Try the veggie cakes; skip the salsa

The barrage of new products on the grocery shelves can leave you wondering which ones are worth your money. This monthly review will help you navigate the grocery aisles.

This month we tried several new salsas by Pace and a vegetarian item that was a new venture for both of us — Morningstar Farms veggie cakes.

Pace Tequila Lime Salsa, $3.49 suggested retail. We tried samples sent to us by the company.

AA: We used this salsa as recommended by recipes that came with the Pace promotional materials — as a marinade for pork, which we grilled. My son’s response sums it up: “I wouldn’t buy this again.”

Two workmates tried two of the other varieties, Mexican Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso and the Triple Pepper Salsa. They had a similar response.

With so many salsas on the market today, and with fresh tomatoes just around the corner, there’s no need to buy a mediocre salsa.

LJ: We tried the Pace Salsa Verde. It isn’t easy being green, especially around folks who like their salsa red.

For my part, I really enjoyed this salsa made from tomatillos and jalapeno peppers. It is hot and spicy without sending you running for a glass of ice water. It is seasoned with smoked Spanish paprika and mixed with yellow tomato puree.

We tried it with white corn chips, and it makes a tasty appetizer. Unfortunately, it is an unattractive yellow-green. After more than a week, it sits sadly in my refrigerator.

Another problem with this product is that it is runny. It slips off the chips, and you need to eat the chip-salsa combo over a table.

I can see using the salsa verde as a topping over enchiladas or burritos. It would work well there. As a dip for chips, I don’t think it’s going anywhere at our house.

Morningstar Farms veggie cakes, the ginger teriyaki and Southwestern style varieties, $2.99 per box at Publix.

AA: I tried the Southwestern cake, which contains black beans, roasted corn, peppers, cheddar cheese and rice, over a salad with ranch dressing. I wasn’t expecting to be very satisfied, but this was actually quite tasty. I would buy these again and will give the ginger teriyaki a try, too. Each cake contains 130 calories, 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fat.

LJ: We tried the ginger teriyaki variety of veggie cakes. This is something outside our experience.

The patties are made of carrots, edamame, water chestnuts, bok choy and sticky rice. They are intended as a main course, but in my omnivorous family, we made them a side dish with salmon.

I prepared the veggie cakes, which come frozen, in my iron skillet with a bit of olive oil. They cooked up crisp and held their shape well.

My husband, son and I all liked them, especially with a splash of soy sauce.

For a meatless meal, they would be good with salad or a saute of peppers, mushrooms and snow peas. Each cake has just 110 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.

Share your recipes | Mother’s Day

Does your mom make the best banana pudding ever? Or maybe her specialty is main dishes for your family gatherings? To celebrate Mother’s Day, we would like to hear about the dishes your mother makes that your family craves. Send recipes (with attribution if recipes are not original) to Allison Askins at aaskins@thestate.com, or mail your entries to her at P.O. Box 1333, Columbia, SC 29202. Please include a daytime phone number.

Deadline to submit recipes: Wednesday, April 23