Available in either softbound or Kindle/Nook/etc. eBook at Amazon viviansharpe.com

Product Review: Funguy Jerky from Mean Vegan Products by Marla Rose Once in a while, a new vegan item shows up on my doorstep and it’s all I can do to pause for a moment or two to take a couple of photos and delay tearing the package open with my bare (as opposed to clothed?) teeth for a few moments. The day I got some Mean Vegan Products  Funguy Jerky was one of those days. As kindred vegans and fans of meat-y textures and savory flavors, Stephanie Shelton and Shawn Mock of Kansas City, MO founded Mean Vegan Products in 2011 after developing jackfruit tamales and have since begun crafting their gluten-free, vegan signature jerkies, carried in more than 35 stores in Kansas and Missouri, and they recently signed with a west coast broker to start being carried there as well. Now they are selling on Etsy as well. Their jerkies are vegan and made with simple, unprocessed ingredients. As someone with a gluten sensitivity, most meatless jerkies are not available to me but these guys are fair game as they don’t have the typical wheat gluten and soy sauce. Hint: there is a reason they call them “Funguy.” They are made with portobello mushrooms. I sampled their two flavors: Mellow & Smoky Jerky and Sweet & Spicy Jerky. Both are chewy and full of rich umami flavor, less salty than the other vegan jerkies I’d had in my gluten-ous days, and a lot less oily/messy. The two portobello mushrooms that comprise each one-ounce package are infused with the flavor, not dripping in marinade, and the chewiness comes from the dehydration process. It makes for a really tasty, deep flavor experience. If you’ve been craving vegan jerky with a minimum of ingredients and a satisfying chewiness, this may be the product for you. Both flavors taste as advertised: the Mellow & Smoky is perfect for even the most sensitive palates, pleasantly smoky and balanced, and the Sweet & Spicy imparts a nice little heat from cayenne, complemented by sweetness, and a touch of sesame oil. Each jerky was created with a subtle hand in flavor balance and a minimum of ingredients because with savory, toothsome portobello mushrooms and seasoning elements like molasses, apple cider vinegar, wheat-free tamari and simple spices, you just don’t need much more. If you love jerky, mushrooms and independent vegan companies, please check out Mean Vegan Products Funguy Jerky. You won’t be disappointed. Vegan Street received this product for free to review and this was my honest evaluation. © 2013, 2014, Vegan Street