New Vegan Food Find! – Vegan “Luncheon Meat” AKA Vegan Spam

I already know what you’re thinking because I was thinking the same thing. “Isn’t SPAM already vegan?”

Despite the fact that it looks like something run through a blender, that luncheon meat product as well as all the others contain animal parts. Still, when I saw this can of vegan weirdness beside the vegan tuna, I frowned. I mean regular luncheon meat is pretty gross and I thought so even when I had no choice but to eat it as a kid, yet I knew that I had to give it a try.

So I decided to try it. Okay, the truth is that my hubs loved this stuff when he first left Romania and ate it often and he put it in the cart–2 cans of it, in fact–and so I figured I’d have to share at least one recipe with you.

So…here we go.

I decided on something simple. My first option was burgers because I used to do that as a kid because there was so much fat on that luncheon meat that it crisped up nicely so you could slather it with ketchup and mustard and pretend it was a much better burger.

But there was a problem; this vegan luncheon meat wasn’t quite as malleable as it’s more famous non-vegan cousin. It was next to impossible to mash up with a fork so I knew that wasn’t going to work. Instead I had to grab a knife and chop it up and that’s when it hit me, Vegan Corned Beef Hash.

Of course this wasn’t even vegan corned beef but it was close enough and I paired it with vegan mashed potatoes and peas to give it that old school Americana recipe appeal.

What You’ll Need:

Knife
Cutting board
Skillet
Vegetable scrubber
Potato masher

Ingredients:

Onion
Vegan luncheon meat
Bell peppers
Garlic
Potatoes
Peas
Vegan butter
Plant milk

Make Every Bite Count & Count Every Bite

Directions:

*Clean and chop potatoes and drop them in a pot of water. Boil 8 to 15 minutes or until fork tender.

*Chop onion, bell peppers and vegan luncheon meat into uniform sizes of your choice.

*Place in skillet over medium-high heat. Add water or homemade broth to the skillet as needed to prevent food from sticking. Cook 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and vegan luncheon meat starts to break down and release some of its fat.

*Add minced or chopped garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.

*Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of starchy potato water just in case. Turn off the burner.

*Add vegan butter and plant milk to hot pot and swirl to melt. Remove from burner and add potatoes. Mash and season them, adding leftover water as needed if potatoes are too thick.

*Toss in peas and give it a good stir and leave it on the hot burner. If it’s not hot enough put it on the lowest setting your stove has just to keep it warm. I did this because I used frozen peas, if you use fresh or canned, you might have more wiggle room.

Plate it up and enjoy it.

Did I Enjoy It?

Honestly? It was all right. It was about as good as any other luncheon meat, minus the suffering and murder. Like any meat–vegan or with cruelty–it was mostly tasteless until you add herbs and spices. I relied on my old faithful spices: smoked paprika, garlic, salt & fresh black pepper, cumin, turmeric and a pinch of ground scotch bonnet chili powder.

It was good enough but it’s not something I would pick up again if I found it. But this brand, Green Course, did at one time have vegan corned beef so I would give this brand another try.

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