Vegetarian Plus Vegan Meats!

An embarrassingly long time ago — maybe three months ago!!  — Vegetarian Plus shipped me three packages of their frozen, seasoned vegan meats to sample and review. I've no idea why it's taken me so long to review them, but here goes!

The meats are wheat gluten/soy protein-based and frozen in tasty sauces, so they're basically ready to eat. All you have to do is pair them with a healthy veggie side, and dinner is on the table. Each box contains four servings, at least according to the package, but that makes for a very small portion. I'd say two to three servings (when paired with a hearty side) is more accurate. You simply thaw and saute with veggies or grains or whatever you wish!

The sauces are amazing! And the meats are perfectly textured. I like my plant meats on the meatier side with a good, realistic chew. If you're not into vegan meat that tastes like real meat, these might be too much for you. But as long as no animals have died, I much prefer that toothsome chew. My favorite of the Vegetarian Plus meats was the Vegan Black Pepper Steaks. These were bite-sized morsels coated in a spicy-sweet-savory sauce. The black pepper flavor really stood out!

Perfect served with a side of caulipots from Appetite for Reduction (that's cauliflower mashed potatoes!) and steamed Brussels sprouts. I love how the sauce had a fair amount of oil in it, adding to the complex and rich flavor.

I loved the Kung Pao Chicken. These were chicken-like chunks coated in a spicy Asian-style sauce with hot red chiles. I sauteed them with a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies and some roasted peanuts and served over brown rice. Dinner was on the table in minutes since I cooked that rice the night before!

They also sent me the Vegan Citrus Sparerib Cutlets! With a name like "cutlets," I expected larger pieces, but these were actually more like sparerib chunks, much the same size as the Kung Pao Chicken. They were coated in a sweet 'n' sour sauce and had a great texture!

The box suggested serving these with grilled pineapple, steamed veggies, and a salad. I didn't feel like breaking out the indoor grill, so I simply sauteed the pineapple chunks with the "cutlets," and served with steamed carrots and broccoli and a light green salad. This was actually way back in September when it was still summer outside, and what a perfect, seasonal meal!

Moral to the story — LOVED these Vegetarian Plus meats! These are fantastic for those nights when you really want something delicious and don't have time to marinate tofu or make your own seitan from scratch. They also make all kinds of crazy vegan products, like chicken drumsticks and fish fillets, a ham roll, and even a vegan half chicken!