Plant Basics Chunks

I like these a lot. They are packed with plant protein. They work in so many dishes. You can chop them or leave them whole. I use the cold soak method. It’s not in the instructions but I followed a reel. It takes a few minutes longer but has the same result with less energy usage. These are also light for a camping trip. Of course when camping cold soak will only work if the water is potable. Tacos, soups, bowls, salads. Whole the texture is a lot like chunked chicken. Chopped and seasoned with taco seasoning and it can pass for ground beef. I love being vegan now. My weight is down, my blood numbers are getting better, the food my wife and I are discovering is sooo good, I feel energetic instead of sluggish after meals, sleep is better, S-drive is better. I’m not an ethical vegan and I think people who start off like I am and switch to be a snooty ethical vegan are really the worst. That is not me. But I will say, for your health, eat more plants and less meat, fish, dairy and eggs. In fact I would cut dairy out completely. It’s real bad and that’s no joke.

I come at this from a different perspective than the typical buyer of faux meat. I am not a vegan. I am coming at this from a prepper perspective and as someone that likes to make their house more efficient. I love the taste and texture of this product... after I add some tallow, bacon grease, meat drippings, hamburger grease, beef broth. You get the idea. It is fairly easy to use. Soak it in a broth plus seasonings marinade until it is rehydrated. Dry it off and roll it in some flour plus seasoning. Drop it in a pan of hot grease. Get that sear and it is done. It will taste like beef, bacon or what ever meat flavor you rehydrate it with. It has a bit of a spongey texture, but it is a nice chew and the sear really sells it. Now on to the frugal kitchen stuff. The price per ounce seems a little high, but remember you are getting about 3-4x the dry weight once you prep it. The chunks themselves have almost no flavor to them, which makes a good starting canvas. The only thing missing is the meat broth and meat fats, and that is where the frugality comes in. I save up my drippings from rabbit, hamburgers, steaks, bacon n sausage n egg fry ups, broiled meats especially. In those drippings is everything I need to flavor and reconstitute some of the faux meat chunks. Spatchcocked rabbit one day and faux rabbit tacos the next. Kind of like a meat extender. As a prepper I love this stuff. I can take some dry beef bullion, dry taco seasoning, dehydrated refried beans, canned salsa, canned cheese, and long shelf life tortillas to make an emergency ration burrito that is better than any fast food offerings. So long as you have fresh water, a cast iron pan, and an open fire, you can have a really nice meal. Packs well too. I just made the said burritos with a cup of these chunks and previously mentioned ingredients and it fed two of us. You could pack a meal for 4-8 in a lunchbox. Great for camping and road trips as well. Far cheaper and better than any MRE burrito, but you do need a basic kitchen of some sort.

This meat substitute has only one ingredient. I know it is still minimally processed food and that it doesn't actually grow in the ground like a plant. However, this particular high-protein meat substitute can actually take up the flavor of the vegetable broth/spice mixture that it is cooked in. It then has identical texture of pork or chicken. I usually add it to the mixture during the last 8-10minutes of cook time. I also appreciate that it doesn't require refrigeration. Win/win.

Good for the price but had a hard time getting that taste to neutralize. It made everything taste like soy even though I soaked it and rinsed it a few times...

I instruct the fine art of Dutch oven cooking to Scouts and Scout leaders and usually have to accommodate food allergies and other dietary restrictions. This time it was the vegans. I was planning on chili and I wanted something other just beans so I tried Plant Basics. Go figure, it turned out to be a good substitute for ground beef. Had I not told anyone about meat substitute I doubt anyone could have tasted the difference. It was easy to use, cooks just like ground beef and was perfect for my dish. I'm not yet ready to dive in to all things vegan but I happy to see, and taste, that I have options. Great product!

I bought these thinking they'd be a low-fat, no saturated fat, no cholesterol meat substitute. I soaked some chunks in low fat gravy and heated them according to instructions. They were disgusting! I spit them out and immediately threw the bag in the trash. Perhaps I did something wrong, but they tasted just awful, both in texture and flavor. But then, not wanting to waste my purchase, I dug the bag back out of the trash and put it into my cache of dried last-chance disaster food. However, upon searching for high protein low sugar treats with no cholesterol and no saturated fat, and finding NONE...I remember my discarded bag. Opening it up again, I popped one of the dried chunks into my mouth. Very crunchy and chewy! Very satisfying! A tangy, nutty taste. Wow! An inexpensive, crunchy treat both low-fat and low-carb friendly! From disgusting to absolute dynamite! Bravo!

I have ordered Plant Basics pea protein crumbles many times and was very happy with the product. This time apparently my previous order was unavailable and I was directed to this item, which I believed to be the same, just different size package. When I received it, it was SOY protein, which I am allergic to. And it cannot be returned. Buyer beware! It does not say soy on the front and only in the ingredients on the back in small print. Now I'm out for 2 packs and I have to throw them away. I hate that.

This is basically decent quality vegetable protein, but my only criticism is that the chunks are way too big. They should be half this size or less, so I have to soften them with hot water and chop them up before using.