Sophie's Kitchen Sea Salt Vegan Toona

I'm always excited to see another Vegan Tuna on the market! I loved real tuna back in the day and I've been hopeful that there would a perfect Vegan analog. Sea Salt Vegan Toona from Sophie's Kitchen is the newbie and I scooped up a can from Vegan Essentials asap. I wish I could stop this review right now and tell you Vegan Toona is awesome and you should buy it. Unfortunately, I cannot...

My first red flag was the smell. It had a beefy aroma which was off-putting to me. But you know, once you mix it with Vegan mayo it should be fine, right? No, not really. Still smelled. The Toona looks like cat food, dark and unappetizing. The taste was kinda' indescribable. Sulfur-like with a beefy taste. I'd like to believe I got a bad can, but I don't think so. Maybe Sophie's Kitchen has a different idea of what canned tuna tastes like? I took one bite and had to throw it all away. I'm a cheap bastard and never toss stuff, but I had to do it.

In closing, if you've had Vegan Toona and you love it, please make your voice heard. I hated it, but maybe I'm in the minority. This review has been harsh, but I stand by my opinion. What makes it hard is Sophie's received another negative review from me over their Vegan Breaded Shrimp. I have no problem with Sophie's Kitchen, in fact, I wish I could support their all-Vegan line of seafood analogs. I hope the next thing I try from them is a home run.

Gardein Golden Fishless Filet

The first time I had a Gardein Golden Fishless Filet was at Expo West in Anaheim over the Spring. It was my favorite product of the show, and I've been eagerly waiting its arrival in Omaha. Well it's finally here! I found it at my local Natural Grocers of all places. I was delightfully surprised and super excited to relive the delicious experience. So the question is, were they as good as the ones I had at Expo West? The answer is YES, YES, YES!

To me, the filets taste like Long John Silver's fish filets. Tons of batter, a little greasy and very filling. I've had food like this in a Vegan restaurant, but never from the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. It's really game-changing (to me anyway) that you can have a frozen Vegan fish filet that is decadent and better that the real thing. I have a feeling that meat eaters (or fish eaters, whatever) will really take to what Gardein has done here. The filets are not revamped Crispy Tenders, they really look and taste like battered fish!

The batter is divine, nice and crispy. The toaster oven or regular oven is recommended for cooking and I totally agree. Don't even mess with the microwave on this one. The inside is juicy and tangy, it will really take you back. How they got the texture and flavors down, I have no idea, but I'm happy they did!

As you can see, I made up my little version of Vegan Long John Silver's. It's got balsamic vinegar, ketchup, fries and the filets. I died! It was soooo good. Now let's be honest, this isn't low fat food. It's greasy, but that's what makes it so wonderful. Sometimes I wanna' splurge and this is the perfect food to do so.

Gardein has become the king of Veganizing food experiences from my non-Vegan past. Chicken Fingers? Check. Beef Cutlet? Check. Chicken Patties? Check. So far, this is my favorite new product of the year and I don't know what could possible top it, but I'd sure love to see someone try.