Spaghetti with meatless Meatballs served with vegan scallopini & grilled asparagus ; a Meatless Monday Meal!!

At the outset I would like to inform you that this post is sponsored by Gardein and is a review of their vegan products. 

Most days in our home we eat vegetarian meals and enjoy them. On occasion I cook fish or chicken but that’s about it. I do not cook meat. Most people find it difficult to eat a meal that is devoid of meat. Quite often they have a hard time finding a wholesome meal that is vegetarian. Truthfully, most Indian meals are vegetarian and quite wholesome. Growing up, nonvegeterian fare was cooked only on Sundays. However I understand the situation people here in the US find themselves in. That’s why when Gardein approached some Meatless Monday bloggers, I was quite happy to participate in their campaign and promote their vegan fare. 

Gardein is committed to provide high quality vegan, plant based products that are kosher and do not contain any artificial flavor, color or preservatives in them. They have a wide range of products. Last week I received a nice cooler package of the following Gardein products to try: 

• 7 Grain Tenders 
• Classic Meatless Meatballs 
• Beefless Ground 
• Chick’n Scallopini 
• Crispy Chick’n Mandarin Orange 
• Crabless Cakes 

Previously I have tried the Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, the Veggie burger, the Ultimate Beefless Burger and the Crispy Chick’n Patty. All of them are quick and easy to prepare items, making them perfect for a weeknight dinner. You can check the review for them here.

The kids were in the mood for sphagetti. So this time around I decided to make a weeknight meal using the classic Meatless Meatballs and chick’n scallopini. Making it was easy and everyone polished it off their plates.  

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Chick’n Scallopini from Gardein: 1 

Classic Meatless Meatballs from Gardein: 1

Sphagetti: 1 package ( I used Barilla)

Pasta Sauce: 1 bottle ( I used Barilla)

Garlic: 3-4 cloves, finely diced

Chives: 2-3 

Olive oil: 1+ 2 tbsp+1 tbsp

Asparagus: 6-8, broken into bite sized pieces

Salt: to taste

Black pepper powder: 1/4 tsp, freshly ground

Method:

For the scallopini: 

Cook the scallopini as per the instructions on the package. Cooks within 5 mins. 

For the Sphagetti: 

Cook the sphagetti as per the instructions on the package.

For the sauce: 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Add the diced and crushed garlic. Sauté for 2-3 seconds or until fragrant. Add the pasta sauce and let it come to a gentle boil. Now add the meatballs in and let it simmer as per the directions on the package. When done turn off the flame and keep aside.

For the asparagus:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the asparagus, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 5 mins. 

Plating:

Place a serving of spaghetti in the middle of the plate. Pour a ladle of pasta sauce with 1-3 meatballs on top of the pasta. Serve one slice of scallopini and a serving of asparagus.

Serve hot. I will bet that most won’t notice the difference. Gardein products are  that good!! 

Enjoy! 

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Spicy Vegan Burgers with Sriracha; Meatless Monday

At the outset I would like to inform you that this post is sponsored by Gardein and is a review of their vegan products. 

I try to be equivocal about most things in life.. however, there are some things that I am passionate about. One of them is healthy eating. Therefore, I am a staunch proponent of the Meatless Monday Movement. If people make a start by going vegetarian atleast once a week, it will go a long way towards a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. The issue for most people is that they have difficulty finding or preparing vegetarian food that is palatable to them to the same extent that meat is. Most vegan products that are used for substituting meat/chicken available in the market are dry, chalky, cardboard-like and tasteless, therefore not appealing to the masses. When I was approached by Gardein Brand via Meatless Monday to try their vegan products, I was curious and interested. I signed up for it and soon a nice cooler package arrived with the following items in it: 

• Ultimate Beefless Burger
• Black Bean Burger
• Veggie Burger
• Meatless Meatballs
• Crispy Chick'n Patty
• Barbecue Chick'n Wings
• Mandarin Orange Chick'n
• Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
• Teriyaki Chick'n Strips

Gardein is committed to provide high quality vegan, plant based products that are kosher and do not contain any artificial flavor, color or preservatives in them. So far I have tried the Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, the Veggie burger, the Ultimate Beefless Burger and the Crispy Chick’n Patty. All of them are quick and easy to prepare items, making them perfect for a weeknight dinner. 

The first item I tried was the Seven Grain Crispy Tenders. It was so good that my kids ate it without realizing that it was not chicken. This is high praise indeed coming from my 6 and 9 year olds as both of them are very picky eaters who don’t really like to try anything they are not familiar with. They polished their plates off in no time! The crispy tenders are made with primarily from grains such as Kamut, khorasan wheat, amarnath, millet and quinoa. This takes these Tenders to a higher nutritional level and more bang for the buck. Check the other ingredients here.

Barbecue Chick'n wings were easy to make. I transformed them into hot wings by mixing a little bit of Sriracha into the sauce and basting the wings just before serving. It would make for a great appetizer or as a side for a BBQ. The taste was quite close to the boneless chicken wings. The primary ingredient used in these wings is the ancient grain flour, potato starch and other ingredients which you can check here. 

I have made these spicy burgers on three different occasions, all of them for weeknight dinner when I was rushing. I have used the Veggie Burger, The Beefless Burger and the Chick’n Patty. Each one of them had it’s own unique taste and was delicious in it’s own way. We were not disappointed by any of them. 

The first burger I tried was the Veggie Burger. I made it with Sriracha Vegan Mayo and it was truly delicious! The burger was light and tasty. This is one of the 4 gluten free products from Gardein. The burger patty is made from brown rice, roasted vegetables, rolled oats and some spices. 

The next one was the crispy chick'n patty which came out nice and crisp. I served it with ketchup for the kids and made a burger for us. It was really good with the Chick’n patty crispy with the texture similar to that of a chicken patty. The patty is made from ancient grain flour similar to the one used in Tenders. Check out all the ingredients here.

The third one was the Ultimate Beefless Burger which when cooked and made into a burger, had the appearance of a regular Burger. The patty was moist with a meat-like texture. I layered this one with spicy vegan mayo, onion, tomato, pickle and lettuce and served it with grilled asparagus. The end result was one of satisfaction. This is made from soy and ancient grain flour among other ingredients which you can find here. 

You can use any of these burger patties or any other made by Gardein and transform it into this delicious spicy vegan burger for your Memorial Day barbecue or any summer barbecue. If nothing you can make this for your weeknight dinner, sit on your porch/terrace and savor the summer evening. 

Servings: for one burger. Each packet of burger has 4 patties in them which can be used to make 4 burgers.

Ingredients:

Burger patty of your choice from Gardein: 1 

Burger bun of your choice: 1

Sliced onion ring: 1 slice of onion cut in a circle.

Tomato slice: 1

Lettuce: 1-2 slices the size of the burger bun. 

Pickle: 1, sliced 

Sriracha spiced Vegan mayo: 1 tbsp 

To make the spiced Vegan Mayo, mix together 1 tbsp Sriracha with 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise. 

Method:

Toast the burger bun lightly on a skillet. 

Spread 1 tsp spicy vegan mayo, place the lettuce, one slice of tomato, burger patty of your choice, onion ring, pickle if you wish. 

Top it with some more spicy vegan mayo.

You can always serve ketchup on the side or on top of the burger if you wish. 

Serve this to your guests. I will bet that most won’t notice the difference. 

Gardein products and definitely that good!! 

Enjoy! 

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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