Qrunch Spicy Italian Quinoa Burgers

I love quinoa, as I'm sure you do, too. Is there someone out there that hates quinoa? I hope not! If anything, I wish there was more readily available pre-packaged quinoa based meals. So with that said, I was eagerly anticipating these Spicy Italian Quinoa burgers from Qrunch. Everything about these burgers sound delicious to me. And since they are made with quinoa, they are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and dairy-free. Perfect for almost anyone!    

The flavor is spicy without being too hot. I love topping it with Vegenaise, lettuce (or kale) and tomato to compliment the spice. The patty is pretty dense and very filling. I would describe it as breaded "chick'n"-like, crispy on the outside and soft inside. Their preferred method is an oven or skillet but I prefer a minute and a half in the microwave, even though they tell you not to. My only complaint would be the price ($7.50 or so for 4) but to me it's worth it. If you're ready to spice things up a bit, and want to try a different kind of veggie burger I think the Qrunch Spicy Italian Quinoa Burger is an awesome choice.

Hilary's Eat Well Veggie Burgers

Hiding at your local Whole Foods is Hilary's Eat Well Veggie Burgers. The reason I say hiding is because Hilary's contacted me about reviewing their burgers and I said I would be more than happy to, but my Whole Foods didn't carry Hilary's Eat Well products. Hilary's said they did, so the next day I went to Whole Foods and sure enough, there was the Spicy Green Chili Adzuki Bean Burger and The World's Best Veggie Burger tucked away in a small box in the freezer section. So they're hard to spot, but the good news is, once you find them, you'll never forget.

There are two burgers per package and one wrapper, so there's no box waste. A pretty nifty idea I think. Also both burgers nut-free and gluten-free, great if you have those allergies. Another amazing thing is that you can cook them in the oven, microwave, skillet OR the toaster. So let's take a look!

Did the World's Best Veggie Burger live up to it's name? It was definitely my favorite of the two. Some of the major ingredients include millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach and onion. It almost has a chick'n patty flavor more so than a meaty flavor, which I liked. I toasted the burger in the max toaster setting and it came out pretty good. It was a bit dry but once you get ketchup or Vegenaise on the patty, you'll be in good shape. I thought it was a pretty delicious burger and one of my new favs.
 

The Spicy Green Chili Adzuki Bean Burger was rockin' as well. It also has millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, onions but it also has green chiles and obviously adzuki beans. I microwaved the Adzuki Burger and it got a tad mushy, but toasting may resolve that. I loved the spiciness! It's a great contrast to the other burger. Try some Vegenaise, tomatoes and lettuce, so good! I'll definitely be picking these up again.

Bottom line: I was pretty impressed with these burgers and it's a shame I didn't notice them sooner. I would try them for sure if you are into burgers that don't have a strong meaty flavor. The option of toasting is pretty ingenious and being allergy-friendly is nice, too. Head down to your Whole Foods and give 'em a try!

Gardein Ultimate Beefless Sliders

I've never been to White Castle (although I used to see the commercials on WWOR as a kid), so the idea of a slider was pretty alien to me. And being Vegan for the last decade only added to my indifference if it was ever uttered in public. For those who haven't caught on yet, a slider is basically a small hamburger. So why does that matter to us Vegans? Well, Gardein has come up with one of the most interesting products I've seen in a while, The Ultimate Beefless Slider.

I find the Beefless Slider fascinating because it already comes with a bun. Also, a  pack of sliders take only one minute in microwave (plus a minute wait time). It doesn't get any easier or lazier than that. But the kicker is that they taste amazing! In my experience, any product where a bun is included has been gross and barely edible, but these are genuinely delicious. The bun is soft and the burger part is moist. And for those of you who just turned Vegetarian or Vegan, the Meatless Slider tastes a bit like real hamburger. I don't miss that meat taste at all, but I think it's a nice option for people who are trying to go meatless (Go Meatless Mondays!) So wrapping up, if you are looking for a QUICK little meal that is unique to Vegan frozen food, The Ultimate Beefless Slider is the one!

Amy's California Veggie Burger

If you haven't noticed, I started a Pinterest. When scanning through all of the categories I noticed the Vegan Burger Board was a little bare. And not only that, I was missing my favorite veggie burger of all time, Amy's California Burger. So I figured enough is enough, time to share my love of the California Burger!

When I first went Vegetarian (oh, you know, 11 years ago, holy crap!) I was really dependent on fake meats like Boca Burgers and Morningstar Foods Crumbles. One day I tried a California Burger because I enjoyed Amy's Veggie Loaf frozen dinner so much (ps Amy's- please dump the honey so I can buy it again, pretty please). From that day on, I have been a militant California Burger supporter. If you don't see in my hamburger bun, you'll see it crumbled up in my spaghetti sauce. I find it really versatile and it doesn't have that fake meat taste.

It's nice that Cali Burger isn't trying to be something it's not. What it is though, is pure brilliance: organic mushrooms, organic onions, organic bulgar wheat, organic celery, organic carrots, organic oats, filtered water, organic walnuts, wheat gluten, organic potatoes, sea salt, sunflower oil and organic garlic. DELICIOUS! Like, I could eat this thing plain with no condiments, no bun. It's that good! And only one minute in the microwave!

So in closing, maybe now you'll know why I have such admiration for Amy's as a company. Yes, sometimes their stuff is more expensive, but I truly feel like you get what you pay for. You can get organic mushrooms as an ingredient or you can get something not so natural. And while we are at it, please sign the petition at Just Label It to force the FDA to label GMO foods. Who the hell is for GMO foods anyway? Satan?

Bottom line: if you've never had an Amy's California Burger please give it a try. It may very well become you favorite veggie burger too.

Asherah's Gourmet Chipotle Vegan Burgers

New to me is Asherah's Gourmet Vegan Burgers. You can find them in Natural and Chipotle flavor. For this review, I purchased the Chipotle. I'm impressed that they use all organic ingredients and are gluten free. The main ingredient is every Vegan's friend, quinoa. So what does a quinoa burger taste like? Let's see!

My first impression is that the burger patty is huge! Asherah sure didn't skimp on the size. The flavor was spicy but not overpowering. The texture was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I ate it with my normal condiments but it was flavorful enough to eat it plain. I did notice they cost bit more than your normal veggie burgers but the size and unique flavor make it worth it. So if you are in the market for a gluten-free burger, make sure to give Asherah's a try!

Amy's Gluten Free Bistro Burger

I had a grillout/picnic recently at my house and two of the guests were Celiacs. Knowing this, I had to find a gluten free veggie burger. I've heard of Amy's Bistro Burgers before, but I wasn't sure if I could find them here in town. Luckily my Whole Foods had them in stock so I got some along with a box of my favorite veggie burger in the world, Amy's California Burger. So everyone wins but I was dying to know, how good is this gluten free burger?

The Bistro burgers were on the grill first so there wouldn't be any cross contamination. Once they were done, I put them to the side and fired up the Cali burgers. Now it's time for a little taste assessment. I dressed up the Bistro burger first in lettuce, mustard, Veganaise and ketchup. With the first bite I was in love. I couldn't believe how delicious it was! Yeah, cooking on the grill enhances the flavor quite a bit, but wow was it ever good. I did notice more of a crisp texture compared to the Cali burger but I felt that was a positive thing. I've noticed things sometimes have a "Gluten-Free taste" but the Bistro totally didn't. The Bistro's ingredients include brown rice, pinto beans and mushrooms, which turned out to be a brilliant combination. I'm super loyal to my California burger but I wouldn't mind a Bistro burger every once in a while.