Native Scorpion Burger at Native Foods Cafe in Denver

Native Scorpion Burger at Native Foods Cafe in Denver

Native Foods Cafe is a small chain of restaurants serving burgers and salads made from 100% plant-based mostly organic ingredients. They started in Palm Springs but now have locations all over the country. I stopped by the location in Glendale, Colorado which is in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver.

The Native Scorpion Burger is blackened tempeh, chipotle sauce, romaine, carrots, red onions and avocado. It's served on a whole wheat bun. The tempeh is made from non-GMO organic soybean and millet.

Don't forget to add a salad

There's a selection of juices. I had the watermelon fresca.

Don't skip a little hand grenade sriracha. It's very tasty and not super hot.

Find a Native Foods Cafe location at their web site.

Where to eat in Denver  >>

Veggie Burger at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Aurora, Colorado (near Denver)

Veggie Burger at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Aurora, Colorado (near Denver)

I tried the veggie burger at Burger King the other day so when I got to Denver I checked to see if Freddy's also had one. (Check out my review of the green chile cheeseburger at Freddy's in Albuquerque.) 

Yep, they sure do. Unlike the green veggies in the BK one, Freddy's uses black beans and it's delicious. OK so maybe black beans are my favorite burger, but even so this one is really good. You get the standard Freddy's burger with onions, tomato, onion, cheese, and Freddy's fry sauce. This tastes as good as the black bean burgers I make at home. And it's juicy which is not always easy to do in a veggie burger.

Had to get some fried pickles while I was there. This is the first time I tried Freddy's jalapeno fry sauce which is spicy without blowing your head off. It's great on the fried pickles.

What's a visit to Freddy's without some concrete? I had the turtle sundae. I like how Freddy's serves your dessert before your burger arrives. Don't want it to melt, right??

There's plenty of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers locations -- check out their web site for locations.

Read more about Freddy's veggie burger at their web site.

Where to eat in Denver  >>

Big V tofu burrito at NOTO Burrito in Topeka, Kansas

Big V tofu burrito at NOTO Burrito in Topeka, Kansas

It can be a little tricky to find vegetarian food on a midwest road trip, so I was glad to discover NOTO Burrito in Topeka which serves a tofu burrito with black beans and cilantro rice along with sour cream and a triple cheese blend.

Usually a "vegetarian Mexican burrito" is simply a bean burrito, but NOTO is serving a legit meal here. The tofu blends with the black beans and rice to make a big, hearty, and delicious burrito.

There's a salsa bar where you can find homemade salsas including jalapeno pineapple. You can taste how fresh they are. Am I really in Kansas??

You can also get coffee at NOTO Burrito. Sort of reminds me of the burritos and donuts combo at Bo Sa Donuts in Las Cruces.

Oh, and NOTO Burritos serves meat, too, so be sure to bring along your non-vegetarian friends.

Veggie Burger at Burger King in St. Louis

Veggie Burger at Burger King in St. Louis

It can be tough to find vegetarian grub on the road, and on this trip I discovered that Burger King serves a veggie burger.

As luck (and my hunger) would have it, I ended up at the BK next to the Steak N Shake I went to the last time I was in St. Louis (my review of Steak 'N Shake's burger is here.)

Burger King uses the Morningstar veggie patty. It tastes great. And it's juicy. I'm not sure how BK is preparing it. Are they running the patty through their burger grill (probably not)? So they are heating it in the microwave? But how do they get it so juicy? I'm not sure but it tastes great.

This is the Whopper with just the hamburger swapped out for the veggie patty. So you get the full BK burger flavor without the meat. This makes a great choice for vegetarians and people looking to save on the calories (the veggie patty is about half of the calories and fat of the hamburger).

Grab the Garden Salad while you're at Burger King to keep going with the veggies. It's a good size and the lettuce, tomatoes, and cabbage are fresh. And it's sprinkled with cheese. You get your pick of dressing.

More info about BK's veggie burger is on the Burger King web site.

Looking for more fast food veggie burgers? Check out Freddy's, Habit Burger, and Smashburger.

Do you know of any other fast food veggie burgers? Let me know in the comments below!

Lots and lots of Burger King locations. Check out their app or web site to find one.

Where to eat in St. Louis  >>

Sidecar at Baby Blues BBQ in Philadelphia

Sidecar at Baby Blues BBQ in Philadelphia

All that graduating made us hungry so we stopped for lunch at Baby Blues BBQ in University City. You might think that's not a great pick for a vegetarian, but my daughter pointed out the sidecar which is your choice of four appetizers and cornbread. It's like getting an appetizer and the cornbread for free compared to buying them a la carte, and I was really stuffed when I left so this makes a great lunch for a vegetarian. (There might have been some meat in the stock of one or two of these, so this is me saying they are vegetarian and not a claim by Baby Blues BBQ.) My choices were the beans, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and cream spinach. They all tasted great and so did the cornbread.

Check out the revolving bookcase door that shuts off the banquet room down in the basement. It felt like we were hanging out in a speakeasy and made for a great private place for us to celebrate.

Where to Eat in Philadelphia  >>