Are you looking for “beef strips” to round out a dish? Personally, I had found faux meat beef strips difficult to find. Yes, slices of tempeh, tofu, and seitan are reasonable substitutes, but they don’t quite have the look and feel to fool the eye and palate. They take some preparation and for many folks transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle, learning to cook and time seem to be primary barriers. No Evil Food products help with that. I happened upon Best Life ‘Beef’ Strips in the refrigerated plant-based section of Sprouts and tested them with outstanding results. So, let’s add some yummy goodness to your menus.
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Faux-meat.com Evaluation
Visual:
Short and sweet. It looks like strips of marinated and pan-seared flank or round steak. The color is reddish-brown as if it has been marinated in a red wine soy sauce and then pan sauted or seared for a bit more caramelized color around the edges. When cooked, they actually look like the image on the box which is not always the case.
Tactile:
The pieces are flexible and soft like cooked beef strips. The exterior has that beefy “doneness” feel to it without feeling spongy or odd.
Cooking:
Per the packaging: Heat oil in a skillet. Pan saute until golden. Honestly, I was fine with my preparation method below and I used less oil.
As with most faux meat products, the Best Life ‘Beef’ Strips are an already prepared product and only need to be warmed to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for eating and maybe browned for a bit more visual appeal. I’m really not sure a stir-fry gets any easier than this.
In a wok, stir-fry all the vegetables in a bit of oil and aromatics.
Push the veg aside and add the Best Life Beef Strips.
Let sit for 2-3 minutes then stir-fry to give them a bit more color and to warm them to the correct temperature.
Add a bit of not-beef broth, some Asian flavorings of your choice, and Udom noodles (or your choice of noodles).
Cover and steam for 3 minutes.
Plate, garnish and serve a meal in less than 20 minutes.
Taste and Texture:
Ummm, the product tastes like very lean beef strips. Chews like medium-cooked beef. The strips are not weirdly spongy or feel tough to the palate. Just perfect in texture. If you close your eyes, you would think you are chewing beef. And goodness! Look at all those better nutritional benefits below!
Nutritional expectations:
These strips are a blend of vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, (more protein!), aromatics, spices, and flavorings. You really can recognize all the ingredients.
If you know my requirements for “best of the best” faux meats, these strips really are huge winners.
No Evil Best Life ‘Beef’ Strips weigh in at:
Protein – 27 grams per 85 grams or ¾ cup. More than twice my minimum of 12 grams of Protein per serving.
Fat – 3 measly grams of fat per serving stated above and no saturated fat. My threshold is less than 9 grams total or a 1:3 ratio of fat to protein.
Sodium – Best Life ‘Beef’ Strips squeak in at 450 grams of sodium – just below my threshold of < 500 grams of Sodium per serving.
Fiber – bonus points for No Evil products!!! 5 grams of fiber and more bonus points! 150% of your daily B12 requirement. Wow.
Honestly, these are so good, you could snack on them for a little bit of protein. I would recommend using it in any dish in which you are using strip cuts of lean meat. In my opinion, the best part of these products is that you have no cross-contamination of meat in your kitchen, you don’t have to slice and brown it. What a timesaver!!
Add a foundation of fresh produce and grains, and you have a win!
Need more inspiration?
Want more cooking ideas for eating less meat? Want to eat more plants? Let’s do it!
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