Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Burgers

My first thought when trying this new veggie burger was, "Mmm, this would be really good in a taco!" The tasty chipotle peppers and spices give it a Mexican sort of flavor. I immediately wished I had bought some lettuce along with these burgers so I could try out a Black Bean Chipotle taco!

I was worried that it would be too spicy, but it's really pretty mild. The texture is similar to other vegetable-y veggie burgers, like Gardenburger's Veggie Medley patties (another one of my favorites). Color-wise, it doesn't look much like the burger on the package -- it's a lighter, more orangey brown. Cooking it on the stove (or a grill, I assume) darkens it a bit, but not as much as on the package. It's not that the color bothers me, just that the photo is sort of misleading...

Another funny thought I had while trying this product: As I was enjoying the aromas filling the kitchen as the burger cooked on the stove, I started thinking about all the yummy nutritious things so many meat-eaters are missing out on! There are really only so many things you can do with a ground beef burger. I mean, look at the menu at a fast food restaurant. For the most part, all their "different" hamburgers aren't -- they're just different combinations of the same old meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, ketchup/mayo/mustard/sauce. But think of how much more variety you can get when you throw in a completely different kind of protein! And sadly, most meat-eaters will never give meat alternatives a chance, and will never know what they are missing. And restaurants won't, either. But that's another rant for another day.

So... overall, I really enjoyed this product and would recommend it if you like Mexican-type flavors. I can see it being another type of versatile veggie burger/meat replacement.

Protein source: Soy
Allergens: Soy, wheat
Vegan