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

Why the fake dairy?

If you've been keeping up with my blog up to this point, you may find yourself wondering, "If Jazzhands is an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, why does she bother trying fake dairy products?"

That's a very good question! It certainly seems easier (and cheaper) to just stick to moo juice and cheese. But something happened during my years-long conversion to vegetarianism -- my tastebuds woke up, and I discovered that I like trying new foods!

Plus, subconsciously I guess I'm sticking out my feelers toward veganism. I don't know if I could ever give up cheese or honey, but I'd never know if I didn't try some alternatives.

Also, it's good to know about alternative foods if the situation should arise that I would have to cook for vegans or people with other dietary restrictions.

The final reason is that I've often heard about cow milk containing undesirable stuff like antibiotics and hormones, which can mess with your body and your skin. If I could manage to switch off of cow milk for a while and feel better...

-jazzhands

Personalizing my blog... a work in progress

Hi, everyone. I've been lazy about updating lately, but I wanted to do something for my blog, so I designed the new picture for the banner at the top. Hope you like it! But if not, too bad! I plan to keep it for a while. However, I may decide to mess around with some other layout stuff, so don't freak out if it all looks completely different next time. :)

-jazzhands

Yves Deli Slices

It's amazing (or scary, depending on how you look at it) how much they can make food taste like meat without actually containing any meat these days. Yves Deli Slices are a good example of this.

They come in a variety of flavors: Turkey, Ham, Bologna, Salami, Roast without the Beef, Smoked Chicken, and Pepperoni. I have tried all of them except the Roast Beef and Smoked Chicken (only because I can't find them) and have enjoyed them all, but my favorites are definitely the Turkey and Ham. It's eerie how much the Ham tastes like ham...

The Turkey is delicious in a toasted cheese-and-turkey sandwich. In fact, for dinner tonight I had a fake Superbird (one of my old favorite items from Denny's) -- Yves Turkey + Morningstar Farms Bacon strips + Havarti and Pepperjack cheese + buttered bread + toasting until melty = veggie heaven!

The Pepperoni looks just like the meaty kind, and is pretty tasty added to a cheese pizza. I also like to add a couple of slices to a sandwich with another fake meat product -- it really helps to liven up a Nature's Burger.

All of the Yves Deli Slices have a bit of a wheaty flavor to them, since wheat protein is one of the main ingredients. However, it's not as strong as in other wheat-meat products I've tried, and the overall quality of the product makes up for it. Plus, they are a good source of protein and vitamins.

Protein Source: Soy, wheat
Allergens: Soy, wheat (made in a facility that uses egg products)
Vegan

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, Vanilla Flavor

Almond Breeze almond milk comes in three flavors: Original, Vanilla and Chocolate, all of which are also available in Unsweetened varieties. I have only tried the sweetened Vanilla flavor.

It's comparably priced to soy and rice milks, but may be slightly harder to find.

It's also comparable nutritionally, although like rice milk it has significantly less protein than soy milk -- only 1g. Also, almonds are high in vitamin E, and one serving of Almond Breeze gives you 50% of your daily recommended amount.

The thickness of it falls somewhere in between -- thinner than soy milk, thicker than rice milk. The flavor is pretty good, too. Sweet but not too sweet. It definitely does taste like almonds, but it's not overkill. Good for dessert, coffee, and cereal, and the plain unsweetened variety might be useful for some savory dishes.

** 2/25/09 Edited to add: I tried this on cereal, and it was delicious! It is by far my favorite milk alternative for cereal that I've tried.

**3/7/09 Edited to add: The chocolate flavor is SO GOOD! Go buy some now!

Allergens: Almond, soy (soy lecithin)
Vegan

New feature

I have gone back through my previous product review posts and added info about ingredients, such as protein sources, allergens, and vegan/vegetarian status. This info appears at the end of each post in GREEN.

Hopefully this small new feature will be helpful. I'd hate to get someone excited about a product only to later find out they can't eat it!

-jazzhands

Boca Original Chik'n Patties

So, this is the third brand of breaded chicken-style patty I've tried thus far. To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect much from it. I found Boca burgers to be very bland and boring, and figured this would be, too. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Actually, the breading on the patty was on the bland side, but for me, the flavor and texture of the "chicken" made up for it. It had a nice, chickeny bite to it, and was actually juicy. I am glad I purchased these instead of the MSF chik'n patties I almost bought tonight; if the breading had a bit more seasoning to it, I think these could actually give Quorn chik'n a run for its money. And for me, that's saying a lot. In fact, because the breading stays on better than with Quorn patties, these might be a better choice for using in a dish that requires sliced chik'n -- salad, tacos, quesadillas, stir fry... Hmm, I'm gonna have to buy some more...

Protein source: Soy, wheat
Allergens: Soy, wheat
Vegan?