I know you think of beef when someone mentions a burger, but there are substitutions. For example, I often make black bean burgers. They're delicious and so much healthier. Have you ever tried a veggie burger? What was in it?
I like the commercially made veggie burgers, but I have never been pleased with any "home made" veggie burgers that I've tried. Sometimes that extra processing is a good thing, and helps get around the fact that it's veggie based and not meat based. It still has a satisfying texture and flavor to it. The home made ones that I've tried all wind up tasting bland, and being either dried out or mushy. Plus they don't hold their shape at all. At least with the processed ones, you've got teams of people who have access to all kinds of additives to help bring it all together. I know some people scoff at overly processed food, but many of these ingredients are still harmless.
Most veggie burgers that I've had have eggplant in them, and I am NOT a fan, unfortunately. The best ones that I've had have black beans and some other veggies subtly tossed in (corn, carrot, green pepper, etc).
I've only had veggie patties that come frozen in packages. They had a mix of too many different ingredients so they had an obscure taste. I'm not convinced the ones I ate were healthy either. Black bean burgers sound interesting. I definitely eat too many beef burgers and need to try other kinds.
I have eaten a veggie burger made mainly of black beans. They are 'all right'. My preference - A REAL COW MEAT BURGER. To me, it's hard to substitute the original food people crave with other substances. A decent OTC veggie burger is through the Morning Star Brand. You can pick it up at most grocers. Also, any novice can grill one without any problem.
