Vegan Product Review - November 2019

 Some vegan products I've discovered recently....

Halloween brought me looking for vegan candy and I found! At Earth Fare I picked up individually wrapped Unreal gems such as almond butter cups and coconut bars. Plus I found individual portions of the chocolate covered peanuts!

Earth Fare had this brand (I think it's their brand?) Wholesome of vegan "Swedish" fish. The verdict from my kids was that they don't taste like Swedish fish but taste like a raspberry jelly candy/ They were good though! They also had some organic lollipops.

 

Another option of more individual portion was these Smart Sweets fish which were also good!

Yum Earth had these special edition Halloween gummy fruits with individual servings which were a hit with my three year old!

This is probably my most favorite discovery of late. My friend discovered these for me and I can never find pot-stickers that are vegan AND GF...these Feel Good Foods vegetable pot-stickers are AND they are really good! Even the dipping sauce isn't bad!

So when Wholefoods had a 50% sale on all frozen pizza I took notice even though there are normally none i can eat besides Daiya but then I saw this! Amy's now has a vegan GF pizza. Only one so far and it's pepperoni but it was actually very decent!

 Now that we are on the subject of vegan GF meat substitutes I have to say the new formula meatier Beyond Meat burger is really good! But Dr. Praegers new Perfect Burger tastes pretty similar to Beyond Meat so it will be an easy choice - whichever one is on sale ;)

 

This ground vegan beef from The Meatless Farm Co out of the UK was pretty good, I used it for meatballs that were a huge hit! I bought their Beyond Meat style burger patties as well and am excited to try them since price wise it's about the same but the ground beef is much cheaper.

These Dr. Praeger's Sunday Funday Veggie Sausage patties were a huge hit with the kids! 

We usually get Kite Hill yoghurt but these Follow Your Heart ones were on sale and I was impressed! They are more like Fruiche (like whiped almost spongy texture) than Kite Hill which is more creamy. 

I found these Lundberg Organic Grainspirations bowls, I think at Wholefoods?? ANyway they are super healthy but not a ton of flavor so I had to add some coconut aminos!

I found a vegan dip nail company called Revel Nail. I love the color range, the customer service is really good and it wasn't difficult to do at home honestly once I figured it out! Watch the videos LOL

I will say that dips in general I think for me at least work amazingly on my toes because they last for months but on my fingers I was always picking them off and that left my nails weak and ripped. It's quite an effort to get them off the proper way and I'm way too impatient! 

I'm totally in love with Coopers Hawk winery at the moment! All their wines are vegan and delicious! They have taste testings for $8. This Vin Chocolat Noir is AMAZING!!!! 

I'm fairly addicted to The Honest Stand cheese dips. The smoked cheddar is my favorite! I love heating them in the microwave and pouring them over corn chips. My three year old loves to dip chips in! 

I LOVE Kat von D's new Go Big or Go Home mascara - it's great with lengthening and definition but it is insanely waterproof so make sure you have a good make up remover!

 

This Sonoma Flatbreads vegan GF vegetable pizza was really good, I don't see them very often though.

I am quite loyal to Little Northen Bakehouse but it's so rare to find vegan GF bread products that I had to try these O'Doughs products when I saw them on sale. They were very nice when toasted!

 I found these Cedar Lane products at Sprouts. I really liked them all honestly! I also had the tofu scramble which was great. The creamed spicnach and kale was my favorite I think. I like to add pickles, curry powder and black salt to the egg salad and make curried egg sandwiches!

Very important popcorn reviews.... I tried the Lesser Evil Himalayan Gold popcorn and couldn't believe the butter flavor just came from coconut oil and salt. It was so convincing! I also really liked the Skinny popcorn butter flavor microwave popcorn and the popcorn mini cakes although the flavor was a bit overly salty.

Italian Vegan Meatballs (using vegan ground beef)

I found a regular recipe for meatballs on Cooking Classy and changed it to vegan and GF and they turned out really well. Everyone in the family liked them which believe me when you're dealing with three kids and a fussy husband that is a rare occurrence indeed! I did one batch baked and one batch fried to see the difference and honestly I preferred the baked ones which surprised me! The were firm but soft, where as the fried ones were crispy. For breadcrumbs I keep all the ends of my GF bread (I use Little Northern Bakehouse brand) and process them and keep them in the freezer. I used 2 Tbls dried mix Italian herbs instead of fresh.

Vegan Meatballs

(makes 24)

Ingredients

1 cups (5.2 oz) GF bread crumbs

1/2 + 2 Tbls cup non-dairy milk, then more if needed

1 lb. vegan ground beef ( I used The Meatless Farm Co.)

1 egg replacer (I used No Egg)

1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion (I used onion powder instead)

1 garlic cloves, minced 

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano

1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese, shredded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil, only if using the fried method

Mariana Sauce

Pasta of choice

Method

In a large mixing bowl stir together bread crumbs and milk while adding more milk 1 Tbsp at a time to moisten bread fully. Let rest while you prep ingredients (or at least 5 minutes).

To breadcrumb mixture add beef, eggs, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, parmesan and season over top of ingredients evenly with salt and pepper.

Gently toss mixture and break meat up with fingertips until ingredients are evenly mixed.

Shape mixture with greased hands into even size meatballs, about 1 1/4-inches each (or about 38g).

Oven Baked Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees before you begin preparing meatballs.

Spray two dark coated non-stick pans well with non-stick cooking spray (see note 4), or brush with olive oil.

Place formed meatballs on baking sheets, fitting about 20 per each and spacing evenly apart. 

Bake in upper and lower third of oven 10 minutes.

Remove and turn meatballs if browned already on bottom (use a thin metal spatula to scrape from baking sheet). Transfer pans to opposite racks and bake until cooked through, about 8 - 12 minutes longer (should register 165 degrees in center of meatballs).

Stir into warmed marinara sauce. Simmer on low heat if desired for even more tender meatballs (about 10 - 20 minutes, toss occasionally gently).

Pan Fried Stovetop Method

To pan fry meatballs pour 3/4 cup olive oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat over medium heat.

Cook meatballs in 3 batches (so they aren't overcrowded) until golden brown on bottom, about 4 - 6 minutes. Then turn to opposite side and cook opposite side until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Transfer meatballs to warmed marinara sauce (see note 5) in a large pot, submerge in sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat until meatballs are 165 degrees in center, gently tossing meatballs occasionally, about 15 - 20 minutes.

While the meatballs are frying/baking make the pasta and the marinara sauce. 

Toddler loves them with no sauce...

Inside fried meatball...

September Jax Veg Fest

Great morning out at the September Jax Veg Fest! Was a bit sad at the lack of GF options but I'm kind of used to that in Florida! My fave Murray Hillbilly were not there but I did spy one of the owners wandering around in a stellar vegan shirt ;)

Definitely highlight for me was seeing my boy Chef David Cressler Jr of Verdes Garden Fresh, the man is a genius with salad. I'm not normally a salad person (yes in the 20 years I was vegetarian and the last 9 years I've been vegan - I understand it sounds ridiculous) but this man can make even the strongest of non-salad believers see the light! It's not your traditional ingredients and dressing, David sources everything locally, even growing a lot of the produce himself. He marinades and sauces a lot of the salad ingredients separately then lovingly compiles them into a multi level taste sensation! Even my eleven year old daughter who hates mushrooms tasted his mushroom salad and said "your salad dude is a genius" LOL You want to make your kids eat their veggies - this is how! Look out for him at Bull Park Market and Jarboe Park Markets (both Jax Beaches).

Delicious fried rice and "chicken" from the Zen Butcher...

I very much enjoyed some GF vegan delights of Govinda's Cafe and then was dismayed when they said they are in Gainesville (Get out there people of Gainesville and get you some!)

I was excited to see so many GF options from the Nile Ethiopian Restaurant which I didn't even know existed - I will definitely be going there!

Had a delicious natural ice block from Guanabana Ice Pops, I totally flaked on taking a picture though - you have my word they were delicious! I had the guanabana flavor which was kind of like lychee.

And tasted some pretty choice kombucha by Mother Kombucha out of Gainesville (available in Winn Dixie, Publix and Earth Fare). I got the Blue Rose flavor, so good! As you know I like to support my local peeps and I can't get enough of Gnarbucha (loyal for life!) but they were there :( Also if you don't happen to live at Jax Beaches then you can find Mother Kombucha at your local!

A couple of amazing animal organizations were present such as Sage Sanctuary and Gardens for Education, CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm and Community Unity Animal Sanctuary (go buy some of their awesome vegan t-shirts to raise money for their sanctuary).

Also had a nice chat to a guy from Green Chef which is a food delivery company that delivers ingredients and recipes straight to your door helping people create delicious vegan meals and they cater to a number of dietary restrictions which other companies don't seem to.

Are Your Candles Vegan?

Are Your Candles Vegan? Why You Should Switch To Soy

A contribution from freelance writer Jess Walters...

Most of the candles that you find on the market are paraffin, which is a vegan ingredient extracted from petroleum. Now, that may sound like great news for vegans, but 10 percent of paraffin wax is usually made up of stearic acid, which is an animal-derived ingredient used to harden the wax. Paraffin candles aren’t just (usually) made from animals, they can also be pretty bad for you. Here’s why you should be switching to soy candles.

What’s Wrong With Paraffin Wax?

Not all paraffin waxes use stearic acid from animals. Some use plant oils — though if a paraffin candle isn’t labeled “vegan,” it’s safe to assume that it’s using animal products. It’s easy to see why some vegans still use paraffin candles. After all, because paraffin candles are the most accessible in the market, they’re often cheaper (at least, it seems that way initially — more on this later).

Paraffin candles — even vegan variants — have been proven to emit toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene, which have been linked to cancer and hormone disruption. This can be especially harmful to people who enjoy keeping their candles lit for hours at a time, as breathing in large amounts of soot from a paraffin candle is similar to breathing in fumes from burning diesel. Meanwhile, soy candles don’t emit these toxic fumes.

Why Choose Soy Candles?

Each of our choices leaves a mark on the planet, but some make bigger environmental footprints than others. Paraffin wax comes from crude oil. Unlike soy, crude oil is a non-renewable resource — one that’s a known cause of environmental calamities such as oil spills and damage to natural habitats. While soybean agriculture has been singled out for causing widespread deforestation, organisations around the globe have been placing measures to prevent further damage.

It’s also important to note that paraffin candles burn 50 percent quicker than their denser soy counterparts. This is what makes paraffin candles so great at dispersing strong scents. However, some would say that a slow burn that gradually releases fragrance is much better than an overpowering scent from the get-go. Even though soy candles may seem more expensive than their paraffin counterparts, they last longer, which means that they’re often the more economical choice in the long run. In other words, soy candles aren’t just good for animals, they’re better for your health, the environment, and your pocket.

Spinach & Feta Quiche

I used Violife Vegan Feta but you can substitute whatever you like. Basics adapted from Oh She Glows from the Basic Vegan Quiche post. I actually used a bought GF vegan crust this time but usually I use this crust recipe.

Spinach & Feta Quiche

Ingredients

For the Crust:
1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together
1 cup whole almonds, ground into flour
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into flour
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
1-2.5 tbsp water, as needed

For the Quiche:
1 block (14-oz) firm tofu
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 leek or yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2.5 cups organic frozen spinach (thawed)
7oz vegan feta cheese (or subsitute)
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan (I used Follow Your Heart Parmesan shreds)
3/4-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Black pepper, to taste


Method

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a round 10-inch tart pan.
Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch glass pie dish if desired.
Wrap rinsed tofu in a few tea towels.
Place a few books on top of it to lightly press out the water while you prepare the crust.

For the crust: Whisk together flax and water mixture in a small bowl and set aside so it can gel up.
In a large bowl, stir together the almond meal, oat flour (or buckwheat flour), parsley, oregano, and salt.
Add in the flax mixture and oil.
Stir until mostly combined, adding the remaining water until the dough is sticky (about the consistency of cookie dough).
The dough should stick together when you press it between your fingers.
Crumble the dough evenly over the base of the tart pan (or pie dish).
Starting from the center of the pan, press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan.
Poke a few fork holes in the dough so air can escape.
Bake the crust at 350F for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch.
Set aside to cool while you finish preparing the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375F.

For the filling: Break apart the tofu block into 4 pieces and add into food processor.
Process the tofu until smooth and creamy.
If it doesn't get creamy, add a tiny splash of almond milk to help it along.
In a skillet, add oil and saute the leek (or onion) and garlic over medium heat for a few minutes.
Stir in salt.
Stir in the ingredients you are using. Some you may want to precook, others you may just need to heat through.
Remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined.
Adjust seasoning to taste if desired.
Spoon mixture into baked crust and smooth out with a spoon until even.
Bake quiche, uncovered, at 375F for 33-37 minutes, until the quiche is firm to the touch.
Allow to cool for around 15-20 minutes before cutting. Served cold with salad is amazing!