NEW IN THE MARKET — Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger and Breakfast Sausages Mixes

I love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in my kitchen. See what you think.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Meatless meals and folks who define themselves as quasi-vegetarians (those who eat animal foods sometimes) are becoming more mainstream. Ten percent or 22.8 million Americans say they follow a semi-vegetarian diet, limiting animal products and eating more grains, fruits and vegetable. Slightly over 3% or 7.3 million Americans define themselves as vegetarians, eating no meat, fish or poultry. A million Americans are vegans, avoiding all meat based products, including eggs, milk and cheese.

Meatless Monday, going meatless one day a week, is gaining popularity. Some towns and cities are promoting this idea as a way to get their citizens more interested in health. It is no wonder that meatless meat substitutes are showing up in traditional supermarkets and being offered by more companies.

Harmony Valley is a supporter of Meatless Monday and posts numerous meatless recipes on their website to provide resources for consumers. The company produces Vegetarian Hamburger Mix and Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage Mix. To prepare both products, you simply add water, stir, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. At first I didn’t think the slurry I created would ever turn into hamburgers or sausage patties, but both emerged from the refrigerator with a similar texture to finely ground beef.

The package directions say that either mix can be prepared by grilling, baking or microwaving. I tried all three. Baking was my favorite but took the longest (20 minutes). It provided a crisp exterior and tender interior. Grilling results were similar. Microwaving provided a chewier product and the outside was not crisp. The products can be used to make hamburger or sausage substitutes or as a substitute for crumbled hamburger or bulk sausage in recipes. The mixes are soy based and contain wheat gluten. Both mixes are certified vegan by The Vegan Awareness Foundation and kosher (Scroll K).

In a 3-ounce prepared patty, the Vegetarian Hamburger Mix has 120 calories, 5 grams of fat (2 grams are saturated), no cholesterol, 14 grams of protein, 8 grams of carb, 1 gram of sugar, 4 grams of fiber and 360 milligrams of sodium.

In a 2-ounce prepared patty, the Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage Mix has 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (2 grams are saturated), no cholesterol, 11 grams of protein, 6 grams of carb, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber and 430 milligrams of sodium.
October is Vegetarian Awareness Month Sponsored by the North American Vegetarian Society. Even if you are committed steak lover, this month might be a good opportunity to try some meatless meals. You might be surprised at how good they taste. Eating more plant based foods is a healthy choice.
For more information on Meatless Monday go to: www.meatlessmonday.com
For more information on Harmony Valley Mixes to go: www.HarmonyValleyFoods.com

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales of more than 8.5 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Diabetes Counter, 4th Ed., 2011
The Protein Counter, 3rd Ed., 2011
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to TheNutritionExperts

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