Mock Nuggets

On Monday, we had Meatless Monday again. We’re not as diligent in this as we’d like, we only do it like, every two or three weeks, but this week, I was like, lets do this! We decided on vegetarian chicken nuggets, since we had the veggie burgers last time. So at the store, a while ago, we had bought these:

because I thought they’d be a good idea. I like the veggie burgers that this company provides,so I assumed all of their stuff is delicious. No, I was wrong. These nuggets tasted really awful. They didn’t taste anything like chicken, they didn’t really taste like any kind of meat. There was a slight fish taste to them, which I thought was weird. I even tried it with different sauces. to see if that could help. I tried ranch dressing, I tried barbecue sauce. And while it did mask the taste a little, they still tasted awful. But I soldiered through it, I thought, I guess this is just what it’s like to be a vegetarian, you don’t really get to eat good food. (ha!) So we finish the meal, and I ask Husband how he liked the nuggets, and he didn’t like them, either. So, way to go, nuggets, you made everyone sad. At least now I know how they taste, so I’ll never have to wonder again. Also, I’ll never have to eat these again, so that’s another excitement. And, since Monday was National Pie Day (which I thought happened in March, but I read on MSN that it was Monday, so…) I got myself a slice of Key Lime Pie to celebrate, and to wash out the taste of the mock nuggets.

And that, my friends, was delicious.

How are People Vegetarians When Meat is so Delicious?

Recently, I was reading an article in Runner’s World about taking one day a week to not eat any meat. ‘Meatless Monday’ they called it. Their claim is that the average American eats 8 oz of meat daily, which is about 45 percent more than the USDA recommends. Going meatless for one day a week will cut down on that a little, and you can cut back on your saturated fat while incorporating other proteins into your diet. So, being a runner, and always on the lookout to be a little healthier (while not cutting down on my treats that I love), I decided to join the Meatless Monday Movement. And since Husband is a (former) vegetarian, he’s the perfect guy to help me with this. It’s not that he’s morally against meat or anything, its just that he finds it healthier to not eat meat. But sadly, since we met and married, he’s started eating meat again since I do. Sorry, Husband.

Anyway, so last night was our first go at it. We decided to have veggie burgers, which I’ve had before – just the kind you get at the store. They’re not too bad, actually, they don’t really taste like meat, but they were pretty tasty. Husband decided (pretty last minute, actually) that he’d be making veggie burgers from scratch, with black beans. I was really really hesitant to try these, but I was going into this with a really open mind. So I parked myself into a seat, and watched Husband put them together. The whole time, I kept thinking, this is totally not something I would eat. He mashed all the beans, added green peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, some other ingredients and smushed them all together. Then he made little patties and cooked them. (I wish I had thought to take a picture last night of the burger, but of course, I didn’t) Of course, to make them taste ok, I added cheese, lettuce, all the regular things. So I put together my burger, and take my first bite.

It was so weird! It just tasted like a bean sandwich. Which maybe some people like, but I’m not all that into beans, so I was like, weird. I finished my burger, of course, because Husband worked so hard on it, and because I was going to do this Meatless Monday – no matter what. By the time I was finished, the taste had sort of grown on me, so I was used to it. And I’m not saying I’ll never eat a veggie burger again, I just think that the next time, I’ll make sure the beans are smoother…the stuff is mixed together more, and maybe mix something else into it, so that its just a little more delicious. Or I’ll buy the pre-made ones at the store. To celebrate my healthiness, and that I finished the whole burger, I ate a caramel apple covered in Butterfingers. So essentially I converted all my healthy points of eating that burger into eating the caramel apple. Delicious!

This is my thought on vegetarianism:

Because I sure didn’t.