Dixie Diners' Club - Beef (Not!) Ground (1 lb bag)
My original review is below, but I took a star away because I really don't like all the powder in the bag. I don't know if that can be fixed, but to me it spoils the meat effect a little. The product is still very good and delivers on its promise. One other thing: if you want that meat flavor, I recommend Orrington Farms Vegan Beef Broth Base. It really does taste meat-like (it wouldn't fool a meat eater, but for vegetarians it is excellent).
Have tried a variety of not meat products and this is among the best. First time I used it, I made not meatloaf. I put a bunch of cumin, garlic, marjoram, and oregano (all measured by eye and instinct) in a cup of water, heated the water to near boiling, and put in the not ground beef. Let it sit for a few minutes and tasted it. It was delicious. Put it in the refrigerator and checked it after a few hours. It had firmed up nicely and I could tell it would be very much like meat. Made the not meatloaf with bread crumbs and some seitan as a binder and the usual meatloaf seasoning. Look, as a vegetarian I don't really care about fake meats, but my wife still wants meat flavors and we both miss the texture. Well this was so like meatloaf, we've found a solution to the texture/flavor problem, and I didn't think that would happen. Can't wait to try the not chicken pieces.
Wow, I am shocked at how well this turned out. I'm a hardcore carnivore and actively avoid vegan/vegetarian stuff but my BP is up and I need to lose some weight so I figured "what the heck" and bought a bag of this. I took a 1/2 cup of this, a 1/2 cup of hot water, added a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of garlic, salt, and some steak seasoning mix. Microwaved the bowl for 2 mins and took a taste and I was pleasantly surprised - It actually tasted and felt pretty darn close to ground beef! I can't vouch for it mixed plain but if you season it up a bit it's more than passable! Gonna make a cheesesteak out of what I mixed up right now, will try tacos next and post an update!
This is an excellent vegan ground beef alternative! I made sausage patties using it and they turned out great! I also crumbled some up to make a tofu scramble for breakfast burritos.
For health and ethical reasons, my household is cutting back 75-90% on meat consumption. To do this, I've purchased a lot of meat substitute products for testing so that we can continue eating the types of dinners we're used to. I've only tried it in spaghetti, but the Beef (Not!) Ground is indistinguishable from ground beef once seasoned and sauced. It's also SO easy to prepare - a couple minutes in the microwave with water or broth. Because of the dry storage, it lasts over a year on the shelf. I'm a fussy/squeamish eater...it's wonderful never running into bits of fat, gristle or bone. Another of the things I've noticed about meat substitutes is that leftovers retain their "fresh cooked" taste for a longer. It's definitely worth a try.
Used this for the first time today and it's amazing.
I had a kidney out in February and the one that's left isn't quite running on all cylinders, so I have to really watch how much meat protein I eat.
I made a batch of chili today (low-sodium chili powder supplemented by potassium salt and good quality paprika) and used a half-and-half blend of this and really low-quality ground beef (73% lean).
I also added two teaspoons of beef base (low sodium) as well during the reconstitution process.
Add one small onion, one chopped up jalapeno, one drained and rinsed can of green chilis, one drained and rinsed can of petite diced tomatoes and I had a pretty darned good chili base for chili-mac.
Feature Product
- Vegan / Vegetarian meat substitute
- Free from animal products
- Gluten Free
- Low Fat & Low Sodium
- Non-GMO Soy
Description
Ground "beef" is a great beef substitute for any recipe calling for loose ground beef. Great for pizza, casseroles, tacos, chili, and more. Hydrate then use like meat. Filling, satisfying, and high in protein! Contains no animal products!
This is super-handy and little goes a long way, so I keep this in the freezer til I need it. There's no thawing-out time, just reconstitute with hot water or broth, or add it to sauce. My favorite use for it so far was with zucchini, onions, tomato, other veggies, and Rotel, poured over quinoa and brown rice. I tried making little patties with it earlier, but they turned out pretty dry, even tho I used an egg as a binder.
Update 06/24/14: This product has increased in price to a total of $12.35 w/S&H. But again, it makes the equivalent of about 4 lbs of ground beef. So that's only $3.08/pound, and last I looked, 80/20 at the grocery was going for about $4.35/lb. This is healthier, and shelf-stable. So still a good buy at current price point.
I needed to do something about my cholesterol, and so began cooking a lot of meatless dishes. I was searching for low fat recipes online, and happened upon one that mentioned "Beef Not" and "Turkey Not". I was intrigued, and searched it here at Amazon; LO! And behold! They have it!
With shipping, this package costs $11.14, but makes the equivalent of about 4 pounds of ground beef. At this time, the average cost for fresh ground beef is $3.51/pound. Four pounds would cost $14.04. Even adding in the beef broth (that I use) to reconstitute the product, it's still cheaper than meat.
I'll admit that I was verrrrry skeptical about this, but figured it was worth 11 bucks to give it a whirl. The first time, I opened a can of regular Hormel Chili con Carne with Beans, and added 1/2 cup (prepared) Beef Not to the chili, and mixed it in, to see if I could tell it was in there. I have to say, visually and texturally, it was *impossible* to tell.
So, last night I prepared 1 cup of the product, and opened a can of "chili beans" (again, just as an experiment; I don't usually buy canned beans, but they sure are convenient!), but found that 1 full cup of product was too much "meat" to 1 can of chili beans. So I dumped in another can of beans.
I did have to season the whole shebang with some cumin, chili powder, and garlic; the Beef Not doesn't really have a flavor at all, so the mixture was a little bland. But once I added everything (and a dash of Tabasco), and heated through, guess what?
You.Couldn't.Tell.It.Wasn't.Meat.Chili. Totally delicious! I served it over brown rice, and the kids snarfed it up without a peep. They had no idea it wasn't hamburger. This stuff works great! I'm not sure I'd try to make "meatballs" or anything out of it, but for mix-in purposes, it's wonderful!
My next attempt will be Sloppy Joes.
Used for an office Taco Tuesday celebration so I could have vegan tacos. Fooled EVERYONE :)
This is better than I expected. It takes a lot of seasoning, but I am only using it to make chili, which is heavily seasoned. A great substitute for real ground beef in my chili.
This product is very enjoyable to make a thick ragu sauce, but its a stretch for shepherds pie. You have to experiment to find the correct recipes for it. I'm a repeat buyer. Just wish it was organic. If it were I'd use it far-far more. When anything is not organic, I tend to use it far less. I cannot stress how important this product needs to get the organic certification.
