"Cheyenne" and Match Madness!

Meet Cheyenne. She is a bundle of sweet little goodness and she really wants a home.

As you can see, she gets along with other dogs and with people. She is crate trained and proves it by exhibiting she knows how to do number 1 & 2 outside and not on your wooden floor. P.J. found her in an abandoned lot and couldn't leave her there to fend for herself. If you would like to meet Cheyenne in person please email gatewaypetguardians@yahoo.com

Next, I want to tell everyone about our documentary screening and Gala on November 18th.

All of the details later but save the date! Come out and see our movie and attend an awesome party afterwards. And a huge thank you to Allison Burgess. Allison, the founder of "Match", has graciously donated some great eats for this event. If you have never had Match, you are in for a treat. Match Meat (and the recent addition of Daiya cheese) has in my husband's words, "totally changed my repertoire". Yes, with Allison's incredible eats, our house is now like a 24/7 diner. We are talking biscuits and gravy, a mean chili, scrambled sausages, baked nachos loaded with the fixings, slingers, all this and more and ZERO cholesterol. My husband had a baked ziti addiction during our "Netflix" summer with "The Sopranos". It seemed that all that mafia activity and Italians cutting garlic prompted him to make his own version of "Baked Ziti" (sin animales). Ours consisted of Organic Brown Rice Pasta, Match Meat "Beef" style, a basic organic jarred tomato sauce, loads of garlic, and Daiya cheese. I think even the Sopranos could have "flipped" after indulging in such a delicious version of Baked Ziti. For holidays there is the "Match Meat Roast". You can do St. Louis's own "Slinger" with scrambled tofu, Match Meat "burger", hash browns, and chili. Stuffed Peppers with Brown Rice and Match Meat of your choosing. Nachos with baked corn chips, Match Meat beef, Daiya cheese, sliced black olives, Eden canned Pinto Beans (Eden cans do not have BPA in their lining), and salsa. And no animals harmed in the process. A win for everyone. You can find her products at Whole Foods and Dierbergs in the frozen section. We have tried nearly every single type of "meaty" product since we ditched the meat, cheese, casein, etc....over a decade ago. Seriously, I remember my mom buying "Loma Linda" veggie hot dogs in a can, and that was a long time ago. I think I was 10 when those came out and we have come a LONG way! And I personally recommend Match Meat for the most "traditional", comfort food type of feel. When people tell me they have tried some other veggie meat, I always tell them to try Match. It's so real it even scares vegans! But we will get over it quickly and praise Allison for creating a wonderful product that is totally "mainstream" and I truly think everyone can love. Give it a try at home and her site has lots of recipes and pointers for newbies and old hats alike. This Chez Bettay blog also has Match Crab Cakes and other delicious eats. Or look for it at a restaurant. The Match website also has a list of places that serve Match products. And if "being green" is your thing, well there is a link on her website about how your diet and the environment are intertwined. In addition to recipes, she has videos also. Since Match doesn't have lard or saturated fat, we use a little olive or coconut oil and also usually use cast iron cookware. You can use non-stick cookware as well.

Oh, did I mention a fringe benefit of using Match instead "regular meat", is that you might accidentally melt those inches away. Yep, it seems that you might be able to totally binge on all of your favorite traditional foods (my favorite time is 1:00 a.m.) and you won't wake up a few pounds heavier.

Not only is the product great, but Allison is a great gal also. I had been hearing her name for years, for she is an incredibly gracious and compassionate soul. She is also our future foster for Bea & Aaron. Some of P.J.'s favorites who have been waiting for what seems like forever to be able to come home with P.J. I will post some video of those two kids and maybe you will decide that you might need Bea & Aaron in your home to make your world a little brighter.

So come out and see our awesome documentary and try Allison's treats for yourselves!

Match Meat "Pulled Pork Barbeque" recipe

Yield: 4 – 4oz. Portions

Ingredients
1 lb. MATCH Pork
2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce
1 Tbls. canola oil or pan coating spray

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Oil baking sheet with canola oil or spray. Spread Pork MATCH onto oiled baking sheet till 1 inch thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges start to get crisp. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Pull apart by hand, you may freeze at this time for use later. Add your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve warm or room temperature. Serve on Kaiser roll with fresh cole slaw.