I have to be honest: the last two summers have been tough. Like other vegetarians, I’ve been forced to make it through grilling season without access to the superior veggie dogs made by Morningstar Farms. They disappeared from store shelves in 2009 due, the company told sad customers, to a problem with sourcing one of the ingredients. The popular corn dogs returned last year, but the plain old hot dogs didn’t…until now. They’re back on store shelves, but are they any good? I set out on a rigorous research project, also known as “dinner.”

The bad news is that they’ve been shrink rayed. Now a box of six dogs, not eight, sells at the same price point as other Morningstar meatless wonders.

I cooked mine in boiling water instead of grilling them, so I can’t say whether they have the same blistered skin as the old version. They tasted close to my memories of the original.

(Those are pierogies on the right, before anyone asks.)

They’re not exactly pure food products. The ingredients list contains the vegetarian equivalents of pig lips and cow anuses, items like “SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE” and “HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN.” They’re also still not vegan. But they’re awfully tasty.

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Morningstar Farms Veggie Dogs Disappear, Taking Vegetarians’ Dreams With Them
Morningstar Corn Dogs Make Triumphant Return To Grocery Shelves

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