Cooking for Guests Who Don't Eat Meat This Holiday Season? Help is Just a Call Away

TURNERS FALLS, Mass., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- When most people think of holiday meals, they think of turkey, but according to a recent survey commissioned by Lightlife, the leading national producer of refrigerated veggie-based food, one in three American households will host someone who doesn't eat meat this season. In addition, one in three Americans occasionally eats meatless meals,(1) and vegetarian eating in general is on the rise -- between 2005 and 2006, the number of households with at least one vegetarian jumped from four to 12 percent.(2)

Seeing a need for more healthy, tasty vegetarian options, Lightlife recently unveiled Smart Stuffers, a new all-natural line of three great-tasting frozen vegetarian options. One of these new products, Turk'y with Cranberry Stuffing, which tastes like turkey but is meatless, is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Since hosts are serving meatless options during the holidays more than ever before, Lightlife's Smart Stuffers are a welcome solution for hosts' holiday tables from the freezer section.

Help is here:

For people hosting vegetarian guests or buying vegetarian products this holiday season, Lightlife has created the Holiday Lightlife-Help Line to offer food suggestions and tips for meat-free options for everyone.

Simply by calling (866) 474-6985 from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday, between Nov. 1 and Thanksgiving, consumers will have toll-free access to Lightlife's veggie-based food experts, who are ready to offer recipes like meat-free gravy and other delicious holiday treats to cut down on excess fat and calories without compromising taste or enjoyment. They can also answer common questions, like "Can I serve my vegetarian guests potatoes cooked in the same pan as meat?" or "Are eggs ok for vegetarians to eat?"

On top of finding that more and more people are eating meatless meals, Lightlife's survey also found that more people simply want healthier food options. With Smart Stuffers, Lightlife offers an easy solution.

Each Smart Stuffer is easy to heat and eat from the freezer to the microwave or oven, and features bold, familiar holiday flavors with less than half the fat and calories as their meat counterparts. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy all three varieties:

    Turk'y with Cranberry Stuffing
    Perfect for Thanksgiving, Lightlife's cholesterol-free Turk'y with
    Cranberry Stuffing offers a delicious veggie alternative to traditional
    Thanksgiving fare.

    Chick'n Cordon Melt
    A delicious crispy fillet filled with a cordon melt filling, this is an
    elegant entree that guests can enjoy without compromising their health or
    dedication to environmentally-responsible consumption.

    Chick'n Broccoli Melt
    A cholesterol-free entree that's as good for you as it is for the
    environment, this is the perfect all-natural entree to savor on those cool
    fall nights.

Smart Stuffers are currently available at Whole Foods. Try Lightlife's Smart Stuffers, and bypass the holiday season's overindulgences. Suggested retail price for two 8 oz. servings is $3.99.

Lightlife's survey also indicated that one in three Americans feel that there aren't enough healthful veggie-based options available in grocery stores, and that only 33 percent feel that vegetarian food is as tasty as food with meat ingredients. Thanks to Lightlife, however, consumers now have three great new options, and don't have to compromise when it comes to taste -- in a recent taste test on Chicago's NBC 5 News Today (Oct. 9, 2007), however, tasters preferred a low-fat vegetarian chili made with Lightlife to the same chili made with beef. At a time of the year when we're tempted by so many unhealthy indulgences, it's nice to have more options from a company producing meat alternatives that taste great and are also good for you.

ABOUT LIGHTLIFE

Established in 1979, Lightlife is based in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, and is one of the pioneers of the vegetarian food industry. It is the leading national producer of refrigerated vegetarian meat substitutes, with Smart Dog(R), Smart Franks(TM), Tofu Pups(R), Smart Deli(R), Smart Bacon(R), Smart Menu(R) and Organic Tempeh. Please visit us at http://www.Lightlife.com.

(1) Ipsos Insight Inc. Attitude and Usage Study, Aug 2006

(2) The Vegetarian Society. http://www.vegsoc.org/info/statveg.html.

Online, 2007.