Engine 2- Poblano Black Bean Burger

One thing that I do now that I never did before transitioning to a pescatarian lifestyle is trying out a new products every time I go grocery shopping. Doing this has allowed me to experience new products that I would never imagine trying before. For example drinking raw Kombucha now is fun and exciting,  5 years ago though I probably would have freaked out at the sight of scoby. Don’t get me wrong, I still do but now that I’m knowledgeable about the benefits it provide I’m not as freaked out.

This week , I decided to try out the Engine 2  Poblano Black Bean burger. What I love about this product was that it has very basic ingredients compared to other brands. The listed ingredients on the box are Black Beans, Cooked Brown Rice,Tomatoes, Rolled Oats, Poblano Pepper, Pumpkin Seeds, Cilantro, Sea Salt,Cumin,Coriander, Black Pepper .  The ingredient list itself  was a shock being that most mock burgers contains a lots of ingredients that you can’t pronounce .

My first reaction to the burgers out the package is that they looked like rice cakes, round and circular in shape with a grain look to it. I planned to pair my burgers with sweet potato fries ,so to save time I decided to bake the burgers instead of cooking it on the stove-top. I have done this before with Morning Star’s black bean version so I though nothing of it. Unfortunately that was a big mistake being that it just made the burgers crunchy. I was still able to taste the black bean flavor and the poblano but the texture felt like I was eating an over-baked rice cake. So I decided to try it again but this time in a grill pan. This made a world of difference from the taste to the texture. I topped it off with cheese and spinach on a toasted croissant for a fancy twist but another great way of dressing up this burger would be to add sauteed onions and pepper with sliced avocado or guacamole for a Mexican inspired burger.

I highly recommend this burger if you are looking to eat cleaner, watching your sodium intake or transitioning . Its  definitely a step up from the ordinary Morning Star or Boca Burger but the price points are about the same. They come in a pack of 3 and are usually sold for about 5 dollars if they are not on sale,I have yet to find these in any store beside Whole Foods Market but check your local health food store to see if they are available. Happy Cooking!