It’s 2020, and there’s pretty much a plant-based alternative for everything. From plant-based burgers to soy “chicken” nuggets and so much more, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any item that doesn’t have a meat-free alternative that is seemingly just as tasty!
Veganism continues to evolve, and we have been lucky enough to see its massive (and delicious) transformation in the past decade. So, get ready to be inspired as we reveal six unusual and tasty plant-based food inventions! 
Impossible Foods Burger
The first incredible item on our list is the Impossible Foods burger. The Impossible Burger is made in a factory from 100 per cent plants using neuroscience, the team behind this delicious burger created it so that it juices and bleeds just like a real burger!
They used something called Heme, which can be extracted from soy plants. It’s red, and it has the texture of and looks like blood. It sounds pretty gross, but the dining experience of an Impossible Burger is so memorable because of its similarities to a real one. It truly is burger plant-based perfection, and it is our favourite faux burger!
The creators of the Impossible Burger not only want it to taste just like a real beef burger, but they also want it to look like a burger, smell like a burger, and even freakin’ sound like a burger when it’s cooked on a grill! The most important sense of them all, of course, are your taste buds, and after having eaten a few Impossible Meat burgers from both the grocery stores and restaurants, I’m convinced that they are just as good if not BETTER than their fleshy counterparts. Juicy, delicious, & made from plants - three things we absolutely love about Impossible Foods burgers.
Even though Impossible Foods started in California’s Silicon Valley, their home is Earth and their mission is global, as CEO and Founder Pat Brown put it in this article for Medium.
“Our impact will depend on developing local supply chains and production facilities and enabling local entrepreneurs and farmers to build their own businesses using the tools we’re developing,” Brown wrote. “We intend to focus heavily on leveraging the inherently greater efficiency of plant-based foods to create mainstream, mass-market foods that address the critical nutritional and food security challenges in the world’s poorest communities.”
In addition to being great for Mother Earth, the Impossible Burger is so realistic that these meat-lovers, when given an Impossible Burger, didn’t even know they were eating plants! Check it out.
PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds
Vegan options and affordability are on the up and up within the plant-based lifestyle, and one business that is working to make plant-based foods accessible for all to enjoy is PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds. 
Chef Dave is the mastermind behind these delicious and affordable snacks, and his incredible recipe doesn’t sacrifice on either taste or texture, as well. The makers of PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds, Outstanding Foods, make all of their food with their five values at the core of each product:
- Taste
- Passion
- Transparency
- Authenticity
- Giving Back
One of the most amazing things about this company is that they donate a percentage of every food item sold to improve the well-being of animals as well as the health of the communities in which they serve. For example, they raise funds for their PigOut pig shelter and for athletic programs for children in underprivileged areas.
Not convinced you should buy PigOut Pigless Pork Rings yet? You should know that these plant-based rinds are Snoop Dogg’s cure to the munchies - so get your hands on these today!
JUST Egg
Health and environmental reasons are two of the biggest ones as to why people decide to live a plant-based lifestyle. But, not all vegan foods are created equal. Sometimes, good intentions get lost in the sauce when the vegan food you buy isn’t good for you or isn’t doing the environment any favours.
Luckily, this is not the case with JUST Egg.
As of May 28, 2020, JUST Egg sold the equivalent of more than 40 million eggs, all of which were made from plants! Check out how their plant-based eggs, made of a 4,400-year-old legume called a mung bean, stand up to chicken ones.
- JUST uses 98 per cent less water
- JUST makes 93 per cent smaller carbon footprint
- JUST uses 86 per cent less land than conventional animal resources
JUST Egg wanted to create the perfect menu item that was filled with protein and perfect for any hungry patron, and we think they certainly succeeded! The company has seen massive growth since it began four years ago, going from 0 to 10,000 points of distribution! You need to try these faux eggs.
Lightlife Gimme Lean Plant-Based Ground Beef
Be a conscious consumer while eating meat, Lightlife! Lightlife’s ground beef is so realistic-looking; you’ll be double-checking the label to make sure you aren’t ingesting the real deal. The faux meat allows diners to have amazing culinary experiences without any animals being harmed in the process!
Lightlife Gimme Lean Plant-Based Ground Beef is one of our favorites. This is the perfect ground beef for tacos, pasta dishes, and so many more dishes. And, if Max Greenfield aka Schmidt from ‘New Girl’ recommends Lightlife, you can bet on it that I’ll be eating it, as well! 
Beyond Meat
The next amazing and mouth-watering plant-based burger on our list is Beyond Meat. These burgers are made from five key ingredients:
- Protein: Pea, Mung Bean, Fava Bean, & Brown Rice
- Fat: Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, & Canola Oil
- Minerals: Calcium, Iron, Salt, & Potassium Chloride
- Carbohydrates: Potato Starch, Methylcellulose (plant fibre derivative)
- Water!
Beyond Meat is a plant-based burger that is eerily similar to a beef burger, but without the cow. It is juicy and tastes incredibly identical to the real deal. You can find Beyond Meat in grocery stores and restaurants, so be sure to check out their locator to see where the closest Beyond Meat is to you!
Lightlife Smart Deli: Plant-Based Deli Slices
Okay, we love Lightlife, so including only one (and even just two items) was pretty much impossible to do. Lightlife has been showing off amongst the vegan community with new and innovative ways to make food items accessible for those who live a vegan lifestyle, including creating unique and animal-free versions of the following:
- Hotdogs
- Grounds meat
- Sausages
- Chicken
- Burgers
- Tempeh
- Breakfast
- Deli Meats
While we were definitely blown away by the plant-based ground beef, we couldn’t sleep at night without mentioning their delicious deli meats! Our personal favourite is their ham, but they also have turkey and bologna.
Miyoko's Creamery: Vegan Cheese Wheels
No way would about post about the best or most exciting vegan foods of the past decade be complete without a mention of cheese! No less, the mother of all cheezes; Miyoko's Creamery. Miyoko grew up in Tokyo with a passion for fine food — particularly, French cuisine and gourmet cheese. She struggled with the conflict of her animal compassion and love of these delicacies, until one day she set out to change the game and find a way to recreate these foods she loved so dearly, in a way that didn't compromise on her values.
"Traditional cheese-making techniques meets plant-kingdom artistry. Miyoko’s artisan cultured vegan cheese wheels are legendary, culinary works of art that savored by chefs and wine lovers throughout wine country. Revered for their clean, whole, plant-based ingredients, visual elegance, complex flavors and sumptuous textures these climate-forward epicurean wonders change everything." - Miyoko's Creamery.
Miyoko's Creamery now stands at the forefront of the vegan cheese game and has truly paved the way in innovation of tastes — boasting a huge range of award-winning flavours which are culinary works of art. Some of our favourite flavours include Classic Double Cream Chive, Garlic Herb and Winter Truffle. MMMM! Someone grab the cheeze knife now!
Did you love this article about vegan foods that continue to surprise us? Do you want even more veg-friendly reads? Then be sure to check out our Journal, your one-stop shop for all this plant-based! Check out a few of our favourite reads below.
