Ground turkey or Morningstar Farms soy "beef substitute"?

[Deja Q]

Ground turkey is much better than beef.

However, its fat content is rather high compared to the soy product, which is virtually fat free. Ditto for calories.

Problem is, Morningstar Farms' product is more than TWICE that of ground turkey ($3.50 compared to ~$1.50)

Are there other brands of soy product? Or stores that carry the product for less, surely it costs less to harvest and prepare soy than grinding up God's little animals?!

Thanks!

[Snow]

Check out Trader Joe's...

I recently bought some morningstar breakfast sausage there. Dunno how the prices compare, tell you the truth.

[HPLeft]

6. Trader Joe was extremely cheap on Morningstar

last time I checked. Since I gave up my car, I haven't been out to one. But on the items they carry, they can be lower than any supermarket price. I remember the sausages selling for $2.69, but that was back in late 2002.

[ronzo]

1. Boca makes the best faux ground beef (imho)...

Equal to 1.5 lb of ground beef at $3.50

[mlawson]

7. I second that!

The "Grillers" package comes in three packets, which are really convenient. But I can get it for $2.50 here.

[ronzo]

11. They go on sale. We stock up when they're cheap....

These are our favorite fakes:

(who nailed what)

Boca:
>Burgers
>Smokies, Brats, Italian sausage (love these!)
>burger crumbles

Morningstar Farms:
>Fake Bacon (choice)
>breakfast sausage links
>chicken patties, nuggets
>supeme mini pizza
>corndogs (minis, too. the kids also love these)
*they make an italian sausage style crumble, anybody tried this?

Gardenburger:
>Ribwich
>meatloaf (more like salsbury steak)

Suggestions anyone?

[Qutzupalotl]

2. Quorn is very good.

Tastes like chicken (no, really). That and Boca Burgers original.

[SWPAdem]

5. Quorn is yummy

Cutlets, Fettucini Alfredo, Roast..........

[HPLeft]

3. You're going to have to wait for sales

I've seen Boca products as low as $2.25 a package here in NYC (in Supermarkets), and Morningstar Farms as low as $2.99. You might also want to check the dehydrated soy products from www.healthy-eating.com. I use a couple of these meat substitutes and find them quite tasty with the right mix of seasonings/marinades. Lumen Food also has some good stuff. I'm a fan of their Wild Stonewall's Jerky, which isn't exactly low fat, but is lots of fun to eat.

[izzie]

4. See Public Citizen Sept/oct J. Vinson

Not eating meat is looking even better every day. Or see where Bush is getting his food.

[KayLaw]

8. Beans

You can make pretty good burgers from canned beans - just do a Google search. Plus, there's Garden Burger and the one Green Giant makes. I've never tried the Worthington foods that comes in shelf-stable packages.

[amazona]

9. ground turkey without a doubt

Go stand in a soy field and look at what a dead, ugly place it is that tolerates nary a weed. Then do some digging on the internet or in the library about the effects of Monsanto/soy industry on our wildflowers and wild insects such as butterflies, many of which face extinction.

There is no doubt in my mind that ground turkey is the P.C. choice. And, for once, you can do the right thing more cheaply.


turkeys are not little creatures, butterflies are little creatures

[KayLaw]

10. Also

You should consider what soy burger has that ground turkey and beef haven't - heart-healthy soy protein and fiber. ( Beans have lots of fiber, too!)

[Robb]

12. Frankly,

If your concern is fat, look at buffalo -- and drain what little fat there is when you cook it.

Another thing to try is grinding your own chicken -- but use the thigh meat. It's pretty yummy, much richer than the breast meat, and the concept isn't as gross as you might imagine. Often a butcher will just sell you a bunch of thighs, and even bone them for you, and it's dang cheap. You can do the grinding, carefully, in a regular Cuisinart.

If you want the benefits of soy, cube up some firm tofu and pan-sear it. I like just that much better than any of the "kinda like ground something" products. :)