Saturday, July 6, 2013

Sprouts Vegan Burgers - A Review




No matter what I do to this photo it will not let me rotate... grrr
 For those of you lucky enough to live next to a Sprouts Farmers Market, you may just have a new best friend. Seeking to expand their store brand, they are rapidly offering many well made products. One of the latest to catch my eye was their vegetarian burgers. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all three flavors- original, southwest and quinoa are actually vegan. I bought two, original and southwest, to give a try.


First, these have the ‘typical texture’ of many of these patties but I am used to that. They have a pleasant smokiness even when prepared in a skillet on the stove that I found quite appealing. The overall flavor, appeal and presentation of the burgers was amazing, and they had a great amount of protein and fiber. Best of all these lacked the slightly chemical aftertaste that I normally find in Boca burgers.

Won't let me rotate this either... double grrrr
The price is not bad, $3.99 a box when not on sale, and you get 4 in a box. I personally paired these with Rudi’s whole wheat buns, making each hamburger about 240 calories before toppings. Be careful and aware! Not all Rudi's products are vegan, so check labels! For wanting something slightly similar to a ‘fast food’ burger, these are an excellent choice.

 
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Tortillaless Burrito Soup with Recipe, an escape from Cthulthu madness


 
If you read my other blog you know that I am trying to reduce the size of my booty, and most other things on me, too. Ok, never mind. I would like to keep my big booty, big chest and big hair, but the rest of me can shrink a bit, thank you. Because I have been keeping track of calories, nutrition, etc, I have been eating more beans than normal, and normally I eat a lot of beans.

Right now, the bean vehicle of choice is a black bean burrito in a low carb tortilla with onion. It doesn’t sound great, but it tastes pretty wonderful. However, horror and damnation stuck two days ago when I went to make my precious bean burrito and I was out of tortillas!! The horror! The insanity! The wailing and gnashing of teeth! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!!!

Instead of giving into the gibbering horrors creeping upon me I decided to create a new dish. This one was tasty, filling, and used things I had around the house. Try this the next time you are without tortillas. :>

 
Tortillaless Burrito Soup
Makes 3 cups

1 can of black beans (15 oz), drained
1 jar of picante style salsa, mild (I used Trader Joes Garden Salsa)
1 can of diced green chilies, 4 oz
1 medium tomato
½ a small red onion
¼ a cup of Daiya vegan cheese shreds  

 
Combine the black beans, salsa and green chilies in a small pot.
Dice the tomatoes and onion, then add. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes so the onion and tomato are slightly cooked.
Remove and stir in the Daiya cheese. Divide into three bowls, about 1 cup each.

 

Each cup is

193 calories
2g of fat
34g carbs
8 g fiber
11g protein
5 Weight Waters points