Product Review: Vegetarian Plus Vegan Black Pepper Steaks

Deb | 01/08/2015 | Reply

There are a lot of vegans who rant and rave and rail against “processed” foods. They hate the idea that vegans would eat anything that even remotely resembles meat especially. However, I have often reminded people that many vegans didn’t choose to become that way because they didn’t like the flavor of meat – they did it because they can’t stand the idea that something had to suffer pain and lose its life for them to eat.

So it makes sense that vegans have options that are cruelty free but still provide opportunities for a meat-like dietary experience with familiar tastes and textures.

The vegan “faux meat” (as some call these meat replacement products) industry has boomed in recent years, and the quality of the products keep getting better and better. As usual, California is leading the charge, as our state hosts leaders in the vegan meat industry, with several companies located right here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

One of the products I tried recently by Vegetarian Plus is their vegan version of black pepper steak. I’d managed to stumble upon their website and was very interested in the offerings they had, so I wrote the company and asked if they could provide me with a sample. A few weeks later I received a coupon, which I used for this review.

The Vegetarian Plus Vegan Black Pepper Steaks are made from non-GMO soy and other non-frightening ingredients such as:

Soybean Fiber (soybean protein, wheat starch, wheat protein, soybean oil), Water, Soybean Protein, Soybean Oil, Wheat Protein, Raw Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Yeast Peptone Powder, Caramel Color, Black Pepper Granule, Natural Vegan Flavor, Spice, Maltose, Soy Sauce Paste (water, soybean, wheat, salt, glutinous rice flour), Chili Pepper Powder.

I wasn’t too crazy about the sodium content, but have to consider that unless a product is designed to be “low sodium” most commercial, restaurant foods, and prepared take-out foods have far more than 400mg. For instance, Amy’s tofu scramble contains 580 per serving, Amy’s vegan margherita pizza is 630 per serving, and a Chipotle sofritas burrito (made with brown rice, black beans, tomato salsa, guacamole and lettuce) is a whopping 2210!

Serving Size: 2.5 oz. Calories 170, Calories from Fat 80, Total Fat 8g (13% DV), Saturated Fat 2g (11% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 400mg (17% DV), Total Carbohydrate 10g (3% DV), Dietary Fiber 2g (7% DV), Sugars 3g, Protein 13g. Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 2%, Iron 8%.

Moving past the sodium issue, I served the black pepper steaks just as I would have in the past with a meat product – over Jasmine rice with a side of brussels sprouts. Vegetarian Plus Vegan Black Pepper Steaks come packed in a flavorful sauce that has a hint of sweetness along with the clear pepper taste. Here is what the product looks like on a dinner plate:

I haven’t seen these products anywhere but at Whole Foods, which is a shame. I shop primarily at Sprouts since its the closest store to my house, and they don’t have them there. So next trip to Whole Foods in Oakland, I will have to stock up and buy several packages, because this was an absolutely fabulous meat replacement product that I loved eating. The tenderness, texture, and flavor of the pepper steaks were superb.

If you can find Vegetarian Plus products in a store near you, I suggest you grab a couple of packages. Even the meat-eaters of the household thought the Vegetarian Plus Black Pepper Steaks were great (they polished off what I left in no time flat), which means this makes a fast fix dinner that you can serve to your whole family – vegans and omni’s alike.