vegansaurus!

04/27/2015

The Squeeze: so much more than a juice bar!  »

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The Squeeze here in NYC (locations) sent me a care package of goodies to try! I’m not super into the juice craze but that is ok because look at all the non-juice items they sent! They bill themselves as “cold pressed juice and raw comfort food” and I was like, what’s raw comfort food? WELL WONDER NO MORE, MEGAN:

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I doubt you get more raw comfort food steez than Mac ‘n Cheese Kale Chips, right? And these are soooo good! They def have a mac and cheese quality. And I liked them better than most store-bought kale chips I’ve tried. Still not as yum as homemade but def totally yum.

I also really liked the Tollhouse Nookie. It was like a raw cookie thing and while not so much a dessert item, it would make a yummy healthy breakfast. It was kinda like a chocolate granola cookie.

They also sent the Chocolate Squeezola Granola, which I liked too. It was on the crunchy side, not very chewy. The one juice they sent was the PB&J. I have to be honest, I didn’t really like it. But I don’t know, I’m pretty conservative when it comes to juices and my friend Ariela says it’s like her fave juice there.

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Now, here is my most favorite thing!: FunOnions! These are delish and, yes, FUN! I would love to sprinkles these over a loaded baked potato! Or just eat all day. They are sweet and savory and so good!

So often, comfort food is not the food that’s actually good for you–The Squeeze turns that old thinking upside down!

04/10/2015

YUM ALERT: New popchips’ veggie chips!  »

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The fine folks over at popchips sent us enough bags of their new veggie chips to feed a considerably-sized vegan commune. Since there are none in my area, I shared the chips with vegans and non-vegans far and wide (friends, family, and colleagues) to gauge their response.

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If you’re not familiar, popchips are neither baked nor fried; they’re…wait for it…popped! They contain no preservatives, artificial flavors, colors, or ingredients. All three of their veggie chip flavors: tuscan herb; hint of olive oil; and sea salt, are vegan, gluten-free, parve, and non-gmo.

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Aside from the one person who politely declined my invitation to try them because he thought they looked like “dehydrated pepperoni slices,” everyone really enjoyed snacking on the popchips. The sea salt flavor was an overall crowd pleaser, but I found that, overwhelmingly, women loved the olive oil best and men loved the tuscan herb most. I have no idea what that means, if anything, but it was such an obvious and recurrent finding that I would be remiss not to mention it.

I did some significant testing on my own too. As did this nerd, who can apparently reach the counter now. She stole two chips while I was diligently setting up my personal taste-test, but failed to report a flavor preference. Grumpy Cat may or may not be earning her human $100 million dollars and my dog is stealing my pop chips. WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?

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I tried the sea salt first and really enjoyed the lightness of the chip and the hint of salt. Next up was the olive oil, which added a layer of unexpected decadence to the unassuming chip. Finally, the tuscan herb; it was extremely flavorful and the most complex. I admit that I personally enjoyed the olive oil the most, but I think I’d serve the tuscan herb at a gathering to make the most significant impression.

The bottom line is that you really can’t go wrong with any of them. Like most snack foods, it’s super easy to eat a whole bag in one sitting. Also, cats are more lucrative companion animals than dogs.

10/31/2014

Omg, Vegan Yack Attack is killing me with this Halloween cuteness! Apple Jack-o-lanterns!!! What a cute idea. With all the candy the kiddies are going to get, this would be a nice healthy treat to mix in there.
It’s stuffed with peanut butter mixed...

Omg, Vegan Yack Attack is killing me with this Halloween cuteness! Apple Jack-o-lanterns!!! What a cute idea. With all the candy the kiddies are going to get, this would be a nice healthy treat to mix in there. 

It’s stuffed with peanut butter mixed with maple syrup and some other good things but it has raisins… JACKIE, COME ON. Chocolate chips, ever heard of them??

04/25/2014

HOLY SHIT THESE EXIST. That is all.

HOLY SHIT THESE EXIST. That is all. 

04/02/2014

Get gourmet Philly pretzels right here in Brooklyn!  »

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You KNOW your friend Megan Rascal loves the Philly pretzels. So how excited was I when I heard about Pelzer’s Pretzels? Hint: SO EXCITED! 

Pelzer’s Pretzels, located in Crown Heights, BK, was started by a Philly transplant, in the hopes of bringing the Philadelphia soft pretzel game to NYC. Because really, Philly soft pretzels should be as ubiquitous across the country as the prison industrial complex! If not more so!

I emailed with Pelzer’s to find out if they had any vegan options. They have some meaty and cheesy pretzels but their everything, original and cran-mary are totally vegan! I even double checked because the pretzels were so shiny I thought they must be an egg-wash–nope! Veegs! Pelzer’s sent me those three varieties for free to try and some of their spicy beer mustard too. I shared the pretzels with my coworkers because I’m so nice to them. They were a hit! The spicy beer mustard went like hotcakes. 

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You can see just by looking that they are not like regular Philly pretzels, these are on some gourmet steez. They remind me of this super delicious pretzel I had at the Zurich airport once (Megan Rascal: International Hassle). The outside/skin/whatever is so amazing! It’s flavorful and thick and awesome. 

I liked the original of course, and I liked the everything. I thought the everything would be my favorite as I’m an everything-enthusiast, and while I really liked the everything, I’m head over heels for the cran-mary! It’s cranberry and rosemary, if you didn’t get the name. I’m not super into cranberries but they were SO GOOD in the pretzel. And the rosemary? HAVE MERCY. 

You’ll also like this bit from their about us: 

As the source for artisanal Philadelphia style soft pretzels in New York City, Pelzer’s Pretzels is committed to making wholesome and delicious pretzels from the best available ingredients, providing fair wages and promoting worker dignity, and investing long-term in our local Brooklyn community.

Love it! Totally Philly style too. Without the massive chip on the shoulder part. 

You can stop by their storefront or, if you live in Brooklyn, you can have them delivered for a few bucks! I wish I could have everything delivered. Work, love, etc. But especially PRETZELS! 

In conclusion, these are a can’t-miss for any pretzel-lover and a definite boon for the accidentally-vegan Brooklyn food scene! All thumbs up!

Sea Bakin’: Crispy, savory, aquatic vegan treats!  »

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The three glorious flavors of Sea Bakin’

I am a fan of sea vegetables in pretty much any form (hello, B12 source!), but let’s face it, when it’s in the form of “bakin’” (aka crunchy, flavorful awesomeness), I want IN on that action!!

I’d heard that the makers of Sea Bakin’, The Great and Wonderful Sea of Change Trading Company (say THAT three times fast) were walking around Natural Products Expo West, but (sadly) I missed running into them. I was so bummed—I wanted to eat free vegan bakin’, ya’ll!!! Thankfully, I have an in with them (an old friend from my DC raver days, but that’s a WHOLE other story), and they kindly sent me samples of all three flavors to try. Score! The flavors are Garden Vegetable, Maple, and Thai BBQ. I think the Garden Vegetable was my fave, but I liked them all! 

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Up close and personal. They aren’t that pretty but they sure are tasty!

They have a unique texture, but if I were to compare them to anything, I’d say they’re a hybrid of flavored kale chips and toasted seaweed snacks. Seriously deeeeeelish! I ate them alone, and I tried them sprinkled on salads and tofu scrambles. 

Where do you get these delicious little snackys you ask? Their website says they’re available in natural food stores across California (and they’re working on other places), but you can also order directly from them

And finally, what’s a post about bakin’ without some Bacon?!

12/12/2013

Earth Balance Holiday Popps are something that exists WHERE DO WE GET THEM PLEASE REPORT BACK WITH INTEL ASAP.
OK, saw this on their twitter feed so GET YOUR ASS TO WHOLE FOOD PRONTO:
“ Did you know? Time is running out for ‘Tis The Season Popps, now...

Earth Balance Holiday Popps are something that exists WHERE DO WE GET THEM PLEASE REPORT BACK WITH INTEL ASAP.

OK, saw this on their twitter feed so GET YOUR ASS TO WHOLE FOOD PRONTO:

[via The Laziest Vegans, of course! John always has the SCOOP.]

12/02/2013

We heart Nicobella’s delicious vegan chocolates!  »

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You guys are totes going to love Nicobella! Just read this:

We love animals, therefore do not use any animal ingredients. We donate 5% of our sales to our favorite animal organizations (Mercy for Animals, The Gentle Barn, Noah’s Ark of Locust Grove, GA and The Humane Society of the United States). We also donate any left over chocolates that have not been sold to these organizations to be used in auctions, which helps to raise money for animals in need.

Yay! And not only are the chocolates vegan, they are organic, sustainable and fair trade! I tried the Nicobella truffles above and then the “munch” snacks you see below. I LOVE THE MAPLE NUT MUNCH!!!: “Maple-nut munch is a savory healthy snack made with organic, Fair Trade 75% dark chocolate, maple coated roasted pecans and just a touch of sea salt.” OMG RIGHT? You should know by now that I love chocolate and salt together so this is right up my alley. 

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I shared the treats with my coworkers because I’m so nice to them. Once again, they weren’t that interested in the fair-tradeness, sustainability or vegan…ity? But they were def interested in the chocolate part. The truffles were very popular. I think the green tea drew a lot of interest and the pumpkin chai. I liked them too but it was the Maple Nut Munch that took the show in my book. The other Munch flavors went like hot cakes as well. They are especially nice because they seem a bit healthy but still so yummy and chocolatey. 

In conclusion: Nicobella rules! The I just ordered more Maple Nut Munch today because I’m obsessed. 

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Legal bit: I got these for free from the company to try!

07/16/2013

Product Review: Maple Bacon and Sweet & Salty Kettle Chips!  »

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Say what you will about the “hipster” movement over the last few years, but there is a silver lining in the black-Levi’s-with-keys-on-a-carabiner-dangling-from-a-belt-loop cloud. So-called “foodies” have been putting bacon on everything, which is pretty disgusting and unfortunate, but it’s provoked vegan and vegan-friendly food chemists to create some more mock-bacon food stuffs. The bacon craze has always been weird to me; even in my non-vegan days, I never understood the infatuation. I’ve even seen Torani, the company that makes sugary syrups for your coffee beverages, add a “bacon” flavor to their lineup. Seriously dudes? Bacon-flavored coffee? But I digress.

Kettle Brand certainly isn’t the first potato chip company to take a crack at bacon flavor, but as a company who is proud to stamp their bags with “GMO-free” labeling and as a company that knows what “vegan” means, I was pretty excited to try their new summer flavors, Maple Bacon and Sweet & Salty.

If you’re one of the many vegans who couldn’t care less about finding a bacon replacement, then these Maple Bacon chips are actually going to be right up your alley. They were incredibly delicious–they just weren’t bacony. At all. They tasted more in line with K.C. Masterpiece BBQ-flavored Lays, but with Kettle Brands’ better chip as the base. Plus, I can guarantee, with no prior research, the fine folks at Lays probably go to the same country clubs as the fine folks at Monsanto. Again, I digress.

After eating the Maple Bacon chips, I became curious as to what the Sweet & Salty were going to taste like, because that name easily could have gone to the bacon chip, and no one would be the wiser. The Sweet & Salty, however, are WAY sweet. Like, almost as sweet as I am (awww, also I’m single, just kidding (no I’m not)). My vegans-of-Instagram pal Chris, aka @dinotheman, said it best: “Imagine chips with a hint of pineapple flavor and [there] you have it.”

These chips should be already on your grocer’s shelves, just in time for summer cookouts, or in my case, dinner. I’ve eaten entire bags of chips in one sitting before and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They’re both a must-try and please let us know what you think! Kettle Brand deserves a Lays-sized display in the chip aisle. Say no to Monsanto. Monsan-no.

Andrew E. Irons is a blogger from Long Beach, California. He co-created and contributes to a Rhode Island-based hip-hop website, The Echo Chamber Blog, under the pseudonym Verbal Spacey. You can track his daily diatribes by following him on Twitter.

10/25/2012

Label me delicious: Bites of Bliss superfood treats rule!  »

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As a high raw queer vegan, I think about labels a lot, how they’re helpful and also kind of complicated. Labeling a product vegan is a bold visibility move, and I like that. I’ve seen entire Facebook photo albums devoted to highlighting explicitly vegan products. It’s actually really validating, like, WE BUILT THAT, but less offensive because we’re talking about the vegan movement and not political tomfoolery. I do worry that overtly vegan labels might scare people away from trying vegan things for the first time. If all apples had huge VEGAN stickers on them, do you think everyone  would still buy them? No, they’d protest until McDonald’s finally took the stickers off, uniformly chopped the apples, coated them in chemicals, and made them into a “pie” or something.

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As the Vegansaurus raw correspondent, I get the privilege of seeing a lot of products’ labeling, and that has me thinking—doth the label maketh the product? The short answer is no, but when it comes to labeling raw vegan products, I’m convinced certain labels really do help make the sale, aka trip to my tummy. Alerting consumers that your product is raw, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, agave-free, dairy-free, and contains no GMOs is pretty much required if you want to party with the elite raw vegan foods crowd.

If the above description sounds absolutely incredible to you, then you’re in luck: I just tried Bites of Bliss, and they’re really delicious! I tried the goji berry, carob almond butter (you know there’s a chocolate-free label they wanted to slap on but were too scared of the raw chocoholics seeking vengeance. Best to downplay that particular feature!), and my absolute favorite, pineapple coconut with chia seeds. I haven’t had a piña colada since the early ’00s, but holy tropical fruit, this is truly delicious! It tastes creamy and it’s just the right ratio of pineapple to coconut.

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The ingredients are delightfully simple: raw dates, raw walnuts, raw pineapple, unsweetened coconut, coconut nectar (yeah, EFF agave, that higher-glycemic sweetener!), raw chia seeds, and coconut oil—all organic, of course, and the taste is HELLA TROPICAL! I can almost feel the ocean tide and hear someone offering me bathing-suit-optional snorkel lessons. This product is a winner! Get it online and in select Bay Area health food stores.

Do you care about what’s on the label of your raw/vegan products? For research purposes it’d be rad hear about it in the comments!

This is Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

[images via Bites of Bliss]

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