In their list of nine types of Veggie Patties, I was already familiar with (1) Gardenburger, (2) Boca Burgers, and (3) Wildwood Tofu Burgers, and I found some more that I'd like to try, including (4) Sunshine Burgers and (5) Amy's Veggie Burgers.
Some sounded a little weird, like (6) Quorn Burgers (what is "mycoprotein"?) and (7) Sol Cuisine frozen burgers (too much soy? at least they're GMO FREE!). (8) Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger proudly lists the ingredients for their truly all-vegetable burger (no fillers or egg products). And finally, (9) Hilary's Eat Well veggie burgers use two whole grains, millet and quinoa, that are free from common allergens.
The newsletter also included a recipe for "New Leaf's Own Beet Burgers," which includes red beets, quinoa, toasted seeds, onion, flour, bread crumbs, and garnet yams.
This all got me to thinking about what exactly is a veggie burger?
According to Wikipedia, a veggie burger is a hamburger-style or chicken-style patty that doesn't contain meat.
As I look at recipes for vegetarian and vegan burgers and lists of product ingredients for store-bought or restaurant patties, I'm seeing a common theme. Either there's an emphasis on having a burger patty substitute that tries to mimic the flavors and textures of meat or it tries to replace the protein you would otherwise get from meat.
I'm very happy to see that there are a lot more veggie burger options out in the world today, and now I'm excited to see that — finally — many of the patties are including whole grains. Because from a macrobiotic point of view, whole grains are the yang replacement for meat. This is all good information for my dream diner, Burger Number Seven.
It is also good to know that my chances of finding more vegetarian burger options in restaurants are steadily improving! I have found a lot of places, especially cafes and pubs, that serve Gardenburgers or something similar. (See The Cheyenne Cafe.) The great ones serve their own handmade veggie burgers on whole grain bread. (See Boulder Creek Brewery And Cafe.)
Listed in the Wikipedia's Veggie burger article, other places that serve veggie burgers include:
• Burger King (they serve MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Burgers) and Hungry Jack's in Australia, certain Subways, and Harvey's (served on a whole wheat bun), as well as many chain restaurants, such as
• Red Robin (they serve Gardenburgers),
• Chili's (according to their vegetarian menu pdf, their veggies burgers are made with black beans, egg, dairy, and/or honey),
• Denny's ("Fit Fare" menu includes Amy's Veggie Burgers),
• Johnny Rockets (the "Streamliner" = 100% soy Boca Burger), and
• Hard Rock Cafe (the San Francisco menu includes a "Veggie Leggie" patty grilled and topped with a portabella mushroom).
Here's a toast to more yang veggie burgers in the world — cheers!
Related Blog Articles:
My Dream Diner — "Burger Number Seven"
