This week on the show, we'll talk vegan sausage-broccoli mac and cheese and review Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wings.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music
The Buffalo Wings from Morningstar Farms are another part of their Vegetizers line. We previously tried their pizza bites from that same line.
But before we get to the food, Dave talked about some very cool Halloween decorations that he saw. I know, Halloween is over. But we record these episodes a week or two in advance, so here we are.
Dave also shared his scary movie journey. He's watching the Nightmare on Elm Street movies right now and is looking for more recommendations.
If anyone has seen Saw and can recap it for him, he'd also appreciate that. Saw is too scary for either of us, so you'd be doing us a real service.
Then we talked about the scariest movies we've ever seen. Mine was Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Dave's were Event Horizon and the It remakes.
We also discussed Dave's love of the Leprechaun franchise at length. Did you know that there are SEVEN of those movies?
Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wings review
Doing this review almost felt like a cop-out, because this is a real late night staple in the Striepe house.
So I guess the short story here is that we both love these vegan buffalo wings! We make them in the air fryer (of course!) at 400° F for 12 minutes.
I love them because, although the coating is breadier than I normally like, it's also flavorful, which makes it a delight. They're crunchy and spicy, and Morningstar has nailed the texture of the plant-based chicken in these.
Dave loves breading, so that's not really a thing for him, but he just loves the flavor and texture of these.
My go-to dip when we make these late at night is lazy ranch, where I sprinkle some dried dill, garlic powder, and onion powder onto a dollop of Vegenaise, and mix it together. Instaranch!
Dave dips his in yellow mustard.
They're a great salad topper with ranch dressing, salad greens, lettuce, tomato, onion, and carrots.
I also apparently never told Dave that before we were all stuck at home, I used to make tacos with the Morningstar Buffalo Wings, adding avocado and a little vegan mayo. Such a quick, easy lunch!
Dave is interested in trying a similar combo on a hoagie roll, but with pickles add, so I smell another 'Til Tofu Us Part coming soon!
Vegan sausage-broccoli mac and cheese
As promised, we made the mac and cheese that we discussed in last week's episode.
Before we got to the dish, though, we talked a bit about the pasta itself. We actually make our "mac" and cheese with penne, because there's a protein pasta I like, and it doesn't come in elbows.
The pasta is Barilla Protein+ (not a sponsor), and it's great. It tastes like conventional pasta but has five grams of protein in a one-ounce serving.
We added air fried Beyond Sausage (12 minutes at 400 F, you're welcome!). To cook the broccoli, I tossed it into the air fryer during the last two minutes of cooking time.
And as always, it used my baked mac and cheese as the base. Once the mac was done, I stirred in the sausage and broccoli, topped the whole thing with tater tots, and baked it at 425 F for 30 minutes.
The kid said that this was the best mac and cheese he's ever had. He's mentioned it several times since we had it.
I liked it, too, though it was incredibly filling. And seeing the kid love a dish tends to make me love it a smidge more.
Dave, on the other hand, was not a fan. He felt like the Beyond Sausage was just too rich to add to an already-rich dish.
I had a vision of a one-pot mac and cheese meal, but it seems like there's no way to please all three of us that way. I told Dave it might be time to let that dream go, and he compared me to Walt Disney in an episode of Defunctland that we recently watched about EPCOT. In it, Walt's vision of EPCOT dies with him, because no one else shares his vision for the project.
So, I guess, I'm Walt in this scenario, and the mac and cheese was EPCOT?
Side note: if you're into Disney, Defunctland is a really fun YouTube channel with lots of deep dives into its past.
Where to listen
Thank you so much for listening (or reading!). We record these episodes for you, and we'd love to hear from you.
Got a favorite vegan treat that you think we should cover on the podcast? Send your suggestions to [email protected]!
You can find Talkin' Tofu on:
Subscribe to Talkin' Tofu anywhere you get your podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!
Have a question? Tried this recipe? Share your thoughts!