Product Reviews: Sunshine Burgers & Vanilla Almond Snackaroons

Two product reviews for you today, one is an entree, another is a dessert –what they both require: a need for adventurous tastebuds!

Try ‘Em: Gluten-Free Sunshine Burgers

Sunshine Burgers

Let me just lay this out first. I am a meat eater. I like burgers, steaks and chops. So when my contact at the Linden Hills Co-op recommended I try the Gluten-free vegetarian Sunshine Burgers for my blog…I was somewhat unsure. But I was feeling adventurous that day and went for it.

Before you say you’ll never try a “veggie burger” I want to give you some wise advice a fellow runner told me before I tried these. I think the advice was very good because it kept me open minded when trying this burger. She basically said veggie burgers are not trying to make vegetables taste like a beef hamburger—that may not be possible. They are trying to make a vegetarian option into a burger style shape that you can eat like a burger. She said she eats wild rice burgers all the time, and loves them. But they don’t taste like a beef hamburger – nor should they.

Alright back to the Sunshine Burgers and my review. With my mind open and searching for a lunch option that might actually stick with me, I finally reached in for the burgers. I cooked one up on the stove quickly and tried it. I thought it was pretty good! First of all, as we all know I like things plain. The ingredients in this burger are brown rice, sunflower seeds, carrots, herbs and sea salt. If I were to sum it up (and the marketers of this product may not like my summary), it tasted like flavored brown rice. I gave it to my celiac daughter, Emma, and I just told her it was flavored brown rice and she didn’t think it was so bad (which as you may know is a compliment coming from her). The fact that she ate it and swallowed it says a lot, when she often spits new foods out.

Anyway, I would totally recommend this burger. As long as you are keeping your mind open and not biting into it thinking it’s going to taste like a beef burger – because that’s just difficult to emulate – unless well…you use beef. You can find these at the Linden Hills Co-op in Minneapolis for around $4.oo for a three-pack of the burgers.

Try ‘Em if you like coconut and almonds: Snackaroons

Vanilla Almond Snackaroon

I was not so adventurous on this gluten-free food.   I have to disclaim that I don’t eat coconut or almonds, so when I received these I was hesitant. So I brought them to my parents’ house where my mom thought they were great!  So this review is courtesy of my parents:

The Vanilla Almond Gluten-Free Snackaroon cookies are large and round with a macaroon appearance. My mom said “they are chewy with ample crunch of almonds and not soft or dry.” And the taste? “Yummy not too sweet, but perfect with tea or coffee.” My dad liked them too, but he said they were a little too rich for him. He said just one was enough.

The Linden Hills Co-op also carries these — but they are a little pricey at $11.49 per bag. You can stop by the co-op or give them a call about the product.

I have a freebie to give away of the Snackaroons! I will draw a name from my list of registered users 24 hours after this posts. I will announce the user name on my blog and email them separately for shipping information.

Tags: burgers, cookies, gluten-free, macaroons, review