(pictured: package from Costco)
Sometimes I don’t have time to make my own veggie burgers, and I don’t have any of mine stashed in the freezer. I try to keep veggie burgers on hand for quick meals. A few weeks ago when we went to Costco noticed that they were carrying a new vegan veggie burger. When Costco adds a new healthy product we always buy it with the hope that they are monitoring sales and it will influence their future buying decisions. This time we bought the Veggie Patties from Don Lee Farms.
I always check the ingredient list before I put anything into the cart. I will not feed my family anything with processed sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated fats. I also don’t buy foods with ingredients that sound like a science project. If it doesn’t contain all food, it doesn’t come home with me. This seriously limits our choices and most of food we buy is still in its whole form these days.
(pictured: Don Lee burger with Arugula and Walnut Pesto from dinner last night)
Ingredient list of this package:
Fresh vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, bell peppers); bread crumbs (wheat flour); sunflower seeds; flour; salt; carrageenan; soybean oil; spice; natural flavor.
Is this ingredients list perfect? No. I am not thrilled with the “wheat flour” and "flour" which are undoubtedly not whole wheat. I am also not thrilled with the soybean oil since it is something I don’t buy. The natural flavor is a little vague, but is probably okay. I would prefer that the salt were sea salt or kosher salt. Carrageenan is a gelatin like agar agar so that doesn’t bother me. Overall the ingredient list is acceptable for an occasional veggie burger.
Nutritional Facts for 1 burger:
Calories: 170
Calories from fat: 50 (29%)
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 380 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 17g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 4g
These burgers have more calories and fat than most of my veggie burgers. If all the fat was from the sunflower seeds I would be okay with the overall fat level. These also have much less protein and fiber than mine. The sodium level of the burgers is excellent.
Taste and texture:
The taste was quite good. The red pepper, carrot and onion flavors were identifiable. I thought I could detect the texture of the sunflower seeds but I am not certain. These were much softer than the burgers I make. The texture was pleasant even though it wasn’t what I was accustomed to. The burger crisped nicely without added fat, probably due to the amount of fat in the burger.
Overall:
The flavor and texture was good and the nutritional statistics was acceptable. I will continue to buy these as an emergency inventory item when life gets hectic. I would purchase them more often if the flour and bread used were whole wheat the oil were canola or olive.
I've never seen these at the Costcos near us. We usually buy the Boca Burgers. We once bought the Dr. Praeger's burgers, but didn't like the texture. Are Don Lee Farms burgers more like Gardenburgers?
ReplyDeleteShenandoah,
ReplyDeleteAt our Costco these are in the fresh case where you find the filled pasta and falafel.
We had tried the Dr. Praeger's burgers too and didn't like the texture (way too soft and mushy). I would say the texture of these is somewhere between Boca and Praeger. They are much softer than Boca but not as soft as Praeger. I haven't tried microwaving them, I think they would be too soft that way. I crisp mine in a pan and then toss them on a salad. This is one of my "on no I didn't plan dinner" meals. I keep the burgers in the freezer, individually wrapped.
I hope that helped.
Alicia
I will check that case next time I'm at Costco! Dr. Praegers gives veggie burgers a bad name.
ReplyDeleteShenandoah,
ReplyDeleteWe agree on that. If all veggie burgers were like Dr. Praegers we would all be in trouble.
Alicia
I get these at our local Costco and LOVE them! They are my favorite vegan burger. They are softer than the boca burgers and actually taste more like real food.
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE these, usually just heating in the microwave for about 45 seconds each, as they slip nicely into a sandwich flat. I usually put a thin, thin coating of Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce on them, slap between a Sara Lee thin sandwich bread, add some diced red onion, diced red bell pepper, and several fresh spinach leaves.
ReplyDeleteI love these burgers as a vegetarian college student, but I was wondering whether or not anyone has a sauce or condiment that they like to use on them. They are quite dry when put just between a couple slices of whole wheat bread >.<
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these burgers! And I might be crazy, but I put cocktail sauce or sometimes just plain horseradish on them. But then again, I pretty much put horseradish on everything.
ReplyDeleteI thought the burgers were quite greasy. The flavor reminded me of some strange Chinese restaurant food. I bought mine at Costco. So, of course, there are way to many to eat. Sorry I bought them.
ReplyDeleteThese are so tasty. We love them.
ReplyDeleteWe fry them in butter, melt cheddar cheese on top while cooking.
Put in a Torta Bun (Also at Costco) that we split and toast. Add a Slice of red onion, lettuce and a bit of mayonnaise. My husband says "almost better than a hamburger".
MamaK
We love these burgers! I stick two in a wide, low bowl with cut up fresh broccoli on top, cover it with a paper towel and cook for three minutes in the microwave. Top with a bit of parmesean cheese and serve...so good!
ReplyDeleteJust got these from Costco. They are now gluten free! First store bought veggie burger my family can have. They were really good.
ReplyDeleteI don't why people are raving about this. This is the junkiest patty on the market. It's made mostly of flour! with a few genetically modified vegetable pieces tossed in. It's also made with low quality SOYBEAN OIL and is high in sodium. But i guess most people on this forum are used to dining at POPEYES so this is a step up for them.
ReplyDeleteI love these veggie burgers! I will say though, sometimes they taste completely different. Once I bought them and they were very sweet, and a little gross lol. I typically cook mine in the microwave wrapped in two paper towels for two minutes. The paper towels soak up a lot of the oil and after two minutes they firm up nicely. I usually eat them on a bread thin with lots of sriracha sauce! I'm addicted to it!
ReplyDelete