Meat Alternatives

When I first became a vegetarian over two years ago, I began looking for healthy ways to replace the protein that I had been getting from meat. The first type of products that I tried was the fake meat soy products. I'm primarily talking about the Boca burgers and Boca grounds that are the most common meat substitute available. There was one problem. I thought that they were...gross. I'm perfects happy with soy milk and edamame, but the soy meats - no thank you.

So, I started searching for other protein products that were not soy based and not yuck. After much searching and experimenting, I came across two such brands. The first one is Quorn. Quorn is made from mycoproteins. Here's what they say about them on their website:

Mycoprotein is made from a member of the fungi family (like mushrooms and truffles) and is a high-quality meat-free protein that's naturally low in fat, with very few calories. It's high in dietary fiber (important for your digestive system) and has the essential amino acids your body needs, with no cholesterol or trans fats at all.

Now, there are two Quorn products that I love. The first is their grounds. The picture below is from their Australian website so it's called Mince here, but it's called Grounds when you buy it in the states.



You use these grounds just like you would ground beef. I make tacos with them all the time and just last night, I sauteed an onion, added the grounds and brought it up to temperature. Then, I added a jar of spaghetti sauce and some oregano. I let it simmer for 15 minutes and I had a bolognese sauce. It was scrumptious.

The other Quorn product that I love is the nuggets. These nuggets have a great flavor and texture and I like to mix honey with mustard for the sauce.



Moving along with our Tour De Sans Meat, my favorite burger product is made by Amy's Organics. These veggie burgers are actually made out of *gasp* veggies! My favorites are the California burger and the Texas burger.



Pop the burger in the microwave for 60 seconds, throw on a slice of cheese and zap it for another 20. Then, throw it on a sesame bun and add on all of your favorite toppings and condiments. Personally, I'm a lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard, ketchup and mayo kind of girl.

So there you have it. Whether your a vegetarian or not, these are some tasty and filling alternatives that will happily live in your freezer until you're ready to eat them up.