darkoshi | Entries tagged with vegan: products

I've learned that if you're going to transport a mattress set in the back of a pickup truck, it would behoove you to check the local weather forecast even if you're in a hurry due to other people's needs and limits. Trusting the current weather pattern to hold is unwise. Having a torrential downpour start part-way through the drive is unfortunate.

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Tofurky has discontinued their vegan pepperoni. This disappoints me as I liked using it in my lunch sandwiches. The only other vegan pepperoni I know of, by Yves, didn't taste nearly as good to me back when I was still able to find it in stores. Now neither are available around here. The Yves one is available online, but based on my memory of it, I'm not sure it is worth ordering considering that I'd also need to order a cold pack with it.

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We needed the rain. I wish it had waited another hour though. I worry that the persons I gave the mattress to won't let it properly dry on all sides and that it'll get moldy or mildewy. Pity.

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This vegan "beefy cheddar pot pie" tastes good; the crust is very good too:
https://alphaplantbased.com/our-food/handheld-pot-pies/
https://alphaplantbased.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/beefy-cheddar-pot-pie-alpha.png

(Note to self: as of 2019/Dec, WalMart has those Alpha pot pies. Maybe that is also where I originally found them; I don't remember.)

These orange cream ice pops are also good. Nostalgic. The flavor is somewhat mild, but at least they are not so very sweet as some other ice pops are.
https://www.goodpops.com/flavors/orange-n-cream/

These coconut passion fruit ice pops from Whole Foods are also good, also nostalgic for me, and also not too sweet.
https://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2019/06/04/spotted-whole-foods-edition-6-4-2019/365-everyday-value-coconut-passion-fruit-fruit-bars-jpg/

Nostalgic for me because passion fruit juice was something I got to drink at my aunt's house in Germany when I was a kid. It was sold in bottles, usually mixed with other juices. We bought a fresh passion fruit from the fruit market one time. Juicy pebbly seeds inside. The same flavor but not as sweet as the juice. In German, it is called Maracuja, not passion fruit. From the Spanish or Portuguese name.

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why why?

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I take notes at work while testing and researching things. Every once in a while, I end up writing "wtf?!!".

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hey boom dop ditty dop boom bop wow.

how now, how now? one step at a time, one step and then nine.

and then you die, my young apprentice, and then you die.

Silk finally came out with a nutmilk that tastes as good to me as their soymilk - their "Protein Nutmilk". It has added pea protein. It also has added high oleic sunflower oil, giving it 8g of fat per 8oz serving, and which I suspect is what makes it taste better than their other nutmilks, which have 2.5g or less of fat.

The plain version which I tried has, per 8oz:
140 calories
8g fat
6g of sugar
10g of protein
220mg sodium
80mg potassium
45% RDA calcium
25% RDA vitamin D
8% RDA iron

They also have a low-sugar version which has 2g sugar. I haven't tried that one yet.

Normally I buy Silk's organic unsweetened soymilk, which has:
80 calories
4g fat
1g sugar
7g protein
75mg sodium
350mg potassium
30% RDA calcium
30% RDA vitamin D
6% RDA iron
50% RDA vitamin B12
and more of various other vitamins

Given that they both taste about the same good to me, it looks like the soymilk still has overall better numbers.

The flavor and consistency of the protein nutmilk reminds me of the Vitasoy brand soymilk which used to be my favorite until they stopped selling it over here.

Hah!... Vitasoy has had a factory in Ayer, MA since 1998!
So why haven't I seen their American-branded soymilk for sale in like, 10 years? I've only seen their Chinese-brand soymilk that comes in metal cans; the one time I tried that, it didn't taste as good as the previous "American" kind.

Hmmm. This article, Home / Articles / 2005 / New Food Products: Vitasoy Complete
New Food Products: Vitasoy Complete: says "But faced with a U.S. market that appears to be leaning toward refrigerated products, Vitasoy and also Hain announced in December 2004 they were exiting the U.S. refrigerated soymilk market."

Now that I think about it, maybe I have seen their non-refrigerated product for sale in some places. Or was that Silk's non-refrigerated boxes? Now I'm not sure of my memories. Maybe after Vitasoy hadn't been available for a while, I switched over to Silk, and then even if I saw Vitasoy again, I didn't buy it because the aseptic boxes which don't need refrigeration aren't recyclable here like the refrigerated soymilk boxes are.

Update, 2017/04/16-18:
I've now also tasted the lower-sugar version of Silk's "Protein Nutmilk". It tastes as good to me as the first one did (apparently the first one was also vanilla-flavored, though I didn't really notice). But I have noticed that both of them do have an unusual flavor when drinking them straight, which some people might not like. It's sort of a chalky flavor, maybe from the added calcium or the pea protein. Maybe it is even more pronounced in the lower-sugar version.

But they taste quite good to me mixed with other things, like in a milkshake. And over preserved cherries - the nutmilk curdles into a lovely texture.

I must say, the package labeling on them is confusing. One is labelled "Vanilla" and says "HALF THE SUGAR of dairy milk". The other is labelled "2g sugar per serving". Now based on that, how are you supposed to know which one is the lower sugar one? In the store, I had to check and compare the numbers on the Nutrition Facts labels, to figure it out.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/692335.html

Goody Good Stuff - they have vegan cola-flavored gummies! Yes!!! (The "Cola Breeze" ones). I found them in a Winn Dixie store.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/661035.html

These vegan Field Roast Frankfurters taste very good. They are very salty*, though. I think they'd work well cooked on a grill for a vegan cook-out, or sauteed, even though so far I've only had them microwaved.

The packaging is annoying. Each sausage is individually encased in a plastic film that you have to cut and peel off. So much work for a hot dog! I took the time to unpeel them all to begin with, and put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer, so that I could simply take them out whenever I wanted without all the work.

*If it weren't for that and the packaging, they'd be my new favorite. As it is, I suppose they're a tie with my other favorite, Yves hot dogs. For a while, I liked Tofurky Kielbasa the best, but over time I lost my taste for them, largely in part to them being so salty too. Which is odd, because in comparing them, the Kielbasa ones have the least percentage salt of the 3. My least favorite vegan dogs are the Lightlife ones; they seem bland to me.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/660543.html

Since becoming vegan, I've never really missed having dairy butter. I remember butter being fairly bland or outright tasteless. Non-dairy vegetable margarine works just as well for me on hot pasta, potatoes, or toast.

Those memories must be of the American pasteurized kind of butter. I have a different memory of the butter that my German aunt used to have on the table for breakfast. It had a much stronger uniquely pleasant flavor.

When I came across Miyoko's European Style Cultured VeganButter online, I was curious. When I saw it for sale in a local store, I bought a pack, even though it is expensive.

Upon first opening and tasting it, I was impressed. It did remind me of my aunt's butter, though the flavor is milder.

I had some on pasta and later on toast. It was fine that way, but nothing special. The flavor isn't strong enough to be very noticeable when combined with other food.

It is made mainly from coconut oil and is supposed to stay refrigerated. Removing it from the fridge to let it soften a while before eating, makes it easier to spread and improves the flavor. I've found that I like to eat it straight from the tub, just a bit at a time, for that unique flavor.

But considering the price, I wouldn't buy it to use it as an ingredient in other dishes, nor for toast and pasta.

Ingredients: Organic Coconut Oil, Water, Organic Safflower Oil or Sunflower Oil, Organic Cashews, Soy Lecithin, Sea Salt, Cultures.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/654471.html

Cute videos of baby goats!

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Our first daffodil bloomed on Feb 1. The stem got bent, so today I cut the flower and put it in a glass vase on the table. From a distance, it smells like sawdust, but up close it has a very floral scent.

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As of 12:36am we had bits of ice falling from the sky. It has stopped, but the forecast says it might snow overnight. If so, it will likely be melted by the time I get up. We already had a bit of snowfall on the morning Jan 23 too. If I hadn't been awakened by an early phone-call, I wouldn't have seen it.

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VeganEgg - another new vegan egg substitute. This one can even be used to make scrambled eggs. Its ingredients include nutritional yeast and black salt for the eggy flavor, the same as Vegg does... I wonder if they got the idea from Vegg. Vegg has a scrambled-egg product now too, which I hadn't known about. Vegg Scramble uses a different main ingredient than VeganEgg does though (soy protein isolate vs algal flour & algal protein), so I wonder how they compare.

It's getting hard to keep up with all the new vegan products available!

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/645328.html

Note to self (Buy/Try): TCBY has vegan non-dairy frozen yogurt. Several flavors, in fact: almond nog, chocolate almond, coconut, vanilla almond.

Note to self (Don't Buy): Target has a "Simply Balanced" brand of vegan meatless chicken/turkey in the freezer section. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across it, and bought 2 flavors - smoky chipotle (chicken) and mushroom miso (turkey). The first one I microwaved, and it was very unpalatable. The 2nd one I pan-fried, and it was ok (because I like most anything that has a crispy/chewy fried exterior and is vegan), but still not very good. So don't buy this brand again.

The few reviews I've seen praising the product all mention the Korean Barbeque flavor. So maybe that one is better. But it's probably not worth me trying, as I suspect the base product is the same for all the flavors, and only the sauce packet is different.

By the way, for anyone else reading this, the above is an anomaly. Most other vegan meat substitutes available taste very good to me. For example, Gardein, Kroger's "Simple Truth" brand, Beyond Meat, and Tofurky. That's why I was rather surprised about how bad the "Simply Balanced" one was in comparison.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/644621.html

Chipotle now offers braised tofu sofritas in most locations! A year or so ago, they also changed their pinto bean formulation to no longer include pork, so those are vegan now too. The black beans, as always, are still vegan too.

I like this little essay which is printed on their paper bags: A Two-Minute Case for Optimism

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/582774.html

The Vegg, a new vegan egg-yolk substitute. It sounds interesting. The recipe photos look good.

Facebook page.

One of the ingredients is Kala Namak, also known as black salt (even though it is actually pink). That must give the product its egg flavor. I have a jar of Kala Namak; it has a sulfury smell and taste, and it adds a nice savory flavor to cooked beans (kidney, lima, etc).

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/463871.html

Gummi Cola Bottles (still seeking)

As a child, I was fond of Haribo gummi cola bottles. But I haven't had them since becoming vegan, since most gummi candy has gelatin in it. Yesterday I found Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe Gummi Bottles for sale at TJMaxx. It pleased me a great deal to see that the ingredient list included potato starch instead of gelatin. The Jelly Belly bottles include 5 flavors, and while "cherry cola" is included (which tastes suspiciously like Dr. Pepper), unfortunately, "cola" is not. The 5 flavors taste quite good, but I shall still be in search of good vegan cola gummi bottles.

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Marshmallows (intermittently available)

Most marshmallows, like gummi candy, also contains gelatin. After a long time of not being able to find vegan marshmallows other than by mail order, this year my local EarthFare store had some yummy ones from Chicago Soy Dairy available. But EarthFare has now discontinued them. I may have seen them recently in another local store, but I'm not sure.

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Kiss My Face Shower Gels (vegan)

A query I sent to Kiss My Face:
Most of your products that I've seen indicate on the label that they don't contain any animal-derived ingredients. However, I've noticed that your bath & shower gels (anti-stress, peaceful patchouli, active athletic) do not have this statement. Does this mean that these products do contain an ingredient which is most likely animal-derived? Or do they contain an ingredient whose source you cannot be sure of?

Their reply:
Our Shower Gels do not contain any ingredients that are animal derived. We do have a few products that do contain honey and/or beeswax that would not be appropriate for Vegans.

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Durex Avanti Bare condoms (apparently vegan)

A query I sent to Durex:
Hello, I would like to know whether or not your Avanti Bare polyisoprene condoms are manufactured with casein, as most latex condoms are.

Their reply:
All Durex® Avanti Bare condoms are made of polyisoprene which does not contain casein, and the lubricant does not contain animal derivatives.

My review:
Durex Avanti Bare condoms look and feel exactly the same to me as latex condoms. The lubricant has a faint lemony/spicy scent (in my opinion), and tastes ok for oral sex.

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Pasante Unique non-latex condoms

My review:
I tried one of these condoms a few years ago, from here. The material was crinkly and not at all stretchy like rubber. Even worse, it had an extremely unpleasant petroleum-like smell. And even worse (if I recall correctly), it came off during sex. Perhaps they've been improved since then, as they are now marketed as "odor-less", and other reviews indicate no bad smell.

Crossposts: http://darkoshi.livejournal.com/437549.html

Oh wow. Brixx Wood-fired Pizza supposedly has vegan cheese available for their pizzas! They also have a pita-chip appetizer with 3 different kinds of hummus. I'll be checking them out for sure.

I recently tasted the new Tofurky Cheese Pizza, and it was very good. It is made with "Daiya" brand vegan cheese.

I also recently tasted Amy's new vegan Rice Macaroni with non-dairy cheeze. It was also very good and made with Daiya-brand cheese. If you are vegan, be careful, though - Amy's has several different macaroni and cheese products, and only this one is vegan.

Amy's also has a spinach pizza with vegan cheese which is quite good. The vegan frozen pizzas are always so expensive that I don't buy them often, though.

The only vegan American-style cheese slices that I've found which taste good to me are the Tofutti-brand ones. Kroger used to sell them here, but for whatever reason, they seem to have stopped. So now I think they are only available at Rosewood Market.

*All* the stores in town seem to have stopped selling vegan salami. I don't know why. While I was down in Jacksonville, I was at least able to pick up several packages of Yves' vegan Canadian bacon slices, for sandwiches. That doesn't seem to be sold around here anymore either.

Oh my gosh, this sandwich looks good. I'm too lazy to make my own vegan salami, though.

Current Mood: getting hungry

Nylon whips! I haven't encountered any non-leather whips before now, so hadn't given much thought to the possibility of anyone engaging in whip-play with me. But now, ooh, the possibilities! I wish I could play with one... I wanna make loud cracking noises. ::pout::