Flickr photo by arvindgrover

Even though meat substitutes, like veggie burgers and hot dogs, are heavily processed and thus leave a rather large carbon footprint – they seem to get a pass because, well, because they’re not that evil red meat, we suppose.

Vegans have all the cards when it comes to treating animals with respect. Meat-eaters must rely on either biblical references to being master of the animals, or Darwinian theories regarding survival of the fittest.

The problem lies in the fact that non-meat really can’t taste like meat without a lot of processing. How many of us have tried our best to pretend that a veggie burger was just as good as a monster hamburger fresh off the grill (usually to impress a hot vegan we’d like to see more of)?

It’s a losing game.

Blogger Becky Striepe mentions a burger recipe that is not trying to taste like a beef burger. Instead, it’s a patty that accentuates the delicious flavors of healthy rice, lentils, and veggies.

We imagine that could work. If the cook is really, really hot.