Comparing Meatless Burgers

Hello! I am brand-new at dieting (eating healthier), and this is my first post in this Vegetarian Forum.  In an effort to lose weight and eat healthier (less fat/less calories) I bought these three items at the store last night to replace meat patties:

BOCA Vegan Meatless Burger (100 calories/13g protein)

MORNINGSTAR Tomato/Basil Pizza Burger (120 calories/10g protein)

TRADER JOES Breakfast Patties (70 calories/7 grams protein) *

  * The TJ's Breakfast patties are about 1/2 the size of the others

_______

They all seem comparably healthy at first glance, and I will do a taste test... but was wondering if there are any other brands out there that you really like (or dislike) .... some that you think are healthier/less healthy .... some that seem like a better deal (more food for your money, so to speak.) 

For those of you who regularly eat meatless burgers, how do you like these three brands? Any favorites? Any other suggestions?

(By the way, I am not a vegetarian ... but a friend suggested going meatless rather than merely switching from red meat to chicken... so I thought I would give it a try.)

_______

=^..^=  MOLLY (visit our silly haiku thread in Motivation Forum)

there is also a brand called Amy's that is really good. I'm not sure if they are sold everywhere or how healthy they are compared to the others, but they do seem to be on sale quite a bit, so that rocks!

good luck!

I think you forgot Gardenburgers, unless those are the Morningstar ones.  I haven't tried any meat alternatives besides the Gardenburgers, however I don't see how any can taste better than those.

I think Morningstar makes Gardenburgers.

I had the Tomato/Basil Pizza burger tonight ... on toasted whole wheat toast with some fat free feta sprinkled on top... it was FANTASTIC! (I am glad the box came with 4 patties ... I still have 3 more to enjoy!)

______

=^..^= MOLLY (Veggie burgers can be yummy)

Try the Gardenburger brand. It's not made by Morningstar unless they took them over, or something. Personally I'm not a big boca fan. Amy's are ok. I'm partial to the Gardenburgers because they've been around for years. Now they come in several flavours.

I can't say about Morningstar farms because I haven't tried them. I guess I just don't like the packaging because I've never felt motivated to buy them.

My only problem with any of the veggie patties is that they all have so much sodium. Throw them on a bun and there's even more sodium. :( Add in ketchup, mustard and pickle and I have a major sodium overload happening!

I'm not a vegitarian but eat the veggie burgers because I love them. I'm partial to morninstar farms, but that could be because that is what is most readily available. I also love the bean burgers, those are really tasty.

I like the Vegan Boca burgers :)

And though they aren't burgers, I also like the Gardenburger Barbeque Riblets or Smart Dogs on occasion in place of a burger!

I think I need to check out Whole Foods and my neighborhood natural food market (or health food store) to see what else is out there .... this stuff sounds yummy!

Thanks for the input, peeps!

 

___________

=^..^= MOLLY (let's spice things up, shall we?)

OK .... the Gardenburger was ok ... but I liked the Morningstar pizza one better. Think I will try the Boca vegan burger next.

LOL .... my poor DH is looking in the freezer, wondering what all this "weird food" is ... hee hee heee

_____________

=^..^=  MOLLY (it's not easy being green)

Howdy :)

I tried the Gardenburger and, personally, I didn't like it. To me, it's a burger in that it's shaped like a patty, but it doesn't really try to taste like a hamburger (I'm an unashamed meat-eater. I just looked into meatless burger as a healthier alternative).

Personally, I preferred the Boca myself. It does at least try to have a similair taste, and I dig that. :)

I've never tried the Trader Joe's, ever. 

I personally don't really like the boca's, I find them to be relatively bland.. same goes for Morningstar Farms Grillers. I also try and stay away from some of the morningstar products because they have an ingredient list that goes on for days and sort of wierds me out.

I've always been a big fan of the gardenburgers because they have an added texture that is nice. They can be mushy if you just microwave them, so I suggest oven cooking or toaster oven cooking for most veggie burgers. Try throwing on some BBQ sauce on top.

Something else you might try is making your own meatless burgers, or try falafal. Some stores sell bulk mixes for veggie burgers and that way you can add your own nuts, sauces, flavorings, etc to give it more of a taste that you prefer. If you still eat meat, maybe you could put some sort of boullion into them or worschiester(sp?) sauce.

Boca Burgers:  love them.........but the only ones I've eaten.. 

I prefer Veggie Medly Gardenburgers. I have tried all the other brands mentioned but I haven't really enjoyed any of them. Boca burgers just disgust me unless grilled and nothing MorningStar is vegan so I stay away from those.

I have also been looking recipes to make my own veggie burgers with lentils.

I LOVE the Boca burgers, and I eat the original Vegan ones all the time.. But I belive there only 70 calories, that's what it says on the side of my packege. But anywho, I Can't say I've tried the other two, sorry. But I highly suggest the Original Vegan Boca's!

quorn patties are my favorite. soooooo yummy.

made from a mold (really not as gross as it may sound), so if you're allergic to eating mushrooms or mold, you might want to avoid.

I'm a omnivore, but I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's veggie marsala burgers.  Put some mustard on them and they're even better!  I was just thinking of starting a post...veggie burgers, not just for the meatless.

boca burgers hands down win!

Boca has two sizes of their Vegan Burgers there's the big size (100 cals.) and the reg. size (70 cals.) that's where the confusion comes in. I've had both Boca and Morning Star Farms burgers and Boca in my opinion wins out of the two. They are so good! :)

Amy's All-American Burgers are by-far the best out of any I've tried...

I LOVE Amy's California Burgers.  They are SOOO expensive, but when I need a treat, I go for it.  They're not really "hamburger" type burgers, tho, its definitely supposed to taste/ feel different, so if youre craving the 'meaty' stuff, stay clear.

  Otherwise I usually go for the vegan chikn type patties (forget who makes them) that look like burgers.  Not really a 'faux burger' fan.  Theyre all too dry...

And oooh my goodness, somebody mentioned it, but SmartDogs are ... wow!  I love them.  The meat eaters tell me they don't taste like hot dogs, but at 45cals apiece (uhh totally protein), honestly, I don't care.  Ketchup & Them = wow!!

I'm still a bit of an omnivore, but President's Choice Blue Menu has two I adore -- one's a seven vegetable patty, the other's a lentil and rice patty with curry.  The lentil and rice one's my favourite, and it's fantastic with sliced orange peppers.