With the new year upon us, we all have our own resolutions; some of us want to loose a few unwanted pounds or just try a new, healthier way of eating and living. People can sometimes be  ambivalent about starting a vegetarian diet, however, the rewards can be very beneficial. Naturally, the best way to approach something new is to take small, careful steps. Here are a few delicious dishes from Morningstar Farms that I find very helpful in kick-starting a vegetarian diet, and will also begin to put you on the path to a new, healthier way of eating.

Breakfast–as were told many times growing up–is the most important meal of the day, and this is very true. For some, however, breakfast over time can become dull–or sometimes repetitive. Here are some veggie-friendly foods that can wipe away the morning doldrums of breakfast.

Morningstar Farms -Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage, Egg and Bacon Biscuit

A golden, flaky buttermilk biscuit filled with egg, cheese, and veggie bacon crumbles. This is absolutely perfect for people on the run in the morning, and it only packs 270 calories! At first, it’s an awkward eat, and what I mean by awkward is that when you first take a bite, the sausage (which is also in crumbles), bacon, cheese and egg is more of a filling–think of it as an éclair of sorts for a better picture. Awkwardness aside, it is very good. The biscuit is not like your standard breakfast sandwich that you would find at a McDonalds or Burger King, but it’s definitely worth getting up early for.

Morningstar Farms - Maple Flavored Veggie Sausage Patties

These delicious, maple flavored patties will wake anyone up from their well-needed eight hours of sleep. It’s better to prepare the patties on a iron skillet rather than in a microwave, but using the latter won’t be detrimental in enjoying these vegetarian, maple-flavored delights. If you do decide to take the quick route and use the microwave, then the patties may appear to be bland; but worry not, again, the flavor will still be present after that first bite. They taste the exactly the same as your standard maple patties, but with less grease. You can have them with a side of eggs, toast–or both! Very healthy and only 80 calories per serving.

Lunch is very important, it needs to be able to recharge our work-battered bodies to the fullest. Why go out and eat when you can not only bring your lunch, but make it a healthier lunch break, as well.

Morningstar Farms - Sesame Chik’n

Breaded veggie chicken nuggets, edamame (soybeans), sugar snap peas, carrots and diced red peppers with Asian-style noodles smothered in a sumptuous sesame sauce will kick your taste buds and get you through the rest of your workday. Avid eaters of Chinese food will definitely appreciate this quick and easy meal. I found this dish to be very delicious myself, however, it was difficult to distinguish the difference between the two. It looks, tastes and smells like the real thing (the other being made with meat, of course). With only 310 calories, your lunch break will now be a healthier one.

Dinner, the last meal of the day; where family gather and talk about the long–and sometimes, stressful day they had. What better way to do this than over a nice, healthy vegetarian supper.

Morningstar Farms Meal Starters - Recipe Starters

These delicious beef-substitute crumbles are already recipe-ready and very fast and easy to cook. You can substitute these for practically any dish you want. At first glance, the crumbles may seem dull and flavorless, however, that is far from the contrary. The crumbles taste slightly different, partially due to the crumbles being made of soy, and are lighter than ground beef–with less grease, of course; but it is still enjoyable and fun to prepare. Having a spaghetti night? No problem! Or perhaps lasagna? My personal favorite thing to do is use the crumbles in Hamburger Helper.  Only a mere 80 calories per serving!

These are just a few of the foods that Morningstar has available. They have many different dishes that you can mix-and-match to synthesize a veggie-friendly meal. Also, these dishes are an excellent way to get you started on that resolution to again, either shed a few pounds, or just try something new. Either way, it is definitely worth a try. Happy New Year!

By Guest Writer: Antonio Washington

Eggplants, by Flickr user jayluker

A few years ago I developed (OK, maybe that’s a stretch: I made up) my Tandoori eggplant bites as an easy go-to party dish. Unable to either leave well enough alone or to keep doing things in an easy way, recently I decided to update the dish. By which I mean: “I didn’t have the right ingredients handy and was too lazy to go to the store, but at least planned long enough in advance to make something complicated.”

This time around, I used small regular purple eggplants (sliced into rounds and purged*), for starters, and I marinated and grilled them instead of a rub and roast.

For the marinade, I used:

• 12 tsp tandoori spice
• 2 tsp Vegeta
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp mirin

I marinated the sliced eggplant about 6 hours, and then grilled. They turned out to be really tasty, and people at the party ate them up. In fact, I even used mine, with some hot sauce on top, as a last-minute veggie burger, which worked very well, and might be another variation to try (on purpose)!

*Funny story: when I had sliced all my eggplants, I realized that I was out of table salt, so I purged them with sea salt I ground into powder with my coffee grinder and used a colander as a sieve. This, it turns out, is a thing that can be done. I don’t recommend it.

- MAW

Healthy lifestyle isn’t always fun and granola, sometimes we get little hankerings for something familiar and kinda bad. Don’t we love hamburgers? We also like the feeling of empowerment when we stay true to what our bodies want and go for the veggie burger, even though what is inside the box isn’t very appealing. Mystery veg isn’t any better than mystery meat, that’s all I am saying.

Well, today is the day we say NO to the frostbitten hockey puck of bland flavorless pseudo-food patty and say YES to a big beautiful healthy burger that we made with all natural whole foods. It will be a day that when we sit down next to those omnivores, they will look at our buns in envy.

Anatomy of a basic veggie burger
The truth is there isn’t a lot to a veggie burger as far as the basic binding medium. The art of the whole thing is to fill up the binder with lots interesting flavors and textures so the burger has highlights and appeal. Without the veggie fillers the binder alone would be like a dense pasty savory cookie. So go crazy with the veg folks, and remember that is where you can really fine tune your nutrition too.

Basic veggie burger
Makes 10 to 12 burger patties
1 Can black beans drained
1 Can diced tomatoes
1 C. chopped carrot
1 clove garlic
½ C. chopped onion
1 ½ C. chopped fresh vegetables or frozen is fine too
2 C. Instant oatmeal
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 f.
In a food processor puree the beans, tomatoes, and carrots garlic and onions with a few pulses. Next mix in by hand the oats and vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes then form into patties and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and freeze in zip lock bags for later

So this is the basic burger, and this alone is way better than morning-boca-gaden-crud, but basic isn’t how we roll foodies, hamburger roll…

Let’s get funky and have something crazy good for dinner.

How do you think of variations and themes?
Sometimes I have an idea and just wait for the right ingredient to fall in place, sometimes I find an exciting ingredient and try to work it into a recipe. And once in a while, when the mood is right and the stars are aligned and all is well in the world I make up a funny name and make the food reflect the name…tonight is one of those nights.

So for tonight’s variation:
The Rhinestone Ninja
I added shitake mushrooms and edamame for the vegetable and seasoned with gomasio, ginger and soy sauce
I changed the onions to scallions (see flexibility-an onion is an onion)

That’s just the burger, but what about the toppings?
To fill out the Rhinestone Ninja, let’s have fun with the toppings. Foodies the topping enhance the burger but also it is an opportunity to expand the nutrition of the meal by getting in some extra vegetables in creative ways. Way better than lumping out the mustard and ketchup.

Gitano slaw
For 4 burgers
1 C. shredded carrot
1 C. shredded daikon radish
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 Tbs. seasoned rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp honey
Mix all ingredients together and let stand for a few minutes

Cowboy karate chop sauce
For 4 burgers
3 Tbs. veganaise
1 tsp or more to taste siracha hot sauce
½ tsp lime juice

Whole sprigs of cilantro to finish the burgers

Foodies, I want you to make some amazing veggie burgers this week, Have fun get the family and friends involved. Having a healthy lifestyle is a journey, enjoying a meal with people we love is a destination.

Eat well!

Michael just sent us this.

-JAY

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August 3rd – Veggie Burger Bonanza. Do you relish the thought of learning how to make your own veggie burgers? Join Chef Michael Kiss in this fun and informative class on how to put the flavor back in the bun. No moo, No cluck, and definitely no duck, just wholesome plant oriented burgers that are way better than anything from a frozen box. Vegetarian class.

August 10th -  29 ½ Minute Meals. It’s a busy life folks, and sometimes we feel hopeless to maintain a healthy lifestyle for us and our families. If you can find 29 ½ minutes Chef Michael Kiss will show you how you can eat healthy and delicious food that most importantly is fast to prepare. This week’s dinner in a flash; Peanut Tamari Tofu wraps with Thai hummus. Stop for a moment and chew! Vegetarian class.

August 17th **NEW SERIES** Hungry for Knowledge. In this new series, each month, Chef Michael Kiss will review and discuss one of the many dietary lifestyle books we have here at Whole Foods Market. In this non-bias exploration of all things food we will cook some of the recipes from the book as well as offer a 5% discount off the purchase price of the book of the evening. Our first book we will explore is “The Engine 2 Diet” by Rip Esselstyn. Rip is an Austin TX, firefighter that has developed a plant strong approach to healthy lifestyle. Vegetarian class.

August 24th – Melons 101. Summer isn’t summer without a big ol’ wedge of watermelon, the juice dribbling down your chin and the fun spitting the seed further than your friends. In this informative class Chef Michael Kiss will show you the right way to pick the best of the season but we will also prepare a few dishes that might surprise you when you taste them. Sweet and savory dishes that all include melon in the ingredient list; this will definitely be a class with a rind. Ur,um… I mean appeal.

August 31st – How to cook like a chef-Gazpacho Mania. This summer one of the hottest trends in cooling down is gazpacho. There are so many variation and new ones being invented by talented chefs every day. Join Chef Michael Kiss as we investigate what makes a classic gazpacho as well as learning how to get funky with nuvou gazpacho variations. Get excited for the flavor flamenco dance on your tongue. O’le! Vegetarian class.

Classes begin at 7:00 PM. All Whole Foods Market Cooking Classes are free of charge. seating is limited to first come, no registration required. veggie burgers ready to go in the oven! I feeling healthy today!

 passed this to us.  We do have vegan readers too…or is that just Debbie?

-JAY

————

Dear PCRM supporter,

Three hotdog vendors in downtown D.C. are selling Tofurky vegan franks all summer long and they’re only $1 each!

Some of these vendors have been selling exclusively all-beef hotdogs for nearly 20 years and this is the first time they have ever tried vegan dogs. Please visit these vendors, and let them know how excited you are that they are selling veggie dogs and that they should sell them year-round.

Here are the locations:

• 734 17th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. (Cross street: Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.)
• 82 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. (Cross street: 1st St., N.E.)
• 304 12th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. (Cross street: Constitution Ave., N.W.)

Once other vendors see that there is a high demand for veggie dogs, they will begin to sell them too—so be sure to take your friends, family, and co-workers with you!

Have a healthy, happy summer!
Andria Matrone
Membership Assistant
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine