257340 Fri Nov 30 15:17:47 -0800 2001 17 21 The Best 0 1361961 The best I've found for taste(and health too! bonus) is Amy's Texas style burgers in bbq flavor. All of her burgers are the tastiest though. After four years of gleeful Boca burger consumption I noticed their nutrition facts changing and the taste suffering as well. Also those Soy okara burgers are pretty good in a different way. I stick with the soy hamburger type varieties in all burgers because of the much higher protein content than the grain/legume style. The refrigerated kind from Lifeline are really good too but too expensive. Any others recomended? Frank Fri Nov 30 15:17:47 -0800 2001 0 iron frank 1 1361962 I've also been lamenting the decline of the beloved Boca Burger. So far, my best alternative is to make FBLTs with Lightlife's Fakin' Bacon Smoky Tempeh Strips. Really tasty stuff -- I know, I know, it's not a burger though. I have been pleased with some of the bbq-flavored tempeh patties but don't recall the brandname offhand, which is dangerous because at least one brand is really nasty. Another alternative more in line with the burger experience is portobello mushrooms marinated in olive oil and garlic then grilled and served burger style in a bun. I get giant portobellos pretty cheap down in Chinatown -- think it works out to be less expensive than those frozen soy things anyway. Fri Nov 30 16:17:49 -0800 2001 1361961 0 Dennison 2 1361964 Dennison, have you tried Morningstar Farms Breakfast Strips? I think I am addicted to them. I eat them almost every day! They're not considered "clean" like Lightlife, though. It's all those chemicals that make 'em so goooooood. Fri Nov 30 20:04:11 -0800 2001 1361962 0 LisaPizza 3 1361966 I think the breakfast sausages by Boca are still good despite the burger decline. Haven't tried their bratwurst yet though. Way overpriced in my opinion. For bacon I find the lightlife Smart Bacon a lot closer to the real stuff than the Fakin Bacon but it's probably my aversion to the very smokey taste of Fakin Bacon. I'd imagine the Smart Bacon would make a great BLT! Enjoy! Frank Sat Dec 01 01:54:17 -0800 2001 1361964 0 iron frank 4 1361972 I did pick up the Smart Bacon last night to give it a try. I don't know if it will knock the Breakfast Strips off their pedestal, though. :-) Sat Dec 01 13:06:11 -0800 2001 1361966 0 LisaPizza 4 1361974 Smart Bacon is also my choice. It tastes good and there's a lot less junk in it. But to determine what is closest to "real" bacon, we probably need omnivores to taste-test for us. I'm been a vegetarian for too many years to have a good recollection of the taste. Sun Dec 02 06:47:08 -0800 2001 1361966 0 Janet 5 1361975 I tried the Smart Bacon yesterday and have to say "yuck!" My husband didn't like it either. There was absolutely no smoky flavor at all, and way too much salt. The texture was okay. But we have become spoiled by Morningstar Farms breakfast strips which taste MUCH more like bacon because they use tons of additives! If you don't care so much about additives and want a pretty realistic "bacon," go for the Morningstar Farms. I completely understand the desire to eat less processed, more natural foods, and for the most part, prefer to go in that direction. Sometimes I just have to give in and eat the "junk!" Sun Dec 02 15:25:48 -0800 2001 1361974 0 LisaPizza 6 1361976 I agree they're rather mild(ie not smoky) but the look and texture is very bacony. I only can say I like them better than the tempeh bacon which I find oddly bitter. I haven't tried any of the morningstar farms products though if they have a ton of additives I'd rather just have turkey bacon(this is solely the omnivore perspective). What I find really offensive is why it costs so much less in my markets to buy some commercial crap animal bacon than a soy based one which theoretically should cost much less to produce. I can barely afford many of the frozen breakfast soy meat replacements. Frank Mon Dec 03 00:55:55 -0800 2001 1361975 0 iron frank 7 1361977 Two reasons why the soy-based products might be more expensive than real pork products: 1. Pork is not a particularly expensive meat to produce as far as meats go. Especially the additional labor and processing that goes into turning a slab of fat into a slab of bacon is minimal. Soybeans, however, need to go through a number of complex factory processes to turn them into a product resembling bacon. Highly value-added. 2. They will charge whatever they can get away with, knowing that most people will pay a huge markup for small packages of imitation meats, because they can't be produced at home. Mon Dec 03 10:04:55 -0800 2001 1361976 0 ironmom 6 1361981 I love the morning star bacon too. I make Avacado BLT's, and egg and bacon on a roll sandwiches and also eat it just plain. Even with all of the additives it's still probably healthier then eating real bacon. Does anyone know? I've gotten so used to it I now prefer it over the real stuff and I'm not even a vegetarian. Tue Dec 04 08:01:36 -0800 2001 1361975 0 Michele Cindy 7 1361983 I just compared the Morningstar with Farmer John bacon (I don't really know any other kinds to look up. . . ) and here's the comparison for one serving (2 slices): Morningstar Calories -- 60 Total fat -- 4.5 g (no animal fat) Saturated -- .5 g Polyunsaturated -- 3 g Monounsaturated -- 1 g Cholesterol -- 0 Sodium -- 220 mg Potassium -- 15 mg Total carbohydrate -- 2g Protein -- 2 g Farmer John: Calories -- 80 Total fat -- 7 g Saturated fat -- 2 g Cholesterol -- 15 mg Sodium -- 330 mg Protein -- 5 g That's their regular bacon. Thick sliced has fewer calories and fat, and compares more favorably nutrition-wise with the Morningstar. The main thing that you can't escape with regular bacon is cholesterol, if you care about that sort of thing. And there's the fact that soy is supposed to have additional health benefits. But as a vegetarian, the bacon choice is already made for me! Tue Dec 04 13:38:14 -0800 2001 1361981 0 LisaPizza 8 1362302 The specific nutritional items are usually hands down better than meat, ie. cholesterol, fat. But, what about the processing issue? Thu Mar 21 11:47:42 -0800 2002 1361983 0 Ajay Bhatt 1 1361963 Are Amy's the "fake meat" kind? For some reason, I've never tried their burgers, even though I have at times lived on the frozen pot pies and enchiladas! I, too, prefer fake hamburgers over grain-based patties, although one of our local restaurants (Santa Barbara) makes a great bean-based patty. Mmmmm. Fri Nov 30 20:01:42 -0800 2001 1361961 0 LisaPizza 2 1361967 I think Amy's makes both meat and grain ones. The type I like are the meat ones though. Texas and Chicago style specifically. Not exactly hamburger but delicious in their own way. Enjoy! Frank Sat Dec 01 01:55:56 -0800 2001 1361963 0 iron frank 3 1361971 I'll definitely give those two a try next time I'm shopping. Sat Dec 01 13:03:46 -0800 2001 1361967 0 LisaPizza 1 1361969 Morningstar Farms, hands down. (Order of preference: Better 'n Burgers, then Grillers.) Sat Dec 01 09:37:41 -0800 2001 1361961 0 M.Dale 1 1364015 The best are Boca spicy chicken patties. They are amazing!! Tue May 27 16:05:19 -0700 2003 1361961 0 Francine 1 1364017 i like the Gardenburger brand's Flame Grilled style. better than boca or morningstar in my opinion. Tue May 27 16:41:31 -0700 2003 1361961 0 chicachinita