Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares

One of this years most anticipated Vegan products has finally landed at my local Whole Foods. Yes, Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares are out and about in the world. The Vegan version of Cheez-its has Vegans losing their minds. Earth Balance has been on a streak lately, releasing anticipated products like Sour Cream and Onion Kettle Chips, Cheddar Puffs and P.B. Popps. I've been excited to try the Cheddar Squares from a blogging perspective, but growing up I was definitely more of a Ritz cracker person. So, do the Vegan Cheddar Squares warrant the hype?

The answer is absolutely yes! These are the real deal. The flavor is everything you could want from a Cheez-it type cracker. Strong "cheddar" flavor in a little bite size cracker. And these really are bite sized! No dipping them in your homemade Vegan dips but they would be great to crush up over your salad. My only complaint is that there is a bit of an aftertaste, but it's not unpleasant, just noticeable. So go get a box and let me know what you think (some of you already have on Facebook.) Find them at your local Whole Foods or online at Rabbit Food Grocery and Vegan Essentials.

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Ms. Cupcake

Earlier this year, Isa and I fulfilled our life long dreams of traveling to London, England. We painted the town Vegan and met some really cool people! One of the coolest people we met across the pond was Mellissa Morgan, aka Ms. Cupcake. Mellissa is the creator of the Ms. Cupcake Vegan cupcake shop, which is London's first entirely Vegan bakery!

Ever since I saw Quarrygirl's YouTube video spotlighting Ms. Cupcake, I knew I had to meet her. If you won't be making your way to London anytime soon, check out the recently released Ms. Cupcake: The Naughtiest Cupcakes in Town! Cookbook. It's a gorgeous big hardcover book with tons of scrumptious cupcakes. Mellissa was born in Canada, so she knows what's good on both sides of the Atlantic. Obviously, Ms. Cupcake is gaga over cupcakes, but what is her favorite candy?  

What is your favorite veggie burger?
In the UK we have a brand called ‘Redwood Foods’ and their Quarter Pounder burgers are brilliant!

What is your favorite frozen dinner?
I adore Amy’s Dairy Free Rice Macaroni & Cheeze. It reminds me of childhood when I would beg my Mom for Mac and Cheese. I’m proud to say that I always slather it with ketchup for a proper trip down memory lane!

What is your favorite ice cream? Purely Decadent PEANUT BUTTER ZIG ZAG from the So Delicious brand. We can’t get it in the UK, but it’s the first thing I pick up when I go and visit my family in Toronto!

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
I’m a pretzel girl – LOVE pretzels. And Pringles. In the UK they mark the flavours that are vegan as ‘vegan’ which I love.

What is your favorite cereal?
I love the Dorset Cereal range of mueslis – the nuttier the better!

What is your favorite candy?
Summer Peaches from the Goody Good Stuff range. I could eat bag after bag. I’m also a big Go Max Go bars fan.

What is your favorite cookie?
I’m seriously jealous of the Trader Joe’s range you guys have in the USA – some pretty awesome cookies to be found there! I’m a huge fan of Speculoos cookies – we have a brand called Lotus over here which are awesome (I think they are called Biscoff in the US?)

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
Vegusto Piquant Cheese (best vegan cheese – EVER), Jokerz bars, and Fry’s Family Chicken Style Strips – very versatile.

Name a product you would like Veganized?
Twix bars and Kit Kats.

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
My shop is a great place to shop :) We have a few Whole Foods markets in London which are great to pick up supper. For online we use VeganStore.co.uk and GoodnessDirect.co.uk.

And that concludes The Laziest Vegans Top Ten. Thanks Ms. Cupcake!

Upton's Naturals VeganChicken Salad Sandwich

I made my normal walk to the wall of the refrigerated prepared foods at Whole Foods, because I'm always looking for something new. To my surprise, there was an unfamiliar Upton's Natural sandwich. It's called the VeganChicken Salad Sandwich and it knocked my socks off! Hands down my favorite Upton's sandwich so far. Let's talk a little bit more about this delight stuffed within a pretzel roll.

First off, the bread is completely different. It's labeled as a pretzel roll and I can't think of a better decription. It really tastes like you are biting into a soft pretzel! Absolutely delicious. The "VeganChicken Salad" is Upton's famous seitan mixed with a little mayo, mustard, cranberry and more. Such great flavors; everything from herbiness, sweetness, zestiness and back. The Upton's VeganChicken Salad Sandwich is my new go to sandwich and I hope you get to try one soon!

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!

Whole Foods 365 Breaded Chickenless Nuggets

Recently, Whole Foods has introduced quite a few new 365 Vegan frozen items. One of them that really caught my eye was the 365 Breaded Chickenless Nuggets. I really loved chicken nuggets growing up and I have been sampling different Vegan chicken nuggets for the last 13 years. These ended up being some of the best nuggets I've ever had! I'm willing to bet most meat eaters won't know the difference.   

As you can see, I like a little fry action with my nuggets. The 365 Nuggets are nice and crisp out of the oven. In the past, I've had nuggets that were just a soggy mess and that isn't the case here. Taste-wise, they reminded me of my elementary school chicken nuggets. That's not a diss by any means! If you liked chicken nuggets at any point in your life, I think you'll love these 365 Breaded Chickenless Nuggets.

Engine 2 Rip's Big Bowl Banana Walnut Cereal

I'm not very knowledgeable about the Engine 2 Diet, but I'd be living under a rock if I said I didn't know about it. From blurbs on Twitter to books and DVD's for sale at Whole Foods, it's seems to be very popular. I'm definitely all for anything that gets people to go Vegan. So when I saw three varieties of Engine 2 cereal for sale, I wasn't entirely surprised. There seems to be an entire line of Engine 2 foods available exclusively to Whole Foods (including crackers, hummus, and almond milk). The three cereal choices are Original, Triple Berry Walnut and Banana Walnut. I always found bananas in cereals to be interesting, so I opted for Banana Walnut.

There are so many things going on in this cereal that I really don't know where to start! You've got oats, shredded wheat biscuits, millet, sprouted lentils, sprouted soybeans, flaxseeds, bananas and walnuts. It's probably fair to say that this is one of the healthiest cereals I've ever had, very nutritionally solid. Taste-wise, I thought it was very hearty and had a nice toasty flavor that kept me coming back for more. There is an ever slight sweetness from the bananas. I would have liked more bananas, but you could always cut up your own or add some other kind of fruit. The texture is all over the place. If you like Muesli, then this is your kind of cereal.

One caveat: I noticed that the cereal tends to get soggy pretty quickly, so make sure you eat it right away after adding your almond (or whatever) milk. Ultimately, I enjoyed the Banana Walnut and now I'm excited to try the Triple Berry Walnut. If you are looking for a super healthy cereal with no added sugar, I think you just found it!

Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds (plus John's Laziest Pizza)

Trader Joe's has a new Vegan cheese and it's not Daiya! Trader Joes's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds are basically Galaxy Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds, which I've never had before. Since it's Mozzarella, I thought I would put it to the true test and try it on a pizza. Lazy pizza anyone???  

I keep my pizzas pretty simple. First, I procured some Whole Foods pre-made dough and marinara sauce. Both are super tasty and obviously very easy to work with. For toppings, I grabbed Tofurky Pepperoni Slices and some black olives. The Tofurky Pepperoni Slices are great if you miss that old pepperoni flavor. I normally would do green pepper with the olives but I totally forgot. Now let's see how the cheese and pizza turned out!

The Trader Joe's Mozzarella was really interesting. If you eat it raw, it honestly doesn't taste very good. But when I melted it all over the pizza, I found it to be quite good! When it melts (and it does melt), the mozzarella gets a bit gloopy almost like a glaze. It's definitely a different beast than Daiya. So if love Daiya and think it has no faults whatsoever, this probably isn't the cheese for you. I like Daiya too, but I find it to be too rich in large quantities, the flavor taking over whatever you put it on. It's just nice to have another option out there. This cheese is pretty mild and didn't overwhelm the other flavors. The pizza itself was great and I really love those Tofurky Pepperonis.

In closing, I'm always happy to see new Vegan products, especially cheese. I thought the Trader Joe's Mozzarella tasted great when melted and had a nice neutral flavor. It is almost an anti-Daiya cheese, which I feel the world needs.

Upton's Naturals Vegan BBQ Bowl

This is going to be another one of those posts that makes you upset that you don't live in the Midwest, so I'll apologize now. I'm sorry, so sorry! Since I do live in the Midwest, I was able to try Upton's Naturals newest ready-to-go offering, the Vegan BBQ Bowl. This is what you call a complete meal! Barbequed seitan, kale and mac & cheese - 16 ounces worth, in a ready-to-go microwavable bowl. Two minutes in the microwave and zap, dinner is served. 

The barbequed seitan is exactly what you've come to expect from Upton's- plump, juicy and plentiful. The sauce is sweet and tangy. The mac & cheese isn't as cheesy as some people would like, but I liked it just fine. I mixed it with the BBQ sauce and it was heavenly. And to my surprise, there was kale at the bottom of the bowl. Talk about a nice, well-rounded meal. If the Vegan BBQ Bowl isn't your style, there is also an Indian style Vegan Ashram Bowl and the Vegan Macro Bowl. Thank you (again) to Upton's for making some amazing Vegan food!

Upton's Naturals Vegan Chipotle Wrap

Earlier this year, my local Whole Foods in Omaha got a whole lot cooler by carrying Upton's Naturals Wraps and Sandwiches. It's great to have to-go Vegan food for lunches, make-shift picnics or even a snack before you shop (don't go grocery shopping when you are hungry, take my word for it!) My favorite wrap varies, right now it's the Chipotle. Other wrap flavors are Chicken Bacon Ranch and Sesame. The sandwich choices are BBQ Slaw and Focaccia Sandwich.

As you can see, Upton's is generous with their seitan! A Chipotle Wrap is pretty filling, with 22 grams of protein per wrap. That's what I call a power lunch. Flavor wise, the Chipotle sauce has a little kick but it's nothing you can't handle. Now for the bad news... it looks like the wraps are only available in Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. So what this means is that you need to come visit the Midwest and see how we get down!

Sweet & Sara Peanut Butter Smore

Welcome to Vegan MoFo VI! I can't believe this is my third MoFo. For those who aren't familiar with my blog, I review Vegan convenience foods. It's not rocket science, but it's stuff I eat anyway and I enjoy doing it. So with that said, I'm going to review one of my all time favorite treats, the Sweet & Sara Peanut Butter Smore!

As a lot of you know, I'm a Sweet & Sara Smore freak. I seriously eat two of these a week, minimum. I convinced Whole Foods Omaha to carry them, thank god. Eating a PB Smore is euphoric to me. Is it health food? Hell no. But that's what the gym is for. Everyone deserves a vice.   

Peanut buttery, marshmallowy, chocolaty, graham crackery goodness. The first bite is always the best. As I get closer to the end of the smore, I get a little sad inside. Did I eat enough smore? Probably not. Should I eat another one? That's always the struggle.

I don't have a rating or anything on my blog, but I would give this the highest rating possible. Like 20 marshmallow thumbs up. And then some.

Hilary's Eat Well Veggie Burgers

Hiding at your local Whole Foods is Hilary's Eat Well Veggie Burgers. The reason I say hiding is because Hilary's contacted me about reviewing their burgers and I said I would be more than happy to, but my Whole Foods didn't carry Hilary's Eat Well products. Hilary's said they did, so the next day I went to Whole Foods and sure enough, there was the Spicy Green Chili Adzuki Bean Burger and The World's Best Veggie Burger tucked away in a small box in the freezer section. So they're hard to spot, but the good news is, once you find them, you'll never forget.

There are two burgers per package and one wrapper, so there's no box waste. A pretty nifty idea I think. Also both burgers nut-free and gluten-free, great if you have those allergies. Another amazing thing is that you can cook them in the oven, microwave, skillet OR the toaster. So let's take a look!

Did the World's Best Veggie Burger live up to it's name? It was definitely my favorite of the two. Some of the major ingredients include millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, spinach and onion. It almost has a chick'n patty flavor more so than a meaty flavor, which I liked. I toasted the burger in the max toaster setting and it came out pretty good. It was a bit dry but once you get ketchup or Vegenaise on the patty, you'll be in good shape. I thought it was a pretty delicious burger and one of my new favs.
 

The Spicy Green Chili Adzuki Bean Burger was rockin' as well. It also has millet, quinoa, sweet potatoes, onions but it also has green chiles and obviously adzuki beans. I microwaved the Adzuki Burger and it got a tad mushy, but toasting may resolve that. I loved the spiciness! It's a great contrast to the other burger. Try some Vegenaise, tomatoes and lettuce, so good! I'll definitely be picking these up again.

Bottom line: I was pretty impressed with these burgers and it's a shame I didn't notice them sooner. I would try them for sure if you are into burgers that don't have a strong meaty flavor. The option of toasting is pretty ingenious and being allergy-friendly is nice, too. Head down to your Whole Foods and give 'em a try!

The Laziest Vegan Salad

Thanks to the boiling hot summer from hell, I've taken to eating more salads. It just seems more enjoyable to eat something cool, crisp and light then something heavy and hot. I've also always had trouble getting all of my daily veggies in, so eating a big salad kind of resolves that. Being the lazy Vegan that I am, I devised the easiest and most satisfying salad possible, while staying within the pre-packaged rules of my blog.

Yes, I know it would be cheaper to buy veggies from the farmer's market, but that's not the point. This is for people who never eat salad because they are lazy but are also salad-curious. Don't worry salad-phobic people, it's all about baby steps. Just do what you can to eat a couple more veggies everyday.   
    

Well, first you need to start with a mix of greens. Do yourself a favor and stay away from iceberg lettuce and get some spinach or kale. This Earthbound Farm Organic Power Greens mix is pretty nice because it has baby kale, baby spinach and baby green and red chard.

At my Whole Foods, there is always tons of pre-packaged organic vegetables. I chose the broccoli and cauliflower mix, but you can get whatever veggies you heart desires.

These pre-washed Bunny-Luv carrots are pretty amazing. I HATE peeling carrots so these are heaven to me. Someone told me that baby carrots have less beta carotene than normal sized carrots. Well, if that's true, a little beta carotene is better than none because I'm not peeling carrots!

I love sprouts! They add crunch, texture and healthy flavor to salads. I almost got some bean sprouts, but opted for these Sun Sprout alfalfa sprouts instead. And make sure you throw the leftover alfalfa on a sandwich. 

The one thing I don't like about salads is that they can be so boring! You're eating a damn salad, so make sure you put something fun on it. I don't know, get those Snapea Crisps or some raisins. On this salad, I threw some Pig Out Bacony Bits from Wayfare. They add a little texture and are super tasty.

This Salad Girl Crisp Apple Maple Dressing really hit the spot. It was sweet, but not overpowering. Follow Your Heart also has a ton of amazing dressings you should check out. I also kick it old school once in a while and use Braggs Liquid Aminos Seasoning.

So here is my Laziest Vegan Salad! Pretty, isn't it? As you can see, I've added a some tomatoes from my garden. If you've never grown a tomato, try it, it's pretty easy! You won't believe how much better they taste than the store bought ones. If I can grow a tomato, anyone can. In closing, if you are a Lazy Vegan, it doesn't mean you can't eat a couple veggies a day and a salad is the easiest way to do it!

Whole Foods 365 Organic Peanut Butter Balls Cereal

On my last trip to Whole Foods, I noticed some of their 365 brand cereals were labeled Vegan right on the front of the box. That really makes my job easy so I decided to grab the most appealing cereal (to me anyway). I lobbed the Peanut Butter Balls box right into my cart.

I guess you could describe them as peanut butter Kix. I thought they were great! A nice peanut buttery taste and not too sweet. It says on the box that they are organic and made with real peanut butter, which is a nice touch. Compared to the other pb cereals out there, I'd say Peanut Butter Balls holds its own. It doesn't really bring anything mind blowing to the table, but being the 365 brand, it's fairly cheap. So if you are a peanut butter connoisseur, a lover of organic and natural ingredients and a cost conscious shopper, this is the cereal for you!

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Laura Beck

Laura Beck is the spitfire behind Vegansaurus, the Bay Area based Vegan super blog. When she's not running the streets with the magical pink dinosaur, Laura also writes for VegNews, The Huffington Post and SF Weekly. I was honored to meet Laura last month at Vida Vegan Con where she gave the opening address. It goes without saying that she is super nice in person and I can't wait to visit her the next time I go to see my beloved Oakland A's. So now I bring you the one and only Laura Beck!

What is your favorite store-bought veggie burger?
Boca burgers are pretty much my first, my last, my everything. The new Gardein burger tastes JUST like a bb, it's true.

What is you favorite frozen dinner?
Amy's frozen breakfast burrito topped with guacamole and salsa.

What is your favorite ice cream?
So Delicious Coconut Turtle Trails.

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
Kettle Brand Tias in Salsa Picante. They're vegan Doritos!!

What is your favorite cereal?
Kix and/or Wheatabix. I say and/or because they're really good mixed up with some frozen berries and almond milk. I'm fancy.

What is your favorite candy?
I'm recently into Sjaak's Eli bars. HOLY CRAP, they are magical. They taste like good quality versions of delicious junky candy bars. Also, I love those boom CHOCO boom rice milk bars
because they taste like really cheap waxy milk chocolate, and I used to love that stuff. Screw Godiva, get me a Palmer's Chocolate Easter Bunny and I'm in heaven. If someone makes a vegan version of that, I will buy a million. Or at least ten.

What is your favorite cookie?
I love Liz Lovely everything, because you're eating cookie dough but it's in cookie form! Genius! I also love Eat Pastry cookie dough in all flavors, and the vegan chocolate chip cookies at Trader Joe's. I think they're actually Uncle Eddie's maybe?? Anyway, they taste like chewy Chips Ahoy. So good!

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
It really depends on where the island is and if they have fruit bearing trees and kale sprouting from the sand and shit. Okay, probably not. If I could REALLY choose, I'd take veganized Twinkies, Ho Ho's, and Ding Dong's. I am not going down skinny! Since that's probably cheating, I'll say Follow Your Heart Mozzarella (I really like that stuff, not to melt, but to cut up and eat on crackers, so good!), Uh, I guess crackers then, probably Dr. Krackers, and... Nacheez. It's my current infatuation.

Name a product you would like Veganized?
I'd love to be able to go to Denny's and get pie. Preferably Coconut Cream or Lemon Meringue, but I'd be happy with pretty much any kind... just to have pie availability at 3 a.m. would be the best ever.

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
Rainbow Grocery, Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods, Food Fight Grocery, and Vegan Essentials. And Natural Candy Store! CANDY.

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

Candle Cafe Frozen Foods

When I first heard Candle Cafe was going to create their own frozen dinners my ears perked up. I've been to Candle 79 and I have to say they make some of the most amazing food in the world. How that would translate to the frozen world I wasn't sure. So over the course of four days I tried each of the new dinners: Macaroni & Vegan Cheese, Tofu Spinach Ravioli, Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce and Ginger Miso Stir-Fry. These can only be found at Whole Foods as they are the exclusive retailer. Well, let's get down to it!

Macaroni & Vegan Cheese- I liked it! If you know Daiya (pronounced DAY-YA, git with it people!!!) like I do, then you'd know instantaneously that the cheese is Daiya. It's not a problem for me, but it is interesting that they don't mention it on the package. I did have a problem with the fact that it was creamy on one side and liquidy on the other (*probably due to the fact I didn't stir the dinner as instructed). I'm not sure if it's like that in all the Mac dinners but it was a tad weird. What I loved was the spiral noodles and the flavor. I guess it depends on how you feel about Daiya. If you don't like it, this is a no-go, if you do then you'll probably like this dinner.

Tofu Spinach Ravioli- Again, the first thing you'll notice is the Daiya sprinkled on top of the ravioli. What I enjoyed about this dinner is that the ravioli was nice and tender. I also enjoyed the taste of the raviolis mixed with the red sauce and cheese. It's a nice change of pace from your typical frozen dinner. I'd totally buy this one again.

Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce- I wasn't feeling the Seitan Piccata at all. The seitan was a little rubbery and the rice was dry. (*The rice was probably dry because I didn't stir the dinner as instructed). The sauce was overpoweringly lemony and oddly sweet. I actually had this dish at Candle 79 so this was really disappointing.

Ginger Miso Stir-Fry- I don't love strong ginger flavors, but despite that, I thought this dinner was ok. The tofu was tasty and the rice was moist. Would I ever buy it again, though? Probably not.

Candle Cafe has the impossible task of making these frozen dinners live up to their reputation. I enjoyed the cheesy dinners but the inclusion of Daiya is an interesting and possible controversial choice. The portions seem smaller than other frozen dinners and the meals seem to be directed at health conscious buyers. So bottom line, I think if you are on a diet and you want a good tasting Vegan meal, these Candle Cafe dinners are a decent choice. But if you are hoping these dinners are going to save you a trip to Candle Cafe or Candle 79, you are sadly mistaken.

* I'm lazy.

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Sara Sohn

Sara Sohn is the genius behind the Vegan marshmallow company Sweet & Sara. She has been making Vegans happy since 2005 with some of the most delicious and decadent desserts out there, from her peanut butter smore to her rice crispy treat. Vegan since 13, Sara set out to fill the Vegan marshmallow void. Taking over a year to get the perfect recipe, she unleashed her marshmallows unto the public. Now Sara shares with us her favorite Vegan goodies (besides her own of course!). It is with extreme pleasure that I bring you Sara Sohn!

What is your favorite store-bought veggie burger?
Not into veggie burgers too much but if Boca is grilled right it can be pretty darn good. I'm more of Chik'n burger kinda gal – the Boca Chik'n patties are awesome.

What is your favorite frozen dinner?
I used to live on Celentano Eggplant Rollettes but I think those don’t exist anymore but who cares because Tofurky Pizza is where it’s at. I cried when I first had one. Mmm

What is your favorite ice cream?
There’s nothing like Lula’s. I've trekked through blizzards, braved horrendous rainstorms, and endured blistering heat waves just to get my ice cream fix, no joke – it’s one of the happiest places on Earth. I'm there every Friday – see you there? When I cant get to Lula’s, I go for Purely Decadent coconut based Vanilla or Turtle Trails – near perfection.

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
Oh man, I'm a sucker for chips. Wanna be my bestie? Get me a bag of Lays BBQ chips or Tings. EcoPlanet “cheddar” crackers are crazy dangerous, I've eaten an entire box in one sitting and then eyed the other one.

What is your favorite cereal?
Peanut Butter Panda Puffs + Gorilla Munch + almond milk =breakfast of chimpions. I mean champions.

What is your favorite candy?
Besides Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallow goodness? Go Max’s Peanut Butter Cleos, Eli’s butterfingers, and Skittles, now that they’re gelatin free!

What is your favorite cookie?
Not too exciting but I think Whole Foods makes the best chocolate chip cookie ever. And Im obsessed with the Q-bel chocolate hazelnut wafer cookies.

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
Alright, here we go. Guacamole. Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter. Tofurky’s Hickory Smoked Turkey Deli Slices.

Name a product you would like Veganized?
Spam – I know, so nasty but I loved spam! I miss omelettes too. I also haven’t had a good white chocolate bar.

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?
Food Fight Grocery, Vegan Essentials, Cosmos Vegan Shoppe, and Pangea for online shopping and Lifethyme + Whole Foods for local shopping.

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

The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Moby

Photo by Sunny Khalsa

Back in 1996 I bought Everything is Wrong by Moby. As I read the liner notes, I had my first taste of what a Vegan was. Although I didn't go Vegan till 7 years later, those liner notes have stuck with me as one of my ah-ha moments. I will always credit Moby for getting 17 year-old John to start questioning some of the ideas I grew up with.

Fast forward 15 years and 7 albums, Moby is a legend. Yes, he has sold tons of albums and toured the world but he has also contributed time and money to countless charities. His newest album & accompanying book is called Destroyed. Moby describes the album as "broken down melodic electronic music for empty cities at 2 am". The book is a collection of photos Moby took while dealing with insomnia on tour.

And ok, I tried my best to not to go all fanboy and blab about how he autographed my Animal Rights CD in 2000 or how I made Melisser Elliott introduce me to him at her book signing last fall, but I fail! Now without further ado, Moby!

What is your favorite store-bought veggie burger?

i don't remember, sadly. it was wheat gluten based and it was amazing but it doesn't exist anymore and i don't remember what it was called. but it was the best. sniff. i miss it.

What is you favorite frozen dinner?
amy's enchilada dinner. it's pretty flawless.

What is your favorite ice cream?
it's soy delicious awesome chocolate. terrible, terrible name, not even sure if it's supposed to be a pun. but amazing ice cream.

What is your favorite chip or cracker?
garden of eatin pico de gallo. again, a flawless piece of vegan junk food.

What is your favorite cereal?
i think they're called peanut butter poppers? sounds sort of like amyl nitrate. but no, it's an amazing cereal.

What is your favorite candy?
gnosis raw chocolate. absurdly expensive but completely worth the price.

What is your favorite cookie?
babycakes. well, anything babycakes. they can do no wrong.

What three pre-packaged food items would you take to a desert island?
the awesome chocolate ice cream if it somehow didn't melt. amys vegan enchiladas if i had an island microwave. a box of babycakes mini cupcakes.

Name a product you would like Veganized?
humans.

What are your favorite local and/or online stores for Vegan products?

i live in l.a. now, so 99% of the time i shop at whole foods, although the nature mart in los feliz is pretty good and old skool and reminds me of health food stores in the 70's.

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

Salt Lake City Treasure Hunt

I took a short trip to Salt Lake City and I'm happy to report that it's very Vegan friendly! Great places to eat include Sage's Cafe, Vertical Diner, Evergreen, Este Pizza and City Cakes. I also spent a lot of time at the Trolley Square Whole Foods. While there I found a couple things I haven't seen anywhere else.

In the freezer section I spied these Raw Macaroons from Raw Melissa. They're straight outta Utah and pretty good! Coconutty goodness.

I've heard rumors of Chocolate Pirate Booty but I haven't seen this treasure with my own eyes...until now. Pirate Brands has made a nice twist on the existing Pirate Booty and they are addictive! Absolute chocolate heaven. Now Pirate Brands, pretty please put some more flavor on the Tings, thanks!

One of Annie Shannon's favs, I was excited to spot the Eco Planet Cheddar Crackers on the shelf. Growing up with Goldfish I needed to know if they were really the Vegan equivalent. It's my pleasure to report that they are! Cheesy with cute shapes, kids (and adults) will love these.

This Pacific Mango Macadamia bar from Bora Bora is one delicious snack bar. Flavorful Mango mixed with the crunchy macadamia was a pleasant surprise. It fell apart in my mouth, in a good way. I really enjoyed this!

Last but not least, Sharkies Berry Bites turned out to be one of my favorite finds. They are similar to Annie's Bunny Fruit Snacks (which I also love). Fruity and chewy and fun for big and little kids. Chomp!

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!

Candle Cafe in Your Dessert Case

On my last trip to Whole Foods I noticed something special in the refrigerated section of the bakery. Normally I'll spot a couple Chicago Diner treats or Vegan pumpkin pie, but this time I found Candle Cafe Cheesecake and Tarts! The three flavors of the tarts were Raspberry Linzer, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Mousse. The lone Cheesecake flavor was Vanilla. As someone who has been to Candle 79 I can tell you that they are one of the best Vegan restaurants in the country. So to have them do some prepackaged stuff is exciting to me. Now let's talk a little bit about the goodies!

The Raspberry Linzer Tart had a nice tangy zing without being, too, uh, tart. The rich buttery crust was a plus. And one thing that applies to all of the tarts is that they are very rich. Being rich isn't a problem but you will underestimate the small size and assume you can down one and still be hungry. Not that I know anything about that...

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart is just what a PB lover like me wants. Smooth peanut flavored cream cheese with a hint of chocolate topped off with some peanuts.

Holy crap! My favorite of the four is this vanilla cheesecake. The vanilla taste is strong with an explosion of vanilla bean. Slightly smaller than then the tarts but oh so worth it!

And last but not least is the Chocolate Mousse Tart! Creamy and chocolaty goodness in such a small package. Thank you Candle for branching out to the poor souls that have not been to your restaurants. Now, can you package that cannolli?