Three Vegan Products: Toothpaste "Dirt," Truffle Mayo, and Cheese Crackers

I recently purchased three vegan products that are just wonderful.

The first product is called The Dirt. I purchased it here at Vegan Cuts.

This is a trace mineral tooth brushing powder. You wet your toothbrush and then dip it into the jar. Shake off the excess "dirt" before brushing. While brushing, it tasted slightly salty, but I really only noticed the wonderful orange-spice scent. Ingredients include bentonite clay, baking soda, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.

My teeth feel so smooth after using this product. The "dirt" washes off the toothbrush for the most part. It stays a little brown toward the base of the bristles. No big deal!

The next product I tried was a truffle vegan mayo by Da Rosario. I purchased the product here on Vegan Cuts. It's also available here at Vegan Essentials.

These spreads (white truffle and black truffle) deliver an amazing burst of truffle flavor with each bite. And the truffle taste isn't overpowering like what you get with truffle oil. The tang from the vegannaise base is great also. There are bits of truffles in each jar. This condiment would elevate any sandwich or dip. I added 2 teaspoons to a small batch of potato salad today, and it was fabulous!

Finally, I tried Earth Balance's Vegan Cheddar Flavor Squares, which many people call the vegan version of Cheez-Its. I purchased this box here from Rabbit Food Grocery. It's also available at Food Fight Grocery, and should be available at Whole Foods now.

These squares taste buttery, and the aftertaste is slightly like a Cheez-It. It definitely doesn't have that sharp tangy flavor (if that's what you are looking for in this cracker). But they are tasty and crispy and make a nice snack.

Review: Magic Vegan Bacon Grease

Here it is in all its glory: vegan bacon grease

I purchased a jar of Magic Vegan Bacon Grease (MVBG) from Vegan Essentials last week ($7.59 + shipping). I have never cooked with actual bacon grease, but I was still curious about trying the product. It's basically coconut oil with added soy bits, spices, hickory smoke and maple extract. 

Anyone familiar with Baconnaise will be reminded of that product when they open this jar and take a whiff of the vegan bacon grease. There's a sweet, smoky flavor that comes through, and it's very pleasant.

I don't use oil in the dishes I cook for myself anymore, but when I need oil for my husband's or son's dishes, I usually turn to olive oil or coconut oil, so using MVBG will not be such a dramatic change. I used a little this morning to warm up some cooked rice. The rice had hints of that smoky, sweet goodness throughout. It's not overpowering, but it definitely has a presence. 

My house smelled faintly of cooked meat. I haven't cooked bacon in a while, so I can't say for sure that's what the smell was, but there was a savory, sweet fragrance in the air.

If you're interested in dressing up some greens, beans, potato salad, or anything else worthy of a bacon-like slap, give this grease a try. It looks and melts just like coconut oil, and it's cruelty-free. Vegans who love southern cooking are in for a treat with this oil. I hear cornbread would be amazing with this oil. I'll have to whip up a batch and sneak a taste!

Oh, if you think you'd like to try making your own bacon grease, I remember Door 86 Vegan Cheese sharing a recipe, found here.

Review: Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles

Beyond Meat -- the creators of the meat-free chicken strips -- have come out with pea-protein based crumbles with the look, flavor, and texture of beef.

When the product was first announced several months ago, I would visit my local Whole Foods and look for the product in the refrigerated section near the company's chicken strips, but it was never there. 

This weekend I was buying some Gardein products in the frozen section and down toward the bottom of the freezer case were packages of the Beefy Flavor beef crumbles. So check the frozen cases if you haven't had luck finding this product.

Once home, I emptied about a cup of the crumbles into a Tupperware to thaw and put the remaining product back in the freezer. When I was ready to cook the crumbles, I added a thin layer of water into a pan and cooked the crumbles for about five minutes (you can use oil if you like).

The crumbles had a wonderful aroma and flavor from the various spices and herbs (including black pepper, chili flakes, rosemary and thyme). The product had a nice chew similar to a warm corn tortilla, and I enjoyed it thoroughly over a large lettuce salad.

The product comes in a spicy flavor as well. If you're looking for a soy-free, gluten-free meat alternative, I highly recommend this product.

The cooked Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles.

Review: Field Roast Breakfast Sausage

Field Roast's new Breakfast sausage links are small, but they pack in a lot of flavor. I put a head of garlic next to a link to show its size.

I found Field Roast's new Breakfast Sausage for $5.99 at Whole Foods this weekend. I bought two packages and couldn't wait to try a couple links. True to Field Roast form, the sausages were hearty, flavorful, and had a wonderful "meaty" texture.

They do have a breakfast-sausage-like taste. I'm sure they would be magnificent drenched in maple syrup and served with vegan pancakes.

I enjoyed two links in a savory snack. I toasted two corn tortillas. I applied 2 tablespoons of lemon hummus in between the tortillas to make them stick. Then I smeared 1 tablespoon of hummus on the top of the stacked tortillas. I added a leaf of kale, the two links (that I heated for 45 seconds in a microwave, wrapped in a paper towel), and a small spoon of salsa. Delicious!

I like that the links aren't too fattening either. So, it makes a nice lunch or mid-afternoon snack.

Happy Herbivore Meal Plans

Portobello Verde Tacos from Happy Herbivore's weekly meal plans. Around 320 calories, 12 grams of fat, 46 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein for all this. These tacos are extremely satisfying; I could eat them every day!

This week I finally got around to starting Happy Herbivore's Meal Plans. The reason I say "got around to it" is because I purchased a year subscription back in September and have been printing out the meal plans and saving them for when I was ready. I follow Happy Herbivore on Facebook, and I enjoy making the recipes she shares. 

You might be thinking why didn't I buy one of her cookbooks, but I really wanted to follow the meal plans. I just didn't have the will power. You see, her meal plans consist of daily meals and snacks that by the end of the day equal 1,200 calories. Plus, she very, very rarely uses ingredients with oil or added fat in them (she avoids cooking oils, vegan mayo, fake and processed products, etc.). 

How the heck do you cook onions without oil -- was my first thought. How do you enjoy salad without dressing? 

This Mexican Rice Soup had a nice crunch from the veggies and hints of sweetness from the corn. My dish wasn't a soup because I didn't cook the brown rice with the veggies, which required broth or water. I had made rice the other night, so I added the already cooked brown rice to the pan once the veggies were done cooking. Oh, and when you cook onions or any other veggie, just layer the pan with a little broth or water instead of oil. Worked just fine! Half this pan is one serving and contains 388 calories, 20 grams of fat (which comes from the avocado, but I omitted that, so the dish was virtually fat-free), 46 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of protein.

I started a plant-based lifestyle back in January 2013 for animal welfare and my health. I love being vegan and have no desire to ever eat animal products again. Since January 2013, I've lost 15 pounds, but the weight-loss has stopped there. I've read so many wonderful testimonials about how Happy Herbivore's Meal Plans have helped people lose massive amounts of weight. I would cheer for those individuals she'd highlight on a weekly basis, but I never took the final step of following the plan myself. Until Monday...

I definitely love to add salt and a pinch of sugar here and there to my dishes. I also add oil to any pan I put on the stove. Since Monday, I haven't cooked anything with oil, nor have I added any sugar or much salt (very small pinch here and there when I used water instead of broth in a recipe). I have so much energy! I usually feel sluggish in the afternoon and often turn to coffee or tea for a small pick-me-up. I haven't needed anything like that since starting this meal plan.

I thought this Curried Red Lentil Soup was going to be so bland because the recipe doesn't call for salt, but the broth I used added enough sodium. Plus, the curry and cumin spices elevated the dish. But what made the soup so comforting was the chopped celery. I felt like a little kid eating mom's home-cooked soup on a school night. There's just something about cooked celery... My husband, who usually finds anything without a gallon of hot sauce on it bland, raved about this soup. I added a few dashes of sriracha of course, but he didn't find the soup lacking in flavor at all. 2-1/4 cups of this soup has 389 calories, 1 gram of fat, 69 grams of carbs, 31 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 25 grams of protein. 

I even ate a salad yesterday without dressing....yup, no dressing! I filled a big bowl with chopped lettuce, some celery, and then I splashed the juice of one lime over the salad and added hot sauce (a little too much hot sauce, so I had to kind of eat around the hot lettuce leaves). 

Did you know you can enjoy salad without oil? I sure didn't. This salad is dressed with lime juice and hot sauce. It was delicious. This wasn't on the meal plan, but I was craving a salad. I looked at what was used for a dressing on another meal-plan salad recipe and used that to top the lettuce and celery in the bowl. 

The salad was amazing. Even my husband asked what new dressing I bought. I told him it was lime juice and hot sauce. He just blinked at me and then continued to shovel the salad into his mouth. 

There's definitely been an adjustment. I'm still getting used to eating rolled oats without salt or sugar (I'm allowed to add fresh/frozen fruit), but my views on eating are changing, which I'm so happy about. I don't need oil or fake or processed foods for flavor, and I'm loving the simplicity of these healthy, tasty recipes.

The quantities, too, have been amazing. Because the dishes are low calorie, the portions are sometimes so large I have to eat some of it later. I also like that Happy Herbivore -- aka Lindsay Nixon -- encourages you to customize to your tastes. So, if you want fewer carbs, swap out the grains for greens. If you need more bulk, add more veggies. 

And some other good news -- since Monday I've lost 1 to 2 pounds. I have an old scale that's not digital, but the needle is definitely pointing to a lower number than it was on Monday. 

I'll keep you posted on my progress. I definitely see good things ahead! 

Recipe: Soy Curl 'Chicken' Salad

I enjoyed my 'chicken' salad atop some cilantro. I added some mashed avocado to the other piece of toast and drizzled some chipotle hot sauce over the salad. This salad includes grapes, sweet corn, black olives, tomatoes, curry powder, and onions.

This hearty 'chicken' salad features dehydrated soy curls by Butler Foods. Once re-hydrated, these pieces of non-GMO soy have the texture of shredded chicken. You can impart any flavor you want onto the soy curls by soaking them in a flavored broth or adding seasoning after they plump up. They also get a nice crunch on the outside when pan seared in a little oil. Just be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible after the curls are re-hydrated.

Soy Curl 'Chicken' Salad

Ingredients: 

2 cups dry soy curls

3 cups of vegan chicken broth (I used two cubes of Not Chick'n Bouillon)

1 cup of grapes halved and then quartered

1/2 cup of minced onion

1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I used cashews)

1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup of sliced black olives

1/2 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed

1/4 cup of sweet relish

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of vegan mayonnaise 

1 tablespoon of BeeFree Honee

1 tablespoon of prepared mustard

1 to 2 tsp. of curry powder to your taste

Splash of fresh lemon juice (I used half a small lemon)

Black pepper (I didn't need salt, but you can add some if you want)

Directions:

Re-hydrate the soy curls in 3 cups of hot vegan chicken broth. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. In a bowl, combine the grapes, onion, nuts, tomatoes, black olives, and corn.

In a separate bowl, combine the vegan mayonnaise, BeeFree Honee, mustard, relish, curry powder, pepper, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Pour the sauce over the other ingredients and mix well.

Drain the soy curls very well and add to the bowl of ingredients. Mix well and chill until ready to eat. 

**If you want your soy curls to have some added texture, pan fry the curls in a little oil until the edges are crispy and then add to the sauce and other ingredients.

The soy curls re-hydrating

The finished "chicken" salad featuring Butler's Soy Curls.

Review: Coloring "Eggs" for Easter with EggNots

Pictured are recently dyed EggNots.

My son has been begging to color eggs for Easter, so I told him to be patient while the "eggs" arrive in the mail.

Instead of buying eggs from the grocery store, I ordered mine from a company called EggNots. The company makes ceramic eggs for people with egg allergies or who have an aversion to coloring chicken eggs.

The ceramic eggs look just like chicken eggs and even come in an egg cartoon. The eggs are lightweight, so you have to hold them down in the dye.

I purchased a run-of-the-mill egg dye from the store, but the EggNots come with a recipe to make your own dye using food coloring, vinegar, and water.

My son and I had a blast coloring the EggNots. What's great is that they won't spoil, and we can save the eggs to hide for next year.

"Like" the company on Facebook because they occasionally offer sales on their product.

This is how the EggNots look when they arrive.

The "eggs" dye well.