Friday, January 28, 2011

The Canadiana Chocolate Bar

Earlier this month I interviewed Sarah Kramer for my Laziest Vegans Top Ten and she mentioned the Organic Fair Candiana bar was her favorite chocolate bar of all time. I was interested to see if it was really that good. Sarah, being the sweet person she is, sent me a bar to see what I thought.

I know at some point I've stated I'm not the biggest chocolate fan BUT when chocolate is mixed with something I love it. One example I can think of is Nestle Crunch. The rice and chocolate combination is off the hook. So when I bit into the Candiana I was pleasantly surprised that it had a little crunch. The reason for that is the sundried apples mixed into the bar. Also the maple syrup and alder smoked salt really shine through. If you are looking for a chocolate bar that is different from the rest of the pack, pick up a couple Candianas! They are for sale at Sarah's Place right now. Thank you Sarah for introducing me to these delicious bars.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Amy's Proof of Purchase Gift Box!

**Update 9/1/11** Amy's has changed the program a bit. You now get to pick what item you want in exchange for your UPCs. http://www.amys.com/community/proof-of-purchase

About a week ago I finally got around to sending off the 25 Amy's Proof of Purchases. Well surprise, surprise! Look what I got in the mail!!!

I was thinking the gift box would be small! What could possibly be inside???


An awesome Amy's cooler bag to take home your frozen Amy's goodies!

Amy's bag for some casual shopping.

Nifty Amy's thermos for your agua.

A super cute notebook and an Amy's product guide!

Various Amy's magnets and a pen.

And the best part...tons of Amy's coupons!

I can't help but mention that Amy's frozen foods were one of the reasons I was able to go Vegan and stay Vegan. So maybe this gift box means a little more to me than the average person. Thank you Amy's for having this proof of purchase program! Hopefully other companies will take your lead and reward their loyal customers.

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Go Max Go Bars Laziest Vegans Taste Test!

Back once again with the Laziest Vegans Taste Test! This time we tackle the world famous Go Max Go Bars. These candy bars took the Vegan world by storm last year and they haven't looked back. They're facsimiles of everyone's favorite non-Vegan bars: Almond Joy, Three Musketeers, Snickers and Milky Way. Our esteemed panel of food connoisseurs have sampled and reviewed each bar thoroughly. Joining me for this candy bar rendezvous is Jenny K, Dave Laser, Princess Lasertron and Veganette. Let see the results shall we?

Mahalo:
Jenny K- ...mmm....I love the coconut-chocolaty-ness.
Dave Laser- Oh god I used to love Almond Joy! A very sufficient doppelganger!
Princess Lasertron- I don't really like coconut but this is super good. Love the nuts.
Veganette- Satisfies all of my coconut macaroon needs.
Me- These are good and different but I couldn't eat them all the time.

Buccaneer:
Jenny K- Great flavor, but really chewy.
Dave Laser- Caramel overload, but in a good way.
Princess Lasertron- Caramel chocolaty! A little too gummy for me.
Veganette- This is my favorite because I have been chasing the nougat for years. Finally I have her in my grasp. She shan't get away again!
Me- My second favorite, a very smooth candy bar.

Jokerz:
Jenny K- Just like I remember Snickers.
Dave Laser- Not normally into peanuts as candy.
Princess Lasertron- *sample stolen* WTF?
Veganette- This could make one man weep and another man cry. In a good way!
Me- Nutty and sweet! Nice for a noontime snack.

Twilight:
Jenny K- Super caramel flavor! It's my close second.
Dave Laser- Very similar to Milky Way but without the garbage.
Princess Lasertron- Too much caramel- like a Rolo. Chocolate gum!
Veganette- I love it but it tastes more caramel than nougat. I would like these in a box of chocolates.
Me- The best. It restores my faith in the Vegan diet. We can make ANYTHING Vegan.

Winners:
Jenny K- Mahalo
Dave Laser- Mahalo
Princess Lasertron- Mahalo
Veganette- Buccaneer
Me- Twilight

By a clear majority, Mahalo wins the crown. Thanks to everyone who participated and of course special thanks to Go Max Go for making Vegans happy!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Call of the Wildwood

When you think of progressive food companies you don't usually think of them being located in the Heartland. East Coast, sure. West Coast, definitely. Oregon, absolutely! But Grinnell, Iowa?

But it's true, the Wildwood plant in Grinnell is where the cultured products for the company are produced. It's exciting that only 200 miles away from me, Wildwood is making healthy organic Vegan food. Locally I can find Wildwood products at Hy-Vee grocery stores and Whole Foods Market. Here's a little review of the products I've tried.

The Probiotic Soymilk is a thick, refreshing beverage that is tasty and good for you. The Mango Peach is ace as I'm sure the other flavors are.

Draining tofu is always such a pain in the ass but not with this vacuumed packed Wildwood Super Firm Tofu. Ready to rock right out of the package, I love this stuff!

Some nice Organic Soymilk Creamer for your coffee or tea. It really does do the job of half & half.

One of my food standbys, the Probiotic Hummus is a great snack with veggies or chips. The available flavors are Roasted Red Pepper, Spicy Cayanne, Low-Fat Classic and Classic.

If you are looking for a good Organic Soy Yogurt, look no further than Wildwood's Probiotic Soyogurt. Thick and creamy with lots of strawberries!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sweet & Sara Marshmallows

The first time I ever had something from Sweet & Sara was in February 2009. I was in Milwaukee for a Cradle of Filth/ Satyricon concert and I was lucky enough to visit the Vegan Essentials warehouse. Once inside, I bought every single Vegan item I've always wanted, like Supermarket Sweepstakes. I spotted some Sweet & Sara Smores in a refrigerator. I'd heard about Sweet & Sara goodies but there was no place in Omaha to purchase them (still isn't!) and I was always reluctant about ordering temperature sensitive food. I remember when I opened up the smore and sank my teeth in...whoa! So decadent and so good. Long story short, I always have that memory when I talk about Sweet & Sara. My second encounter with Sweet & Sara was in Hawaii where I got the Toasted Coconut Marshmallows. Delicious! That box was gone in like a hour. Anyways, I really love Sweet & Sara and I hope the Whole Foods in Omaha wakes up and starts carrying her stuff.

The Sweet & Sara Peanut Butter Smore. I think if the world knew being Vegan doesn't limit you from eating something like this, we'd have it made. Yummy chocolate covered graham cookie with a peanut butter and marshmallow filling. Dear lord.

Sweet & Sara's Mini Marshmallows. They taste super close to the ones I ate as a kid and tiny enough for a warm mug of cocoa!

Sweet & Sara's Strawberry Marshmallows. A gourmet marshmallow that has real strawberries. Very strawberrish and very good! I've heard a rumor of them being seasonal but as of January 9th, I can find them all over online.

The Sweet & Sara Variety Sampler. In the sampler you get Vanilla, Roasted Coconut, Cinnamon Pecan and Strawberry. These are really nice if you can't commit to just one flavor. Out of the four, I'm gonna have to say the Cinnamon Pecan was my favorite. It could be because I've never had it before, or it was just that good.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Sarah Kramer

We're back with the January edition of The Laziest Vegans Top Ten! This month I'm talking to renowned Vegan cookbook author Sarah Kramer. This Victoria, British Columbia resident's amazing cookbook catalog includes How It All Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, La Dolce Vegan and Vegan A Go-Go. You can also catch Sarah in her new 2011 Go Vegan Calendar and the newly revamped GoVegan.net. Not only is there autographed copies of Sarah's books at Sarah's Place, but now Sarah has integrated her love of thrifting and collecting and her favorite Vegan products into a store so you can purchase unique and hard to find items. Let the questions commence!

What is your favorite veggie burger?
My favourite burger is a recipe my Mum used to make me when I was a kid called Big Ben’s Lentil Burgers (pg. 116 in How It All Vegan). The recipe is soooooo easy to make with easy to find ingredients. You can probably make these burgers faster than opening a box of pre-made veggie burgers.

What is you favorite frozen dinner?
When time is tight my hubby and I eat what we call “CURRY IN A HURRY” which is a pre-made curry that comes in a box/bag that you microwave and eat in 2 minutes. It even comes with pre-cooked rice!! :)

What is your favorite ice cream?
My Mum raised me in a sugar free house so I never ate sweets as a kid and as a result I’m not a big fan of ice-cream or sweets in general ... but I do end up eating ice-cream when The Germans are staying at my house. *laugh*

We have friends from Germany who come and visit every summer and they can’t believe the amount of “vegan choices” we have in flavours. They go a little nuts with the ice cream when they visit. My freezer can’t contain all the ice-cream they buy.

Long story short ... My ice-cream of choice is Vanilla Coconut Bliss. :)

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
I love Old Dutch Dill Pickle Chips. They are accidentally vegan and contain no msg. I also love their Ketchup chips. I think they are a Canadian phenomenon.

What is your favorite cereal?
I am not a fan of boxed cereal. No matter how fresh the box; it always tastes dusty to me... like it’s been on the shelf too long.

My favourite cereal is home-made granola. My Mum made all our food from scratch when we were kids and home-made granola makes me squeal with joy. Plus it’s soooo easy to make. :)

What is your favorite candy?
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I LOVE the Canadiana chocolate bar which is locally made here on Vancouver Island. It a dark chocolate sweetened with maple syrup and has sundried apples with alder smoked SALT! Oh my dog. It’s incredible. The perfect combination of sweet and salty. I carry it in my store: www.govegan.net.

What is your favorite cookie?
I’m not much of a sweets person ... did I mention that already? :) If I had to choose a cookie or a pickle; I’d choose the pickle. I love Bubbies Kosher Pickles. I think they are the perfect pickle.

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
God ... my answers are so practical. How embarrassing. *laugh*

1. Coconut Oil (so I could cook and moisturize my face at the same time).
2. A giant bag of nutritional yeast (so I could bake cheezy kale chips on the hot rocks :)
3. A variety box of Luna Bars...

Name a product you would like Veganized?
I want someone to veganize a GF/SF vegan cottage cheese. When I was a stoner teenager we used to make baked cottage cheese on toast and then garnish it with ketchup. Ahhh the munchies. :)

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
Can I pimp my own store? *laugh* I just opened a vegan curios shop online (www.govegan.net) which is a collection of some of my favourite “must have” vegan products as well as vintage items that I find thrift store shopping.

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

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