Product Research

As the title implies, I've been venturing out into the world of animal product substitutes to expand my choices. So far I haven't been entirely disappointed by what I've found, but I can tell I need to do some more exploring.

The first vegetarian product that I'd like to review is Morning Star's Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger.

You can find these at Walmart

The product name alone is a mouthful. Out of the box these patties look exactly how the picture portrays them, dark brown with corn chunks. Not really appetizing when you put it that way but don't get me wrong, these things are delicious. They're about five inches in diameter and about a half an inch thick frozen. Heating instructions suggested skillet or microwave, I chose skillet.

Now I like to consider myself a pretty competent person in the kitchen. I spent a lot of time this summer learning how to cook and can produce that I grew out of my garden. Sometimes my ADD gets the best of me though and I will go wandering off to see whats on TV while I am leaving something to burn on the stove. Well the first patty I fried ended up looking a little char broiled, but condiments really do fix everything! I topped it with homemade pickles, mustard and a piece of cheese; all on a sesame seed bun.

Expecting to bite into charcoal, I was oddly surprised by how the crispiness of the burger resembled some of the ones that I've had from Burger King. I polished off the burnt mass with much satisfaction. The whole blackbeans in it were my favorite part. They really added to the meatiness of the burger. It wasn't really that spicy, so I recommend topping it with some pickled jalapeños if you're looking for a kick. I think I saw one recipe on the net that suggested chopping it up and throwing it in a tortilla like fajitas, the possiblities are endless! I would just recommend frying them in really hot vegetable oil, without burning them of course. Trust me these are really delicious!

Charred to perfection, but a lot less creepy.

What I wasn't as impressed by unfortunately with Rice Dream. Though the flavoring was good, I just could not get over the starch coating the back of my mouth.

You can find this just about anywhere. Walmart and Amazon both sell it in bulk.

I'll try to describe what it tasted like as unbiasedly as I can so you guys aren't put off on trying it. Imagine water, infused with the taste of starch (like in mashed potatoes) with a little sugar, and that smells like vanilla. It isn't inedible, but the after taste makes me gag a bit. On cereal or eaten with pancakes makes it much more tolerable. I imagine it being better for cooking applications, such as in oatmeal or in a bread pudding. Unfortunately I made the mistake of buying a large carton of it though, so the next couple weeks I will be trying to find new applications for it. Next time I'm trying Silk.

Moving away from the topic of food, I found out some interesting information. As I was scouring the store for some cruelty free hygienics, I discovered that TRESemme or St. Ives products are not tested on animals! So I bought monster bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and a bottle of body wash for under 10$. I just got them the other day so I can't give a decent review until I see the long term effects of their use. Though I can report that I am very happy that I can bathe inexpensively and with peace of mind.

Well I think I've done enough shameless advertising for one evening. Try out these products for yourselves even if you aren't thinking of becoming vegetarian. The results may surprise you.