them - sigh ) I checked the ingredients but as no-one else has mentioned them maybe i missed something - will go check after!

[Pob]

We have had them too. They looked vegan to me, too.

[Cherry]

Ooh. There's a 2 for £3 offer on them too, until December the 31st, by the looks of ther website. I hope they ARE vegan - I kind of miss them now everyone's talking about them.

I got annoyed with 'Dalepak' yesterday when I was browsing for veggie fingers. I found this in one of their pdf downloads:

Vegetable-based recipes need some proteins in order to bind the product together during both manufacturing and then cooking by the consumer. Therefore, we use small quantities of milk proteins and wheat proteins in our recipes. Due to this, the Dalepak Vegetarian range is not suitable for a vegan or coeliac diet

Honestly, It may as well have said: "we need proteins to bind and THEREFORE it couldn't possibly be vegan cos vegans don't eat protein" How do they think all the vegan burgers etc hold together?! I emailed them and had a moan about them not having anything vegan.

[Mahk]

Blitzed some white bread to make the bread crumbs
Blitzed the sweetcorn, carrots and peas a little
Then mixed the veg mix into mashed potato
Shaped into fingers (messy! )
Dipped into some soya milk then into the bread crumbs
Then george'd them

Sorry, I'm a dumb American. Please translate the words "blitzed" and "george'd" into my language,..er.."American". We call cooking in a microwave oven "nuking" or "zapping" here, do you?

Since I've never had vegetable fingers, I can only guess what they'd taste like. Do you dip them in some sauce or condiment first? If I were trying to make them I'd "cheat" and buy a pre-made vegan veggie burger that has visible vegetable bits in it, then I'd cut it into strips, wish I knew how batter was made , and then deep fry them in my electric wok.

[JustMe]

Blitz - put ingredient into food processor and blitz it. This term is also used here in the UK to describe food processed with a stick blender (great for soups) and possibly also a liquidiser.

George (think the writer meant gorge) - overeat, binge, scoff the lot.

Nuke - yes, we Brits use this term to describe food cooked or reheated in the microwave.

Seasoned cornmeal/polenta works well as a crumb coating and gives a nice crispy result when fried.

Otherwise just make bubble and squeak. What's this? A mix of mashed potatoes and leftover cabbage/greens, seasoned to taste then shaped into thick burger size cakes and shallow fried in a mix of oil with a tsp of dairy-free spread added until golden brown on both sides. Great way of using up those brussels sprouts Bubble and squeak tastes much nicer if using freshly made mashed potato. Serve with some nice onion gravy. Mmmmm.

[harpy]

I think "to george" may mean "to grill in a device branded by George Foreman, a well-known sportsperson"

[Veryblue2]

JustMe is correct on the blitz (food processor)
BTW I love bubble and squeak too!

But harpy is right about george'd (grilled them using the george foreman)

I think I need to learn to use proper English lol I suppose I have got an excuse though being Welsh and all

Oh, and yes Mahk I nuke stuff all the time!

[Veryblue2]

I think asdas own veggie fingers are vegan - i have bought a box for my son (not that he has taken a great liking to them - sigh ) I checked the ingredients but as no-one else has mentioned them maybe i missed something - will go check after!

We have had them too. They looked vegan to me, too.

Ooh. There's a 2 for £3 offer on them too, until December the 31st, by the looks of ther website. I hope they ARE vegan - I kind of miss them now everyone's talking about them.

Hmmmm... The ingredients are listed on the Asda website:
Rehydrated Potato (27%), Breadcrumbs (14%) [Wheat Flour, Dextrose, Wheat Gluten, Sugar, Yeast, Salt, Vegetable Oil, Colours (Paprika Extract, Curcumin)], Carrot (13%), Onion (12%), Sweetcorn (10%), Peas (6%), Vegetable Oil, Water, Wheat Flour, Dextrose, Onion Powder, Salt, Stabilisers (Methyl Cellulose, Guar Gum), Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Spices {Black Pepper, Celery, Turmeric}, Dill

But they are not featured on the Asda 'vegan list'

The only frozen things on there are:
Meal Solutions (Frozen)
Vegetarian Products
Asda Vegetarian Mince 454g
Asda 4 Spicy Vegetable and Bean Quarter Pounders 454g
Ready Meals - Frozen
Asda Chips and Curry Sauce 400g
Pizza - Frozen
Asda Smartprice Garlic Baguette 180g

Don't know if this is an omission or what. It does say 'This list should be next updated January 2007' so they may appear then, but I think it might be best to email them...

I got annoyed with 'Dalepak' yesterday when I was browsing for veggie fingers.

Yes, I read that pdf a while back and got annoyed then as well Cherry - so much for innovative leaders in the field...

On re-reading it, that pdf does help a little with the 'make your own' though:

Some vegetarian products then undergo a breadcrumbing process. The burger is covered by a batter and then coated with breadcrumbs. The product travels along a conveyor belt through a fryer. By par-frying the product, the batter and breadcrumbs seal the filling and stop any leaks when the burger is cooked.

http://www.dalepak.co.uk/downloads/student_pack.pdf

[Veryblue2]

Since I've never had vegetable fingers, I can only guess what they'd taste like.

Mahk here's a link to a pic of some. http://www.dalepak.co.uk/images/dalepak0070.jpg
They taste um... kind of what they are made up of It's hard to describe, but they are really really good

Do you have anything similar over there? Maybe in burger shape?

[Mahk]

Here's a vegan burger, which I was thinking of, to cut into strips for frying:
http://www.gardenburger.com/eat-posi...gie-medley.php
Oddly, I think the kind currently on the shelves (in the stores) has egg white in the ingredients list. I don't know if it is an old formulation still on the shelves or the new version of what's on this website, obviously labeled as "vegan". I might also be confusing it with one of their many other "burgers" they make.[edit: I think I'm confusing it with the same name veggie burger but made by another brand, "Morningstar"] I imagine vegetable fingers to be similar to what, as a boy, I called "fish sticks". But of course the filling was fish not vegetables. The public schools would serve them and we would dip them in tartar sauce (pickle relish mixed with mayonnaise, I think). Good luck in your "veganization" project!

[Willynilly]

Sorry, I'm a dumb American.

Isn't that tautological?

[Willynilly]

Please translate the words "blitzed" and "george'd" into my language,..er.."American".

blitz
n noun
1 an intensive or sudden military attack. Ø(the Blitz) the German air raids on Britain in 1940–1.
2 informal a sudden and concerted effort.
3 American Football a play in which one or more defensive backs charge the quarterback of the opposing team.
n verb
1 attack or seriously damage in a blitz.
2 succeed in overwhelming or defeating utterly.
3 American Football charge in a blitz.

ORIGIN
abbreviation of blitzkrieg.

[Mahk]

Isn't that tautological?

Hey, wait a minute, I resemble that remark!

OK, I understand "george'd", but I'm not 100% on "blitzed". In "American", to be 'blitzed' means very drunk. As in, "After seven cocktails, he was totally blitzed". In English, can a skilled chef, working quickly with a proper hand knife 'blitz' a vegetable, or does s/he need a spinning rotary blade device like a (stick) blender or a Cuisinart?
By hand, a cook can slice, dice, chop, cube, or mince. A blender or food processor is necessary to puree, liquefy, or blend. Or is it mashed?

[JustMe]

George (think the writer meant gorge) - overeat, binge, scoff the lot.

I think "to george" may mean "to grill in a device branded by George Foreman, a well-known sportsperson"

Didn't make the immediate connection here - don't have one of these gadgets. A new word for my culinary vocabulary

I use a heavy frying pan that has a cross-hatch patterned cooking surface - it needs very little oil and gives similar results to using a griddle. The onions for the onion gravy can be cooked at one side of the pan alongside the bubble and squeak and the gravy made in the same pan for extra flavour (and also saves on the washing up).

The term "blitzing" food is in regular use here. Anyway, after Georging the vegetable fingers you might still gorge them!

As to blitz, blitzed, being blitzed, etc., in this corner of the universe "wrecked" or "bladdered" describes a state of inebriation. An alcoholic beverage is also referred to as a "bevvy" so over-indulgence = "bevvied".

With drinks in mind, on a local level "Do you fancy a brew?" means tea or coffee and not some strange alcoholic or narcotic mixture.

Enjoy your Christmas, and as you progress through the party season, remember "You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on". (Dean Martin)

[Seaside]

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on". (Dean Martin)

[Veryblue2]

Yay! Finally got a response from Adsa.

Thank you for your email regarding the ASDA Vegetable Fingers.

I have spoken to Margaret at one of our Super Centre Stores who checked the item ingredients and informed me that the item contains no Dairy Products. And she believes that it is suitable for Vegans.

Once again thank you for taking the time to contact us. Should you need any further help with this matter, please call us on 0845 300 7771.

Yours sincerely

Stanwin Abrahams
ASDA Home Shopping

Off to buy 5 boxes now!

Only thing that bugs me is why they are omitted from their Vegan list...

[Pob]

Hardly a rock solid yes, that one, though, is it!
Wonder if it went like this at all:

Margaret.




Margaret!




MARGARET!!!!




Yyyyesssss.

Gentleman wants to know if our vegetable fingers are vegan.

[Veryblue2]

Tee hee! ROFL

[Risker]

heheh, very good pob

[Mahk]

Or it might have gone like this.......

Stanwin: [thinks] "Vegan?...What the frick is vegan? Does she want to know if we make them in Las Vegas? Oh wait, I'll "google" it on the internet. (3 minutes elapse).. I get it, a vegetarian that also avoids eggs and milk. What idiots, don't they know you don't have to kill chickens or cows to get eggs and milk?! Whatever. I'll ask Margaret to go read the label for me."

Stanwin: [pressing intercom button on desk] "Margaret, be a doll and see if the vegetable fingers have eggs or milk in them. Thanks."

Margaret: [reading ingredients label to herself, thinks] "Hmmm...let's see...assorted vegetables, natural cochineal coloring, albumin binder, honey, whey protein, natural flavors, fried in pure all natural tallow." [pressing intercom button] "It's milk and egg free, Stanwin!"

[Linxie]

Sainsbury do vegetable goujons that are basically the same thing but a different shape

[RossClement]

I use gram (chick pea) flour to make "egg and breadcrumb" coatings.

First I make some, preferably fresh, breadcrumbs in a food processor. I find that white bread works best as brown/wholemeal breadcrumbs taste a bit "wrong" to me.

Then mix some gram flour with water. You want to aim at the same thickness as beaten eggs would be. My early mistake was to assume that if I made the gram flour mixture "stickier" than eggs, that the breadcrumbs would stick better. Mistake.

Then put your ... whatever into the gram flour mixture, and coat thoroughly. Roll in the breadcrumbs as you would if using real eggs. Then cook.

Just the breadcrumbs and the gram flour is enough to give it a nice flavour if cooked properly. You could in theory add salt/pepper/garlic/whatever, but I have never done this.

I'd also guess that other types of flour, such as plain wheat flour, would work as well.