Review: Gardein

I’m no vegetarian or vegetarian…not by a long shot.  We like our meat, fish, dairy, & eggs in this house. But I do try the occasional “cheater meat” (aka plant-based protein) and like to include a meatless meal in our dinner rotation sometimes.  I hadn’t tried Gardein’s products until recently, though.  They have a wide range of meat replacements products including Beefless Burgers, Teriyaki Chick’n Strips, Buffalo Wings, & more.

According to their website, Gardein products are “plant-based foods with a meaty texture.” They are made from plants like soy, wheat, grains, & vegetables.  All their foods are vegan certified.

Gardein sent a couple coupons for us to try their products for free.  I found them in the freezer section of our local Super Target.  It wasn’t too hard to choose from the selection there since there were only about four Gardein items in the freezer.  I love my Asian flavors, so I picked the Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n (it was also advertised as their top seller).  Then I chose the Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers…love that flavor combination, too.  Mmmm.

First up:  Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers.  I baked a couple and make them into a wrap for lunch with a fresh tortilla, lettuce, tomato, & a little ranch dressing.  It was a fresh, light lunch, but the Chipotle Lime flavor was so slight I could barely taste it.  The texture of the Crispy Fingers was not quite as chewy as real chicken fingers, but worked as a substitute.  Unfortunately, what the meat-lover in me can’t deny is that these (like other “cheater meats” I’ve tried) still have a “fake” flavor to them with a bit of an aftertaste.

Next up:  the Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n.  Fried ‘em up in a hot skillet with just a touch of canola oil and served ‘em for dinner with the kids.  (Why does that apostrophe in Chick’n make me want to drop parts of me words?)  The texture did a fairly good job of imitating chicken, but it was a little soft & less chewy than chicken.  It was better when it was cooked till it was a little more crispy.  The Mandarin Orange sauce okay, but not great, and these still had that “soy protein” flavor to them.

If you want to give Gardein a try, look for them at your local Super Target or check out their store locator tool…and don’t forget to use their $1.00 off coupon from their Facebook page!

Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers Average Fork Rating:  3 Mrs. Diner:  3

Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n Average Fork Rating:  3 Mrs. Diner:  3 Amazing Diner:  2 Sweet Diner:  4