Grilling with Lightlife and Stuffed Chili Bacon Cheese Dog Recipe!

Lightlife has always been one of my favorite companies for their vegan stuff. I have always loved their tempeh and was excited when they rolled our their tempeh bacon, which tastes absolutely amazing. They have been adding some awesome new plant-based products to their line, but I'm still so hooked on their vegan hot dogs, Smart Dogs.

Lightlife's Smart Dogs come in two sizes, their regular (7g protein) size or their jumbo (14g protein) size. These awesome veggie hot dogs are Non-GMO Project Verified, in addition to being vegan they are also Kosher, and they are a great price, usually retailing at 3 to 4 bucks at most stores.

I have been using these Smart Dogs for grilling for years now, so I wanted to share a recipe that was really fun and not just "throw the veggie dog on the grill", although that's fun too! Here I decided to stuff them with cheese using a method I thought up, that ended up working pretty perfectly. Also, some sides when grilling with these awesome Smart Dogs are grilled vegetables, like corn on the cob; that is what I enjoyed on the side with my chili bacon cheese dogs. Lightlife Smart Dogs are the perfect addition (or star, in my opinion) to any vegan cookout. Let's get to this crazy-delicious recipe!

Stuffed Chili Bacon Cheese Dogs

makes 5 servings

What you will need:

-1 package Lightlife jumbo Smart Dogs

-1 package Lightlife tempeh bacon

-about 5 vegan cheddar cheese pieces, cut into "matchsticks"

-1 cup prepared vegan chili 

-your favorite condiments or additional toppings (like ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, relish, etc.)

 -a hard plastic straw for stuffing them with cheese (a hard plastic or stainless steel smoothie straw will work great!)

-5 hot dog buns

What to do:

Carefully light and prep your grill using all the proper safety precautions for grill use. Take each Smart Dog and gently push the straw through the middle, about halfway, twist then remove. Do the same to the other side of the veggie dog. You will now have a small well; push the vegan cheese sticks into it (use the straw to help push them in if you are using softer cheese instead of hard cheese - hard cheese works best). When your grill is ready for food, place the stuffed Smart Dogs directly on the grill. Place the tempeh bacon on the top basket that you warm buns, if you don't have that, place on a spot on the grill that isn't directly near the flame and cook for less time. Grill veggie dogs and tempeh bacon for 2-4 minutes on each side, or adjust to your liking/ grill type. In a small saucepan, warm up your prepared chili then transfer to a bowl. Now it is time to construct your chili bacon cheese dogs! Place your hot dog in a bun and top with chili, then take some tempeh bacon and crumble it on top. Add additional toppings, if desired. Do the same for all five stuffed chili bacon cheese dogs.

What I love most about Lightlife Smart Dogs is that they taste just like classic, juicy hot dogs, but without the animal products or cholesterol. They are perfect for tailgating, camping, grilling, or any other recipe that calls for hot dogs.

These came out amazing! They were easy because the melted cheese is already inside the veggie dogs and it also gave you just enough cheese amount in each bite

Mouthwatering! You can follow Lightlife on social. They are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and they are always posting delicious pictures!

Big shout out to Lightlife for sending me a portable grill that doubles as a cooler, grilling tools, condiments and for sponsoring this post. You rock!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off - hope your day is relaxing like a cookout day!

This blog post was sponsored by Lightlife Foods.

Vegan Cookout Ideas

#whatveganseat #4thofJuly pic.twitter.com/PmC5gMCQ0G

— Catherine Gill (@theDirtyVegan) July 4, 2017

Just wanted to share what we ate today for lunch for some vegan summer cookout inspo. We grilled asparagus, veggie burgers, veggie sausages, boiled sweet corn on the cob, and had homemade ice cream pie for dessert. During lunch preparation we snacked on fresh watermelon, which was so refreshing because it was hot in New England today.

The veggie burgers were Dr. Praeger's (prepared with melted Daiya provolone cheese, Vegenaise, dijon mustard, ketchup, lettuce and natural pickles. The sausages were Tofurky (spinach pesto flavor) with relish, mustard and ketchup on them. The ice cream pie recipe was whipped up so quickly yesterday and topped with soy whipped cream.

Just a super easy lunch idea for some vegan cookout stuff that was put together without hardly any thought. Basically grab some cold, fresh fruit to snack on while grilling, some vegan protein to grill, buns, condiments, some veggies to grill or go along on the side, a dessert, beverages, and some snacky stuff like chips with hummus or guacamole is my go-to base for cookouts and then adding more, like fruit salad, other desserts and snacks, or more stuff to grill, if you like variety or are expecting more of a crowd. I get a lot of messages asking for inspiration and ideas for vegan meals, especially summer ones, so this is a simple way to approach cookouts or grilling without stressing out about it.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off - Happy and safe Fourth of July!

Onion, Brussels Sprouts and "Bacon" Pizza with Teriyaki Malt Sauce Using Postum

I have been doing Postum recipes that are more on the sweet side, but wanted to play around with a savory recipe using this delicious roasted wheat-bran molasses product. I happened to have my favorite organic prepared pizza dough in the refrigerator, and thought of using Postum in the base sauce for pizza.

I am so happy that I tried this out because it came out phenomenal! The malty richness of Postum really adds something very special to this pizza. I absolutely love the flavor combined with the other ingredients.

Since Postum blends so smoothly, mixing it into the sauce was not only easy but worked so well and was totally seamless. I added a little brown sugar to add a touch more sweetness, to really give this pizza a sweet and savory feel to it. This has to be one of my favorite pizza recipes that I have made recently and I can absolutely see this being a new go-to dinner option for sure. Let's get started!

Onion, Brussels Sprouts and "Bacon" Pizza with Teriyaki Malt Sauce Using Postum

-16 ounces prepared pizza dough
-1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
-1 heaping teaspoon Postum (in either flavor, choose your favorite!)
-1 teaspoon brown sugar
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 small onion, thinly sliced
-2 teaspoons garlic, minced
-1 cup fresh brussels sprouts, cleaned and thinly sliced
-5 sliced veggie bacon, chopped or crumbled
-2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough to desired thickness to form crust and place in greased and floured pan. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together teriyaki sauce, Postum and sugar; spread evenly on top of dough crust. In a large skillet on medium heat, saute olive oil, onions and garlic until slightly tender, then add sprouts, stirring frequently until tender; sprinkle this mixture on top of pizza crust. Next, top pizza with veggie bacon and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is thoroughly cooked.

Makes 4- 6 servings

Definitely grab yourself a jar of this amazing Postum product and try this recipe out! I am also giving away another Postum prize pack on Instagram very soon, so please stay tuned to my social media and be sure to follow me on there.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off - I hope your day is savory but of course sweet too!

This blog post was sponsored by Postum.

Healthier Takes On Classic Snacks & Apps For National Hummus Day! Everyday I'm Hummus'n!

Tomorrow (May 13th) is National Hummus Day, hooray! I'm celebrating along with Sabra and most of the nation because hummus has saved my vegan butt. I love hummus as it is, right out of the container, but I have particularly enjoyed using it to replace other ingredients in recipes to make dishes healthier but actually add more flavor than ever before. I have done this with so many types of dishes, but to celebrate National Hummus Day, I'd like to share some quick and easy appetizer and snack ideas. These are super simple to whip together, so you can grab some hummus and party along with me! Obviously, my go-to hummus brand is Sabra because they are the best at doing hummus and many other delicious products.

Healthy Hummus Queso Dip

I have always loved cheesy queso dip but I don't like the feeling after eating too much... and let's face it, that dip is addicting. I won't ever stop making vegan queso, but for those times when I really do need to scale back on the fat and cals for a few (and need the nutritional boost that adding Sabra provides), I do my queso with hummus and I do it like this:

• 1 (10-ounce) container of Sabra Hummus (any flavor but I like Classic or Garlic for queso)
• 1/2 cup- 1 cup Sabra Salsa (I like using their Restaurant Style in Medium spicy)

Just mix in a bowl - that's it! You can warm it up a little if you like, but I never do. I think the best part of this dip is the refreshing quality it has and it is perfect for summer entertaining.

Creamy Hummus Guacamole Dip

I love creamy guac but usually when you make it creamy, you add sour cream. Well I thought, why not add some more protein and nutrition to an already nutritious ingredient (avocado guacamole)?

• 1 (10-ounce) container of Sabra Hummus (any flavor, but I like using Classic for this)
• 1 (8-ounce) container of Sabra Guacamole

Mix together and serve with chips! It doesn't get much easier (or more delicious) to serve and enjoy snacks or appetizers on National Hummus Day!

Tortilla Taco Pinwheel Bites

Sabra came out with this new flavor of hummus, Taco Inspired Hummus with pico de gallo and it is amazing! My mind was racing with ideas for recipes to make using this hummus just after I took one taste of this stuff! I wanted to make a quick snack using it and pinwheels came to mind. I have served this hors d'oeuvre so many times due to the fact that it is so easy to put together but really impressive to serve to guests,

• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 cup of Sabra Hummus in Taco Inspired flavor
• 1/4 cup shredded lettuce/ fresh greens
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• 4 slices veggie deli style"turkey"

Lay 4 flour tortillas flat and spread each evenly with hummus, sprinkle on olives, lettice and salsa, then place a deli slice on top. Roll each tortilla up tightly, then slice into "wheels", 4- 6 wheels per tortilla, depending on how large you want them. I prefer to make them smaller because when you entertain you don't want guests feeling like they have too big a mouth-full of food as they are chatting and drinking cocktails, so bite-size works awesome.

With these simple recipes, you can see why hummus has become the "unofficial meal" - fresh, filling but also good for you! What I like about the unofficial meal is that it takes the formality out of eating and makes getting together with family or friends fun and entertaining, but you are munching on a food that isn't just "empty" calories like other snacks can be - it really is a good meal. The unofficial meal; I love that.

Stay tuned this month for more hummus recipes from me! I have some recipes that you wouldn't imagine could be made so flavorful but also much healthier for you because of the addition of Sabra hummus.

Everyday I'm Hummus'n

This blog post was sponsored by Sabra.

Road Trip Snacks...but Actually Healthy!

I want to talk about road trip snacks. I love going on road trips. The fun car ride, the new sights and stops in different places, listening to great tunes (say hello to my themed playlists!), it is all really exciting to me. Except for one tiny thing... I always feel bogged down by the snacks. No matter how healthy you try to be, you are doomed with too much processed junk and salt. These munchies are yummy to eat, but often leave my body craving real, whole foods, which are hard to pack, store and eat on the road.

I was wishing that I could find something healthy and portable for all of my summer road trips... besides the obvious choice of bananas. Sometimes a girl craves some broccoli and kale, but how do you bring that on a road trip?

Here is the answer! Brad's Raw! I've always loved their kale chips, but they recently sent me their latest flavors PLUS their super scrumptious Broccoli Poppers... and I am so impressed and also relieved that I now have a way to eat my favorite veggies and superfoods while on the road!

Let's talk about what is going on over at Brad's these days...

Brad's Raw has new flavors now, making their kale chips variety one of the biggest and most interesting. Their kale chips come in the following flavors: Naked, Frank Sriracha, Nasty Hot, Vampire Killer and Nacho. They offer all sorts of raw chips as well as their latest addition to the product line, the Broccoli Poppers.

Before I get into the Broccoli Poppers, I just want to talk about the flavors of Brad's Raw kale chips that were newest to me. I have always loved Vampire Killer and the name explains it all - garlic, garlic, and more garlic - but if you are going on a road trip with Johhny Depp, I'd suggest skipping this flavor. Nacho is cheesy and delicious, almost everyone loves it. I tried Nasty Hot and Frank Sriracha for the first time...and they were really good, but know that Frank is a lot hotter than Nasty, which I had initially guessed would have been the other way around. Very yummy.

As you can see, wholesome and simple ingredients in this portable snack food!

Broccoli Poppers were surprising to me, and I will tell you why. I didn't think that I would find snacking on broccoli as enjoyable as popping potato chips, but I definitely did! I felt zero guilt after indulging in them and actually felt energized, proving that you can eat healthy on a road trip. Both of the flavors were great, the cheesy one and the spicy one, and I would recommend giving it a try if you are looking for an alternative to the more junky snack that are on the market.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. I hope you have a broccoli poppin' day!

Vegan Cream Cheese Singles! Say Whaaaat???

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I am a huge fan of the Go Veggie brand. They have evolved over the years to include so many vegan options and they are GOOD ones. I've always loved their vegan cream cheese, and have especially enjoyed them since they added Strawberry and Chive & Garlic to their product line.

Something particularly exciting has occurred over at Go Veggie, and I'm happy to share the news with you. They have made single serving cream cheeses! Oh yes, you hear this right. Long gone are the days of bringing our entire tub of cream cheese to Panera, or taking our own giant containers with us to breakfast. Now we can just bring a little single serving portion of Chive & Garlic along with us, or pack them in our lunch boxes, then they can be thrown in the recycle; easy!

These cute boxes contain 4 single serving minis that are 1.3 oz each!

Adorable, am I right???

The bagel shot. Yum!

Keep an eye out for this exciting new product from the fabulous Go Veggie brand and let me know what you think! Tweet me! 

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hope your day is extra cheesy!

Cheesy Kale Chips Recipe! Better than Store Bought Kind!

Ever since trying store bought, cheesy flavored kale chips, I've been trying to come up with a way to have these at home, in larger quantities (yummmm so good!), but without the hefty $7 price tag per 2 ounces. I've finally mastered this recipe. These taste cheesy, delicious, dare I say nacho-like, and are actually better than the packaged ones. This recipe also makes quadruple or more than the store bought ones, for about $6 or $7! These also taste fresher! Be warned, these crispy miracles, taste amazing, you WILL be addicted, you may just eat the entire batch. Just know this. Ok, onto the recipe!

What you will need:

1 cup soaked cashews
1 red bell pepper, seeded
Juice of 1 large lemon OR 2 small lemons
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large bunch kale, de-stemmed and cleaned

What you will need to do:

Blend first 6 ingredients in the blender until smooth, like a nacho cheese sauce. In a large bowl, pour sauce over kale and mix with hands until each kale piece is well coated. Place clumps of kale onto dehydrator trays (I used the Nesco Professional with the round trays). Dehydrate on 135° for the first hour, then 115° for about 15 more hours or until coating is dry and chips are crunchy. Enjoy these delicious little morsels!

Edward & Sons: Review, Lactation Cookie Recipe, and GIVEAWAY!

I have always been a huge fan of Edward & Sons food company. If you don't already know, they are also the makers of Road's End Organics, Native Forest, Premier Japan Organic, Let's Do Organic, and The Wizards. The quality of their food products is outstanding, and with their slogan, Convenience Without Compromise, you can understand why. Edward & Sons aims at making healthy packaged food products, and it never misses the mark. Here are some of the new or popular products that I wanted to show you today.

Who doesn't love Chreese? What is Chreese, you ask? Well, it is Road's End Organics deliciously healthy, nutritional yeast based cheese, and I love it! Not only do I love it, but my 13 month old kiddo does too! And this is great for me because this stuff is good for her! Each serving of Mac & Chreese contains a whopping 13g of protein and tons of Vitamin B12 (the goodness increases when you mix it with vegan milk and butter)! This is important for vegans, and everyone, to be including B12 in their diets, making this product a slam dunk in the natural community. These are so super easy to make and pack a nutritional punch. My daughter definitely gives these her seal of approval. She especially loves the 123, ABC's & Chreese 4Kidz pasta; these are incredibly easy for older babies and small children to eat because of their tiny shape and size. Love this.

Edward & Sons are like masters in coconut. Their coconut is always amazing tasting. Their Let's Do Organic fine shredded coconut and toasted coconut flakes are so amazing, fresh, and delicious, that they taste like you harvested them right from the island yourself. You rarely come across a shredded coconut product that has that cool coconut taste that is completely saturated in tropical coconut. You can tell it is minimally processed and doing amazing things for your body as you're eating it. This is the only shredded coconut that I buy. And toasted coconut flakes save you time when you are going for that in recipes. Well done.

Speaking of coconut, Native Forest has amazing coconut oil. It is great quality and gets the job done. I can't say enough good things about it. We all have heard of the amazing benefits of coconut oil, and this particular brand has the quality and flavor that a consumer deserves. Love it! I use it for oil pulling, cooking, baking, on my skin, and anything else that I can use it for! 

I also really enjoyed the Native Forest canned okra. They are organic, whole pods, and I must admit that before trying this, I had only used fresh or frozen okra. It is refreshing to have the convenience of a canned product with the organic quality that Edward & Sons continually deliver.

My pals at Edward & Sons also make amazing soupy-type products. I love their bouillon, which makes the best broth around! They come in flavors like "Chicken", "Beef", and Vegetable, but I definitely enjoyed their new Red Curry bouillon. It would be fantastic in any Indian or Thai dish, or just on its own as a cup of yummy broth with a spicy kick. I recently made a great Thai soup and this bouillon perfected it. You know what else I love about these vegan bouillon cubes? Because I'm a freak, I love the packaging so much. The name of the broth flavor is on the side of the box, so I stack them up on top of each other in my pantry, and I can easily grab the flavor I need without sorting through all of them. I know, wicked nerdy... whatever.

I'm also a fan of their Miso-cup. It is not like using fresh refrigerated miso paste, so you're not getting that freshly made taste, I hate to admit, but it is the best in a packaged miso that you can get since it uses a packaged paste that mixes with the water. It is definitely tastier than the powder miso soup pouches, plus you get the convenience of taking this soup with you on the go. If you were to take freshly made miso soup, it would obviously spoil, however it is nice to be able to take this along with you to places like work, travel, camping, etc. Plus, it doesn't taste overly salty and has a really nice, balanced flavor.

Would you like to WIN a box full of Edward & Sons goodies, just like mine? The fabulous folks at Edward & Sons are generously providing two of my readers with their very own package of goodies! Stay tuned after the recipe...

RECIPE TIME!!!

I used Native Forest Coconut Oil and Let's Do Organic Fine Shredded Coconut in this cookie recipe. Technically, they are "Lactation Cookies", but my family has been eating them and they are not producing any breast milk like I am, so it is safe to say that these are also "regular oatmeal cookies". Wink, wink. This is an amazing oatmeal cookie recipe, the ingredients just so happen to be lactogenic and support a nursing mother in making extra milk.

Oatmeal, Coconut, Raisin "Lactation" Cookies

Makes about 56 cookies

What you will need:

2 cups oats

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

2/3 cup Native Forest Coconut Oil, melted

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup oat milk (or vegan milk of your choosing)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup Let's Do Organic Fine Shredded Coconut OR Toasted Coconut Flakes

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease about two baking sheets. In a medium bowl, mix oat milk and flaxseed, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix you melted coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup, yeast, and add in your flax mixture. Now, mix together your wet and dry bowls, then fold in raisins and coconut. Roll into balls about the size of a large tablespoon and bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy these yummy cookies!

Now, I bet you're eager to know more about this giveaway that I mentioned earlier. To enter: 

• Follow me @theDirtyVegan on Twitter and also follow @EdwardAndSons on Twitter. 

• I will tweet a giveaway tweet and all you have to do is retweet that. I will be choosing two winners. Winners will be chosen and announced on Monday morning, 5/19/14. 

Let the tweeting begin!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Go coconuts!

Vegan Lasagna Nests: Fun Spring Dinner!

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." -George Bernard Shaw

The inspiration for today's recipe, comes from something that my mother recently made. She made lasagna "cupcakes" using wontons and lasagna ingredients. The idea to even make this today, was when I was perusing the cupboard and refrigerator for dinner ideas to come to me. I had about half of a box of lasagna noodles, 5 noodles to be exact. What on earth do you do with that? I dislike wasting anything, especially food, so I decided to make something like my mother's lasagna cupcakes, except these will be called Lasagna Nests and be made with the noodles. Last year (big and waddly, and about to have a baby), I made Candy Bird's Nests, that were very make-with-your-kiddos friendly. So this spring, here are some edible nests that are cute, fun, and guaranteed to be a hit with your family.

Vegan Lasagna Nests

What you will need:

• 5 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente according to box and cut in half
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 8 oz frozen spinach
• 1 16 oz container Tofutti Ricotta "Cheese"
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Litehouse Garlic
• 2 tsp Litehouse Italian
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 slices Tofutti Mozzarella, crumbled
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• GoVeggie vegan Parmesan "cheese", to taste
• Muffin Tin
• Coconut Oil to grease tin with

This is what mine looked like before baking them!

What to do:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 5 spots on a muffin pan with coconut oil. In each cup of the pan, place lasagna noodle half, crisscrossed. Spoon about a tablespoon of pasta sauce in each cup. In a large bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, oregano, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, Mozzarella, and flaxseed, then scoop it into each cup on top of the pasta sauce that you spooned. Drizzle remaining pasta sauce on top of each cup and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5- 10 minutes. Let sit in pan for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and serving. The longer you let them sit to set, the easier they are to remove from pan and the prettier they look. These would be great to serve with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

The finished product! Yummmm!

You've NEVER Seen Vegan Cheese Like This Before!

I am so excited to share this post with you. I recently received delicious vegan and raw cheeses from Tree Nut Cheese, Dr. Cow and let me tell you, they have completely changed the way I feel about vegan cheese. Thanks Dr. Cow, for ruining vegan cheese for me because I can no longer look at processed vegan "cheeses" the same way after enjoying your real cheese! I did a taste test with another vegan cheese, and there was no comparison after experiencing Dr. Cow's aged nut cheeses. What the other vegan cheese companies are going for, Dr. Cow actually did it; they nailed it. They achieved real vegan cheese that would fool anyone and it is mighty tasty! It is also healthy! There are just three or four ingredients in each of their products, and they are quality ingredients at that. Did I mention they are fancy shmancy?! Well they are fancy shmancy. Finally, a vegan cheese that you can put out at parties that will actually impress snobby cheese connoisseurs. Take that! Now let's look at this delicious cheese.

My cheese arrived perfectly packaged and in beautiful form. Little bundles of art. Tree Nut Cheese Dr. Cow's cheese is like a work of art. These are the aged cheeses.

This is the Cream Cashew Nut Cheese similar to cream cheese or a cheese spread but like the Upper East Side version. I actually felt weird spreading this on my bagel. Like it was too good for my crap bagel. Well, because it is. I'm not kidding this is fancy, good-quality stuff.

I enlisted the help of my husband on eating these cheeses. What we did was try a slice of each cheese by itself, then on a cracker, and eventually on other things. The cheeses have a sort of rind (which we ate and it was delicious!) but are smooth and creamy in the middle, without being overly soft. They also slice incredibly easily. Each cheese is a little different however, so I'll tell you about the ones that we tried and the different ways that they were enjoyed in our household.

The Aged Cashew Nut Cheese was one of our favorites! It is mild, scarily tasted like dairy cheese, and had a classic or original flavor. It is aged for 3 months, which is pretty darn cool. This is a sort of hard cheese but can be spreadable also (especially if you leave it out of the refrigerator for a few minutes). This cheese was great by itself. Serve this to guests to impress!

This Aged Cashew and Dulse Cheese was also aged for 3 months. The sea algae dulse gives this cheese a light ocean flavor. This cheese is perfect for cheese and crackers, or even to enjoy over a baked potato as it pairs well with vegetables. It is creamy and we really enjoyed the flavor.

The Aged Cashew and Hemp Seeds Cheese was awesome! The hemp seeds add such a rich and delicious flavor to this cheese. It is sharp like cheddar, also aged for 3 months, has a creamy yet firm texture, and has some omegas in there. This cheese can stand up to any dairy cheese and win. And where else can you find a cheese with omegas in it?

The Aged Cashew and Blue Green Algae has a fun appearance and interesting flavor. Also aged for 3 months, it is mellow but has a tangy aftertaste. And algae has such wonderful health benefits. I can't think of a better way to get your nutrition-on than by eating cheese and crackers, can you?

The Aged Cashew and Kale Cheese has a bold kale flavor. If you love kale as much as I do, you will enjoy this cheese. This cheese has also been aged for 3 months. With the strong taste combination of cheese and kale, along with it's health benefits, I really enjoyed this cheese.

Upon handling the Aged Macadamia Cheese I thought for sure it would be my favorite. It is much softer than the other aged cheeses and the appearance is rather pretty. This is very high-end, very spreadable cheese, but came along with a very strong macadamia nut flavor. But hey, it is made with macadamias. With that being said, we began to really enjoy the flavor the more we ate it. It is a fun cheese for sure that probably pairs great with wine. Another impressive cheese.

The Cream Cashew Nuts Cheese is super fun! Use it as cream cheese, sour cream, spread, you name it! This is highly spreadable and tastes just like a cream cheese complete with the tang factor. It is a small container but a little goes a long way! We've tried this on everything and we still have some left. It just really seems to last. It has such a tasty yet strong cheesy flavor that you wouldn't want or need to pile this on a bagel or sandwich. Less is more. Absolutely wonderful cheese!

I've done so much with these cheeses! Including this taste comparison on fresh bakery bread. Here is the Cream Cashew Cheese and on the top left you can see another vegan cream cheese beside it. Really no competition; Dr. Cow wins hands down. I couldn't finish the portion with the other brand's cream cheese on it. It actually tasted very different in comparison and not quite something that I would want to eat right out of the container like I can with Dr. Cow. I will save this other brand's cheese for adding creaminess to recipes or for desserts, etc. Once you've gone Dr. Cow's Tree Nut Cheeses, you can't go back.

The Cream Cashew Cheese is also great on cucumber slices and other veggies!

Here I sliced the aged cheeses and put them in my sandwich. What a treat!

I also used the cheese grater to grate, slice, and even crumble the aged cheeses! That turned out awesome! You can do anything with this cheese. Gone are the days where vegans had to settle on whatever we can get. How refreshing is it to have vegan cheese that is soy-free? I love soy and all, but a girl does need her variety! The age of vegan cheese is here, and Dr. Cow's has changed the game. What a wonderful experience! 

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Go get yourself some real vegan cheese and have a nice party, will ya'?!

Brad Showed Me His...

Catchy title, huh? Don't be a perve.

I am so lucky to have received some swag from Brad's Raw! They sent me their famous kale chips to try in two flavors, Naked and Vampire Killer.

Brad's Raw Crunchy Kale is vegan, raw, kosher, organic, gluten-free, and packed with healthy benefits like the intact enzymes that help you digest and are not destroyed due to Brad's light dehydration process (below 115 degrees).

Besides being completely and utterly yummy, in each container you get .3- .5 ounces more than their competitors. Speaking of the container, I prefer this container to the bags that other kale chip companies use. I say that because as you may know if you have ever eaten kale chips, things can get messy. If you plan on eating the entire 2.5 ounce container (as I intend to do each and every single time), you can simply eat your chips right over the container and it catches the fallout, leaving your clothing kale-crumb free! Now let's talk about these flavors.

The Naked flavor is made up of crunchy kale generously coated with a cheesy sunflower seed, cashew, and vegan cheese concoction. These are deliciously tangy and pleasant. I thought that Naked flavor was rather flavorful for being "naked", until I tried...

BAM! GarlicVille!

Vampire Killer consists of kale with a flavor-burst of sunflower seeds, cashews, garlic, and vegan cheese. The garlic really adds an amazing flavor and it just delights your taste buds. I love garlic, so this flavor was definitely my favorite. To be fair, you will need a mint after eating these, I am not even going to lie. However, it is so worth it!

Brad's Raw Foods makes others kale chips in flavors like Nacho, Nasty Hot, and even Pina Kale-Ada flavor! How clever! They also make other snacks like raw chips, onion rings and even snacks for your doggies! I'm definitely looking forward to trying their other flavors and products. If they are anything like the kale chips I tried, I know I will be hooked!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. I hope you have a crunchy, garlic-breathe-in-yo-face kind of day! Smell ya' later.