05 Oct Spicy Black Bean Burger and Fried Egg Stack

When our Blog Brulee attendees arrived at their condos at Smugglers Notch, VT, and opened up their freezers, they were greeted with 2  items they weren’t expecting:  MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers and MorningStar Farms Original Sausage Patties. Tasked with making breakfast for themselves and their condo-mates, one of our attendees, Lauren Harris Pincus of Nutrition Starring You, whipped up this tasty spicy black bean burger topped with cheddar cheese, a fried egg, and crushed pistachios.  No recipe needed.  It was simple, satisfying and a creative way to enjoy plant-based eating. The interwebs-and her guests at the table- loved it. 

I have to be honest. While I always have a MorningStar Farms product of some kind in my freezer–lately, it’s been the  Grillers Crumbles, I never think to utilize them in more creative ways that what I’m used to doing–i.e. the crumbles in spaghetti sauce.  Not gonna lie–I was on a big Spicy Black Bean kick for a long time–and always had it in a bun. BOR-ING.

Why do we get in these familiar ruts?  Here’s the funny thing–I’m ALWAYS looking at recipes.   But here’s the rub–and I hear many people say the same thing–you make what you know your family will eat. There’s no sense in making new recipes when the family won’t eat it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I try new recipes all the time–sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t–and that’s okay. It’s called FEEDING YOUR FAMILY. All this to say that I don’t beat myself up for doing the same old same old when it comes to menu planning. If those crumbles make an appearance every single week in my spaghetti sauce, so be it.  I can lay my head on the pillow knowing that I fed my family-and myself- something delicious and healthy. 

Back to recipes.

When searching for recipes, a frequent recommendation of mine is to check out company websites or backs of packages for recipes that really work.   Kellogg’s and MorningStar Farms  (Kellogg’s is the parent company of MorningStar Farms, in case you didn’t know) are committed to providing sustainably-driven, flavor-forward recipes for meat-free meals. Can you believe they have 30 different plant-based products–and more than 20 of them have good sources of protein and fiber? They are also committed to creating recipes that work when you make them, use easy to find ingredients and don’t require a million ingredients. Have you checked out their website? It has over 600 recipes–from tacos and burritos to salads, stir-frys, breakfast casseroles and lasagnas.

And finally, a fun fact about Kellogg’s that I just learned:  99% of what they make is plant-based, from grains to their MorningStar Farms products.  Ninety-five percent of the ingredients in Kellogg’s products have no animal products.  

Bottom line: if you’re interested in learning more about eating more plant-based meals–or, you’ve been eating meatless for years,  MorningStar Farms has you covered. From starter ingredients to a comprehensive recipe library to registered dietitians on staff,  MorningStar Farms is committed to making meatless cuisine easy-and tasty-for you and your family.