Veggie Meats

When I first became a vegetarian, a whopping 18+ years ago, there weren't a lot of good veggie-meat options.  There were a few things out there, like veggie dogs, and veggie burgers that at the time still were obvious veggie patties... meaning, there weren't any veggie burgers that looked and tasted like regular burgers. 

Since that time, though, the veggie meat possibilities have exploded.  There are all kinds of options for a multitude of uses, and many of them are quite tasty.  It could be debated whether they taste exactly like the original, but I don't think that's the point.  I use veggie meat substitutes in the same way I would use it's real counterpart, but it doesn't have to taste the exact same as the counterpart - it just has to taste good (and they do).  Many options, however, are close enough to the original that they actually fool meat-eaters.  For your consideration: I made tacos with burger crumbles once, and at the dinner my carnivorous friend, chowing down on her "meat-" filled taco and noticing that I had "meat" in mine too, asked me if I wasn't a vegetarian anymore.  I happily informed her that the taco meat was not, in fact, meat, and she was truly surprised.  Then she talked all night about how yummy it was.

Now, none of these items are necessary to be able to create vegetarian meals.  You can forgo the meat part entirely and live just fine on veggies, carbs, dairy, all the millions of food options that need no meat or meat substitute.  Some would even say that using veggie meats defeats the point of being a vegetarian.  But I am not really using veggie meat products simply because I have to make meat-based meals.  I make a lot of meat-free and fake-meat-free meals.  It's just that there happen to be lots of delicious, protein-packed, healthy foods out there that are tasty, and that vegetarians can use, and I'm gonna use 'em.  If I am able to make classic meat dishes with veggie meats that still taste great, then that is a bonus.  But, I'm not trying to keep the 'meat and potatoes' formula in our food at all times.  I just eat what I like, and sometimes that's meat-free, and other times it is fake meat. 

We are so lucky that we have so many good, healthy, tasty meat-free options, and I do use them often.  I figured I'd give a little sampling of some of my favorites out of the hundreds I've tried over the years, in case anybody needs info on adding these healthier options to your meals.  Even for non-vegetarians, they are tasty enough that it's justifyable to bring these to your kitchen to save a few calories and fat grams.  As a bonus, they are way easier to cook than meat, making for much faster meal prep time.  This is just a tiny sampling and review of some veggie meats I have tried, with some info to get you started:

Morningstar Farms
Morningstar Farms makes lots of products that are easy to use and readily available in most supermarkets.  Many of their products are vegetarian, but they also have vegan versions of some of their products. 
Burger Crumbles:  MF's Burger Crumbles are frozen and will substitute for ground beef or other ground meats in chilis, tomato sauce, sloppy joes, taco meat, and lots of other things.  They are cooked, so they just have to be brought to temp to be ready to eat.  This is the veggie meat we eat the most of.  I use Burger Crumbles for many, many things.
Chik'n Strips:  MF's frozen chick'n strips are great to use in sauce-free dishes, like a simple stir-fry.  They soak up sauce, so you don't want to let them cook in a sauce or they will get soggy.  If you want a sauce on them, you have to sauce them when serving.  They are great just to sautee quickly and serve with mashed potatoes.  Their texture and flavor, in comparison to real chicken, is one of the best.  Good stuff.
Veggie Bacon:  MF's version of bacon strips is also frozen, and the most like the 'real thing' out of the various veggie bacons I've had.  They can be sauteed on the stove, but an easier way is just to lay them on a plate and nuke them in the microwave until they are the texture you want - less time for softer, more time for crispier.  Veggie bacon is great on BLT's or for a breakfast sandwich.
Veggie Dogs:  I like Morningstar Farm's Veggie Dogs better than most other brands I've had, but they are harder and harder to find these days.  They taste exactly like regular hot dogs, and should be used accordingly.
Boca Brand
I don't enjoy most Boca products as much as I do Morningstar Farms', but Boca does have a huge selection of items and a few that I really like.  
Boca Burgers: Boca brand veggie hamburgers are not my fave, but they seem to be really popular in general, so somebody obviously likes them.  The reason I don't love them is that, for me, they tend to have a bit of an aftertaste (the same for Boca breakfast sausages), so I don't usually buy Boca burgers - I stick with Morningstar.  They have a huge variety of flavors, and some of my friends love Boca's burgers, so it's worth it to give them a try.
Boca chick'n patties - this veggie version of the classic round, breaded, ready-for-a-bun chicken patty is a good substitute for the original.  The breading is nice and crisp.  The spicy version of chick'n patties have a nice kick to them.  Great with mayo, ketchup, and cheese on a hamburger bun - old school.
Sausages - I really love Boca's selection of main-meal sausages.  They have Italian, Bratwurst, and Smoked Sausages.  Well, I don't know if they even make the smoked sausage anymore, because I haven't been able to find them.  Which is a bummer, because I LOVED them.  The Italian Sausages and Bratwurst by either Boca or Morningstar are great.  They are super easy to heat and eat, and are perfect on a roll with your favorite toppings or served as-is next to a plate of noodles, sauerkraut, grilled veggies, whatever normally would go.  I like to pair veggie Italian Sausage with my eggplant parmesan.
Worthington
Worthington is a company that has been around making veggie substitute products for a very long time.  Almost all of their offerings are canned, instead of frozen.  There is one product in particular that I love.
FriChik - I talked about using FriChik in my blog about Chicken Paprikash.  Unlike MF's frozen chik'n strips, FriChik won't soak up all the sauce it's cooked in, making it great for dishes like Paprikash, or other stews, soups, and saucy dishes.  FriChik is really moist and flavorful.  It doesn't taste as much like chicken as some other chicken substitutes, but it's similar, and it doesn't matter anyway, because frichick istself is a very tasty item.  I can eat it, sliced, straight out of the can.  FriChik is super easy to use as it is already fully cooked and it's not frozen, so just heat and eat.  However, FriChik can be much harder to find than Boca or MF products.  I have had to order it online, but that's not difficult to do. 
Weiners - Worthington makes cocktail weiners as well as full-size dogs that I have never had, but have heard are very good. 
SmartDeli -
SmartDeli's vegetarian foods are usually refrigerated instead of frozen.  Many supermarkets are carrying their products now, so they are easier to find. 
Veggie Dogs - if I can't find MF's veggie dogs, my second choice is SmartDeli.  Theirs are also a stealthy substitute for real dogs - Serve them and I bet no one would know the difference. 
Lunch Meat - SmartDeli has a line of veggie lunch meats, most of which are quite tasty.  The bologna is the closest match to the original, because bologna is so processed anyway, it's not hard to mimic.  The turkey is also good.  As a bonus, they are way less fatty than regular lunch meats, and have lots of healthy soy protein.
Chick'n strips - another type of veggie chicken in strip form, smartdeli's version is good for a few specific uses.  They can handle sauces in the way that frichik can (unlike MF's chik'n strips), and they hold up well with frying.  I make a breaded version of smartdeli's chick'n strips that tastes just like real fried chicken.  I kid you not.  When I want something homey, greasy and fried, I make smartdeli chick'n strip fried chicken.  Ask my husband, and he'll tell you - it's good stuff.
Yves
This company makes several refrigerated items similar to what SmartDeli produces: lunchmeats, etc.  These brands are often found right next to each other at the grocery store.
Pepperoni - when I need pepperoni, I use Yves brand.  They can be used striaght from the package (no cooking needed, like most veggie meats) and put on pizzas, sandwiches, or just eaten straight up.  The big difference between this and real pepperoni is that it doesn't ooze fat everywhere when you cook it.  The taste is mildly spicy and very flavorful; it's not an exact match, but it fulfills the craving just fine. 
Quorn
I'm not a huge fan of Quorn products.  Unlike some other veggie meats which are soy-based, quorn's structure is based (if I remember correctly) on a fungus - a mushroom, I think- to get their protein structure.  In any case, it is noticeably different with the texture than other brands, and I think they are very successful with the texture and overall look of the products.  But, I haven't had a quorn product yet that was very tasty to me, or that I would replace with any of my other standbys.  That's not to say that you shouldn't try quorn products, because they obviously do an ok busisness, so somebody is enjoying them.  And, they have several unique items that other companies don't have:  things like stuffed chick'n breasts, and other fully-prepared items. 
Veat
Veat products have been around for quite a while, and they have several types of veggie meats that are, once again, frozen.  I haven't tried all the veat products, but there is one that I use from time to time.
Veat Chick'n: The taste of veat chicken is not exactly like chicken; but it is a good taste.  One handy thing is that they have various cuts of veat that are easy to use; you can buy veat chicken in little cubes for a stir fry or to skewer and grill, or buy long strips for chicken fingers or whatever.  I don't buy veat often, but when I do, it's because they have the exact shape and style I need for a specific use.

Hopefully this helps explain a little about veggie meats and demystifies the idea of using them once in a while.  Even if you are a meat-eater, there are plenty of veggie meats that anybody would love, meat-eater or not, and it's a great way to add some good soy protein into your diet and reduce some of the fat and cholesterol.  Give them a try, you may be pleasantly surprised.  And if you have a veggie burger that sucks, rest assured there are many out there that don't. 

Happy eating!