Soyatoo Extra Creamy Whip

The great thing about being Vegan is that almost anything can be replicated animal-free. I feel like you should be able to have all of the decadent goodies that non-Vegans have. One such instance is the Soyatoo Extra Creamy Whip. Some of you have probably seen me complain about Soyatoo cans before. In the past I've had trouble getting the normal Soy Whip out of the can (as I'm sure you have, too). So  I gave up on the can and started buying it in the box. Well a month or so ago, I noticed this Extra Creamy can and decided to try again. Shockingly, it worked and actually tasted better than the old stuff.  

As you can see, my strawberries got creamed. Honestly, most of the whip went directly in my mouth as it should. It's thick, creamy and fluffy goodness. So, if you see the Extra Creamy Whip in the stores, give it a chance. And if you want to be non-lazy, you can follow the 7 step process to ensure your whip works correctly. I didn't, of course.

Zen Almond Milk Chocolate Pudding...And Introducing Gloopie®

I loved pudding growing up. Whether it was homemade or out of a lunch box, I had an appetite for all of it. My newest favorite pudding is the Zen Chocolate Almond Milk Pudding. It's chocolaty, rich, smooth and creamy. I really love it! Let's just say I have almost enough UPCs to get the free t-shirt. So now you know that I love it right out of the cup, but I'm going to let you in on my little secret: one day I was eating vanilla ice cream and I wanted some kind of topping. For some reason I thought of putting the pudding on top of the ice cream, and.... Gloopie® was born.

I know what you're thinking, "John, this is madness, it can not be done!" Yes, it was no small feat to think outside the box and combine two of the world's most loved desserts. The ice cream I currently have on hand is the new So Delicious Vanilla Almond Milk. It was kinda nice to taste almond on almond, but I've also tried the Soy Creamy Vanilla and it's equally as good.

Here is Gloopie® in all its glory. The chilly ice cream covered in rich chocolaty goodness. It's pretty decadent if I do say so myself. I know it's a bold step and some of you are not ready to take the leap. If and when the time comes, I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Gloopie® forever!

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Vegan Lazy Smurf

Back before I started I started my blog in 2010, I noticed there was someone around the internets calling themselves Vegan Lazy Smurf. I thought it was really cute because a.) I like the Smurfs and b.) Vegans aren't exactly known for having a sense of humor (self-deprecating humor anyway). So I feel like Lazy Smurf (and to a degree, Whoa Wren) had a part in making me feel comfortable in my Vegan laziness. What you need to know about VLS is that she blogs about travel, her recipes and the great city of Austin, Texas. I recently visited Austin and used her definitive Austin Vegan Guide to make my way around the city. When not blogging, you can find Vegan Lazy Smurf on Twitter, loving Star Trek and dreaming of Hawaii. But I think what you really want to know is what three pre-packaged food items she is going to want when you two are trapped on a desert island, right?    

What is your favorite store-bought veggie burger?
My favorite frozen burger is from an Austin company that used to be a food truck but now sells their frozen hemp burgers and sausages. It's called Good Seed Organic and they are passionately against using GMO ingredients and making sure everything is organic. And their burgers are absolutely delicious. Without a doubt my favorite non-prepackaged veggie burger in the world is at Arlo's trailer here in Austin, they have the best bacon cheeseburger I have ever had and my non-vegan friends seem to be just as stoked about them as my vegan friends. Well maybe not just as stoked but they really like them!

What is your favorite frozen dinner? 
I totally had to look at your Pinterest because I couldn't think of any but yeah there is a lot! I think I'd have to go with the Rising Moon Stuffed Raviolis.

What is your favorite ice cream? 
Whichever one is currently in my freezer. Usually the So Delicious with Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl. They also win for longest name of an ice cream in the history of our world. I like Nadamoo and Tempt too. My all time love, though, is Sweet Ritual in Austin, they have this Not-Tella milkshake there that'll kill you.

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
Any kind of tortilla chips with Food For Lover's queso.

What is your favorite cereal?
Fake Rice Krispies! I mean Cripsy Brown Rice Cereal. I especially like the Erewhon brand.

What is your favorite candy? 
Anything chocolate. I love the Chocolove Dark Almonds with Sea Salt so much.

What is your favorite cookie?
Celeste's Best Chocolate Chip!

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
Big Green Pimento Stuffed Olives, like the kind you put in martini's. It's either olives or a suicide pill for me. After that, I would need some kind of chocolate ice cream and maybe some Grandma's Hummus so I wouldn't starve.

Name a product you would like Veganized? 
I can hardly think of anything that hasn't been veganized, I bought some vegan chicharrones yesterday! I love kit kat bars, I know there are vegan alternatives but it'd be nice to walk into any store in the country and buy one.

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
Rabbit Food Grocery is our fantastic new all vegan grocery in Austin. They keep expending into further realms of awesomeness. I also love Wheatsville co-op here in Austin, their popcorn tofu, frito pie, Red Rabbit Donuts, and greasy mac and cheese make sure I will never waste away.

And that concludes The Laziest Vegans Top Ten. Thanks Vegan Lazy Smurf!

Vegan Chocolate Bar Round Up

You may have noticed that I like my share of Vegan chocolate and candy bars. Lately I've seen some really interesting takes on the chocolate bar. Below you'll find the Chocolate Fakin' Bacon Bar, the Dark Chocolate Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chip Bar, and the Organic Chocolate Pretzel Bar. Quite the variety for Vegan chocolate bars. I'm sure the Frank's Red Hot Chocolate Bar is in the pipeline... If you are a gourmet chocolate fiend, there is a bar with your name on it!

The Fakin' Bacon Bar from Rescue Chocolate. I'm so happy this bar exists! Besides the fact that Rescue Chocolate donates 100% of their profits to charity, it's really nice to have an answer the the hipster bacon craze. To me, the bar really has a bacon flavor. I think if you are on the fence about Vegetarianism or Veganism, having a fake bacon flavored chocolate bar is a nice gateway drug.  

The Dark Chocolate Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chip Bar from Wild Ophelia. I didn't know what to expect with this one. The concept sounded really yummy, but I didn't know if I was going to get bits and pieces of potato chips in the bar or what. After the first bite I had a strong BBQ chip flavor, but no visible chips. Somehow the flavor shines right through. Texture-wise it was very smooth but still had a little crunch.

The Organic Chocolate Pretzel Bar from Chocolate Decadence.  I was really excited for this bar because most of us have had chocolate and pretzels before and I love the combination. Well, I'm happy to say it doesn't disappoint. You get big chunks of salt covered pretzels covered in delicious chocolate. A crunch lovers delight.

Yummy Earth Lollipop and Sour Beans Giveaway!

Yummy Earth contacted me about getting the word out about their Organic Lollipops being sold at Target. It's a really big step to get Vegan products into mainstream stores because non-Vegans will buy them and it gives Veganism some positive exposure. Who can argue with a delicious Organic Vegan Lollipop?  I don't do many giveaways, but I love their Lollipops and Sour Beans and I want everyone to try them! Three winners will receive either a giant bag of Lollipops or Sour Beans.

The contest is super easy. Leave a name, valid email and your choice of lollipops or sour beans in the comments. There will be three winners picked Friday at midnight. Good luck!

Vega Energizing Smoothies

Adding even more awesomeness to their repertoire, Vega has introduced their new supplement, Energizing Smoothies. Available in Vanilla Almondilla, Choc-A-Lot, Bodacious Berry, Oh Natural and Tropical Tango, Vega has kindly sent a sample of each to review and (hopefully) enjoy. I'm approaching these more as dessert drinks even though they are fortified and healthy. So let's see how these smoothies stack up!

My first and favorite of the smoothies is Vanilla Almondilla. For this one I used Almond Milk as the base. Someone on the Laziest Vegans FB page hit it right on the head and said it tastes like marzipan. It has a sweet desserty flavor without all the sugar (only 1 gram!). It says to shake it up to prepare, but honestly, save yourself the time and get a Magic Bullet. It comes out super smooth and fluffy, I love it.

Tropical Tango was my next flavor. For the Tropical Tango, I used water instead of Almond Milk. Having tried both, I would say that Almond Milk was the more enjoyable base. Tropical Tango has a nice tangy flavor, very citrusy.

Now that I know Almond Milk is the best choice for me, the rest of the smoothies are made with it. Bodacious Berry is the next flavor in the Magic Bullet. For some reason it tasted like Cap'n Crunch berries, which isn't a bad thing.

Choc-A-Lot is the home run I thought it would be. Great for chocolate lovers, it has a smooth, almost hot coco taste. Probably the most deserty of the five right next to the Vanilla.

And the last of the samples is the non-flavored Oh Natural. I've had my issues with the natural flavors of Vega in the past, but most of that stems from the fact that I always used water and NEVER mixed anything else in with the powder. So for this Oh Natural taste test, I really wanted to do it right. Staying with the Almond Milk base, I added fresh strawberries from our garden. What came out of the Magic Bullet was more on the protein drink tip, but still enjoyable. Definitely nowhere near the putrid level of natural Vega One with only water, I swear.

So wrapping up, I really enjoyed this Vega Energizing Smoothie experience. Personally, I'll stick to the Vega One for my daily workouts, but I can totally recommend the smoothies for a power dessert or even just a weeknight treat. Keep up the good work Vega!

Moo Free Hazelnut & Banana Chocolate Bars

Always on the look out for yummy chocolate bars, on a recent visit to Vegan Essentials I noticed Moo Free had a couple that I hadn't tried yet. I tracked down the Caramelized Hazelnut and the Crunchy Banana Chip Bars. Right off the bat I'm loving the cute packaging with Clawdia Cat and Hammy Hamster (yes, I'm 6 years old). If you don't know, Moo Free is located in the UK and they are also responsible for the awesome Vegan Advent Calender. So let's crack open these bars and see what's really good!

First off, I noticed that the milk chocolate tastes the same as the Advent Calendar, which I happen to enjoy but some people have told me that it's on the mild side. If you tend to like your chocolate richer, this might not be your bag. I happen to love it, it kinda of reminds me of Nestle Crunch chocolate. The hazelnut nibs and the banana chips are sprinkled on at the bottom of the bars instead of being mixed into the bar. I wish they were more integrated into the bar, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I will say the hazelnuts and bananas are nice and crunchy. These will be great if you want something different besides a plain ol' chocolate bar. So bottom line, if you already like Moo Free's Milk Chocolate, I think you're gonna love these!