Go Veggie With Gardein

Gardein, a meat-free food line whose name blends the words “garden” and “protein,” is celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month in October by taking part in several U.S. food festivals and rolling out its seasonal Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y entrée for Thanksgiving and the upcoming winter holidays.

“Vegetarian Awareness Month allows us to showcase that our meat-free foods are good for you, as they are packed with protein [and] free of saturated fat and cholesterol,” noted Yves Potvin, CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Garden Protein International, “We like to say that Gardein is the new garden-grown meat, making it a convenient and healthy choice that easily replaces beef, pork or chicken in any meal or recipe. Gardein is delicious and easy to prepare, not to mention [being] 100 percent vegan, and is available today at restaurants and in produce cooler and freezer aisle at your local grocery store.”

To raise the product line’s profile in the United States, free samples of Gardein and coupons will be distributed at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest on Oct. 15, the Texas State Veggie Fair on Oct. 23 and Boston Vegetarian Food Festival on Oct. 29-30.

Each serving of limited-edition Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y provides 23 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat and 280 calories. The item is breaded with toasted crumbs; stuffed with celery, onions, cranberries and bread crumbs; and comes with vegan gravy. The SRP is $7.99 or under for a frozen bag of two entrees with individual gravy servings.

Made from a slow-cooked blend of vegetables, whole grains and garden-grown proteins, Gardein offers as much protein per serving as premium lean meat, is free of cholesterol, and contains no animal or dairy ingredients, according to Garden Protein International.