Trudy's BBQ Meatballs with McKay's Beef Style Seasoning

I don’t know if you realized this or not, but… I love veggie meat. It’s so convenient and (can be) so delicious. That said, I HATE that it’s so darn expensive! Sure, there are a few exceptions and the occasional sale, but overall, veggie meat can seem like a downright sacrifice sometimes. This is why many vegetarians have been making their own version of veggie meat for years.

Take for example my mom’s meatballs. Like many homemade meat replacers, the main ingredients found inside these delectable little posers are nuts and breadcrumbs. When you combine these two staples with eggs, a few other flavorful components and the power of an oven, you get a soft, but hearty entree that any athlete would enjoy. They’re packed full of carbs and protein, so as long as you’re not on a low carb diet (which I am), they’ll hit the spot. Well, they’ll actually hit the spot anyway…

But how could these ever come close to tasting like meat? I’ll be honest, these meatballs won’t fool anyone, but they do have a secret ingredient that makes them delicious regardless. Before I spill the beans on what it is, let me just say that these faux meatballs were requested by all of my mother’s meat-eating relatives every Thanksgiving and Christmas for years. Even if they don’t taste like real meat, they taste dang good, and I swear you’ll like them. But on to the secret ingredient.

McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth and Seasoning is an unbelievably salty powder that they’ve somehow managed to make taste a bit beefy. This is a true mystery to me since it’s made from salt, yeast, potato flour, vegetable oil, cornstarch, celery, onion powder, garlic and a bunch of other ingredients that aren’t meat.

When I say this stuff is salty, I mean it. One little teaspoon packs 590 mg of sodium! Yeesh. However, it was totally nice of them to let me know that there is exactly .0021 grams of trans fat in each serving. There are a few versions of the stuff but I always buy the one that’s MSG free and believe me when I say that this stuff can totally save a soup or bolster a brown gravy. This along with the chicken version are musts in every vegetarian kitchen (in my humble opinion...).

It actually has a pretty interesting history too. During World War II, the government asked a guy named John Donofrio to make a soup mix that would dissolve faster than bullion cubes. I’m not sure how the government knew Donofrio could do this, but he did along with the help of a chemist named, you guessed it, McKay. Sixty years later, the company is still family owned an operated. Hence the sweet vintage label, I’m sure. But back to the meatballs. They’re really easy to make AND to adapt.

Trudy’s BBQ Meatballs with McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth

Serves 8

2 c ground pecans or walnuts

1 c cottage cheese

1 c cheddar

1 medium onion finely diced

2 cups cracker or bread crumbs, plain

1 Tbls McKay’s Beef Style Instant Broth

8 beaten eggs

oil

BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients, except for oil and BBQ sauce in a large bowl.

Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with oil. Vegetable, canola or light olive oil all work fine.

Using a small ice cream scoop, place scoops of mix into pan. Meatballs should be approximately an inch and a half in diameter (If they’re bigger or smaller, you may need to adjust baking time).

Cover with BBQ Sauce and bake for 45 minutes.

Tips: The amount of BBQ sauce is really up to you. I would use no less than 16 oz. I usually buy two bottles and use all of one, and some of the other, but I like mine drenched. If you’re not into BBQ sauce, you can turn these into Italian meatballs by using mozzarella instead of cheddar, Italian breadcrumbs instead of plain and tomato sauce instead of BBQ. Although I’ve never tried it, I bet you could work something out with sweet and sour sauce too. Also, these are just a hop, skip and a jump away from being vegan. Just use some mashed silken tofu instead of cottage cheese, a vegan shredded cheese and an egg replacer. If there’s a milk allergy involved, keep in mind that the MSG free McKay’s seasoning with the blue label has a bit of whey in it. You’ll want to get the vegan version with the dark red and yellow label.

Vegetable Chicken Bake with Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik'n Veggie Patties

It’s been too long. And I’ve been too busy! Tonight was the first night in a while that I’ve had time to cook. One would think I had several ideas stored up in my head. But I didn’t… All I had was a package of Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik’n Veggie Patties. Long name, simple concept.

I’m a huge fan of the original Grillers. They’re a great replacement for hamburgers, but they’re also really good in more than just a bun. I’ve fried and sliced them for salads, quesadillas and pasta. I’ve even ground them up and made a meatloaf (this was before the Grillers Crumbles came out). They’re just downright tasty. Which is why I was intrigued by the new chicken version. Could they possibly be as good?

Well, not quite. Obviously, they taste nothing like the originals, which are based on beef. On the other hand, they don’t taste anything like the Morningstar Farms Chik Patties either and by don’t taste anything like, I mean they aren’t as good. However the Chik Patties have a shameful amount of sodium and twice as many grams of carbs, so the new Chik’n Veggie Patties are at the very least a healthier offering. They’re meaty texture as well as their neutral (dare I say bland?) flavor, would work well as a replacement in a lot of chicken dishes.

As far as nutrition goes, these patties are ok. They sport only 3 grams of fat, none of which are saturated, 80 calories, no cholesterol, are fairly low in carbs and actually have 5 grams of fiber. Not bad. But it’s the same old tune with sodium (350 mg) and like most Morningstar Farms products, have a really long list of ingredients.

I bought the package at the ABC about two months ago and have been pondering over how to use them. I’d been thinking I’d turn them into a vegan chicken Caesar salad, but I had a huge salad for supper LAST night, so I just wasn’t feeling it. Since Donnie and I are doing the whole low carb thing right now, turning them into a pasta dish was not really an option (although it sounded so good!), so I decided to keep it simple.

Vegetables + Chik’n Veggie Patties + my oven = supper. To be totally honest though, I think it could have been a lot better. I would have tried again if I had more patties. I’ll give you the recipe I should have made the first time.

Chicken Vegetable Bake with Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik’n Veggie Patties
Serves 4

4 cups vegetables of your choice*
½ chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 package Chik’n Veggie Patties
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine vegetables, onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in large bowl and mix until all vegetables are evenly coated.


Place half of the vegetables in a round casserole dish. Layer all four chik’n patties on top and cover with the rest of the vegetables.

Cover with lid or foil and bake for 45 minutes.

*Feel free to use whatever vegetables you love or have on hand, but keep in mind that if they take longer to cook, they’ll need to be in smaller pieces. I used a combo of red potatoes, green beans, zucchini, broccoli and celery. The potatoes and green beans definitely were still a bit firm while the other veggies were very soft.

Tips: Although my oregano and basil balsamic vinegar was very delish, it isn’t a must. You could use a marinade or just a combo of your favorite herbs with some olive oil. You could even experiment with some fruit juices or infused oils. I wouldn’t say the options are ENDLESS, but there’s definitely room for experimentation.