Giovanni Powder Power Dry Shampoo

I'm fairly new to the dry shampoo game. But after hearing about how awesome dry shampoos can be from my hairstylist I went looking for a vegan one. I found Giovanni's Powder Power Dry Shampoo from their Eco Chic Hair Care line. And I absolutely love it!

It's wonderful for those days when you can't get your hair washed with traditional shampoos or you need to soak up a little extra oil and increase the volume. I don't always like to wash my hair every day, and I've found this powder is perfect for those days. It definitely delivers in the extra shine and volume department, and I've had many a really good hair day from this product.

Camping season is in full swing, and I can see how this will be an awesome and convenient product when showers are not quite an option but your hair needs a little cleaning and maintenance. It's great for traveling in general.

It's so easy to use! Just apply the powder to your roots, massage it into your scalp and hair, and then brush it through. The powder is bright white, and some people with darker hair feel it leaves their roots a little ashy looking. I've also noticed that since my hair is dark brown, but I just rub it in more and spread it out, and that usually does the trick.

The product says it is for all hair types, but I only know how it works on mine which is brunette, color-treated, fine and straight. So, you'll have to give it a go yourself and let me know how it works.

Giovanni Powder Power Dry Shampoo

Rating: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[I got my Giovanni Powder Power Dry Shampoo at Whole Foods, but you can supposedly find it at Target, CVS, Wal-Mart, Sprouts, Ulta, and of course, online.]

Penzeys Spices & Vegan Eats World

Penzeys Spices, Tempe Marketplace, Arizona

Penzeys Spices is a national chain with three locations in Arizona; Tempe Marketplace, Paradise Valley Marketplace (Phoenix), and Tucson. They also sell their spices online.

I recently wanted to make Terry Hope Romero's Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad from Vegan Eats World. But I didn't have any sumac. I know the Middle Eastern Bakery in downtown Phoenix carries it, Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket most likely does, but I needed a place in the north east valley. Then I remembered I had seen this little spice shop at the Tempe Marketplace. I called ahead and they stocked several container sizes of the ground up Middle Eastern berry.

Vegan Eats World Cookbook by Terry Hope Romero- 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Penzeys Spices is a cute little shop with a good vibe next door to the Men's Wearhouse. I also noticed they had smoked paprika which I had been looking for previously. I had been using regular paprika as a replacement, but I kinda want to go back and get some smoked paprika. They had both Hungarian style AND Spanish style and I wasn't sure which I wanted to sample.

Anyway, I got the sumac and made the Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad, and I have to say I was impressed with the salad. It has chickpeas, spinach, parsley, onions, ground coriander, fennel and cumin seeds, as well as the sumac and title ingredients. My first thought was this is interesting... because I didn't know how to process the flavorings.

But it's a really nice salad, makes a nice, bold statement. I used about 3 tablespoons rather than the called for 4 to 6 tablespoons. Sumac smells like lemon vinegar, and the flavoring is oddly similar though reported to be less acidic and milder. The salad would be great for potlucks and such when you want to blow people's minds, and because it can be eaten at room temperature.

Anyway, for those of you with some BIG plans for holiday dinners or for those of you talking Terry's global cuisine cookbook, you have a good chance of finding what you need at Penzeys Spices, so give them a try.

 The final product: Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad

Trader Joe's Vegetable Pakoras

Trader Joe's Vegetable Pakoras

I recently picked up these Vegetable Pakoras at Trader Joe's. So good! They're lightly fried balls of potatoes, onions, chickpea flour, carrots, cauliflower, with a sweet and tangy tamarind dipping sauce. They tasted nothing like falafel in case you were wondering about the chickpea flour, and the sauce was perfect. My only problem was there was not *enough* sauce. I don't think I overdipped, TJ's definitely skimped on the sauce a bit. I'll be picking these up again. They are great appetizers or sides, and I ate them all as a main course.


Trader Joe's Vegetable PakorasRating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find the Vegetable Pakoras at Trader Joe's.]

Sweet Leaf Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea

I adore Sweet Leaf's Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea. It takes two things I don't really care for alone and combines them into something great! Lemonade is too tangy, and tea is too bland. But together, this is the perfect pick me up for the afternoon daze.

YUM!

They have lots of other flavors of tea, sweet tea, lemonade, and diet versions as well that you can try. The diet sweet tea isn't bad, but I'll always choose the Half & Half.



Sweet Leaf Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea
Rating: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find Sweet Leaf beverages at just about any grocer or convenience store.]

Kettle Cuisine Frozen Soups

Kettle Cuisine offers a couple of frozen soups that happen to be vegan. They're pretty healthy, with natural ingredients, and a low amount of calories. Sodium isn't perfect, of course, but not too bad. They're also gluten-free.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by these soups. I'm not really a fan of canned soups in general, so I wasn't expecting much from the frozen ones either.

Roasted Vegetable Soup
"Savoy cabbage, sweet carrots, tender potatoes and chopped leeks in a puree of sautéed vegetables with extra virgin olive oil and hints of thyme and clove."

This one was a little on the bland side, maybe just too leeky, but it wasn't too bad. I'd buy it again, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I think someone who likes leeks might like it a little better than I did, because I think it's just a flavor preference.

Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables
"We cook red-ripe tomatoes to perfection, then combine them with hand-prepared squash, carrots, celery, green beans, and our own blend of Italian seasonings for a soup that is as full of flavor as it is fresh vegetables."

I've never really liked tomato soups, but I actually liked this one. I've bought this one several times now for lunch at work, and had some french bread with it. If you need something low calorie and pretty filling for a quick convenient lunch, this is  a good option.


Roasted Vegetable Soup
Rating: **1/2

Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables
Rating: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find Kettle Cuisine frozen soups at Sprouts and Whole Foods, I know for sure, but you can probably also find them at your local grocery store.]

Sophie's Kitchen Breaded Vegan Fish Fillets and Vegenaise Tartar Sauce

Sophie's Kitchen Fish Fillets (and onion rings)

Recently Follow Your Heart released several new products, including Vegenaise Tartar Sauce. Never a fan of tartar sauce but definitely a fan of Vegenaise, I was really interested in trying it. I finally found it at Whole Foods, but I needed something to go with it. Luckily, I also found Sophie's Kitchen Breaded Vegan Fish Fillets.

I really liked the combination, so tasty! The tartar sauce is tangy, thick, and creamy. It's strong, so you don't need a lot. And the faux fish, well, I don't know how fishy it is on its own, but I liked the texture and I liked the flavor. Works for me! And the combination is definitely awesome.

The Vegenaise Tartar Sauce is gluten-free and soy free. And while Sophie's Kitchen Breaded Vegan Fish Fillets are not gluten-free, they do offer vegan scallops, prawns, shrimp, and crab cakes that are.

Sophie's Kitchen focuses on vegan seafood options; crab cakes, calamari, scallops, prawns, shrimp, and breaded shrimp, in addition to the breaded fish fillets. If you're interested in trying them, head over to the website because Sophie's Kitchen has a manufacturer's coupon for a buck off, good through December.

The other new items in the Vegenaise line are Horseradish Sauce, Pesto Vegenaise, Barbeque Vegnaise, Roasted Garlic Vegenaise, and Chipotle Vegenaise. Looking forward to trying some of these as well, but Whole Foods only had the Horseradish in stock as of this post.


Follow Your Heart's Vegenaise Tartar Sauce
Rating: ****1/2

Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Fish Fillets
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find Vegenaise products and the Sophie's Kitchen line of seafood at Whole Foods. I think they are both relatively new products, so keep an eye out at the grocers who sell vegan items.]

Eating Vegan from Vending Machines

I've been meaning to do a post on how to eat vegan out of vending machines, because sometimes you just don't have a choice. But after a recent discovery, I have to tackle it a little differently than originally planned. Because, first, you have your generic junk foody vending machine, and then you have your healthy food vending machine!

Generic junk food vending machines often have accidentally vegan items.

Some common vegan options:

~plain salted nuts- usually your options are peanuts or cashews, most of the flavored nuts are not vegan
~classic potato chips- almost all big name brand plain potato chips are simply salt, oil, and potatoes

~Oreos- regular oreos, the cakey ones are not vegan
~Nutter Butters
~Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels
~Twizzler's Strawberry Licorice

It's not much, but it's something.

~~~

But then I recently came across the 2bu vending machine. This thing is wicked cool, and vegan, healthy food friendly. Mind blown!

Here's how it works. The 2bu Healthy Vending machine has a digital screen where you can review the ingredients and dietary information of every single item in the machine. In addition to that, you can see complete lists of all the items that are vegan, organic, gluten-free, or kosher. They source local items when they can, and they're Energy-Star rated with motion sensors for all the lighting.

The 2bu website says all of their snacks meet their standards of:
• All-natural ingredients
• More whole-grain selections
• No preservatives or artificial ingredients, flavors or sweeteners
• No trans-fats


You know what this means, right? I don't have to tell you what should be vegan in the 2bu Healthy Vending machine, the machine itself will tell you! That said, here are a couple great vegan snack options:


Sahale Snacks Soledad Nut Blend
(almonds, apples, and flax seeds, with date, balsamic vinegar and cayenne)
This mix is sooooo good! The ingredients sounded like a strange mix, but they work.


Alternative Baking Company Outrageous Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
ABC Baking Company is not my favorite vegan cookie maker, but these are very satisfying.

Some other vegan goodies: Original PopChips, Steaz Peach Iced Teaz, Larabars, Raw Revolution bars, and Coconut Water (can't remember which brand.)


Okay, it remains to be said, the big downside out of eating from vending machines is cost. And while junky food vending machines are pricey enough, the 2bu Healthy Vending is quite a bit more. Perhaps you get what you pay for, but I have to say that Soledad Nut Blend is rather more than I would want to spend from a vending machine. I am sure this is why it has debit/credit capability. It's not a pocket change kind of vendor. Still, it's a great start at a better world of vending!

Taste Test: Mint Chocolate Non-Dairy Beverages!

So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate vs. Silk Mint Chocolate

Another So Delicious / Silk face-off. Let's dive in.
The So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate really isn't any thicker than the Silk Mint Chocolate, though that was the case with the Nogs. And the color is quite similar. In fact, there wasn't much difference between these two drinks, except the So Delicious does have a slight coconut taste.

Overall, I'm not really a fan of either. This is definitely a taste preference on my part. I pretty much figured this would be the case going in, as I have had the Silk in the past. I've never much liked chocolate milks (except for chocolate almond milk), and I definitely don't care for the mint added to chocolate 'milk' beverages. I'll drink them, but I won't buy them. This is the case for just about anything mint chocolate, I'll eat it...because...but it's not something I put in my "Like Column".

That said, I DO think people who like mint chocolate flavors would enjoy these drinks. In fact, I know quite a few people that like the Silk Mint Chocolate (they tried it in years past, but have not yet tried the So Delicious brand to determine a preference).

If I were to purchase one for guests, it would be the Silk, only because that slight coconut taste is distracting from the mint chocolate. But ultimately, I rated them the same.



So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

Silk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find both of these Mint Chocolate beverages at Whole Foods. The So Delicious is a new product so I'm not sure who else will be carrying it, but the Silk is usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Cookies From Home

Cookies From Home, Lemon Pecan

Recently I visited AJ's Fine Foods in search of preserved lemons, and while AJ's focuses on upscale, specialty, and imported foods which makes them minimally vegan-friendly, I did stumble across some vegan Lemon Pecan Cookies from Tempe-based business, Cookies from Home.

I really liked the lemon pecan cookies. They're small cookies, maybe a little bigger than an Oreo, with 4 in a package. I think they were some of the best packaged vegan cookies I have had. So I went to their website to check them out and found they have a whole vegan category and they even offer some great tins of vegan cookies and brownies, perfect for gifts. Looks like they also have gluten-free options. I can't tell if all of their vegan cookies are also gluten-free, but the website kinda implies this.

Cookies From Home Gift Tin

And they've got a retail gift shop in Tempe. How cool is that!? At some point I'd like to visit their retail gift shop and see if I can taste-test some more of the vegan cookie and brownie options. The only thing missing from their website is a list of the vegan flavors, so I'm not sure what else they offer. Just a note, I don't know if Cookies From Home always offers vegan options in their retail gift shops, many times in places like this vegan options are considered special order items, so you might consider calling ahead to check.


Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find the small packaged cookies at AJ's Fine Foods. I'm not sure what other flavors are available, nor if they are carried at any other local shops. But you can find more options at their retail gift shop and order them online.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Cookies From Home
Retail Gift Shop
1605 W. University Dr. Unit 106
Tempe, AZ 85281
(800) 543-8133
http://www.cookiesfromhome.com/

Hours
Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Closed Sunday

Nog Taste Test!

The Nog Taste Test!

Earth Balance Soy Nog vs. So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog vs. Silk Nog

What a rumble!

First a few words about each.

The Earth Balance Soy Nog has the typical nog flavoring of nutmegy cinnamon... at first. Then the aftertaste is like a weird return to bland, plain soy milk. It's kinda strange, actually.

The So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog is the creamiest and thickest of the three by far which was kind of nice. You can see the actual spices speckling the Nog, which you don't see in the others. But there is a slight coconut taste that distracts from the nog.

The Silk Nog is rather thin, and you can't tell in this photo so much, but's rather a yellow looking milk. Other than this, it has the requisite nog spices. (You can see my past review of all the Silk seasonal beverages here.)

Overall, I like the Silk best and would pick this one out of the bunch. But I would drink any of the others if they were available. Now I'd like some Nog pancakes. And suddenly, the word "nog" is the strangest word ever.

Ok, now for the ratings.

Earth Balance Soy Nog
Rating: **1/2

So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog
Rating: ***

Silk Nog
Rating: ****


***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.


[You can find all of these Nogs at Whole Foods. The Earth Balance and the So Delicious are new products so I'm not sure who else will be carrying them, but the Silk is also usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Apple of My Eye

back row, left to right: Empire, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Rome
middle row, left to right: Cripps Pink Lady, Fuji, Jonathan, McIntosh
front row, left to right: Gala, Jonagold, Braeburn, Jazz

One of my best first grade memories is sitting in a circle on the floor with my classmates and taste testing 10 or so different apple varieties. Such a simple activity and yet so fun and adventurous. Earlier this year, I was inspired by that memory and taste-tested different kinds of tangerines. Well, now it's apple season!

As I was trolling the fruit aisle at Sprouts I saw an abundance of apples and decided to get one of each variety. Well, mostly. I skipped the Red Delicious, Green Delicious, and Granny Smiths. They tend to be the most common ones, so I thought I'd just try the others. And really, twelve varieties was PLENTY. Though apparently there are over 7500 cultivars of apples in the world. One could make it a life mission to sample them all. Not me though, thanks.

Here are the ones I did get and what Wiki has to say about each:

**
Empire- (New York) Empire apples are red, juicy, firm, crunchy and sweet. Good for eating.

Honeycrisp- (Minnesota) Mottled red and yellow colour. Good crunch when in prime condition. Juicy. Hybrid of Keepsake and Unknown. Good for eating.

Cortland-  (New York) Pale crisp flesh. Classic red coloration, nice crunch. Cross between McIntosh and Ben Davis. Good for eating.

 Rome- (Ohio) Rounded, all red, and very glossy. Flavour develops when cooked. Good for cooking.

Cripps Pink Lady- (Australia) Crisp, very sweet and slightly tart. Light red, pink and light yellow-green striped skin. Good for cooking and eating.

Fuji- (Japan) Sweet, crisp, dense flesh. Very long shelf life, even without refrigeration. Japan's predominant eating apple. Good for eating.
 Jonathan- (New York) Tart taste. Mostly red apple with patches of lime green. Does well in cooler areas; some frost resistance. Good for eating and cooking.

McIntosh- (Ontario, Canada) A popular, cold-tolerant, pocket-sized eating apple in Canada and northeastern US. Favorite of children. Used alot in applesauce. Good for cooking and eating.

Gala- (New Zealand) Thinner skin. Very soft eating apple, well-suited for denture wearers. Good for eating.

Jazz- (New Zealand) Bright red round apple with subtle yellow under-striping. Tart to sweet, dense and very crunchy with effervescent texture. Good for eating.

Jonagold- (New York) Popular in Europe and land of origin. A very large apple. Several highly coloured strains are available. Good for eating and cooking.

Braeburn- (New Zealand)  Firm to the touch with a red/orange vertical streaky appearance on a yellow/green background. Dense apple, and becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Good for eating.
**

back row, left to right: Empire, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Rome middle row, left to right: Cripps Pink Lady, Fuji, Jonathan, McIntosh
front row, left to right: Gala, Jonagold, Braeburn, Jazz

Alright, now for the ratings!

Eating Experience+

Key
***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.



Empire **1/2
Honeycrisp ****
Cortland ****
Rome ***1/2
Cripps Pink Lady ***
Fuji ***
Jonathan **1/2
McIntosh **1/2
Gala ***
Jazz ***1/2
Jonagold **1/2
Braeburn ***



OVERALL
I like apples, but they are by no means my favorite fruit. And I have to say that 'apples' tend to taste like 'apples' to me. Not a huge difference in taste, though some are a little sweeter and some a little tangier. There can be, however, a significant difference in texture, crispness, and firmness. But this can even run from apple to apple, not just across varieties.

Red Delicious used to be my favorite apples when I was a kid. But in recent years, Red Delicious have had a watered down taste, very bland. I think farmers and scientists have messed with them too much.

Anyway, in this taste test, Rome was by far the prettiest of the apples with its deep red hue. Unfortunately, they were slightly soft. But Cortland was the big surprise, with an interesting, slightly tangy flavor. I liked it best for taste.
I highly recommend the Cortland and Honeycrisp for eating raw. In the past I have really liked the Fuji, though it didn't test as well this time, just average.

Even if you get a less than stellar batch of apples, all is not lost. Make PIE! Or cider, or applesauce, or juice, or Cinnamon Baked Apples. These days I like apple pies with a mix of different apple varieties. In yesterday's post you'll see the Garam Masala Apple Pie I made. It was really good.  I had the Rome, Braeburn, Jazz, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, and Gala in it, I think. And not that long ago I made a Dutch Apple Pie, so check that oen out too. For a future pie, I will consider mixing the Rome with Granny Smith and Cortland.

~~~~

+Keep in mind that each single fruit is a completely different experience which also depends on where we are in the season. In other words, my results may be different from yours based on fruit condition, ripeness, etc.

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix

Majans Bhuja Craker Mix

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix is tasty. Mmm. A bit addictive too. I'd always wanted a little snack like this. And most that are similar in design have always had something just a bit off about the taste. But I liked every bit of this snack mix. The Bhuja Cracker Mix has rice crackers, multigrain noodles, green peas, peanuts, chick peas, and sultanas that are flavored with chiles, turmeric, paprika, corriander, and cumin. The sultanas fit in the least, but there are only a few of them so they are come across as just a small oddity, and they're by no means unwelcome.

There were several other mix flavors, and I'm looking forward to giving those a try too. I think I'll be using these to fill up snack bowls when friends come over.

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix

Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[These are brand new products at Sprouts, and I found them on a display near the produce section. Not sure who else has them yet or will be getting them.]

Amande Almond Yogurt

Amande Raspberry Almond Yogurt

First, the semi-disclaimer. I have never been a yogurt fan. When I went vegan I found soy yogurt to be far superior to dairy yogurt, edible even. And even more so, I liked the coconut yogurt when it arrived. Still, these yogurts are only once in a while eats, I don't eat them often. So, after  my successes with the soy and coconut-based gurts, and the fact that I like almond milks, I figured I'd easily welcome the Amande into the fold.

I was wrong. I discovered that I am not a fan of almond-based yogurts, or at least not this brand. I tried both the raspberry and the blueberry. I definitely think this could be just my personal deficiency somehow, as there are people out there who love the unsweetened almond milk which I think is bitterly disgusting. And as you can tell, I am not much of a yogurt fan to begin with. But I did find out that my hairstylist had the same disappointing experience with the Amande yogurt.

I don't like to give vegan products bad ratings, and I usually just don't review products I don't like, but I felt like I should do this one. You read my disclaimer, it really could be me and not the product.

Amande Almond Yogurt

Rating: *1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[I'm pretty sure Whole Foods is the only place that has this. I suppose Sunflower Market might, but I almost never go there to know for sure.]

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones....(translation: Vegan Dessert Drumsticks!)

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones

I LOVE these. The End.

Wait, I do have a request for Tofutti. Please make some with peanuts on top and with vegan caramel in the middle. These ones have crunchy cookies on top, and that's yummy, but not ideal. Thank you. Also, sometimes the cones are soft and sometimes they are crunchy. It's random, but not unlike what I remember for non-vegan drumsticks. Nature of the frozenated cone.

The End. For real this time.

Mmmmm! When they talk about visions of sugar plums dancing in heads, they really meant visions of sugar cones.

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones
Rating: **** 3/4

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Sprouts definitely has these. Fry's Marketplace and Whole Foods might as well.]

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Lush makes vegan lip balms, tints, and scrubs. I had heard about the Mint Julips Lip Scrub a while back and thought about giving it a try. I finally picked it up last month.

The sugar scrub smells so good, like a York Peppermint Patty. Mmm. Technically, this is not food for the Vegan Mofo, but you can eat the scrub. And it tastes really good too. Its main ingredients are castor sugar and peppermint oil, plus jojoba oil, vanilla extract, tagetes oil, limonene, and flavoring.

If you need to eliminate some dead skin cells from your lips and moisturize them, this is a good bet.


Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[We've only got one Lush store in Arizona, but you can also order most of their products online.]

Lush

Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall

7014 E. Camelback Rd., Unit #1020

Scottsdale, AZ 85251 

(480) 946-5874

Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons

Laughing Giraffe Organics Snackaroons

Occasionally, I like to dabble in raw vegan foods. I'd probably eat more premade, storebought raw food snacks, but they're just usually a little more expensive than I prefer. Plus, it's like playing Battleship. Miss, Miss, Hit, Miss.

Well, friends, the Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons are serious hits. These delicious nuggets are made from: unsweetened coconut, agave nectar, almonds, extra virgin coconut oil, vanilla extract, cacao, goji berries, maca, and Himalayan pink salt. No more, no less.


Laughing Giraffe Organics Snackaroons



Mmm. What else to say about them? They're little macaroon balls of gluten-free sweetness. But not too sweet, and one little snowball is  quite satisfying. I'm gonna have to try some of the other flavors.




Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** This is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[So far, I've only seen these at Whole Foods.]

Trader Joe's Meals

I've had a few Trader Joe products recently. Here's the scoop.

Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box

First up, TJ's Rice and Vegetable Bento Box. It looked fascinating on the cover and I'd never had a bento box before. Just based on the image, my only lament was there were three rices, and I wanted at least one of those to be noodles. As far as reviews of the actual taste, eh, I was not really a fan. I probably wouldn't get this again. I don't know if it was because it just plain sucked or if the items are just not to my personal taste. For example, several of the ingredients were mushroroms, pumpkin, and eggplant, of which I like none. 

Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box, Cooked

Here's what the Bento Box included (left to right, top row to bottom row): Pumpkin with Shiso Seasoning, Spicy Long Beans, Eggplant with Miso Paste, Soba Salad with Oyster Mushrooms, Shitake Mushroom with Edamame and Carrot, Baked Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce, Brown Rice with Seaweed & Sesame Seed, Curry Flavored Brown Rice, and Teriyaki Flavored Brown Rice with Vegetables.



Trader Joe's Masala Dosa



I also tried Trader Joe's Masala Dosa. I am a big fan of masala dosa in general. I love the potatoes, corriander, chiles, and crepes. Mmmm. These were pretty good. I'd totally get them again. This one came with coconut chutney sauce, which I am just as content to ignore. I'm just not into the chutneys.

  

Trader Joe's Masala Dosa, cooked up with the chunky coconut chutney

And lastly, I tried my first ever green papaya salad. It was quite an interesting taste. Fresh and crisp with some spice. I did NOT eat the red peppers you can see there at the bottom. It's my general M.O. to avoid whole peppers, though I will eat them crushed up and in things. But I've been burned before. Pun intended. Haha. Anyway, this was a decent little salad. And particularly handy, because you keep it frozen until you are ready to eat it. I'd eat this again. But really, what I'd rather do, is go somewhere I can order this dish fresh. I know Fresh Mint serves this...

Green Papaya Salad

Before I go, I just wanted to mention the new Trader Joe's cookbook. Cooking With Trader Joe's: Skinny Dish is reportedly a vegan cookbook, though it doesn't state such in any of the advertising. But the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine indicated that it is. Which is great and it sounds promising. It just came out, so someone needs to procure one and report back on the recipes.

Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook: Skinny Dish



Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box

Rating: **

Trader Joe's Masala Dosa

Rating: ***1/2

Trader Joe's Green Papaya Salad

Rating: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Obviously, these are only found at Trader Joe's. And the products they carry tend to be seasonal and random, so you never know if your item will be in stock, though some products tend to be regulars. In other words, shop at your own risk.}

Candle Cafe Frozen Entrees

Candle Cafe Frozen Entrees

Not too long ago I reviewed Candle Cafe's Tofu Spinach Ravioli, it was very tasty. At the time it was the only one of Candle Cafe's four frozen entrees available. I have since been able to sample the remaining three flavors; Ginger Miso Stir-Fry, Macaroni and Vegan Cheese, and Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce.

These other three flavors are not nearly as good as the Tofu Spinach Ravioli. I don't know if my expectations were too high or if they were legitimately subpar. The ravioli was sublime, whereas the others were okay, but by no means outstanding, and simply comparable to other frozen meals.

Ginger Miso Stir-Fry

I found the Ginger Miso Stir-Fry to be slightly spicy, but not in a bad way.

Macaroni and Vegan Cheese

The Macaroni and Vegan Cheese is fairly good, primarily because I love Daiya and how can you go wrong with noodles and Daiya. Here's the thing, and it quite surprised me too, I like Amy's Rice Macaroni and Cheeze better! It also uses Daiya vegan cheese. So, if I want Mac and Cheese, it'll be Amy's I buy.

Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

My first bite into this Seitan Piccata was not promising, but after a few more bites I found the meal to be okay. I love seitan in just about anything, so the taste of this one was quite disappointing.



I've always heard amazing things about both Candle Cafe and Candle 79, both in  NYC. I'm guessing their dishes just don't translate as well into frozen meals. All of them are completely decent, don't get me wrong, but I was just hoping for more. And honestly, I've found other brands that do a better job with the frozen meals.

Well, if we can't make it to NYC, and the frozen meals just aren't cutting it, we will soon be able to make our own Candle 79 meals with their brand new Candle 79 Cookbook. I'll be checking this cookbook out for sure, but it doesn't arrive until November 1st. You can preorder it on Amazon now.

Candle 79 Cookbook

Candle Cafe Ginger Miso Stir-Fry
Ranking: ***

Candle Cafe Macaroni and Vegan Cheese
Ranking: ***1/2

Candle Cafe Seitan Piccata and Lemon Caper Sauce

Ranking: **1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Right now, Candle Cafe frozen meals can only be found at Whole Foods. I found these at Whole Foods Tempe. Hopefully, in the future, they will be able to expand to other markets.}

Vegan Tofurky Roast Beef Style Sammie with "Arby's Sauce"

Vegan Roast Beef Sammie: Whole wheat bun, Vegenaise, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices (heated), homemade "Arby's Sauce"

This post has two recipes and a product review. Bonus!

I saw the new (to me) Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices at Whole Foods, and picked up a package thinking I might make a vegan Arby's Roast Beef Classic. I even found a nice copycat recipe for the Arby's sauce. (Arby's sauce is accidentally vegan, so you could just swipe some packets from there, but it has high fructose corn syrup, which I don't like, so I just decided I'd try making my own.)

First, the recipes.

Arby's Sauce
from CopyCat Recipes

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water

1 cup water
1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce¹
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
 In a small bowl, combine corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well and set aside. Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for 15-20 seconds. (I skipped the blender step and just stirred everything in the saucepan.) Pour ingredients into a small saucepan, heat on medium low. Simmer gently for twenty minutes, stirring several times. After twenty minutes add cornstarch mixture, stir well. When sauce begins to thickens let simmer on a very low temperature for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will be similar in thickness to steak sauce. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

My preferred products and where to find them:
1. Vegan Worcestershire Sauce- I know of two vegan products, Annie's and The Wizard's. I believe they sell both at Whole Foods. They also sell The Wizard's at Green in their little pantry section. And I "think" they have the Annie's Worcestershire< at Sprouts and Fry's Marketplace in the natural foods section. You can also get one or the other at the online vegan grocers like Vegan Essentials , Food Fight!, and Pangea.

~~~~

The Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices package had a recipe for a similar sauce on the back. I didn't notice it until I had already made my Arby's sauce, so I haven't tried it, but here it is. Also, I can't recommend any vegan horseradsh products, I never use it, so I haven't looked for any.

Horseradish Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons vegan prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plain soy yogurt
Sprinkle of garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the horseradish, mustard, mayonnaise, yogurt, and garlic powder. Dress sandwich.

~~~~

I haven't had an Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich in over 20 years, so the memory isn't so fresh and I can't reliably compare the taste. But I definitely liked this sandwich. The sauce was a nice addition, and the Roast Beef Style slices were a nice change of flavor from the Oven Roasted Chicken Style slices I sometimes eat.

That said, I am not entirely sure these slices taste anything like roast beef, which is a mixed blessing, I suppose. They were okay on their own, but I really liked them hot and dipped in Arby's sauce. I probably won't eat these unless I have a batch homemade Arby's sauce handy.

Mmmm!

[The sandwich gets ****, the slices get ***.]


Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices
Ranking: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.


[Tofurky Deli Slices can be found at Whole Foods, and possibly Sunflower Market and Trader Joe's.]

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli

This was really good! I was quite impressed with the taste. The portion is slightly on the small side, but not too bad. I'll be adding this to my rotation of frozen meals, for when I can't be arsed to make my own lunch.

There are several other Candle Cafe frozen meals to try: Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce, Mac & Vegan Cheese, and Ginger Miso Stir Fry. Looking forward to them!

Some of the proceeds from Candle Cafe frozen meals goes to The Humane Society of the United States and Farm Sanctuary. Tasty charity, sweet!

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Right now, Candle Cafe frozen meals can only be found at Whole Foods. I found this one at Whole Foods Tempe. Hopefully, in the future, they will be able to expand to other markets.}