I've always been on a tight budget, so I've never been able to eat a ton of vegan meat alternatives, but before going gluten free I definitely loved gardein vegan nuggets, and also tofurky deli slices. My beautiful boy Dylan loved tofurky slices too!
About two months ago I found out that gardein chicken scallopini is gluten free, so I picked up a bag at Sprouts when they were on sale. I've been trying to think of something to do with them, and yesterday I finally came up with an idea, vegan butter chicken. I usually use baked tofu for dishes like this so I figured I would see how vegan chicken compares.
I sauteed onion, garlic and ginger, added some tomato paste, crushed red pepper, turmeric and garam masala. Then I added some red lentils and a little water and let the lentils cook down. Meanwhile I sauteed two of the gardein pieces and chopped them up. Once the lentils had melted into the water, I added some cashew cream and the chicken pieces and let that simmer while I made rice.
I tasted a piece of the chicken plain, and honestly it had a weird aftertaste that was not pleasant. Once it was in the dish with all the spices it was okay, but I definitely don't think I would eat these plain.
Honestly, from now on I will stick to tofu or even soy curls. Tofu is much cheaper, and I prefer the taste and texture.
I think gardein has two gluten free items, the chicken scallopini, and the black bean chipotle burger. Next time I splurge, I'll stick to the burger!
It's so funny, I've been a vegetarian since 2002 (and an "occasionally-falling-off-the-wagon" vegan since 2014) and I've always loved just about all the faux meats (Field Roast, Gardein, Boca, Morningstar Farms, Light Life) while my husband, who is an avowed carnivore, prefers tofu to all of them, like you. He told me he doesn't really care for anything "masquerading" as meat.
ReplyDeleteOh, and he LOVES my buffalo-style soy curls as well.
I used to love field roast, especially the little mini celebration loaf! I also loved morningstar farms. But they are all full of gluten!!
DeleteI remember liking the gardein nuggets, or tenders. These just had a weird taste, or maybe I never noticed it before. Either way, I'm happy that I prefer tofu, it's cheaper!
Buffalo soy curls sound amazing! I need to pick more up!
While I like their beefy stuff, I have never been a fan of Gardein chicken products, there is something about the texture and the taste.
ReplyDeleteTofu will always have my heart!
I agree! Before going gluten free, I loved their beefless burger! And their chipotle black bean burger is amazing, just really hard to find!
DeleteTofu and potatoes are my stranded on an island foods!
Add peanut butter to that list and I'd join you on that island!
DeleteStinks about the after taste! I don't buy too many fake meats either because of price. So when I do get some I am always afraid of messing it up since it is such a treat. At least it tasted good with the lentil curry. Sounds yummy
ReplyDeleteThat's why I don't buy them. Some of them are so incredibly expensive I almost gag. And then, because they're so expensive, if it doesn't taste good it's such a bummer! I think about all the other stuff I could have bought!
DeleteOf all the faux meats I've tried, that one is my least favorite, I think. Gardein has a lot of great products; the scallopini is just weirdly mushy or something. I only bought it once. Beyond Meat is gluten free, though, if you ever really want to splurge--it costs an absurd amount of money, but it is tasty.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to est their tenders which have gluten, and the texture was much better. Gluten makes everything better and I just miss it so much!
DeleteI do love that Beyond Meat is gluten free, if only it weren't so insanely expensive!