by Catherine Misener
Looking for something spicy in the mornings to wake you up? Try Frieda’s Soyrizo – perfect for omelets, tacos, quiche…
Soyrizo is meatless soy chorizo, with no cholesterol and 60% less fat than regular chorizo. There are six servings per12 oz. package, with 1 serving having 9 grams of fat and 120 calories. It is not as spicy as some chorizo, but does have that same taste and texture – without the grease!
THE TEST:
I used Soyrizo w/ scrambled eggs, in an omelet, in a quiche and a Thanksgiving stuffing – all turned out great.
THE RESULTS:
For the omelets, I browned one serving (4 TBSP.) in a very tiny bit of oil. I added two eggs and two egg whites and 2 TBSP. of cheese. This made enough for 4 generous tacos. On another occasion, I first sauteed onions and red bell peppers before browning the Soyrizo. This resulted in a very tasty omelet. With both egg dishes, you had the taste and texture of chorizo, but without the grease and heaviness – I have not had chorizo in years because it just tastes so greasy and does not sit well in my stomach. My husband enjoys chorizo, but again only has it once every couple of years due to the cholesterol and fat content. Since discovering soyrizo, we have it about once every couple of weeks – in a variety of dishes. An added bonus – no heartburn!
I tried it in a breakfast quiche recipe that called for breakfast pork sausage. It worked perfectly – adding just the right amount of flavor to the dish. I did brown it before using, to break it up and give it a nice color. I lowered the baking temperature 25 degrees, but the quiche still cooked for the time called for in the recipe (never take a chance with eggs).
The stuffing – ah the true test! I used the soyrizo in a basic sausage and cornbread stuffing. The recipe called for spicy sausage or ground pork, so I thought the soyrizo would be a good substitute. Again, it held up very well in the dish. Usually, sausage used in stuffing will “clump” slightly – which is fine for some stuffings. The soyrizo did not have enough fat to really bind together in the stuffing – slightly granular. Again, though, the taste was great. I think it would do even better in a stuffing that had several other ingredients (not with sausage as the focus).
FINAL COMMENTS:
One of the better soy meat substitutes around, in that it actually tastes and feels like the “real thing”. In fact, we prefer the taste and texture of soyrizo over chorizo in any dish. You get the flavor, without the grease.
Each 12 oz. package costs $2.99 and will yield 6 servings (or 24 tacos, 3 quiches, stuffing for 12) so it is economical. I think that we have the tendency to squirm at some of the prices of soy foods – especially meat analogs. Often, the packaging of the soy products makes it seem as if you are getting a small amount. In reality, 1 package of soy crumbles (for example) is equal to 1 ½ lb of ground beef. So you are actually saving money. The soyrizo will also yield plenty of breakfasts – it keeps about 2 weeks, refrigerated.