Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Trying New Foods - The Hula Burger

In an effort to try and expand our food horizons, Steve and I have been actively trying to test out new foods both at home and when we're out to eat. The latest successful new food attempt at home was the Gardenburger Gourmet Hula Burger: a vegetarian burger with a bit of a sweet kick.



The description on the outside of the box mentioned that it contained pineapple and sweet onion. I cooked them up according to the box directions and then put them on a standard hamburger roll. This was the only mistake; these burgers are pretty big and should be eaten with either a larger roll or no roll at all. We did add a bit of melted cheese to them as well.

The first thing I noticed when I took a bite was the distinct taste of coconut, so I grabbed the box and looked at the ingredients. Indeed, there was coconut in the burger. The burger was a rice base and contained the aforementioned coconut, pineapple, sweet onions, and ginger among other yummy ingredients. Throughout the meal, there was definitely a sweeter taste that was accented by the Pickapeppa sauce that we used as a condiment. I served up the burger with some green beans and homemade oven-roasted "fries" that were seasoned with Penzey's Southwest seasoning (which I'll get to in a minute). The only "criticism" I have of the burger is that though it was good, I would only be able to handle half of it the next go-round. This is not because of the burger itself, but rather the eater preference of my own which dictates that I don't like an awful lot of sweetness/ginger at once. Some people like that, I can't take as much as this burger offers. That said, Steve loved it.

Now... about the fries. I sliced the potatoes in fry-shaped wedges and placed them in a mixing bowl. I then sprayed the fries with olive oil cooking spray and added a fair amount of the Penzey's Southwestern Seasoning. Then I cooked them for 12 minutes, flipped them, and cooked for 12 more (at 400 degrees). They were quite yummy, spicy and good without a lot of that "ouch" spicy burn. So yummy. Those... I could eat a lot of those. ::grins::

5 comments:

Kimberly Pye said...

That burger sounds VERY interesting. I think I'd be more like you, though, and not really able to handle that much flavor all at once, especially in a burger. Maybe it would be better cut up and used in another dish, like a veggie stir-fry or something.

I do know I want some of those fries, though!

BTW, how many calories are in one of those patties?

kat said...

I am salivating...yummy

Anonymous said...

I kind of want to try this, but as I'm not a huge fan of coconut-I'm not quite sure if I'd like it.

Nigel and Danielle said...

I would love this! Where did you get it? I finally started a blog myself. nigelanddanielle.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Old Bay seasoning is also a good alternative for the 'fake fries'. Enjoy!