Time:
Formula O2 Natural Recovery Orange Mango- 2:40
Daiya Fire-Roasted Vegetable Pizza- 555:30 & 5:14
Formula O2 Natural Recovery Grapefruit Ginger- 15:20
Jackfruit Co- Sesame Ginger- 17:18
Sweet Earth- Chipotle Style Seitan: 19:00
Gardein- Crabless Crab Caked: 21:00
Gardein- Sweet and Tangy BBQ Wings: 22:50
So Delicious- Blueberry Coconut Milk Yogurt: 27:00
So Delicious- Chocolate Yogurt: 28:40
Kite Hill- Truffle Dill Chive: 30:00
Field Roast- Chao- Tomato Cayenne: 33:20
Go Veggie- cheese: 36:01
Bee Free Honee: 36:30
Belvas- 82% Dark chocolate with almonds: 40:20
Gardein makes vegan meat replacement products. Now it must be said that hard core vegans and vegetarians do not eat meat replacement products on a daily basis. These are a great resource for those in transition to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, hereinafter referred to as a “plant based diet”. Be warned…. This can become an expensive habit. A bag of the item above ran me $4.49, in Columbus, Ohio (prices may vary between store/state). I am not trying to turn you off to a plant based diet at all. In fact, it can be much cheaper in comparison to a meat based diet! If you want additional information re: this please let me know and I will gladly do a whole write up/video on this. Also, while we are on the topic- please note that I am not a vegan, or vegetarian. I do follow a high carb/low fat diet and generally only consume meat once a week.
Taste/Texture: Gardein holds a special place in my heart. This is the first company to perfect the texture and taste of their products. If you are anything like me and have been turned off of the idea of going plant based because of a bad Boca Burger, or vegan hot dog…. Please give this company a try before swearing it all off. The “wings” look more wing-like in the picture than they do cooked. However, when cooked as suggested (browning in a pan first) they take on a wonderful texture. The sauce, like many of their other sauces is absolute perfection. The “chicken” has no artificial processed flavor like what I have found in competitor products like Beyond Meat. This clean tasting “chicken” accepts and holds onto sauce well. The texture is not 100% like chicken. I highly doubt we will ever see the texture of chicken or beef fully duplicated; I would be scared if we did. However, this is one of the most passable products I have ever seen and tasted.
Price: @ 4.49 per bag- This is the only place that breaks my heart. Again, if you were to eat products like this on a daily basis for every meal it could be easy to break the bank. Price per meal could easily average $10.00 if you were to go about it this way; as oppose to a whole foods alternative where meals could be done for as little as 2-3 bucks per meal! However, if you are in the beginning transition phases this could still be significantly cheaper than a meat based diet. It all comes down to how many calories you need to eat and your budget. This could be a great comparable option (cost wise) for a “meatless Monday”.
Availability: There is an amazing selection in Whole Foods or other similar health related markets. I have noticed that these may be harder to come by in areas where there isn’t a large demand (as one would expect). Most grocery stores are more than willing to stock an item for you and continue to purchase said item(s) so long as they don’t sit on the shelves. Gardein must understand this problem because on their site they have a “Where to buy” search engine: https://gardein.com/products/ There is also a great PDF linked to the search results that prints out all the products they offer and letter to a store manager, requesting whatever items selected be ordered: https://gardein.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Web-Product-Request_US_Feb2016.pdf
Overall: This has made my top 10 list. I would give it a 9.5/10!I would definitely purchase these again and recommend you give them a try too! Even if you aren’t looking into a plant based lifestyle, these are a great way to get some more variety into your life… I mean really… how many times in your life can you eat chicken, cow and pork? And who knows… you might even enjoy it!
This review is not sponsored in any way. The opinions expressed belong solely to the writer.
Pros
- Tastes great!
- Meat substitute for "Meatless Mondays" or those switching to a plant-based diet.
- Flavor is sure to please meat eaters.
Cons
- Does not have the same texture of meat.
- Is pricey for the amount of product you get.
- Can be found at some but not all local grocery stores.