Gardein Protein

Soy Product Post #1

“We’re committed to producing foods that people just love to eat, are good for you and are light on the planet.”-  Gardein Company’s website

The Gardein slogan is Gardein- Garden Protein, which immediately stands out for those who are vegetarian and are looking for plant-based sources of protein.  However, I believe that the entirely meatless Gardein Tuscan Breast product would suffice for meat-eaters as well.

While the taste doesn’t exactly match up to that of meat, the texture is almost identical to the texture of chicken.  As a vegetarian, I personally miss and crave chewiness.  I’m not sure if this is because of lack of meat, but I know for sure that my regular consumption of tofu just doesn’t quite satisfy this craving.  With that being said, I am quite impressed with Gardein’s Tuscan Breasts.

The breasts not only have the same consistency of chicken, but also look pretty much identical to a baked chicken breast.  They come in a prepackaged tomato-like sauce, made from tomato paste, spices, red bell pepper, vinegar, and citric acid.  However, the sauce doesn’t provide enough flavor or quite mask the hint of the slightly unpleasant “soyness”, so I prefer to create and add my own seasonings.

I actually cooked up two of these breasts last night.  If you can wait 20 minutes, then these make the perfect, hassle-free dinner.  All you have to do is set the oven to 375, put the breasts in a baking dish, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.  Last night, I sauteed some mushrooms and onions (about 1/2 onion, and 4-6 ounces of button mushrooms, sliced) in a little bit of olive oil, S&P.  When the breasts were finished cooking, I topped them with the mushroom mixture.  Delicious.

I even had one of my picky, non-vegetarian friends sample a few bites, and he said that he actually liked it!

The breasts also come in a “Sante Fe Good Stuff” version, which includes a mixture of beans and corn stuffed inside of the breasts.  I would suggest making your own sauce for either of these products in order to enhance the flavor.  In addition to sauteed mushrooms, a simple marinara, or mushroom gravy would also pair nicely with the Gardein breasts.

If you’re looking for a mock chicken, then I’d definitely recommend this product.  Because of their meaty texture, Gardein’s breasts would work perfectly as a replacement for any recipes that call for breasts/cubes/strips of chicken.  Additionally, each breast contains a substantial 26 grams of protein and only 3 grams of fat.  The protein is derived from a combination of non-genetically engineered (yay) soybeans, wheat gluten, and a blend of protein rich grains consisting of quinoa, amaranth, millet, and kamut.  The breasts also provide a good source of iron (30% DV), and 3 grams of fiber.  Not too shabby!

Have you ever tried any of Gardein’s tuscan breasts or any of their other products?