Morningstar Farms Veggie Steak Strips

Mmm, fajitas! In an effort to save money, we went to the grocery store tonight instead of going out to dinner. I grabbed a bag of these Meal Starters, some corn tortillas and bell peppers, and a fajita seasoning mix. Less than 30 minutes later, hey presto, we had a delicious dinner!

I like the toughness of the strips, they’re firm but not too chewy. The taste is good, a little bit spicier than I was expecting but it didn’t burn a hole in the roof of my mouth. They are coated with a mixture of spices which taste fine but give the strips a texture I wasn’t crazy about.

I’ve gotten the Steak Strips before, and one of my other favorite things to do is saute them and put them on a salad. I like the combination of the hot strips and the cold, crispy salad greens.

I can imagine a lot of great recipes you could use these in if you’re in a creative mood. My only major complaint is that although the bag they come in seems pretty big, you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. One bag has about 30 small pieces, and I used a whole bag to make the fajitas.

Still, it was cheaper than eating out! Mission accomplished.

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Morningstar Farms Grillers Original

Like the name says, these are the “originals.” This is your basic veggie burger. They’ve improved the taste, and these actually have a good meaty flavor. I usually have a box of them in my freezer to use as quick meals or snacks – I sometimes skip the bun and just heat up a burger with ketchup, mustard, and sweet relish.

These microwave pretty well, but be sure to heat the patty all the way through. I’ve tried them cold, and the taste isn’t as good. Even worse, the cold burgers have an off-putting mushy texture that disappears when you heat them up. So make sure they’re nice and hot!

Grillers Originals hold up nicely on a grill, but if you are cooking them on a skillet make sure to grease the pan a little. Unlike real meat burgers, these don’t release fat as they cook. That’s not a bad thing, just make sure you use a nonstick spray.

One burger is only 130 calories, but it has 6 grams of fat (only 1 gram saturated and no trans fat). There are other veggie burgers out there with a lower fat content if that is an issue for you. On the plus side, you’ll get 15 grams of protein per burger, so it’s a great way to boost your protein intake.
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