Storm

Eating less animal products. By now, everyone from Storm probably knows that it is better for the planet (and for your Storm-status) to go easy on the meat and dairy and swap it out for plant based options once in a while. I remember the first on-campus class very well and that the guy next to me brought a chicken sandwich. He did not want to take it out of his bag, fearing he would get beat up by someone in our sustainability challenges class. And rightly so. No just kidding, but I did think it was hilarious.  

I personally have been a vegetarian for four years and I honestly don’t really give it a lot of thought anymore. I notice that when I’m with my meat-eating friends, they are genuinely confused about how vegetarians and vegans are able to come up with different types of meals. Tacos without ground beef..? Roti without chicken..? PASTA WITHOUT MEATBALLS? Their faces usually range somewhere from utter disgust to genuine disbelieve. You see, many people believe that vegetarians only eat vegetables and shove down blocks of tofu. And don’t even start about vegans, those people can only eat grass, right?

What I found out was that usually when they taste the final product, they are surprised and have to admit that it wasn’t bad and maybe even better than the original (I admit, the last one is maybe a bit too optimistic). I feel like by cooking vegan for people, I contribute to helping the planet in my own small way. Since many people still believe vegan food is automatically gross, I like to show people how good it can be. I have found that there are many dishes where you can just leave out the meat (when doing this, look out if the meal still contains enough protein) or use amazing substitutes. I have also discovered that there are a lot of disgusting alternatives. In my many years of research, I have compiled a list of vegan alternatives that are actually really good. I can also imagine that as an international student, it may be difficult to find vegan options since the labels are usually in Dutch and you don’t know yet which alternatives are tasty and which ones are bad. I hope this list helps everyone and inspires you guys to try some new products. Even if you are vegan already, maybe there are some new items on there you didn’t know about yet. All items on the list are available in Albert Heijn by the way. Enjoy!
 

List of actually decent vegan foods

1. Vivera krokante kipschnitzel (chicken schnitzel)
   €2.59
   The holy grail of vegan food. I don’t exactly remember what chicken tastes like, but I’m pretty sure it tastes like this. 10/10, would highly recommend this one. 

2. Rookworst 
€2.99
This can be used in traditionally Dutch ‘stamppot’ such as boerenkool or zuurkool. The famous brand Unox also sells their own vegetarian rookworst, but it isn’t vegan, is more expensive and tastes just as good as this one in my opinion.  

3. Blue Band vegan butter
€1.55 (0.99 in the bonus right now, so get baking guys)
A bit random in this list, but if you like baking this is a great alternative to normal butter. 

4. Stukjes als van kip (Vegan chicken)
€2.79
Great substitute for chicken in recipes such as curry or roti. I recommend seasoning it well with spices or ketjap.

5. Vegan shoarma
€2.99
Well-seasoned fake meat that tastes amazing on a wrap or some pita bread. Very delicious and amazing with some cucumber, tomato, and lettuce. 

6.  Basis rulstukjes (vegan minced meat)
€1.59
This practical alternative isn’t very special or exciting, but it can be used in every dish you would use minced meat in. For example in tacos or lasagne. Just good to know this one. 

7. Speculaasbrokken (gingerbread-cookies?)
€1.19
I noticed that I didn’t really include a snack yet, so here you go. This is a traditional cookie that Dutch people eat, usually around the festive Sinterklaasperiod. 

8. Kruidnoten
€0.99

Basically the more famous brother of number 7 on the list. They are tiny cookies that are also eaten around the Sinterklaasperiod.