Category: Food

Product: Franklin Farms Original Recipe Fresh Veggiburger – $3.99+

It’s tough being a vegetarian with a gluten intolerance.  Honestly.  Because it seems every ounce of vegetarian faux meat products out in the market contain gluten.  This isn’t an exaggeration either.  Morningstar Farms no longer stocks my freezer because I can’t eat their products.  Boca no longer has a place.  Neither Quorn nor Gardein are options either.  So when cookouts hit or those infamous bar-b-ques start…or if you just want a veggie burger…options for vegetarians are plenty.  Options for a gluten-free vegetarian…well…not so much.

Then…the seas parted and a heavenly florescent light at the grocery store somehow directed me to these little delights…Veggiburgers from Franklin Farms.  And they come in three different varieties – original, portabella, and chili-bean.  My local grocers only stock the original and the portabella, and that is a huge start for this area.  Seriously.

I was ecstatic when I purchased these and brought them home for dinner.  Sure, there is always a little apprehension when trying a new product.  What if it’s doesn’t taste good?  I’m a proponent of the school of theory that nothing gets thrown away.  So if a product doesn’t please my palate…it still gets eaten.  So, I won’t say that I was at total ease when I started cooking one of these up for dinner the other night, but, it was thrilling to finally have a vegetarian line of foods that work with gluten allergies.

Here’s what I noticed straight away.  Unlike the boxed brands from Morningstar Farms, Quorn, Boca, etc…these burgers aren’t really made to look like your normal, run-of-the-mill burger.  The vegetables that make up a good portion of these burgers (WHAT? Vegetarian burgers made from vegetables?!  What a concept!) are actually visible.  I spotted bits of corn, mushrooms, red pepper and onion straight away.  It sort of reminded me of the veggie burgers I had overseas while in Ireland last New Years.

These are so easy to prepare too and they literally only take minutes.  On my grill pan, I just had to heat it for about 2-3 minutes on each side and these burgers were good to go.  I’ve also cooked them via the microwave on days I am in a hurry.  It doesn’t subtract from the texture by doing that, which is a rare thing, indeed.

So…with my Franklin Farms Veggiburger plated up (and topped off with sauteed mushrooms, and non-dairy Swiss cheese melted on top (YUM), and placed on a gluten-free hamburger bun (a la Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery), I was ready to dig in and give this a go.  One bite, and I was hooked.  It was full of flavor.  The burger itself is soft, but packed with flavor from the vegetables that are throughout each patty.  I might have been nervous when I was cooking these up, but one bite and I was so glad I gave this brand a try.  I was eager for the next bite, and before I knew it…I had consumed the entire thing.

These little gluten-free patties pack a great hit of protein…12g in one serving.  And even better, only have 100 calories in a patty and only 2g of fat.  For the runner in me…this is awesome!  So, nutritious and taste good too.  Oh…let’s not forget the most important aspect of this vegetarian protein…it’s gluten-free!

FINALLY!

So, for all those vegetarian companies out there who say they can’t make their products gluten-free because it will mess with the texture…take note.  Franklin Farms created a nutritious, delicious vegetarian burger that I’m thrilled with.  It was moist, delicious, full of flavor, and the texture and taste were spot-on.  It can be done.  And, thankfully, there is a company out there willing to give the gluten-intolerant vegetarian something to nibble on.

Thank you, Franklin Farms!  Because of you, veggie burgers are back on my gluten-free, vegetarian menu.  Not only are you delicious…you fit my dietary needs.  That’s no small thing, mind you.  But you managed.  And I loved your product down to the last bite.  Epic vegetarian, gluten-free yum!

Product: Alexia Italian Sauté – $3.29+

I admit it…this was the one potato and vegetable side from Alexia that I wasn’t too sure about.  I mean, I liked all the components in it; I just wasn’t exactly sure how it would all come together in the end.

I was with the product at the inclusion of the packet of basil-infused olive oil.  That…sounded absolutely delicious to cook the bag of potatoes and various vegetables in.  And I was good with roasted red potatoes, spinach, onion, and tomatoes.  It was the inclusion of the great northern beans that through me for a loop.  And I love beans.  As a vegetarian, they are a fantastic source of fat-free protein.  Perfect, as I’m also a runner and lean proteins are key to my training.  But…how would they work with potatoes?  I wasn’t too sure about it.

But I should know by now to trust brands like Alexia.  When they cook something up, it’s always a tasty treat.  Potatoes and beans actually pair really well.  Especially these…when sauteed for 12 minutes in the basil-infused olive oil…the flavors are magnified and every bite is so satisfyingly delicious, you almost wish you had more.

I served this up as a meal, but it, like the other potato and vegetable sides, can be served up for multiple diners as a side dish?  But why, when you can savor it as a meal instead.  Yeah…it’s that good.  This one, surprised me, but in a good way.  Sometimes, the foodie in me just needs to trust the product to be good and not automatically assume flavors and textures won’t work together.

Whether you are in search of a nutritious, gluten-free side, a vegetable side-dish, or a vegetarian meal…turn to the sautés from Alexia.  Honestly, every one has been full of flavor, easy to prepare, and absolutely pleasing to the palate.  And for a gluten-intolerant, vegetarian, these fit right into the meal plan where needed.

Product perfection, bite after potato-y bite!

Product: Amy’s Kitchen Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Burrito – $3.79+

A lot of love goes into the foods that Amy’s Kitchen produces and puts out on the grocery store shelves.  That’s evident.  After all, the business is family-owned business that grew over the years and expanded and soon…Amy’s Kitchen became the nation’s leading natural frozen food brand.  Every product that Amy’s Kitchen puts out is vegetarian…but now there are quite a lot of gluten-free options in her line as well.

Which is ideal for this busy, gluten-intolerant vegetarian.

It’s not everyday you find a company that uses natural and organic ingredients in their processed food products.  But that’s what makes Amy’s Kitchen stand out from many of the competing brands out there.  And it’s one reason (the other being that EVERYTHING I have ever eaten from their line-up of foods has been spectacular) I continue to purchase these products.

So…what does one eat on a busy evening when there is way too much to do, so slaving over the hot stove to create a homemade masterpiece of a meal is not an option?  Well…this happened to me recently and my answer was to open of the freezer and pull out Amy’s Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Burrito.  My roommate had one of the regular burritos offered in the line-up that is marked as low sodium.

Easy to heat.  Just unwrap.  Place on plate.  Put in microwave.  Nuke.  Remove from microwave.  Enjoy.  And while it’s heating up, you can pour yourself a drink or start on a project.  Within minutes…dinner is warm and served.

Now, burritos usually aren’t my thing.  They are heavy and often way too filling.  But the gluten-free burrito from Amy’s Kitchen was just right.  Honestly.  The gluten-free tortilla was very light, not heavy like most burritos flour tortilla counterparts.  With this one being non-dairy (lactose intolerance here!), there was no heavy cheese.  It was a light, but filling portion of beans and rice in a mild, tasty, Mexican sauce.  And all the ingredients and vegetables and goodness wrapped up inside this light tortilla were organic.

This burrito was mouth-watering delicious.  It doesn’t look like much coming out of the microwave, piping hot.  It looks a little naked and boring, to be honest.  But one bite was all it took to have me hooked.  The rice, beans, and vegetables all just come together to create the amazing flavors that burst from this burrito.  Trust me, with the mild Mexican sauce, you don’t even miss the cheese.  Yes…food can be good without the cheese.  This is proof wrapped up in a gluten-free tortilla.  I let my roommate have a small taste of mine…and she said she loved it more than the one she was eating.  Especially the gluten-free tortilla because it just seemed lighter than the bulkiness of the flour tortilla in her Amy’s Kitchen burrito.  GLUTEN-FREE VICTORY!

When prepackaged food can taste this amazing, I don’t feel as bad on busy days just simply digging into my freezer and pulling out something that just needs a bit of a zap in the microwave, or a short sit in a preheated oven.  And when food is this nutritious and relatively low in sodium (Amy’s Kitchen does have a low-sodium line, FYI) from the get-go…plus is packed with natural and organic foods, it takes the guilt away from not wanting to cook from scratch.  Especially on days you just don’t have the time to do so…or just don’t feel like it.  It happens.  And now…Amy’s Kitchen is stepping in to help make your quick meals delicious, wholesome, healthy, and in some cases…gluten-free.

Amy’s Kitchen continues to wow me with the products that are put on the shelves.  So, if you have yet to try any of them, you’re completely missing out.  Don’t let the vegetarian label fool you if you are a carnivore.  This just proves that great, pre-made vegetarian meals exist and are good for not just the vegetarians of the world…but the meat-eaters as well.

Go on…let Amy’s Kitchen serve you some amazing food from their delicious line-up.  You won’t be disappointed.