I am now using a lot of products in my cooking made by Gardein, a company out of Canada whose food is becoming more and more available throughout the US.  Why do we trust the Canucks, I don’t know but we just do.  I will be reviewing three of their products:  Home Style Beefless Tips, Classic Style Buffalo Wings, and Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers.  For me personally these are some of the products I like of theirs the most, – I should note here that along with these chicken dishes, Gardein also makes fresh (refrigerated) chick’n strips and chick’n fillets, and that these can often be more suited for the home chef, looking for raw ingredients for classic dishes.   I like the strips and fillets a lot too.

I first really fell head over heals for Gardein’s beefless tips!  I just could not believe how good they tasted, and how good they looked after stove top preparation.  First the basics:  You will find these frozen at the store.  If they don’t carry them, but do carry Gardein’s refrigerated products, as is sometimes the case, talk to the manager and they can get these frozen products as well.  Compared to real beef these are much healthier, as well as kinder, with 2.5g fat, 120 calories, 0 cholesterol and 18g of protein/serving.

If you cook these as suggested on the package – in a non stick fry-pan in oil over high heat until browned on all sides (3-4 minutes), you will be in for a real treat!  The look is so much like beef cubes, and the taste is amazing!  There is seasoning in a bit of sauce on them, and although subtle, it works.  As soon as I tried these I went into overdrive, making up versions of old beef recipes long unused.  Gardein likes to promote these with their chef making tacos, as seen on Ellen and Oprah.  I’m sure they are great.  However, for me the best use is in a Beefless Stew I developed for the Yummy Vegetarian Recipe site I work on.  When I use these beefless tips in recipes, I always cook them separately, as they are supposed to only cook a few minutes, and then add them to the rest ot the ingredients towards the end, to reheat and incorporate them into the dish.

Next I tried the classic style buffalo wings.   These wings are also healthy, at 2g fat, 90 calories, 0 cholesterol and 15g of protein for 4 wings.  Now, I loved buffalo wings before I went vegetarian, and whenever I have tried veggie buffalo wings I have been very disappointed.  The only thing like them I have been happy with is from a restaurant near me, the Northern Spy, which serves "free range tofu wings".  They are the top ordered menu item, which says a lot, as it is not even a vegetarian restaurant!  But, back to Gardein.  I made these both with the sauce and without.  It comes in a package to apply at the end of cooking.  I am just the type of cook not to want to use prepared sauces, although Gardein’s are not all that unhealthy.  Without the sauce they were a very tasty chicken substitute- possibly the best I’ve ever tried.  With the sauce, just as good.  It was hot and spicy, and pretty much authentic for buffalo sauce.  I do think they are the best packaged veggie wings!

The chipotle lime crispy fingers were going to have it tough I figured.  As a rule I don’t think lime is usually good from a package (yes I can be a food snob, sorry), and we all know stuff like bud lime beer is rank.  Plus, when I checked the ingredients of Gardein’s chipotle lime product and saw there was no actual lime involved!  They also had the highest fat and calorie content of the three products, at 5g of fat and 160 calories/serving.  Yet, no cholesteral and still 16g of protein!   So I reluctantly gave them a try.

Actually I liked them!  There was only a hint of lime flavoring, and the overall flavor was not overpowering with fakeness.  I may still feel that they are too prepared for me to use in recipes directly, but I see their place as a quick, pretty tasty meet substitute for those that don’t really have the time or inclination to cook from scratch.  At one time or another, I think that group is one we all belong too!  I could also imagine that with a little tomato sauce, cheese, vegan or not, and a good bun you could have a nice classic chicken parmesan from these.  I guess that’s how you take a fairly healthy product and make it not so healthy!

As a home chef, I wish they were a little more focused on providing substitutes for chicken, beef and the like, for using as raw ingredients for dishes, rather than on prepared meals substituting for chicken and beef dishes.  This may make me a bit old fashioned.  I just like to make my own dishes here.  But you certainly can’t argue with the taste of these!  They are great.  I’m sure most people out there appreciate the fact that it is already made and ready to eat with just a bit of heat – I see what people eat out there (and it’s scary, right?).

Bottom line:  Gardein is making very great tasting, easy to use, completely vegan meat substitutes.