Eggplant Burger

Eggplant Burger with a side of my mom's favorite, lima beans!

So I finally got to the other eggplant product by the folks at Dominex! Woot! Finally!

Well, so there's the Eggplant Burger. I put it on a slightly toasted whole wheat bun with some vegenaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, lettuce and a piece of Tofutti "American" cheese. I didn't realize that this was going to be a like a Boca patty, as in, meaty soy product. For some reason I didn't get that idea from reading the box, but I didn't read it very carefully and I just glanced at the ingredients and didn't really think of it. I thought it was going to be, like, 98% eggplant....which I thought sounded kinda weird. So when I was cooking it on the skillet in a little oil, I was, like, oh, it's just a fake meat patty with some eggplant thrown into the mix.

Flavorwise, not impressed. It tastes a bit off and it's definitely not as good as Boca, which is one of my favorites. The texture is fine and since my nose has been stuffy and my memory is bad, I don't have anything to say about the smell.

Yeah, this burger did nothing for me except give me some nutrition.

The lima beans are frozen from Grocery Outlet, I think they were Green Giant but I can't find any proof online about that. I believe they were 99 cents. You take them out of the box and put them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes and walah! Ready to eat limas! Semi-dry tasting, just as I remember from my youth!

Taste Above...Olive Garden

I was at Grocery Outlet the other day and came across Taste Above's Tuscan Marinara Sauce with Veggie Chicken and Penne Pasta. It's a frozen dinner product and I had never seen the brand before. As I always seem to do, I didn't think to check the nutrition facts, which are high in fat (19grams) and calories (320). But there is 26 grams of protein (holy assload of protein, Batman!) and 20% of your suggested daily iron. I did do my usual ingredient check to verify that it was vegan and it passed inspection. They use Gardein for the veggie chicken, a product I had only read about. 

So the taste: It grew on me, but it's not knock-out delicious and it take me eating half of it before the growing on me started. As always in a frozen dinner, the pasta is a bit on the mushy side. The "meat" had an odd mouthfeel and has a bit of a strange flavor. The sauce was watery. But with all that negative-sounding stuff, I will say that I liked it. 

The brand suggested retail price is $5.99, which wtf? I would never pay for such a small portion. Granted the calories and fat are so high you wouldn't want a bigger size. I paid only $2.49, because Grocery Outlet is the shiz. 

So, really, if you're needing protein, try it out, if you're on a diet, skip. If you're me, if I'm desperate...

So not natural....but so vegan...

I am a huge fan of sandwiches and fake meats. Oh, and fake cheese when it adds to the experience (some fake cheeses are just added empty calories and processed food intake). I have blogged previously about my love of the bar Tube's vegan ham & cheese english muffin sandwiches and when I was scavenging about in my kitchen for some easy food I came across Tofutti American slices, Tofurkey Smoked Turkey, Vegenaise and my English muffins. I knew that would be tasty, no matter how unnatural the ingredients are. I love to prove that being a vegan doesn't necessarily mean you eat healthy...

I decided to make a melt and since I don't have a panini press, I heated up the slices in a pan on the stove while the English muffins toasted away. I flipped the slices, added a cheese slice and then covered it and turned the heat off. I slathered one side of a muffin with the Vegenaise and added the now melted cheese topped turkey. Deliciousness! Warm, gooey, meaty goodness! I ate one every day for 4 days. I just couldn't help myself...One day I did make some kale as a side so that I felt a little more nutritionally balanced. Another day I had a green smoothie, so I'm still healthy, right?

Soy Nuggets.....

Trader Joe's is probably the weirdest grocery store. They carry some random stuff and they never have sales. Did you notice that? I didn't until my sister mentioned it. They carry the cheapest best wine you can get ("Two Buck Chuck" which is actually a whole 3 bucks up here in Portland). They recently started carrying (these were available in other locations for awhile now but it seems like they just got them here) Soy Nuggets, a vegan chicken nugget. I was *so* excited when i came across these at TJ's. I had heard tale of them but never found them in the store before. The first time i made them, my excitement level dropped tremendously. Alas, they were crisp on the outside but so mush on the inside. Ketchup couldn't help them....The next time i made them i accidently toaster ovened them longer and, whaddayaknow, it improved the mush! I dipped them in a mix of ketchup and mustard and i enjoyed them. The next time i made "special sauce" using vegenaise, mustard and ketchup. I'm not sure if they're worth the price ($3 or something like that), but they fill that chicken nugget craving. Now if only they would make them in that drumstick shape.....

No picture because i didn't take one and apparently nobody else does either....