Archive for the ‘Product Review’ Category
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This is one of my new favorites! I was upset to read that my favorite “non-dairy” creamer isn’t vegan (and is actually quite the chemical cocktail really.) While I’ll probably keep it on hand for coffee emergencies (and travel when I can’t keep a refrigerator with me). If someone who reads this knows of a powdered creamer (preferably French Vanilla flavor) that is vegan – please comment or contact me and let me know!
So Delicious Creamer - French Vanilla (image from So Delicious website)
I tried this once at the ‘very beginning’ of my vegan journey. I have a hard time with liquid creamers in my coffee. I feel like I usually need to use far more than the suggested serving in order to get the flavor that I get from a serving of the powdered stuff that I was used to. That’s not really the case with the So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer. I’ll admit that I haven’t tried the original flavor, but I think that’s because I like my coffee sweet. So, I enjoy having a flavored creamer. The French Vanilla is definitely at the top of my favorites list. It has a nice vanilla flavor, and it’s sweet without being too sweet.
I just bought the Hazelnut flavor to try – and I’ll try it (and post a review) in a few days once my vanilla is all gone. I also bought their Original Flavor Coconut Milk to try when I’m done with the 1/2 gallon of Almond Milk that’s in my fridge right now.
I think So Delicious is a brand that is doing an amazing job at making non-dairy items to replace those that most omnivores are used to. So, whether you’re vegan or have a dairy allergy or just would rather avoid dairy – give these a try! They’re widely available, and Whole Foods has a good selection of products in both dairy and frozen, a bit more limited at “traditional” grocery stores.
I give this creamer an A+!
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- Organic So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Dessert (foodyarnstuff.wordpress.com)
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Thanks to the folks at Galaxy Foods – I got to try their Chive & Garlic Dairy Free Cream Cheese. And, while the kids are still fans of the plain version (if they put anything at all on a bagel). The husband and I have found a new love!
Galaxy Foods Dairy Free Chive & Garlic Cream Cheese
This cream cheese is just awesome! It’s got a nice garlic flavor with little pieces of chive – but it’s not overwhelming at all! It’s smooth and creamy just like the plain version but with the nice savory flavor. I’m going to look up some recipes that usually call for regular cream cheese and try these as an alternative! (I’ll be sure to post the results!)
This is definitely an A+ in my book! Now, I just wish they made a larger tub!
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No Recipe Required Vegan Spaghetti with Polenta Featuring Upton’s Naturals Italian Sausage-Style Seitan
Posted on: July 8, 2011
- In: Food | Product Review | Recipe | Vegan
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image is from the Upton's Naturals site
Upton’s Naturals is one of the first vegan meat replacements that I had come across, a couple of years ago actually. We went to Green Fest in Chicago in 2010 (unfortunately, we missed it this year – boo!) All of the food there is vegetarian and vegan. I found a delightful looking ‘pizza pocket’ from the Upton’s Naturals’ booth. Sounded delish! I (used to) love Italian sausage on my pizza, and at the time the only meat the husband wouldn’t eat was pork. So I was excited to try something that might fill the sausage void and not be a pork product.
Now, this is a ‘must buy’ for me! I LOVE this stuff! It has all the nice flavor of Italian sausage (with just the right amount of fennel for my taste) without the pork or turkey! It’s crumbled and sort of mashed up back together. So, I broke it into sausage pieces on top of a pizza the other night, super good! (*mental note – post no-rise pizza dough recipe… yum!) Then I had some prepared polenta that I wanted to use, and I had no better ideas. So I made my own, no recipe required, spaghetti dinner!
This was for 2 adults and 2 kids.
Thin spaghetti, I used a whole-wheat variety
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 package Upton’s Naturals Italian Seitan (I had used the other half on the pizza).
1/2 jar of organic vegan marinara sauce (it doesn’t have to be organic, but I’ve found that the only vegan ones I can find are organic, and it just tastes better!)
1-2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast.
1 ‘tube’ prepared polenta (probably should really be 1/2 a tube, but we liked it, so we ate all of it!)
1) Cook spaghetti per package directions.
2) Drizzle olive oil into a medium sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Crumble in seitan and break into little crumbles, or leave in big chunks… it’s up to you! I was going for a ‘meat sauce’ as opposed to spaghetti with Italian sausage. Sautee for a few minutes to heat through and get a little brown on the seitan.
3) Add marinara sauce and nutritional yeast and stir. Lower to a simmer, cover, and let warm while cooking the polenta and spaghetti. (On a side note – I had heard that nutritional yeast was a good ‘replacement’ for parmesan cheese in cases like this. I would most definitely agree! It made it a little ‘creamy’ and added that salty bite that parmesan would.)
4) Slice polenta into approximately 1/4″ slices. Lightly oil a large flat skillet. Cook the polenta slices 3-5 minutes per side, or until slightly brown.
5) Divide spaghetti into your serving bowls, top with seitan sauce, and a few slices of polenta and ENJOY!
I wish I would have taken a picture of the finished product. It looked quite appealing!
So, as my ‘reviews’ always have a grade – I give Upton’s Naturals Italian-Style Seitan an A+. Now, if I could just buy it in bulk!
Review: Vegan Frozen Pizzas
Posted on: June 28, 2011
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Today, the husband worked late – after his disk golfing trip with work friends. So, it was just the kids and me again for dinner. One wanted tacos the other wanted mac and cheese – so I found a compromise… pizza! I had a few personal frozen pizzas in the freezer.
First Amy’s (this was the kid’s pizza).
Amy's non-dairy Cheeze Pizza w/ Rice Crust (and the smallest slice ever in the box picture! This is a 'personal' size pizza!)
Cooked
The pizza got a little dark around the edges from the broiler. Both pizzas baked at 425 degrees (F) for about 10 minutes. But then this one said to broil for a few minutes to melt the cheeze. That’s a definite ‘must follow’ instruction! The cheeze doesn’t take a melted appearance otherwise. The boy loved it… but put this in the category as nuggets… if it remotely resembles cheese pizza he’ll eat it without a second thought! The girl, not so much! She pointed to the cheeze and asked “what’s this white stuff?” I said “cheese”. She responded “it doesn’t taste very good.” I took a bite to try it – eh. Not my favorite. But that could be the rice crust. It’s a little crumbly, kind of like the dried out Pizza Hut crust, and the sauce is a little strongly seasoned. But, it’s not horrible.
I’d give it a B-, not a favorite, but if it’s the only option I’d eat it.
Now the Whole Foods 365 Vegan Roasted Veggie with Whole Wheat Crust…
Whole Foods 365 Vegan Roasted Vegetable Pizza w/ Whole Wheat Crust
Cooked with Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds
Now this one… YUM! I wasn’t quite ready to go down the cheese-less pizza route, and I had bought some Daiya mozzarella style shreds, so I added my own ‘cheese’ to this pizza and broiled it along with the other one to get it melted. But, it honestly doesn’t need it! This pizza is really tasty! The crust was just the right level of crispy, and the sauce has a nice flavor but isn’t over powering, and the roasted veggies were tasty, they weren’t mushy like one might think. I have another one that is a different crust… rice I think. We’ll see how that compares to the Amy’s pizza. I’ll have to make it some time this week (partly to use the cheese that I opened!)
I will definitely buy this pizza again! I wish they made a ‘full size’ version of this pizza (maybe they do, and I just didn’t see it.)
I give this one an A+!!
Review: Galaxy Nutritional Foods Veggie Classic Plain Dairy Free Cream Cheese Alternative
Posted on: June 28, 2011
- In: Food | Product Review | Vegan
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Cream Cheese Alternative… yum? I tried the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and I have to admit, I’m not really a fan of that one (taste or consistency). So, when I was shopping at my local Jewel (which I have another post about my disappointment with my local Jewel later) I saw this cream cheese ‘replacement’ in the produce department with the other ‘plant based’ food replacements.
Galaxy Nutritional Foods Veggie Cream Cheese
Now, when I found the link for Galaxy Nutritional Foods I noticed that they have “Vegan Classic Plain Non-Dairy Cream Cheese Alternative”. Now, I read the ingredients on this Veggie one and didn’t see anything that wasn’t vegan… maybe it’s a ‘hidden’ non-vegan ingredient. But, I bought it – I’m gonna use it! And, use it I will! This is a delicious cream cheese alternative! Once this one is used up I’ll have to try to find the “Vegan” version and hopefully it will live up to this one.
While the color in the container is a little off-putting, it’s slightly on the gray side, once it’s spread on a bagel (Thomas’ Whole Wheat is vegan) it looks just like traditional cream cheese. It’s nice and creamy, and spreads easily! The taste is amazing! While the Tofutti has a slightly ‘different’ flavor that you might expect from cream cheese – this one really tastes 99% like standard dairy cream cheese!
The husband tried it first – and gave that “oh no” when he first took it out of the fridge. But then he said it was surprisingly good. So, the next morning I tried it on a bagel – I was also pleasantly surprised! As I mentioned above, I’m going to try to find the “Vegan” variety next time I shop – but if I can’t, this will definitely be my ‘cream cheese’ of choice!
My rating A+!!
Review: Lightlife Smart Bacon
Posted on: June 26, 2011
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I bought this a few shopping trips ago, and finally made it with breakfast this morning. Lightlife Smart Bacon Strips these are vegan (some of the other Lightlife products aren’t actually vegan because of egg or milk additives.)
Lightlife Smart Bacon Style Strips
I followed the package instructions, heated in a skillet over medium heat sprayed with cooking spray. Mind didn’t exactly end up looking all nice and ‘wavy’ like the package…
Cooked Lightlife Smart Bacon
We’ve been a turkey bacon family forever. The husband didn’t eat pork, and I just preferred turkey bacon – particularly Louis Rich (now Oscar Mayer) turkey bacon. It’s also less messy to cook! Anyway, that’s what my brain is comparing this to. So, I snatched one off the plate just after it came out of the pan – pretty good! Not really ‘crispy’ but a nice salty, smokey flavor – what you’d expect a ‘bacon’ product to taste like! A serving size is technically 1… but there’s a comedian who did a bit about Fig Newtons and their serving size being just 1 cookie “Who are you kidding? I eat them by the sleeve!” That skit popped into my head! And, they’re only 20 calories a slice, so I had another while I was cooking the pancakes. This one was OK, still on the ‘good’ side of OK though. Then as I finished up the pancakes, I had another. They had sat on the plate for a little while now, and were starting to cool. This third taste, definitely only OK. Then one last one with my pancakes – and by this time they were room temperature. So, I’m not sure if 4 slices was just a couple too many or the fact that they were ‘cold’ – but definitely not a favorite by then! The husband says they kind of taste like pepperoni (not that he really ate pepperoni before, since it’s pork, but they do have a similar taste to turkey pepperoni) – so I think they’re a little spicy in order to give them the flavor that they would otherwise be lacking, especially since they’re not super salty.
Overall, I’d give these a B-. They’re pretty good hot out of the pan, but once they’re cold they’re not great. They might be OK on a sandwich, or chopped and added to a salad (but I have Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon for that!) I have a recipe for tempeh ‘bacon’ that I want to try before I decide on buying these again.
*This is purely my opinion – I purchased this product for my family. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the company who makes this product*
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Tonight the husband is working late, so it’s just the kids and me for dinner tonight. We’re all tired from our day out, so I’m going with something easy for dinner tonight. I found these on my last shopping trip – and was happy to see that they’re actually vegan! Some of the other chicken-free nuggets or chick’n nuggets aren’t vegan because they use eggs or milk. The husband also saw a story or YouTube video about what chicken nuggets are made out of, and has been pretty strongly voicing that we should not allow the kids to eat those any more! (Although, it’s hard to find something other than nuggets that the kids will eat at a fast food restaurant – but that’s another story!)
Health is Wealth Vegan Chicken-Free Nuggets
I cooked them in the oven. They very much matched the texture and mouth-feel of store-bought processed chicken nuggets. They’re a little on the soft side – but that could be because I baked them, and they sat for a little while to cool before we ate them. There are directions for stove-top preparation using a small amount of oil to ‘fry’ them in a skillet. This might make them a little more crunchy and possibly firmer in the middle. They do have a little bit of a spicy kick to them. The boy liked them – but again, he will eat anything shaped like a ‘nugget’ without too much trouble! The girl ate them but said they were a little bit too spicy, so they weren’t her favorite.
I’d rate these a B. Again, another great freezer back-up, especially for kids! I’m finding that I’m having a really hard time getting them to like any vegan recipes I’ve tried to make, even from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Eating For Kids.
This company also makes a Chicken-Free Patty which I’m excited to try. Chicken Patties just have an emotional tie for me – when we went on our honeymoon at Sandals – Ocho Rios, Jamaica we always seemed to nap through the regular dinner hours and we ate most of our meals at the “snack shop” which featured chicken patty sandwiches and “turkey” hot dogs. Those turkey hot dogs were fluorescent pink on the inside – so I have NO IDEA where they got their turkey from but we stayed away from those! So, for the 10 days we were there we ate chicken patty sandwiches for our main meals quite a few times! Occasionally I just get a taste for a ‘Sandals’ chicken sandwich – so a vegan option for these is great! 😉
*This is purely my opinion – I purchased this product for my family. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the company who makes this product*
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- In: Food | Product Review | Vegan
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Personally, I think Amy’s Kitchen makes some of the best dairy free vegan frozen meals out there! There’s such a range of options from different ethnic food styles – you could eat your lunch in a different country each day! All of their meals are vegetarian which is a great start (and great for my husband’s lunches to take to work!) Although, some are better made in the oven versus the microwave. And, I don’t know about you – but especially in the summer I’m not going to heat up my oven to make a little frozen meal (and wait 45 minutes to an hour for it to cook!) This one in particular turns out great in the microwave!
The Black Bean Tamale Verde with Rice is one of my absolute favorites!
Amy's Black Bean Tamale Verde with Rice
While it’s a little high in sodium (but really, how many frozen meals aren’t?) But, no worse than the non-vegan options out there. They even have a non-dairy frozen mac and cheese.
When I was on one of my first ‘vegan specific’ shopping trips at Whole Foods I was staring down the frozen food cabinet with all the Amy’s Kitchen options. A mother came along with her two kids and started piling her cart full of these frozen mac and cheese meals, leaving just a couple on the shelf. I noticed this (as I was shopping by myself, and had a chance to notice) and asked her “Is that mac and cheese really that good?” She said that it’s no Kraft or Stouffer’s, but her daughter is allergic to milk so it’s really one of the few mac and cheese options she has that she’ll actually eat! And, the store gives a ‘bakers dozen’ discount on anything in the store… if you buy 12 you get the 13th free, so she said she stocks up each month! I couldn’t resist and grabbed one for myself to try, you know what… it wasn’t too bad!
I just did a quick search on their website for ‘vegan’ meals… there are 108 products that cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner (including pizza and kids meals)! I’ll have to print the list and try as many as I can get my hands on! The other thing I love about Amy’s… they’re readily available at my local stores (Jewel, Target, Meijer, and Food4Less). Those stores don’t have the variety that Whole Foods carries – but between them I can usually find what I want! Unfortunately, for my husband’s lunches – they’re a bit more pricey than the Healthy Choice Steamer Bowls that I was buying, but they’re still cheaper than a trip to the local burrito restaurant every day!
So, if you think you want to try a vegan meal – but don’t want to cook it from scratch yourself… give Amy’s a try!
*This is purely my opinion – I purchased this product for my family. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the company who makes this product*
Review: Mac and Teese
Posted on: June 20, 2011
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Tonight’s dinner… Mac & Teese and a salad.
Teese Vegan Cheese - Creamy Cheddar Sauce
This is Teese – vegan cheese alternative in the Creamy Cheddar Sauce version. It’s made by Chicago Soydairy… the same company that made my new favorite sweet treat – Dandies Vegan Marshmallows. It certainly comes in an interesting form… what I affectionately call a sausage tube. I’m sure there’s an ‘official’ food packaging term for this, but I like mine! This is definitely an interesting product. I wish it came in a better package – although I’m not sure exactly what that would be. I took the package’s directions though and just added this sauce to hot cooked pasta for instant mac and cheese! When I tried to cut it open though, I lost quite a bit of the liquid that is inside the package, so I’m not sure if this affected the overall finished product or not.
I used 16 ounces of rotini pasta cooked in salted water. Once the pasta was done cooking, I drained it and added the whole tube of teese. I stirred and stirred until it was all melted. It never really got ‘stretchy’ though (again, I’m not sure if the loss of liquid affected this or not.)
Here’s what it looked like when it was done melting…
Rotini Mac and Teese
I tasted it, and it seemed like it was missing something… but my brain is comparing it to Kraft Deluxe, the salt capital of the ‘mac and cheese world’! It actually tasted a bit more like the Annie’s Homegrown organic mac and cheese mix (the dry mix kind). Then I realized that it just needed a bit more salt to help bring out the flavor since the teese is actually pretty low in sodium overall. Luckily, I just bought a big jar of sea salt from Sam’s Club yesterday. So, I added a few sprinkles to the pot and stirred it up – that was just what it needed.
The only issue was as it cooled down it got a little dry and kind of waxy feeling in your mouth – again, side effect of losing the packaging liquid? I’m unsure. I’ll have to try it again and more carefully open the package over the pot instead of the sink. I wish this product was more widely available in my area – but out in the suburbs I’m limited only to Whole Foods for this one.
My rating: B
It’s definitely an acceptable replacement for the good ole’ Kraft Deluxe, even with the slight dry, waxy issue. And, it does have a decent refrigerated shelf-life, so it is something to keep on hand for last-minute lunches or dinners. However, I have some ‘from scratch’ recipes for mac and cheese replacements to try before I make this a ‘standard’ on our menu.
I do also have the ‘nacho cheese’ version of this in my fridge, and I’ll probably try it with nachos some time later this week or next.
*This is my opinion. This is a product I purchased for my family. This review is in no way paid for or endorsed by the company who made this product.*
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*The following is my opinion. This is a product I purchased for my family. This review is in no way paid for or endorsed by the company who made this product.*
Ice cream was another area where I thought we were going to run into trouble. It was one of the first things that my husband mentioned when I told him about my plans to go vegan. I think our conversation went something like this:
Husband: “You know vegans can’t have ice cream.”
Me: “I’m sure there’s vegan ice cream.” After quick Google search, “Yeah, there’s vegan ice cream out there.”
Husband: “Maybe… but I bet it doesn’t taste good.”
When I was at Whole Foods for my first vegan shopping trip a month ago, I spent a bit of time in the freezer section checking out the non-dairy dessert options. I found this… So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Dessert. (They do also have small containers of this in limited flavors at our local Jewel – but for a change Whole Foods was actually cheaper!)
So Delicious - Chocolate Velvet
Let’s start with the Chocolate Velvet! I bought this one for the husband, he loves chocolate ice cream… anything chocolate really! I had a taste, and it has a more dark chocolate flavor (probably due to the lack of dairy), but it is smooth and creamy. Definitely a worthwhile summer treat!
So Delicious - Dulce De Leche
Next, the Dulce de Leche… I couldn’t believe my eyes, caramel and ice cream are two of my favorite things, and to have them combined into a non-dairy frozen dessert! Fantabulous!! This dessert was also amazing! Creamy and smooth, with swirls of non-dairy caramel…. So Delicious is right!!
I have also tried the Cookie Dough and Mint Marble Fudge varieties – and they are all equally delicious. Their website has a full list of their available flavors – and some just sound amazing! I mean Cherry Nirvana – I just might have to seek that one out to try!
My rating: A+
Turtle Mountain knows what they’re doing with their dairy free desserts! So, if your vegan – or have a dairy allergy and you miss ice cream, check your freezer section for So Delicious Dairy Free Frozen Dessert!!
Food, Yarn, & Stuff 