Gardein Meat Free Monday Week One #gardeinparty

You don't have to be a vegetarian to love meatless produces. Did you know that going just one day of week without meat could reduce your chances of heart disease. Did you  know that if every American lowered their meat consumption by just 20%, it would save more natural resources then if we all started driving a Toyota Priuse? Well, its true, and Gardein is helping to spread the word with their Meatless Monday Movement. Every Monday through the month of July, they will be stopping in some of the biggest cities in America to share recipes samples and more. For those of us who aren't lucky enough to live close to the big cities, they are also sharing info with bloggers like me, who will be taking the Meatless Monday challenge for the next four weeks.


I had the chance to try out a few of the meatless products from Gardein.  Gardein have created a line of fresh  and frozen meatless products that taste as good as they look. They are made with soy and a variety of other tasty spices that make it hard to tell they are meat free. I've never been a big meat eater and I always worry about cruelty when I do buy  meat and poultry.  Chickens  in particular seem to have a hard time of it.  But normally when I bring home vegetarian products, no one else will touch them. But I didn't have that problem with the chipotle lime crispy fingers. I heated them up for my kids for dinner last night, and they had no idea they were anything other than regular chicken.  They gobbled them right up. And since they are low fat, a good source of protein and trans fat free, I know they are getting a healthy meal on days when I don't have time to cook from scratch.

I was surprised myself at how good they are. I have tried lots of vegetarian foods, and normally they are okay, but Gardein is excellent.The fingers were crispy and their special blend of seasonings makes them taste amazing. I will definitely be getting them again. And here is a great recipe you can use to spice up your meals with the chicken fingers even more:

Tropical chipotle fingers

Ingredients

gardein
1 pkg	chipotle lime crispy fingers

other ingredients
1 tbsp	canola oil
1/2 tsp	cumin, ground
1/2 cup	red onion, 1/4” diced
1	garlic clove, peeled and finely diced
1/4 tsp	salt
1/4 tsp	pepper
2 cups	black beans and reserved juice
2 cups	prepared brown rice
1/2 cup	prepared tropical fruit salad
4	cilantro sprigs

 Instructions

For the gardein chipotle lime crispy finger... Cook chipotle lime crispy fingers according to cooking instructions on package.

For the mexican black beans... Heat canola oil in a non stick fry pan over medium heat, when oil ripples add cumin, red onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Sweat onions and garlic for 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.

Add the black beans and reserved juices and cook for 5-7 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and beans are hot.

Assemble the dish... Spoon hot rice and black beans onto serving plate, place 3 chipotle lime crispy chick’n fingers over rice and beans, garnish with tropical fruit salsa and cilantro sprigs.

The Crispy Chicken Fingers are only one of the selections you can find at Gardein. I will be telling you about a few others over the next four weeks.  heir products have been featured on Oprah and were named one of the best snacks of the year by Shape Magazine.  To learn more about Gardein and their meat free products, you can check out their website. You can also follow them on twitter or become their fan on face book.  While you're on face book, be sure to sign up for the Meatless Challenge. For every person that does, one meal will be donated to charity. Also be sure to check back every Monday in July for more tasty ideas from Gardein.

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I did receive a sample of the product to try in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. ***