With it being grilling season, I am always on the lookout for new vegetarian barbecue-ables. This week, I picked up Green Cuisine's Certified Organic Tempeh Burgers.
I'm a fan of spice, so I chose the "barbeque" flavour, but they also come in plain. Before I go on, a brief explanation of tempeh:
Tempeh is a type of fermented soy product; but one that is fermented using a fungal culture (rhizopus) rather than the mineral or acid used to coagulate tofu. In this sense, it seems more natural than tofu. The rhizopus colour is also responsible for the natural colour variations in tempeh. If you've never tried it, I can tell you that most people prefer it to tofu. It has a nuttier, more real texture and taste, and is a closer substitute for meat.
Anyway, Tempeh burgers are basically tempeh spiced with barbecue sauce, herbs, and spices. I cooked mine on the barbeque, 3 minutes per side like the package said.
To be honest though, the barbeque flavour wasn't much more than a touch of spice; I could hardly taste the sauce. It was convenient though, as it is sold fresh (not frozen) and didn't require additional preparation or thawing.
Bonuses:
- Little preparation but can be frozen
- Quick cook time (6 minutes)
- Low in fat (3 g per "burger") and calories (132 calories)
- High in protein (10 g per "burger")
- Certified Organic, Canadian product (made in British Columbia)
- Tasty and a nice change from typical veggie burgers
Drawbacks:
- Expensive (I believe I paid $3.49 for a package of two)
- Less than flavourful - I can't imagine the "natural" flavour!
As you can see, the bonuses definitely outweight the drawbacks for these burgers. Next time, however, I would add some sliced onions, tomatoes, and maybe additional hot sauce to the burger before serving.
With typical veggie burgers averaging about $1 a patty, these are more expensive. It's nice that they come in small packages though, so I would probably pick these up if I was bringing a non-meat for myself to a party or get-together.
Overall, Green Cuisine Tempeh Burgers are not a bad item to have in the repertoire or for something new once in a while, but are not something I would keep on hand.
Visit the Green Cuisine Tempeh Burgers Website
