"veggie burger" news and stories

Veggie burgers are a large part of my diet. Whether homemade or of the Morningstar/Amy's/Dr.Praeger's variety, I eat 'em plain, pile on sauteed veggies, or cut them up and throw them in a salad. They never get old.

As one would expect, I also tend to order them when I'm out to dinner (often, they're one of only a few vegetarian options available). Sometimes they're amazing - in fact, I find that, not surprisingly, tiny, out-of-the-way cafes and family-run kitchens have the best, crispiest, most satisfying veggie burgers. This includes a crispy outer shell, just the right amount of spices, a good protein-to-vegetable ratio, an egg or two to bind the mix together, and a non-mushy middle.

Lately, though, I've found an unsettling trend among larger restaurant veggie burgers: The outer layer is crisped to perfection, but the middles are completely underdone! (If you're furrowing your brow, think of it as ordering a steak weIl done and it showing up rare).

• You can make a lot of different things with mangoes.
• This guy makes green beans pickled with soy sauce and wasabi, smokra (which is okra with smokey paprika), and rosemary-scented pickled beets.
• This isn't your typical veggie burger.
• An interview with Barbara Kingsolver about her new food book.
• More books: it's the silver anniversary of The Silver Palate Cookbook.
• This week's recipes: Bulgur Wheat Salad, Imperial Asparagus, Chicken Marbella, Rougaille Beef, and Brownies.

A few weeks ago, we heard that the Vegetarian Times reviewed some veggie burgers and picked a chicken-style burger as their favorite, despite the fact that most people wanting a burger don't think of chicken as the standard to meat. When it comes to standards, Gardenburgers are it for veggie burgers because they were the first well known brand of non-meat burger. Recently, the company has been in some financial trouble, but they are making a comeback and trying to promote their line, which has been revamped and is, hopefully, better than before.

Hungry Girl did a great job reviewing their patties, tasting and evaluating every one they offer, with the exception of "The Classic." Her top pick was the Black Bean Chipotle Burger, which sounds delicious based on the name alone, followed by The Original and the Garden Vegan Burgers. The unfortunately crumbly Flame Grilled Burger got the lowest marks, so it sounds like you'll want to avoid them. Check out the whole guide if you're looking for a good Gardenburger.

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After emerging from bankruptcy earlier this year, Gardenburger is looking to rebuild its brand. They turned to college students for help. A spokeswoman from Gardenburger stated that college students were a good market for the brand because "college students tend to be more aware ... about the environment [and] about health" - meaning that they are slightly more likely than the average person to reach for the vegetarian option at the table.

The company has set up a program with advertising classes at five US universities, where the students at each campus are to design a campaign for the company and at least one will be used nationally in the fall. The students are not being paid for this work - and are more than likely being graded on their ideas - but the opportunity to work on a national campaign for a nationally known brand is a chance that any college student looking to go into advertising or marketing is likely to jump at.

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