I would not bother following the package directions for this Deal of the Day.
Veggie Steak Strips by Morning Star Farmsneeds slow braising like a cheap, tough cut of beef, not the suggested 4 minutes of microwaving with a bit of water unless you want a chewy, rubbery, and tough piece of fake meat.
Now you don't need to braise this Deal of the Day in a sauce for hours - these Veggie Steak Strips tenderize in about half an hour - about the time it takes to make a pasta sauce, or a pot of quick-cooking legumes like split green peas or lentils.
frozen -- defrosted
The back of the package suggests microwaving the Veggie Steak Strips and making a Mongolian Stir Fry or a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. Sounds good, but only if you like chewing on strips of shoe leather or rubber bands. I tried microwaving a few strips with cooked rice. The result was not pretty. While there is a slight beef flavor, the texture was way off the mark for beef steak slices. The strips stayed solid and did not shred; they were like waterlogged popsicle sticks.
The ingredient list is short for a meat substitute, made mainly from soy. Most of the beef flavor comes from spices, and the overriding taste is powdered garlic and onion, and that's fine with me.
Click on any photo to see larger.
I was puzzled why the makers recommend microwaving this product. I took a different path and went the slow braising path. This is the way to go for a palatable experience.
I added some Veggie Steak Strips to my pot of dried split green peas (to see my video recipe click here.) Since dried green peas cook in about an hour, I thought this may tenderize the strips. They did, and the result was successful. The Veggie Steak Strips were a decent substitution for a ham hock or ham bone - just what a vegetarian would like.
Split Green Peas with Veggie Beef Strips.
The Veggie Beef Strips became tender just like I imagined they should be, but I was worried they would break down to mush. Well, they still stayed slightly firm and even shredded like a tough piece of meat that had been braising for a couple of hours.
It seems strange that Morning Star Farmswould not make theirVeggie Steak Stripstender, to begin with. I guess they think steak should be over-firm? Maybe it's all about the speed of delivery via microwaves. And that's probably why the Veggie Streak Strips ended up in 99c only Stores.
Anyway, it's best to use this Deal of the Day after it has been tenderized as I suggested earlier. I would add them to slow cooking sauces for at least twenty minutes to an hour. You can also add the strips to a steaming a pot of your favorite rice dish.
So on The 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best,Morning Star Farms Veggie Steak Strips gets a double rating. When microwaved theVeggie Steak Stripsrate a 2, but when braised until tender, the Veggie Steak Strips rate a 6. This Deal of the Day is decent when reheated properly.
Morning Star Farms should try for veggie ham slices, but next time please make sure the veggie protein is tenderized, before freezing.
Please sit down and have a glass of wine, and how about a tootsie massage? Kindly allow this Amorous Culinarian to hold your hand and guide you through a luscious menu of Valentine Day Recipes.
Well, you are in the right place for a romantic read. If the following recipes look enticing to you then click on any name and you will be directed to my food blog recipe pages filled with tempting, tender prose, and pulse-quickening GIFs, photos and video.
Let's set the mood with the most decadently sexy of confections, a Chocolate Covered Cherry. Here, I'll feed it to you, Mon'Amie....
Click on any photo or gif to see larger.
First up is a video of the Amorous Epicurean on the prowl for budget aphrodisiac ingredients to create a perfect romantic dinner date. Allow me to adjust your seat cushion -- there, lean back and watch the show.
Shopping for a Romantic Recipe - VIDEO
You will want to start your romantic evening meal with an appetizer - a plump and pleasing Steamed Artichoke is the perfect dish to share with each other. Just swipe a steamed artichoke leaf into my creamy Ginger Mayo Dip and feed the tender petal end to your amour. Your appetite will surely build as you get to the delicately delicious artichoke heart. My Steamed Artichoke appetizer is just a tease.
Cooking & Eating an Artichoke - VIDEO
A lovely Pear and Spinach Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing looks good on the plate and will impress your true love with its lightness and fresh flavors. And it's the perfect prelude to the main course.
I think Italian food is the sexiest of cuisines. Tender swirling ropes of pasta sliding through a rich creamy sauce will soften any hardened heart. Click on any recipe name below to see my luscious photos and read my tender prose.
There's nothing like a creamy warm egg yolk stoking the fires of desire, and theFlirty Chef'sSpaghetti alla Carbonarais the perfect mood-setter. With the first bite, your date will swoon with pleasure. Sprinkling crumbled bacon over the pasta is gilding the lily, but sometimes you need to go all the way!
In my Spaghetti alla Carbonara Video below I took a couple of cheap shortcuts. I used bacon bits, but you could substitute real bacon or kick it up a notch with sauteed pancetta. Also, freshly shaved parmesan cheese will be more pleasing than the dried brand I used.
And finally, I added a blended raw egg -- for a more romantic presentation, just gently place the egg yolk on a mound of steaming pasta.
Oh, is it time for another sweet confection? Of course, I have more, the apple of my eye...
Would you like another glass of wine before you watch my Spaghetti alla Carbonararecipe video below? Oh, don't worry about driving - I'll call Uber for you.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe - VIDEO
There, wasn't that edifying? Staying on the creamy theme, I can also recommend my Fettuccine Alfredo.
It's pasta with butter and cream -- simple and direct. You could mix in some fresh steamed veggies like broccoli for color and crunch -- just see how easy it is to do by clicking here on my Veggies in Cream with Pasta.
Of course, a Latin lover would challenge any Italian Casanova for Lotherio's scepter. And my MexicanChicken Tingaspicy stew will send chills down the spine and tingle any lady all the way to her toes.
Chicken Tinga - VIDEO
What? Another? You really do have a sweet tooth, well I do too, I think we are two peas in a pod. Let's share this one...
Your love will fall under a lusty voodoo spell after sipping a couple of my homemade rum and sugar cane Cuban Mojitos. And if you and your lover are nursing a hangover the next morning, I have a hangover cure: a bowl of Pozole. It's a rich red broth of hominy, chiles, and pork.
Cuban Mojito - VIDEO
Black and white, yin and yang -- all inhibitions will drop with the sweet and sour flavors of my vegan Cuban Black Beans served over White Rice.
If you want to channel your inner domestic goddess, then tie on the apron, get out the potholders, and bring in a hot casserole dish of my luscious Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese to the dining room table. Just check out the tempting short animated video below to see the yummy and gooey details.
Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese - VIDEO
I have a recipe that will get any Lady Godiva off her high horse. Let's get tough guy Stanley Kowalski, but with a mushy heart. My chef nephew's Shrimp and Grits will take your date on a one-way streetcar to desire. All aboard to check out the video below of two lunkheads hanging out and cooking.
Shrimp & Grits - VIDEO
A close second to the most sensuous of nibbling is a tender fish fillet on rice or Sushi. Raw seafood will quicken a lover's pulse, and if you chase the sushi down with a few warm cups of sake the temptation to stay the night may be overwhelming.
My Sushi recipes are quite easy to do when you follow my directions. I even have a recipe for those averse to raw fish, a California Roll (in the hay,) that's made with cooked fake krab, creamy avocado, and sliced cucumber. Seafood Rolls and Sushi are handheld bites meant to be shared with your true love.
California Roll -VIDEO
Hawaii is the destination for romancing the palate. Make your own romantic Hawaii-themed date night with my exotic Island classic: Lau Lau. It's a banana leaf-wrapped package of deliciousness.
Oh look honeybunch, I have one left.
The aroma of slow roasting pork, Hawaiian-style will fill the kitchen and dining room, stoking the appetite of desire. Slowly unwrap the package of tender Lau Lau for your beloved. You won't need a Lei of plumeria flowers to steal a kiss when you serve my savory dish. So click here to see the luscious photos and easy-to-follow recipe text. And aloha to love.
Hawaiian-style Lau Lau
Of course, you can't have a romantic dinner date without the sweets. And I have a simply delicious deconstructed dessert that I call Mini-Banana Puddings.
It's the perfect finger food to woo your loved one. All you need is to lay out some vanilla wafers and stack with a spoonful of pudding and banana slices, finally topped with Hersey Chocolate Kiss. You could also drizzle on any sweet topping like chocolate syrup, caramel, and other favorite candy pieces or sprinkles.
Pssst...don't let your date see this next video. Slip in a Chocolate-Covered Cherry in your date's hand and a heart may melt. I got the confections at my local 99c only Store. Go ahead and watch my cheap$kate video review and see how a five-count box for 99.99 cents rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best.
Chocolate Covered Cherries - VIDEO
After a ravenous night, you will need a replenishing morning meal. And the Don Juan Gourmand's palate-pleasing Fried Egg on Breadcrumbs with Asparagus will satiate any food lover.
It looks good on the plate, but be sure to make plenty, as your sweetheart will ask for seconds!
Another morning after meal is my French-style Omelet. It's a labor of love that you may want to practice making a couple of times to get right. Like lovemaking, the more you do it the better you get! And I have all the right moves a click away.
This is my favorite Salsa to make at home. Just watch the video below for my Mango Salsa, and see how easy it is to do, enjoy.
Mango Salsa - Video
Play it here. video runs 1 minute, 53 seconds.
Typical salsas are made with tomato and/or chili, instead of fruit. And I've made all kinds of salsas from scratch, just click on any name to view: tangy Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo,)Red Chili (2 dried types - but the same recipe,)Pico de Gallo, andPeach Salsa.
I first made Mango Salsa with a Coconut Crusted Fish almost a decade ago, and I keep coming back. There is just something about scooping up sweet-tangy salsa on a tortilla chip and chowing down. Light sweetness sure goes with heavy flavored pork Carnitas, or spicy Chicken Tinga, tacos and burritos.
Guests go crazy for my Mango Salsa. Every time I bring a bowl it becomes the favorite dish and the first one to disappear, at a party. It's also an aphrodisiac for date night with your amour.
Mangos used to be as expensive as avocados, and I'm lucky to live in Los Angeles where I can now get them two for a dollar at my local Latin market, Superior Grocers. I know they are expensive in other communities but do try this recipe sometime when they show up on sale at your local grocery store.
Click on any photo to see larger.
In the above photo I show two types of mangos I find, Manila Mangos cultivated in the Philipines, and regular Mangoes. If you ever find Manila Mangos give them a try, while smaller than a typical Mangoes the flesh is sweeter to my taste.
Try out this recipe with fruit that shows up at your local farmers market or roadside produce stalls. Could you make a Strawberry, Blueberry, Pineapple, Peach, or even Kiwi Salsa? You can only find canned fruit cocktail, peaches and pineapple slices to work with? Sure, go for it!
A mango is ripe when it's slightly soft to the touch. When very ripe they do get messy to work with. Under my Directions below I show you how I peel one.
The other Mango Salsa ingredients are cheap enough. I use purple onion, but you can use cheap white or yellow onion. Cilantro and fresh jalapeno peppers are showing up in most neighborhood groceries these days.
Typical salsas use lime juice but I like to mix it up with lemon juice sometimes (plus I have a lemon tree by the laundry room here, so they are freeeeee!)
I used fresh jalapeño, but you can use it from a jar as well. The jalapeños may have a vinegar taste, but that's okay, just drain them first.
I also remove the jalapeño seeds, but you can leave them in for a fiery Mango Salsa.
My Mango Salsa travels well to your neighbor or friends party. Just remember to bring a bag of tortilla chips!
Ingredients
2 mangos - peeled and diced. About 1 1/2 to 2 cups.
1 cup of chopped onion - red, white or yellow. Add more or less to suit your taste.
Cilantro - 2 tablespoons chopped.
Juice of a lemon or lime- or 2 tablespoons from a jar.
Jalapeño - about a teaspoon, chopped. Add a little at a time and taste, until the desired spiciness is reached. Okay to use jalapeño from a jar, just drain off pickling vinegar.
Directions
Mangoes are a bit messy and slippery to work with. They should be ripe first, with a slight softness, and yellow or reddish color, depending on the type of mango.
There are a few ways to peel a mango. I've seen them sliced in half, lengthwise around the large seed, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Below is how I do it.
I like to peel them this way. First I slice into the skin from top to bottom four times. Make sure to slice intersecting at the top and bottom.
Now just peel each segment to remove half of the skin, at the widest half of mango. The mango seed is flat and wide so you want to slice off the most flesh along the seed. The seed will guide your blade, just follow the seed as you slice.
Once one side is stripped of flesh, then peel the other side and repeat, slicing along the length of the seed. You can keep slicing around the seed to get all the mango flesh. Now just cut the mango flesh into bite sizes.
Chop the onion into small pieces. I used about a quarter of a large red onion. You can add more or less onion to taste.
Chop enough cilantro leaves to fill 2 tablespoons. Okay to add more or less to taste.
Add cilantro and onion to the bowl with mango.
Squeeze in the juice of one lemon or lime. Normally lime is used for salsa, but I used what I had on hand. Okay to use juice from the jar or plastic.
A good trick to get lemon or lime extra juicy is to slice it in half, then microwave it for about 10-20 seconds until warm. This will release more juice.
Mix mango, cilantro, and onion with the lemon or lime juice.
Finally, add jalapeño.
When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!
When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!
I like to slice the jalapeño lengthwise to cut out the white pith and remove the seeds. Discard the stem. You will have a little spiciness from jalapeno flesh, but not as much as when adding the seeds.
I used about a quarter of a large jalapeño, or about a teaspoon when chopped. If you like your salsa hotter then add more chopped jalapeno, or add jalapeño with the seeds.
If you are unsure about how much you spiciness you can take, just add a little chopped jalapeño at a time and mix, then try salsa.
Serve Mango Salsa with tortilla chips, on a taco, or in a burrito. Keep Mango Salsa in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make it a day ahead, as it will keep for several days.
Hindsight
This recipe is easy to double or quadruple for more guests.
You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste - add more mango or less jalapeño, more cilantro or even leave out the onion.
Another way to peel a mango is to just slice lengthwise against the seed, skin and all. Now you can just scoop out the flesh from half-slices with a spoon. Chop into bite-size pieces.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
The back of the package suggests microwaving the Veggie Steak Strips and making a Mongolian Stir Fry or a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. Sounds good, but only if you like chewing on strips of shoe leather or rubber bands. I tried microwaving a few strips with cooked rice. The result was not pretty. While there is a slight beef flavor, the texture was way off the mark for beef steak slices. The strips stayed solid and did not shred; they were like waterlogged popsicle sticks.
