I’m always consciously looking for ways to work meat-free meals into our daily lives. With a pack of Naked Leaf vegan patties in your freezer, dinner has never been so delicious, quick, healthy or easy!
Introduction
The Naked Leaf range was developed because power duo, Cathy and Lance, believe that plant-based meals should not pretend to be meat. For that reason, their vegan patties are free of soya, milk, eggs, wheat and genetically modified plants. They ensure their meals have very little impact on the environment. By lessening their carbon footprint, they do their bit in protecting our planet’s future.
Their range of authentic vegan products are nutritionally balanced, healthy and delicious. They offer smaller batch preparation, so that they can provide unique and exclusive recipes to you. Naked Leaf chooses natural ingredients that are nutritious, fresh and of the highest quality.
Background
Right at the beginning of lock-down, the universe gave me a chance to reconnect with someone I’ve lost touch with over time. I was elated to hear that Cathy was in good spirits and excited about a new venture. She was keeping extremely busy as we all rode out those first uncertain weeks of COVID-19.
She introduced me to her latest obsession (and rightly so!) – Naked Leaf vegan burgers. By no stretch of the imagination are Tim or myself vegan or vegetarian. We do, however, strive to limit our meat intake as much as possible. My interest piqued, I was keen to taste these vegan burgers that had her smiling from ear to ear.
With a confidence that shone brightly from behind her masked smile, Cathy generously delivered samples over the fence for me to try out. For good measure, she added in a few jars of The Pickled Pepper Company‘s goodies.
The Naked Leaf philosophy
At the moment, Naked Leaf boasts with two amazing flavours; beetroot & bean and mushroom & lentil. They seamlessly go from freezer to oven in just a few minutes. The outcome? Deliciously juicy veggie burgers that you can dress up with a range of various additions. Read on to see what we created with them!
Having started with deliveries of their vegan patties during lock-down levels 5 and 4, a whole clutch of Cape Townian restaurants and eateries eagerly reached out to include Naked Leaf as part of their in-store offerings. Now also stocked by a wide range of shops and delis, these power-packed patties are almost freely available throughout the larger Cape Town area.
Other than to the general public, Naked Leaf also aims to offer caterers and restaurants a healthy, nutritious and exiting plant-based option to add to their menus.
The Pickled Pepper Company
Like any classic duo, the best things come in pairs. Flanking the plant-based patty revolution are the awesomely feisty pickles from The Pickled Pepper Company. They focus on mainly on Cherry Peppers, Sweetheart Peppers and Patty Pans. All of these make awesome build-a-burger partners for the Naked Leaf range. I particularly liked their jalapeño slices, and the sweetheart peppers were absolutely more-ish.
They also make the most incredible gourmet chutney relish. We scraped the bottom of the jar within a few short days! I used it on the burgers, on sandwiches, in pastas and even as part of a cheese platter.
The Naked Leaf creations
The Tall Hedonist and I created four build-a-burgers (because why only one?), so I’ll give you a quick run down of what we added to each of them, all served on a wholewheat roll.
| The Mediterranean | The Rockstar | The Mezze | The Gentleman |
| Naked Leaf mushroom & lentil burger | Naked Leaf beetroot & bean burger | Naked Leaf beetroot & bean burger | Naked Leaf mushroom & lentil burger |
| The Pickled Pepper Company chutney | The Pickled Pepper Company chutney | Homemade tzatziki | Homemade tzatziki |
| Basil leaves | Rocket leaves | Rocket leaves | Baby gem lettuce leaves |
| Fresh tomato slices | Fresh avocado slices | Oven roasted brinjal slices | Red onion slices |
| The Pickled Pepper Company jalapeño slices | The Pickled Pepper Company sweetheart peppers | The Pickled Pepper Company sweetheart peppers | The Pickled Pepper Company jalapeño slices |
I found the burgers to be packed with flavour and texture, in comparison to some of the vegan patties I’ve tried before. The fact that they are so convenient (from freezer to oven) and still tastes ridiculously fresh and vibrant is a sure winner for me.
The taste test
My heart belongs to the gorgeously deep-burgundy beetroot and bean burger. A sucker for any bean or beetroot dish, this burger is earthy, seriously textured and almost creamy, with a full-mouth feel that is just so slightly addictive.
Tim loves all things mushroom, so the mushroom burger with lentils was his top choice. The lentils gives the burger a bit of bulk and that hearty feeling. The mushroom component simply soaks up the accompanying flavours, making this burger a stunning canvas for personalised dining preferences.
I honestly didn’t miss the meat, as Naked Leaf burgers do not pretend to be meat, neither does it want to imitate meat. It’s simply a vegan burger, made with great quality products, to give you that intense flavour satisfaction you didn’t know you were craving all along.
I’m sure you don’t have to only make traditional American-style burgers with these. I would also like to wrap them lovingly in pita breads or serve them cut into strips with a wholewheat pasta or even a fresh salad.
In conclusion
Before I tried Naked Leaf burgers, I was astounded by Cathy’s absolute confidence in her product. But now that I’ve had a chance to sit down at the dinner table with the Naked Leaf range, I completely and wholeheartedly understand where that confidence is coming from. It sprouts from the unadulterated natural goodness that has been packed into these burgers, stuffing them with flavour, taste and pure deliciousness.
I’ve grown in love with Naked Leaf, and you know what? I bet you will, too.
Thank you, Cathy, for sharing this incredible product with me, and for making our meat-free week-days super delicious!
Disclaimer: I was given this product(s) as part of a press drop in exchange for my honest and truthful opinion and review thereof. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are solely those of The Little Hedonist, given in good faith and in no way influenced by the company or its affiliates. All images, unless otherwise stated/credited, are also my own.
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