<p>Will second (third, fourth?) the masala burgers from TJ’s. Absolutely love them. I prefer veggie “burgers” that don’t try to taste like meat. I actually like real burgers (though rarely eat them, and only organic) but the fake Boca ones taste and feel awful to me.</p>
<p>not veggie burgers, but the soy chorizo from trader joes is delicious!!</p>
<p>Be aware that various veggie burgers vary greatly in their protein content, depending their ingredients. If you’re looking to these as a meat substitute be sure you read the label carefully. The soy ones tend to be pretty high, and some of the yummy bean ones are unfortunately low.</p>
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<p>According to [Meat</a>, Dairy and Pareve - Kosher Basics](<a href=“http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/82658/jewish/Meat-Dairy-and-Pareve.htm]Meat”>http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/82658/jewish/Meat-Dairy-and-Pareve.htm) , [OK</a> Kosher Certification — Meat, Dairy and Pareve](<a href=“http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=63]OK”>Kosher Basics - Meat, Dairy and Pareve - OK Kosher) and [Frequently</a> Asked Questions – The Vegetarian Resource Group](<a href=“Frequently Asked Questions -- The Vegetarian Resource Group”>Frequently Asked Questions -- The Vegetarian Resource Group) , pareve does not necessarily mean vegetarian, because fish is in that category (fish is not “meat” for kosher purposes).</p>
<p>I think the key to finding the right veggie burger is figuring out what you want in it - meat flavor or maybe more of that chewy texture. My son doesn’t eat beef and my daughter is a vegetarian. Both of them prefer chickenless burgers that they say taste good. I got some at TJ’s, I think.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. I guess we technically now have TJ’s in our area, but none really nearby.</p>
<p>Maybe some day I’ll try to make bean burgers from scratch, but for now I’m trying to make sure everyone in the house has something to eat. So one D is a new vegetarian, the other hates vegetables and I’m gluten free. When H cooks, he ignores that and makes food that one or more of us won’t eat.</p>
<p>Some of the burgers (I believe tj’s one too) has dairy in it, depending if she’s vegan or not.</p>
<p>Kosher products are also a good idea.</p>
<p>Quorn is a lesser known brand in America, but is really good. It’s well known in Europe. Costco Sells their products usually.</p>
<p>missypie, Sounds like you need some staple proteins that are easy to replace for meat. One thing I’ve done is to cook up a pound of tofu and use slices of that here and there. My favorite method is to marinate chunks or slices of tofu in an asian marinade for a couple of hours and then fry it up. It’s then easy to add to just about anything from salad to stir fry to spaghetti.</p>
<p>Just tasted the vegi burger from Costco two days ago. I really don’t like it, I won’t eat it even it is free. This is only me. You should taste the food before you buy or do it from scratch to your taste.</p>
<p>I followed some of the tofu thread, maybe a week ago. We may have only had poorly prepared tofu, who knows, but there is not a member of my family who can stand it. Every time we eat at our favorite Thai place, I make myself try a cube of it, and I just hate it.</p>
<p>But yes, looking for protein. She is eating eggs and Greek yogurt, so I think she’s doing fine so far.</p>
<p>artloversplus, our Costco has several veggie burgers – one or more in the refrigerated section and two in the frozen section. They seem to change every several months. For a while they were Boca and Gardenburger. Now they’re the Morningstar Farms Black Bean and another Morningstar Farms patty that has vegetables in it. I preferred the Gardenburger and we also liked the Boca Burger (the larger patty made it more moist than the grocery store size) and the black bean. I haven’t cared for the refrigerated ones. The sizes of frozen grocery store patties is kind of wimpy, but when Costco stocks them the ingredients are the same but the patty is larger.</p>
<p>OP, if you’re headed to Costco you might want to pick up some Morningstar Farms frozen sausage patties. We love them, and my kids’ meat-eating friends do too. Pop two in the microwave for about a minute and they’re ready. These are available in groceries, too.</p>
<p>missypie–if you are looking for prepared food go to Whole Foods and try their Mock Chicken Salad in the deli. They use soy nuggets.</p>
<p>We love Luna Burgers, especially the “Classic” [url=<a href=“http://www.lunaburger.com/lunaburger/Home.html]Home[/url”>http://www.lunaburger.com/lunaburger/Home.html]Home[/url</a>]</p>
<p>They are mostly sold in Ohio but the website lists several Whole Foods that carry them (but not in Texas mp :()</p>
<p>missypie…try the Morningstar Farms Black Bean ones. Even D2 likes them. I like the Morningstar Veggie Sausage Patties, too.</p>
<p>D1 used to like Boca Flame-Grilled Veggie Burgers because in her opinion they tasted most like grilled meat, but now she’s mostly off trying to replicate the taste of meat and goes for burgers that don’t pretend to be meat substitutes, like Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, Morningstar Farms Chipotle Black Bean Burger, or TJ’s Masala Burger. But she much prefers a good homemade black bean burger to any of these, especially with a dollop of guacamole and some pico de gallo. That’s something the omnivores in our household can get behind as well.</p>
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<p>We don’t have the gluten-free constraint, but we’ve lived for years with one D who is a devout vegetarian (and for several years went strictly vegan) and another D who is an equally passionate carnivore. We sometimes need to alternate dinners, making sure there are enough leftovers that the vegetarian has something to eat on meat nights and the carnivore has something to east on vegetarian nights. And fortunately, their schedules are busy enough that we sometimes have one home and not the other. Mostly, though, we try to create dinners that everyone will eat. D1 (the vegetarian) actually likes well-prepared tofu in moderation, but she now mostly avoids processed soy products. She gets much more of her protein from beans, grains, and nuts these days, and there are lots of creative dishes you can make with those that everyone in our household enjoys. Fortunately for us, she’s off the vegan diet; she decided it was just too hard at college to get adequate protein without including some dairy, so she gets a fair amount of protein from eggs, cheese, and yogurt (especially Greek yogurt which is especially high in protein). </p>
<p>There’s also a lot to be learned from cuisines that have ancient experience with vegetarianism (e.g., Indian, Chinese) or where meat has sometimes been scarce (e.g., Middle Eastern, Italian, Mexican).</p>
<p>We’re sending the one who doesn’t like vegetables back to college in a few weeks, so that will make it easier. I’m also allergic to nuts…the kids aren’t but they don’t really like them, I guess because I’ve never made yummy nutfilled treats for them.</p>
<p>Over the weekend, I think I’ll do stir fry.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this has been mentioned but a big secret to being successful as a vegetarian - or even a reduced meat eater - is changing one’s attitudes about taste. We grow up used to the taste of meat, particularly burgers and hot dogs and maybe some steaks. Sometimes, tasting a non-meat burger seems bad because it’s different. If you stick with it, the old idea about how something should taste is replaced by how the veggie item actually tastes. I prefer the taste of veggie hot dogs in general and usually of veggie burgers. They don’t taste like burgers but I like the way they taste as they are. </p>
<p>BTW, eating only a little meat has also made me more critical of the taste of the meat I do eat. I find most hamburgers just aren’t worth eating; they’re not very good except in the context of being used to the taste of meat and expecting that. The more I divorce my senses from those expectations, the more quality I want. When I ate a lot of meat, I found that any meat sufficed.</p>
<p>Hi Missypie:</p>
<p>My vegetarian girlfriend recommends Fry’s frozen traditional Lentil patties…I think that’s the name…aren’t Lentils supposed to be high in protein?!</p>
<p>Amy’s has a nice variety of vege burgers.</p>
<p>The Boca Burger Chicken patties come off the grill pretty tasty with nice “chicken like” texture. BBQ sauce on the side of dunking or dress it up on a roll with the toppings.</p>