I’m guessing this won’t be my only post in 2020 about plant-based anything. A 2018 report found that 83% are adding more plant-based foods to their diet. If, like me, you have a hard time keeping up with plant-based meat, here are some resources. Also included below is a look at blending meat with plant-based extenders.
Eating out…
**Burger King to add Impossible Burger to 2 for $6 menu
**Impossible Foods will roll out plant-based pork with less protein and calories than pork. It will be part of a Burger King breakfast sausage sandwich.
**What is the reach of plant-based options in fast food/fast casual places? Fast food places that offer plant-based meat includes Hardee’s (the latest), Burger King, White Castle, McDonald’s, TGIF, Carl’s Jr., Little Caesar’s and Denny’s (some chains have limited availability). And Medical News Today compiled 33 different plant-based menu items.
In grocery stores…
**Kroger testing plant-based meat section in Colorado, Indiana & Illinois
In schools…
**District finds ways to get students to try plant-based foods by renaming vegetarian chili “vegetable chili,” and other less successful efforts (Meatless Mondays not a big hit).
Blending meat at home…
Blending meat with vegetables is trending…here are some resources…
**Blending meats with plants makes the case for ‘lessitarians’ who are looking to decrease their meat intake by blending it with plants such as Caulipower’s chicken tenders blended with cauliflower. Tyson and Perdue are on board with their versions of blended products.
**Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition magazine (Volume 9, Issue 1) shares how to use meat extenders in burgers, Sloppy Joes meatballs and other dishes. Mushrooms (use 8 ounces or raw mushrooms for 8 ounces of meat), lentils (to ground meat add cooked brown lentils in a ratio of 3:1 or 2:1), beans, whole grains, prunes (2 to 3 prunes soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, drained, then puréed for 1 pound of meat), and more add flavor and nutrients.
**A Retail Business Dietitians Alliance article on blending meat notes that ‘the Blend’ (the Mushroom Council’s blend of mushrooms and meat) is a hit with 83% of universities and Whole Foods has blended burgers on its 2020 food trend list.
**Shredded tofu may make stir fries more appealing. The original recipe is posted on the 101 Cookbooks blog.
Infographics
**Blended burgers: gateway to plant-based meat alternatives?