Quickie Product Reviews

I ordered a New York for the Holidays Care Package from Vegan Cuts back in December, and most of the products in the package were gross. There page says "Start spreading the news..." It's more like: Start spreading the boos!

Here’s why:

• Black + Blanco Marzipan Toasted Almond Cookies: The cookies tasted like rancid coconut oil.
• One Lucky Duck Raw Vanilla Crispies: Tasted like Frosted Flakes – oh wait, no it didn’t. This had no flavor.
• Better Off Spread Dark Chocolate Rosemary Peanut Butter: Tastes like rosemary packed in mud.
• Z Crackers Garlic & Basil Crackers: These were rock-hard crackers with just a teeny bit of salt.

Better Off Spread's rosemary dark chocolate peanut butter has a salty, nutty, and chocolate aftertaste, but the initial taste is like you walked up to a garden and took a bite of the earth.

The one product in the box that was OK:

• Right Tasty Ramp Vinaigrette: You have to refrigerate after opening, so it becomes solid in the fridge, which makes it a pain to use. It tasted like any other vinaigrette. 

The one product in the box that was yummy:

• Raaka Coconut Milk Chocolate Bar: Sweet, silky, and everything you want chocolate to be like. 

So if you ever see these items (other than the Raaka chocolate) for sale, hold on to your money.

Review: Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie's Kitchen

Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie's Kitchen is a milder, cruelty-free version of the original.

One of my favorite breakfast items prior to going plant-based was a bagel, lox, and cream cheese. Finding vegan bagels and cream cheese isn’t tough, but finding vegan smoked salmon is!

I was excited to try the Vegan Smoked Salmon by Sophie’sKitchen to experience that creamy, chewy texture of a protein atop tangy cream cheese and a toasted everything bagel.

The package is lovely, and the smoked salmon was equally beautiful. The slices were thin and spongy when taken out of the fridge. It’s best to let the salmon come to room texture so it becomes less spongy. The product smelled exactly like smoked salmon.

After placing the slices on a plate, I covered with a paper towel and put a plate on top to press out any extra liquid.

After 45 minutes, I toasted my bagel and got my cream cheese spread ready.

Cream Cheese Spread with Chives and Water Chestnuts

• 8 oz. tub of dairy-free cream cheese (I used Tofutti cream cheese)
• 1/4 c. of diced water chestnuts
• 1-2 T of dillweed
• Pinch of salt

Empty all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add dillweed and/or salt to your taste.

I find that adding chopped water chestnuts to the cream cheese gives a crisp crunch to every bite.

I assembled my sandwich and dug right in … Yum!

While the smell of the smoked salmon is strong, the flavor is more subdued. I put two slices per sandwich, but if you want a stronger salmon flavor, you might need 3-4 slices per sandwich. When I took bites that had less cream cheese, I could easily identify that wonderful smoked fish flavor.

This product is a definite winner. 

Review: Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger

Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger is mild in flavor, which is perfect if you want to taste condiments and other toppings. I enjoyed my veggie burger with Follow Your Heart's Chipotle Spread, three onion rings (under the patty), and sliced avocado.

It can be dreadful trying veggie burgers because some are too mushy, some taste too much like one particular vegetable (too much carrot flavor, too much broccoli flavor, etc.), and some are very dry. Like Goldilocks, I'm looking for something that's just right.

Hilary's Eat Well Original Veggie Burger definitely would be the missing food item in the three bear's cottage because the patty is delicious. It's interesting that I find it tasty because, honestly, it lacks any strong flavors.

You can taste hints of the organic garlic and organic onion, but what makes this burger a winner is the texture: slightly crispy, yet soft on the inside. The mouth feel was similar to that of the breading on a perfectly executed onion ring.

The first ingredient is listed as "Love." 

It's also a pretty patty. The burger looks like a golden hash brown, with flecks of spinach throughout.

If you want substance to your veggie burger and want to taste the other toppings, such as peppers, onions, and condiments, then this is the burger for you. There are two patties in each package ($4.29 on VeganEssentials.com), and I find the price to be worth it for the quality.

Vegan Sushi: Easy Peasy with Sushezi

                                      My vegan barbecue chicken roll topped
                                      with vegan caviar, aka Caviart

There's just something about sushi: the oceany flavor of the nori, the sweet and vinegary taste of the rice, and the savory and tender ingredients sandwiched in the middle. Each bite can be so satisfying, especially when dipped in soy sauce (or coconut aminos) that's studded with wasabi.

Sushi isn't difficult to make at home, but it can be a bit messy. I wanted to try out my new Sushezi, which promises to make "perfectly round, restaurant-quality sushi at home," to see if I could streamline the sushi-making process.

The Sushezi definitely makes things easier. I bought mine for $16 on Amazon, but the product usually hovers around $20-$23. (Tip: Put items you want to buy from Amazon in your cart and check your cart each day -- Amazon lets you know at the top if the price of your item has increased or decreased since you last logged in. That was how I was able to get my Sushezi cheaper; I waited until the price decreased. Price drops don't always happen right away, and you have to know when to buy; otherwise the item could increase in price and not come back down for months.)

I would definitely recommend this product whether you make sushi once a month or once a week. Prep time is still the same, but you really are almost guaranteed a nice, full, compact tube of rice. I can't guarantee cutting the roll into slices will be easier, but what helps is if you use a sharp knife and wet the knife in between cuts.

My Sushezi is open and slightly oiled.

I pan fried some soy protein that I smothered in homemade barbecue sauce (ketchup, mustard, organic sugar or maple syrup).

Ingredients: pickles, avocado, nori, pickled ginger, and sesame seeds

Fill each side with a 1/2 c. of cooked rice.

                                      

Add your ingredients. I drizzled some Siracha on the avocado.

Bring up the sides of the Sushezi and snap close. You then twist the cap on the bottom and twist the handle at the top to compact the insides.

Uncap the bottom, and push the rice roll onto the nori.

All rolled up

See all the yummy ingredients!

Wetting the knife in between cuts helped a lot.

The perfect bite! I added sliced avocado, pickled ginger, and black Caviart seaweed caviar on top.

Product Review: Instant Veggie Burger Mix from Great Life by Lucinda (Roasted Garlic, Dried Tomato & Chive)

I enjoy making my own veggie burgers from canned black beans: I drain and rinse the beans; mash them in a bowl with a fork; add a squirt of ketchup, mustard and relish and some spices; and then form the mixture into patties and bake in the toaster oven for 10-15 minutes -- flipping the burgers halfway through the cooking process.

It's fun to craft sandwiches and play around with different flavors and textures: 

• Greens: For a tender bite, add spinach; otherwise, kale adds a great chew, while lettuce gives that clean, crisp bite.
• Spreads: Nothing beats Follow Your Heart Veganaise and Earth Balance Original Mayo (which is soy-free), but I'm really digging the flavors of Viana's Organic Spreads (Stay tuned for product reviews of these spreads!)
• Pickles and Peppers: Sweet relish, sweet pickles, mild banana peppers, spicy chipotles, the list goes on and on.
• Cheese: I love a tangy cheese, so I make my own with almond flour, lemon juice, and Siracha. Door 86 makes awesome vegan cheese, and I'll be testing Treeline Aged Artisanal Hard-Style Treenut Cheeses soon.
• Bread: I avoid breads that can't hold up to all the sauces and veggies I add to my sandwiches. So far, a Turkish bread from Giant Farmers Market in Hackensack has been the best for my burgers and sandwiches. It even does a good job at keeping sliced avocado and tomatoes from sliding out.

I wanted to have another shelf-stable product in my arsenal when I was craving a veggie burger, so I ordered Instant Veggie Burger Mix from Great Life by Lucinda (Roasted Garlic, Dried Tomato & Chive) from VeganEssentials. 

The ingredients are simple, and you only have to add hot water to 1 cup of mix before forming your patties. 

The cooked patty had a subtle garlic and tomato flavor. It was drier than my bean burgers, but a slice of onion and Veganaise on the bread added moisture.

If you like to have shelf-stable products at your fingertips for when you and your family crave a burger, then give this product a try. Other flavors include: Smoky Chipotle, Garden Veg, Curry, and Cajun. They are priced on VeganEssentials for $7.99 for 8 oz. package (makes about six patties per package). 

The Hunt for the Red Food Truck

My first Cinnamon Snail experience began like a treasure hunt.

The generous, whimsical Snail crew were going on a month-long hiatus, so my sister and I wanted to try some menu items before she returned home from visiting me in New Jersey.

Fortunately for us, the Cinnamon Snail was giving away one savory item and one sweet item per person on their last day -- Dec. 23. Anticipating the huge crowd, the Snail said they wouldn't post their location until they were parked on Monday morning. So, on the 23th, we took an early bus from Jersey to the Port Authority and waited around 42nd Street until they listed their location on Twitter. It was raining, so as soon as we found out where they were parked, we grabbed a cab and set out.

The red food truck was easy to spot, and with four of us in our party, we got to try eight heavenly food concoctions.

For those of you blessed with the opportunity to visit the Cinnamon Snail, here's a review of the free food we received:

1. Blue Corn Pancakes with pine nut butter and and Vermont maple syrup ($9): The three pancakes were a lovely light blue (as to be expected) and they were hearty and tasted like sweet corn tortillas. The pancakes soaked up the nut butter and syrup and were great for sharing.

2. Maple Mustard Tempeh Sandwich on grilled spelt bread with roasted garlic aioli, kale, tomato, and onion ($8): This was our favorite savory item out of the bunch. It was the easiest to eat, too, because it was the least messy and had a sheet of wax paper in which to wrap around it. Those who order this during their lunch hour won't get their clothes, face, and hands dirty with this sandwich. The sandwich had a mix of sweet and savory flavors, with the slice of raw onion providing a zing with each bite.

3. Lemongrass 5 Spice Seitan with curried cashews, arugula, Szechuan chili sauce and wasabi mayo on a grilled baguette ($9): This sandwich was a few inches larger than the MMT sandwich and was messy because the seitan was in chunks. The bursts of wasabi were wonderful mixed with the curry and chili spices.

4. Thanksgiving Sandoo with porcini mushroom simmered seitan, rosemary parsnip bread pudding, marinated kale, orange cranberry relish, roasted garlic aioli on grilled baguette ($10, seasonal item): This sandwich is a favorite among Snail-iens (the term used to describe Cinnamon Snail fans). It was the same size as the Lemongrass sandwich and was equally messy because of the seitan chunks and globs of tender stuffing.

5. Cranberry Glazed Doughnut and Pistachio Doughnut ($2): These cake doughnuts were bursting with flavor and were nice and oily. I like oil-soaked cake-like things, but those who don't like fry-bread-type items may not like the texture. The cranberry glaze was tart and a perfect accompaniment to the slightly sweet cake.

6. Cinnamon Snail Roll ($3) and Norberweiberberweiberhydrafab Doughnut ($2): The cinnamon roll was dry, but full of cinnamon flavor. The sweet glaze on top prevented the pastry from being overly dry. The Norber... doughnut was very sweet -- a little too sweet for my liking, but my sister loved it. This doughnut has a white-chocolate glaze and is stuffed with bourbon hazelnut ganache and dusted with dirty blonde streusel.

If you have a chance, look up the Cinnamon Snail on YouTube and see if you can find a video featuring Adam, the owner. He's a hoot! You can tell the Cinnamon Snail is a labor of love and is all about bringing the best food and best attitude to the masses.

Tip for the over-thinkers: Because I'm one of those people who overdoes the planning phase of any excursion, I knew we would need extra napkins and silverware. Looking back, I should have packed a few paper plates as well because the sidewalk got to taste a couple chunks of tender seitan. Don't worry; I cleaned up after everyone.