I have always enjoyed meatless meals, but, I’m not going to lie, I still eat meat. Mostly fish and a little chicken, but it is not necessary for me to eat meat with every meal. In fact, I prefer eating meat just once a week and making it really high quality wild salmon or local organic chicken. So, when I was given the opportunity to try Morning Star Farms product I agreed and was delighted. Their products are low in calories and fat plus they have ample protein and most important they taste delicious. The only drawback to these products for my family is that they contain gluten, so I had to make my dinner on a night when my husband, who has Celiac, was out late.
Getting the big question out of the way, do they taste like meat? Yes, and no. They have many of the seasonings that you would taste in meat, which is good. The texture is slightly different, but not so much that you don’t recognize it. My children and I loved the flavor and it was very easy to substitute Morning Star products for meat. Because they’re pre-cooked, prep time is very fast and easy, making them great for people who have limited time. I came up with these three recipes, one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner using Original Sausage Patties for breakfast, Grillers California “Turk’y” for Lunch, and Grillers Prime for dinner.
Breakfast
Morning Star Mini Quiche
Serving size- 1
Calories- around 200
What You Will Need
Small dish or ramekin
One Morning Star Original Breakfast Patty
One egg
1 T. of milk or Milk alternative
Handful of Spinach or Kale
Salt and Pepper
1 T. of lowfat Cheddar Cheese
Salsa (Optional as garnish)
How to Make
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees.
2. Defrost one Breakfast Original Sausage Patty and press the thawed patty into a small dish or ramekin, forming a rough “crust.”
3. Place the egg, milk, spinach, salt, and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Pour into the sausage patty “crust” and sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and garnish with salsa.
Lunch
California Taco Salad
Serving size- 1
What You Will Need
Lettuce ( I used Arugula )
5-6 corn chips
1- Morning Star California “Turk’y” burger (You could use any variety)
1/8 cup of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
2-T. of salsa
1- T. sour cream
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
How to Make
1. Bake veggie burger in the oven or toaster oven at 375 degrees for 14-15 minutes.
2. Remove burger form oven and let cool. Layer the corn chips and lettuce in a bowl.
3. Dice cooled burger in 1/4 pieces and sprinkle onto of lettuce and chips. Sprinkle with cheese and add the salsa, sour cream, and lime juice.
Dinner
Morning Star Skillet Veggie Chili with Dumplings
Serves 4-5
What You Will Need
Large covered skillet
4- Morning Star Griller’s Prime burgers diced into 1/4 inch pieces.
1 15 oz. can of dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed.
1- 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1- 15 oz. can of corn drained
1 small onion minced fine
1- clove of garlic minced
1- T. of soy sauce
2- tsp. of chili powder
1/4 tsp. of smoked tabasco
1/2 to 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
for the dumplings..
2 cups of Bisquick
1/2 cup of butter diced into small pieces
2/3 cup of milk
3 eggs
How to Make
1. In the skillet, saute onions and veggie burgers for about 8- 10 min. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, beans, corn, chili powder, soy sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Heat until boiling and then turn down to low.
3. In a medium bowl, cut the butter into the Bisquick. Using a fork, press and mix in the butter until the Bisquik particles are about the size of peas. Stir in the remaining ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop dough onto simmering chili (should take about 5-6 spoonfuls of mixture).
4. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, heating the chili and steaming the dumplings.
5. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes until cheese is melted and serve.
I was given Morning Star Farms products free of charge, but all opinions are my own
