The Dolphin household has been trying to go more vegetarian and for Lent this year, I went vegan. While I am a big proponent of eating “real food,” rather than processed food, and I enjoy lots of vegetarian meals, there are definitely time when I’m craving a burger or chicken. I sometime make my own lentil patties or black bean burgers, but they’re not quite the same as a burger. More than a decade ago, I was a vegetarian and went through a lot of fake meats that I really didn’t care for. But things have changed and advances in the meatless product word have been made (though I’ve still come across many awful meatless meats). Here are some of my favorite store-bought non-meat products, that are supposed to mimic meat:

Beyond Meat Burger – Oh my gosh, these are so good. I listed them in my Friday Favorites, but they definitely deserve another mention. They completely satisfy my desire for a burger and I’ve even ordered it off restaurant menus. The entire Dolphin family enjoys these burgers that are made with pea protein.

Beyond Meat Sausages – The Beyond Meat company recently rolled out a line of sausages, including bratwursts and two flavors of Italian sausages. Mr. Dolphin loved them and didn’t even realize they were non-meat until I told him. They are juicy and bursting with flavor and while the texture isn’t exactly like regular bratwurst, it’s pretty close.

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Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n – I don’t actually use the mandarin orange sauce, preferring instead to make my own sauces, but the chicken pieces themselves are really good. I think they taste exactly like chicken nuggets and they’re a huge hit with Mr. Dolphin, as well. Lion and Panda, however, are less enthused, but that’s more because they just don’t like chicken nuggets at all, unless they’re chicken karaage, the Japanese version of a chicken nugget.

Gardein Meatless Meatballs – I have to say, I was surprised that the kids liked these because they have a bit of a kick to them. This is another product where Mr. Dolphin couldn’t tell that they were fake meat.

Gardein Seven Grain Tenders – While I like the crispy chick’n better, Mr. Dolphin prefers these tenders.

Morningstar Original Chik Patties – Of all the items on this list, this is the one that the kids like most. I don’t understand why they don’t like chicken nuggets (real or fake), but they’ll devour these. When I was a vegetarian in college and law school, this is the only fake meat product I could stand. When I tried them out again last year, I was surprised to find that I still like them, even with newer products out there.