The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Angela Gossow

I've always been a metalhead at heart. You know, that kid you made fun of in 1993 for wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt in high school? Yeah, that was me. One of my favorite groups at the time was Carcass. I thought it was cool that they used gross/disturbing imagery and lyrics, yet they were self professed Vegetarians. Well, Carcass disbanded a couple years later and I was pretty bummed.

Fast forward to the early 2000's. One of Carcass's former guitarists, Michael Amott, was looking for a new singer for his band, Arch Enemy. Angela Gossow stepped into the role and helped create the classic album Wages of Sin. From that album on, I've been a huge Arch Enemy fan. I finally got to see them live a couple years ago in Denver and they blew the stage away! On their last album, Khaos Legions, Angela penned a song about animal experiments and torture called Cruelty Without Beauty. It has a great message and it's a wicked tune. But what I really wanna know is what kind of cookies does Angela like?

What is your favorite store bought veggie burger? 
I don’t eat veggie burgers. Too industrialized and over processed. I don’t eat any soy products to begin with.. Soy disrupts the natural hormone balance in the body due to its high content of soy-isoflavonoides which are natural estrogen triggers.

What is your favorite frozen dinner?
I love frozen veggies on tour. Easy to heat up and with a few spices you got a healthy, lean dinner.

What is your favorite ice cream?
I don’t eat ice cream as its either made from milk or soy milk and got a lot of sugar in it.

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
I love the veggie chips made from beetroot, parsnip, yakon, etc.. and plain kettle cooked potato chips. Only in small quantities though as chips have a crazy amount of fat!

What is your favorite cereal?
Plain oat meal. I add pumpkin seeds, raisins and a fresh cut apple to it.. and a dash of cinnamon - total comfort food! Great when you are stoned, haha.

What is your favorite candy?
I don’t eat candy.. If any, 80%-90% dark chocolate with no sugar added. Best are raw cocoa nibs.

What is your favorite cookie?
I only eat self-baked space cookies, haha.

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
There, I'd go for high calorie food items in case I get stranded on that island.. I am hoping the island got plenty of wild growing fruits, roots and veggies! I'd bring Nuts, oatmeal and dark chocolate.

Name a product you would like Veganized?
I am not really into processed and artificially created foods. I eat 90% of my food in the raw, untreated state. I think there is already enough food creations out there.. too many actually. People forget how great a simple apple tastes or a mango or grapes. Nature is the best cook! The more natural, the better for the body and for the environment.. The more manufacturing processes a product has to run through, the bigger its CO2 footprint! And we really need to reduce carbon emissions - so start with the food you eat!

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
I love Whole Foods Market.. A fantastic choice of fresh produce plus a fantastic salad bar. A real treat on tour!

And that concludes The Laziest Vegans Top Ten. Thanks Angela!

Dr. Cow Aged Cashew and Macadamia Nut Cheese

Earlier this year, I had Dr. Cow Aged Cashew Cheese for the first time. I'm not much of a hard cheese connoisseur, but I was seriously blown away! The Aged Cashew Cheese is so delicious, I knew I had to buy some more so I could blog about it. To up the ante, I also purchased some Dr. Cow Macadamia Nut Cheese to compare. Dr. Cow promotes their cheese as Tree Nut Cheese, which is a cute way of saying it's Vegan without scaring off non-Vegans. Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese is also organic, raw, unpasteurized and gluten-free.  

I could probably eat the cheese by itself very easily, but I decided to pair it with some Late July Classic Rich Crackers. Classic Rich Crackers are very buttery, just like Ritz. A great organic cracker that I find myself buying all the time.

The Aged Cashew Cheese has some salty ranch notes. I can taste the cashew flavor, but it's so refined, you might not notice. Comparing it to real cheese, I would say it has a smoked Swiss flavor. I'm in love with Aged Cashew and will go on the record as saying it's (presently) my favorite cheese. Aged Macadamia Cheese has some fruity notes. I got a strong macadaminan flavor. Very tangy and a little mustardy. I found it a little softer than the Cashew Cheese, which isn't a bad thing.

So if you love hard cheese or cracker cheese, I think you'll really enjoy Dr. Cow. I can recommend the Cashew and Macadamia for sure, and I hope to try the other varieties soon! If you can't find it in your area, Vegan Essentials is having a 10% off sale for the entire month of October, using coupon code "mofo!"