There are few things more satisfying on a hot summer afternoon than scarfing down a California burger. With the Amy’s Kitchen California Veggie Burger, even vegetarians can get in on the fun.
There are several ways you can cook one of these patties, but we prefer to fry ours in a pan with a bit of vegetable oil. It’s a fairly quick and easy way to ensure these turn out just right.
Now, this is actually a soy-free burger. Instead of soy, Amy’s Kitchen has constructed each patty out of things like organic bulgur wheat, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and walnuts. That means this is not a brown, beefy looking patty at all, but rather a fairly colorful one, as the carrots are visible as orange spots. Your carnivorous friends will not be fooled into thinking these are made of real beef.
The texture is nothing like beef. It’s grainy and soft, and these don’t hold together the way a gristly beef patty would. But the taste is incredible — it’s actually kind of wheaty. If you’re the type of person who likes mayo on your burgers, these pair very well with mayo.
One veggie burger contains virtually no cholesterol, about 150 calories (45 from fat), and 500 mg of sodium. Since we think two of these makes a pretty hearty meal, it’s that sodium level that you’ll really want to watch out for. The calories aren’t bad, and that big fat 0 listed next to the cholesterol is a huge plus. Of course, keep in mind that these numbers are for the patty only; if you add toppings, you’re going to be heaping additional calories and sodium onto that.
You can dress these veggie burgers up any way you like, but since this is a California burger, we thought lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, ketchup, and mustard were appropriate. We also added a slice of cheddar cheese. Had we thought of it sooner, we would have picked up some pickle slices while we were out, but we had to eat these sans-pickle. Still, we found these to be quite a treat.
In case you’re wondering what those gourmet buns are in the picture above, those are brioche burger buns from St. Pierre bakery.
Amy’s California Veggie Burger is a delight. This isn’t one of those veggie burgers that’s trying to be beef; it’s a patty that’s blazing its own trail. And what a delicious trail that is!
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in these veggie burgers, check out our package scans below.
