Faux Meats Top Ten (or Five)

In searching for a reference to share with my mom regarding meat substitute products, I find the web to be lacking. Rather than spend much more time refining my search I decided to post my own favorites, since other people might be interested. As my mom knows, lots of yummy veggie meals don't require a meat substitute, since there are good ways to get protein from beans and legumes, enriched whole grains, and nuts. But sometimes you want to up the protein and flavor of a dish, and/or have the quick and easy convenience of a prepared protein source. So, here are my top five fakes, and how I typically use them. They are not in order of favorites, as they all serve a different purpose from one another.

1. Quorn naked cutlets. These basically can serve as a substitute for chicken breasts in just about anything. They are not a soy product (so a good alternative if you use a lot of other soy-based drinks and products) and they are frozen and therefore easy to have on hand. I like to steam/fry them to keep them moist -- a little olive or canola oil in the frying pan, brown both sides quickly, then turn down the heat and cover the pan to keep the moisture in and finish the cooking. They also can plunk right in a soup and are perfectly tasty without browning. I eat them on salad, in sandwiches, soups, stews, wraps, and "chicken" and dumplings. 1 cutlet has only 80 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, but 11 grams of protein.

2. Field roast. My favorites are the apple sage sausages, the smoked tomato deli slices, and the celebration roast. The sausages are incredibly flavorful and high in protein, but I tend to use a small amount because they are also high in fat and calories. But one sausage can be enough for a whole batch of soup or risotto because they are so rich and delicious. The deli slices are great for sandwiches or just a grab and go snack. I like the "roast" in sandwiches as well. My five year-old likes all of these items straight up as part of a meal or a snack, so it is a great way to make sure she's getting the protein she needs. Not sure on the others, but pretty sure that the sausages are 244 calories a pop, 10 or 12 grams of fat, and a big fat 19 grams of protein.

3. Yves Jumbo Veggie Dogs. I tried to like veggie dogs for a long time with no success. Every brand I tried was limper and more disgusting than the last, until, at long last, I discovered Yves Jumbo Veggie Dogs. To be honest, I don't like the other kind of Yves dogs, and I used to only like the hot and spicy version of the jumbos (no longer available here), but this one, great. Great as a dog in a bun, sandwich, or tortilla (think bagel dog only healthier). Great in midwestern comfort food hot dishes (with rice and cheese, baked beans, etc.). Surprisingly good as an added protein boost in the unexpected (cuban black beans, tomato soup, leftover thai food). These pack a wallop protein-wise but not with fat or calories. One dog: 110 calories, 3 g fat, 16 whopping grams of protein.

4. Gimme Lean: Kind of a sticky mess from the tube, but this stuff is very flexible as you shape it and cook it as you like. They also have a ground beef type product, which I seem to recall is good but I don't tend to think of ground beef when I am cooking so I don't tend to get it. Sausage, however, is great for breakfast, with stuffing, pasta, soups, pizza . . . well, you know, times when you would use sausage? I tend to fry this as it has no fat on its own and the consistency presents a challenge if you don't have at least a little bit of oil to help you out. I think you could probably bake it on a lightly oiled pan, and certainly microwaving or popping it in a soup works. 1 serving: 60 calories, 0 g fat and 7 grams of protein.

5. Soyrizo: This is a recent discovery for me, as I was not really a consumer of chorizo in my meat-eating days, and so was not looking for a replacement. I only use this one in chili and soup, because try as I might to follow the guidelines on the package, getting any sort of browning or shape to this sausage eludes me. I think you might be able to deep-fry it into submission, but it is already very heavy on the oil so I hate to think what that would do to the fat. Well, I stand corrected, as I look at it the fat content is only 4 grams per serving (88 calories, 9 grams of protein), so maybe you could fry it up without too much guilt. But I like the flavor and heat of this one, and it would be too hot without cutting it with a lot of beans, tomatoes and greens.

While all of these products could be linked to a meat product (e.g. Quorn as faux chicken, Gimme Lean as faux sausage), I find it much more helpful to look at them as their own entity. Never having been a huge fan of meats (with the exception of Kopp's burgers, really greasy pepperoni and Thanksgiving turkey), I am not really drawn to traditional meat-centric meals. But many of the items listed above are essential in adding protein, flavor, and convenience to the meals I cook. They are not meat and would probably not fool any meat-eater into thinking that is what they were eating, but the point is that the stand on their own as tasty in their own right. I still feel like the best vegetarian cooking relies on whole foods and good seasoning, but realistic cooking in a reasonable time frame and with the kind of variety we tend to want is very much enhanced by the inclusion of some "faux" meats. Bon appetit!