Whenever I step foot in a Target, it’s inevitable that I will spend $50 on things I did not come to get. Included in my last trip of impulse buys were Gardein BBQ Wings. Let’s clear the air real quick, shall we? I was not paid to write this post.
I saw these on Hungry Girl or the Biggest Loser a few years back and held back trying them because of their pricey nature and questionable desire to actually try meat-less wings. I’ve had good and I’ve had terrible vegetarian “meats”. I decided to give them a try since they sounded promising on the nutrition facts. A serving was 4 decent sized wings with 110 calories, 15 g of protein and only 330 mg of sodium. Many veggie alternative products are loaded with sodium, this is no different from a chicken and apple sausage.
I do not appreciate however that the label did not include the sauce that was in fact included in the bag. It was a delicious BBQ sauce that was probably loaded with sugar but it would have been helpful to know just how much. I cooked them using the stove top. Sorry for the blurry picture. They were actually a decent size and I enjoyed the texture. It was not too chewy and didn’t taste like rubber! Since the BBQ sauce was so good, I think it enhanced the flavor of the wings for obvious reasons. I would try these again for sure and at Target, they were pretty reasonable, I think between $3-4. I love buying single servings of frozen salmon in the Target freezer isle.
I paired the BBQ wings with a little southern style quinoa salad consisting of quinoa, golden raisins, walnuts and sautéed collard greens from Trader Joe’s. It was so good, I made this dish a little tipsy last weekend 🙂
For the first Bruins playoff game, I went to the brand new Yard House in Fenway last week with a few friends. High on my jotting down what I eat kick, I decided to check out the menu before hand. I noticed that they actually carried the Gardein Wings as well as burgers! I was shocked at how unhealthy EVERYTHING on that menu was. Literally, there was no NOTHING below 700 calories that was an entrée (there were apps and lunches but no entree). I was surprised since I had recently tried the wings… either the sauce is terribly high is calories, the dipping sauces add a lot as well or serving sizes are very different… I had the Ahi Crunchy Salad which was still barely under 700 calories. 
It tasted great and I was happy with my choice. The dressing was very good and seemed light. I guess you could ask for it without the crispy noodles or on the side to lower the calorie count even more but I did not. Props to the Yard House for carrying vegetarian options, but seriously, you would think they would have at least one reasonably healthy item for dinner!?
Have you tried any other Gardein products? I’m interested in what else they have to offer and would love your suggestions.
I agree with you that it sucks Yardhouse doesn’t have any healthy entrees!!! Before going there for dinner, I checked the nutrition facts and my jaw dropped when I learned that most of the salads were over 1500 calories!!
I have not tried any Gardein products but am tempted to try the wings now. Have you ever been to The Counter? Their vegetarian burger is really yummy, I heard it was made in-house.
I LOVE the Yard House, and so does my husband. Strangely enough they don’t have the calorie counts at the San Diego location I usually go to. But I remember researching online last summer before going (since I was on a pre wedding diet) and sadly , like most chains, nothing is below 700 calories! That is just simply too much even for people who need 2000/day. Add a beer, or a glass of wine, and a couple of bites of whatever appetizer and you easily go over 1000. For 1 meal, that is simply too much!
I usually get the Thai chicken salad and ask for the peanut dressing on the side. I drizzle it and I try not to eat the whole thing. The Thai chicken pizza is also not “too” bad if you have a couple of slices. I think I had their fish once and I asked for double veggies instead of rice and that was still pretty tasty.
It’s sad but I cannot justify eating at chains anymore. They are out of control with sauces, sugar, sodium. I went out to dinner for my MIL’s bday and her dessert was listed at 990 calories!!!! 990 calories a portion…I would not be able to bake such a heavy cake even if I tried!
Regarding the Gardein, I am not a fan of fake meats..! All the fake stuff freaks me out (same with the vegan cheeses…).
I agree with you on yardhouse. I normally split a meal and grab one drink. I tried the gardenin nuggets. I did not enjoy it…it was a bit oily. I only tried it because I had a coupon for a free gardein product.
This was the biggest disappointment. I prepared them as suggested but there were no wings. It was pieces of plastic something called chicken, with an ok barbeque sauce. Anne
I’m sorry you had a bad experience. I really enjoyed them myself.