Dream the Impossible Dream: Amazing Vegan Burger

Vegan Impossible Burger at Burger Village

Giving up meat wasn't hard. Giving up hamburgers was another story.

I used to think that hamburgers were a vehicle for toppings: cheese, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, avocado, grilled mushrooms, pickled onions, lettuce...The patty didn't really matter.

So any old vegetarian patty sufficed. But as vegetarians become more savvy, patties improved. They were more flavorful and held together better. Some were vegan, some vegetarian.

Messy signature Impossible Burger

The new Impossible Burger seeks to convert meat eaters to its plant based patty. It is better for the planet, too According to the website, the burger uses "1/20th the land, 1/4th the water, and produces 1/8th the greenhouse gas emissions."

Pretty tall order for a casual meal. 

The vegan Impossible Burger can be found at restaurants around the country. In New York, Bareburger has it at all locations.

Plain old veggie burger at Burger Village, with multigrain bun

Impossible Burgers are cholesterol and antibiotic free, but contain gluten and soy. They are a good source of protein, Vitamin B12, folate, niacin and thiamin.

I tasted my first Impossible Burger at Burger Village, a cafe in Park Slope that also has great salads, local beer on tap and its own vegetarian burgers. Burger Village has a ton of toppings. I got one with baby arugula,  roasted red pepper and vegan cheese. My husband had it with jalapeños, the spicy 'special sauce,' mushrooms and pepper jack.

At Burger Village, you can get a brioche or multigrain bun. We were so excited to try the burger, we forgot to get our preferred multigrain. But the brioche is fine.

Next time.