Deli Slices = Good

Sandwiches are a beautiful thing, no? Whether you're having PB or grilled cheese or toasted tomato or egg salad (or all of the above? Ew, maybe not), they can be simple but so very satisfying. And I make a bad-ass sandwich, people; in my tortured youth I was once a certified Sandwich Artist at Subway (*sigh*) as well as whatever the hell the equivalent title is for someone working at Pita Pit. Yes, I've had a lot of random jobs in my day (you don't want to know about all of them, really), most of which were in food service somehow. I've said it before and I'll say it again - them bills don't pay themselves!

Back to the sandwiches. I'm sure many of my veg*n comrades have faced the same no-lunchmeat issue I have. Sometimes it really sucks to not have an easy ham and cheese. Luckily many companies offer (to varying degrees of success) their own faux-lunchmeats. And I have to say, the Tofurky deli slices line is by far the best. Produced by Turtle Island Foods, Tofurky has been (unfairly) stuck with an infamous reputation in the non-veggie world as some kind of hippy-drippy/flavourless/colourless/blobby imitation turkey. This couldn't be further from the truth. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of their full roasts (see: http://vegetariancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/tofurkey___friend_or_foe_ ), but their other products have been nothing short of awesome.

The grocery stores around Ottawa only seem to offer the original and hickory-smoked deli slices, though the Tofurky website lists many other varieties, all of which look pretty darn good. I find the original flavour a little boring, so I usually buy the hickory-smoked... It has a great taste and texture. It's really a lot like thinly sliced roasted turkey. The thin slicing is probably one of the best features of Tofurky's line. Other companies (I'm looking at you again, Yves! *shakes fist*) cut their stuff way too thick, and insist upon everything being in unnaturally perfect circles, with seriously odd textures. Tofurky's slices are the complete opposite and I love them for that. I feel like I'm having a real sandwich, not a rubber disk on a bun.

The deli slices are vegan and are full of those oft-elusive vitamins I've mentioned in other reviews. In just a few slices (which, as I said, are very thin), you get half of your daily required B12. They come with a pretty standard price tag too (about $5 Canadian), aaaaand are available in both Canada in the US. I looked into online purchasing, but it seems that they only ship items in bulk. So maybe buying online is intended more for stores and restaurants? That or you can make a wickedly huge sandwich. Mmmm, sign me up.

Product and nutrition info: http://www.tofurky.com/products/delislices.htm