When I first became vegetarian, meat replacements were lifesavers. While sometimes not eating meat is difficult, fake meats definitely helped me make the transition. I was shocked by how much they looked, felt and tasted like real meat. Since they’re so similar to the real thing, it’s easy to use them in place of chicken to make non-vegetarian recipes meatless.
My favorite vegetarian dish includes frying up soy chicken in a pan with soy sauce, vegetables and tossing it in with rice. Adding some hot sauce or peanut butter can make the dish absolutely mouthwatering.
Photo by Trissa Gurney
I brought some of my favorite fake meat, Gardein chipotle lime chicken tenders, to our chapter meeting and had everyone try it to see how it measured up to the real thing. Of course I’m biased, but I think it’s delicious and tastes almost exactly like chicken, although I taste a little more turkey than chicken.
But hey, I haven’t eaten chicken in over six months, so I’m not a viable source. The other meat-eating members of my chapter seemed to be better judges.
Photo by Trissa Gurney
They curiously examined the faux chicken tender before taking a bite and to my excitement, they didn’t cringe in disgust when they tried it.
“It’s surprisingly chicken-y,” one stated. “It doesn’t taste quite like chicken,” another said, “but it does taste good.” They agreed that the breading made it taste good, although it didn’t convince everyone. One team member thought that “the texture was similar to microwave fish sticks” and “real chicken is stringier.”
All in all, Gardein’s chipotle lime chicken strips received good reviews and most decided that they would eat it again. So, give it a try if you’re looking to branch out and see how vegetarians get their protein.
Check out these other meat-free recipes: