Today it is easier than ever to offer meatless options when having a BBQ, a party, or any other time you are offering food. Here’s how:
Plant-Based “Meat” is Getting Easier to Find
Something that makes going meatless easy are the new Beyond Meat products. They are plant-based products containing no meat, but are so meat-like that they can be found in the meat aisle at the grocery store.
People are becoming more and more familiar with Beyond Meat as it becomes available in more and more grocery stores.
Plant-Based Meat Can Be Enjoyed by Everyone
It is easy to throw Beyond Meat Burgers on the BBQ and satisfy not only the vegans and vegetarians, but confirmed carnivores who want to do their part, whether it is for environmental or animal welfare reasons.
Some Health Benefits
Beyond Meat products are relatively new and have not had a long history of study. However, some health benefits that make them a good alternative to beef are that they are a good source of protein and iron, and they have more fiber and less saturated fat than beef, and no cholesterol.
It is a processed product, so they do contain higher amounts of sodium.
The proteins in the Beyond Meat products are derived from peas, mung beans, fava beans and brown rice. The fats, which give the burgers their juiciness, are made up of cocoa butter, coconut oil, sunflower oil and canola oil.
There are natural flavors, and beet juice extract and apple extract to give you the meaty taste and color that you would expect from a meat burger.
Other Meatless Products
Besides faux beef patties, Beyond Meat also makes plant-based sausage and beef crumbles. You can crumble up the beef patties to make hamburger, or you can use the beef crumbles in place of hamburger. The beef crumbles can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store.
Here is an easy recipe to try, which you can make vegetarian instead of vegan by using regular cheese, milk and butter.
Meatless Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
- 16 oz cooked macaroni, such as elbow macaroni
- 1 package Beyond Burger patties, or Beyond Burger crumbles
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 1/2 cups vegan cheese
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- Preparation
In a blender, blend together the cashews, cheese, almond milk, water, butter, salt, mustard, and cornstarch on high speed until fully combined and sauce is smooth.
In a skillet over medium high heat, add the Beyond Burger patties and crumble with a wooden spoon into small pieces, or use Beyond Meat crumbles.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Remove Beyond Burger from the skillet and set aside in a bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, cheese sauce, and cooked Beyond Burger. Stir to combine and serve immediately.
Beyond Burger just made it easier to become a vegetarian or vegan, or to continue being a vegetarian or vegan.