SoDelicious: They Ain't Kiddin'!

I thought that I have tried all of the SoDelicious vegan products. From the beverages, creamers, frozen desserts, and other vegan dairy products, SoDelicious seems to always be coming out with something new. With that being said, there is always something new to try! Lucky for me, they sent me a couple coupons to try some of their new, or new to me, stuff. I perused Whole Foods and found a couple things that I hadn't tried before so that I can review them. Here it goes...

I decided to try SoDelicious Almond Milk Minis ice cream sandwiches in Vanilla. I have tried their other Minis sandwiches that are made with coconut milk and soy milk, so I was curious to try these. They were delicious but not as creamy as the coconut and soy ones. They tasted lighter than the others. If given the opportunity, I would definitely get them again, however if I had a choice, my favorite minis are their coconut milk ones. I'm a huge fan of their Coconut Milk Minis bars in Coconut Almond flavor. Aside from their Coconut Creamers that I use in my coffee and recipes, those minis are my favorite item in the line.

I then chose to try their soy ice cream in Chocolate Velvet flavor. I have had practically every ice cream of theirs whether it be soy, coconut, or almond, but haven't tried this flavor. I am a fan of their Chocolate Obsession and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors, so I thought that this would be pretty similar. I thought wrong! Chocolate Velvet is hands down the best chocolate flavored vegan ice cream that I have ever tried. It is so smooth, creamy, and downright velvety! Even the look and texture is like frozen velvet, it is just beautiful! I had this by itself and also made milkshakes with it. Once I made a chocolate and vanilla shake and the next time I made a chocolate peanut butter shake. The peanut butter paired with this chocolate flavor was out of this world! This is my new addiction and definitely the only vegan chocolate ice cream that I will be buying.

SoDelicious has so many products out there that it is hard to keep up! I recently found out that their super new products are their Culinary Coconut Milk (I imagine would be great in Thai recipes), Mini Dessert Bars that are organic, Gluten Free ice creams, and Cashew Milk. All of which, I am extremely interested in trying! Hopefully I'll get my hands on those soon so that I can let you all know what I think of them.

On a side note, and a random one at that, I would love to see SoDelicious make a vegan cream cheese. I think that they would be great at that since they certainly have a way with vegan dairy.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Sweet velvety deliciousness to you my friends!

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.

Read THIS Before Buying Your Next Batch of Protein Powder!

When I first tried protein powder by Naturade, I tried their Pea Protein, Vegan Formula in Vanilla flavor. I was overjoyed to find this in my local natural foods store because it has 20 grams of plant based protein, potassium, and some fiber. Basically all I would need to boost my protein intake or help my body out when I have a french fries only day. But then again, on those days I am still supplementing with vitamins, omegas, etc. Well, it wasn't until I tried Naturade's VeganSmart All-In-One Nutritional Shake that I thought of their Pea Protein powder as great and all, but more like VeganSmart's annoying (but still loved) little brother.

Naturade was nice enough to send me some VeganSmart to try. And as a technicality, I must disclose that I am only paid in VeganSmart sample packets, and no other green stuff. As you can see from my picture, the packaging is a lot more hip looking than their Pea Protein packets. You can get VeganSmart in Vanilla, Chocolate, and Chai flavors. In my opinion, Naturade is like the better version of Vega protein powder, and I'm not just saying that because Vega hasn't sent me any samples, I say that because VeganSmart is cheaper to buy, and it tastes better than Vega.

Now let's take a look at the scientific stuff. As you can see from this picture of the Supplement Facts in Naturade VeganSmart, this can be a vegan's most valuable insurance policy. With a healthy vegan diet and drinking one of these babies everyday, how can anyone say that they are deficient in anything as result of a vegan diet (unless there is seriously something medically wrong with them, like they can't absorb nutrients correctly)? Not only are you getting 20 grams of plant based protein in each shake that you make with each packet, the protein that you are getting is complete (Pea, Hemp, Chia, Potato, and Chlorella). And 20 grams of protein in your daily diet that comes from something other than soy, will shut your friends and relatives up won't it? Yeah, if you are vegan you know exactly what I mean. Other than protein, this is an all-in-one nutritional shake, including good stuff like a whole food complex (yes, with real food), fiber and omega blend, probiotic blend, and digestive enzyme blend. Looks like I only have to drink this and take my daily vitamin rather than supplementing to achieve a superior level of healthy everyday. VeganSmart has everything that I would want and more! This is what I want to have tons of in an apocalyptic situation. These shakes taste great too! They are decent on their own, but I recommend vegan milk and/ or fruits and ice. I have created a yummy recipe for you to try with Naturade. I call this peanut butter and jelly tasting shake the Purple Protein Monster!

Add 1 packet/ serving of Vanilla VeganSmart in blender with 9 ounces of almond milk, 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of ice, and 1 tbsp peanut butter. Blend all ingredients for at least 30 seconds.

Enjoy!

Naturade's VeganSmart tastes delicious, is packed with lots of protein, 22 vitamins and minerals, and lots of other really great stuff! I loved the taste, but I also loved the way it made me feel. My body started feeling better than it had before I drank the protein shake. I also felt a gentle energy boost. This protein is terrific for breakfast to replenish your body after the fast of the night, or ideal after a workout for recovery. And you gotta love how this product is nearly half the price of those other vegan protein powders and has the same all-in-one nutrition that us vegans desire. Hey, anything that provides me a healthy cushion so that I can still enjoy my vegan pancakes and french fries, is alright in my book!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hats off to Purple Protein Monsters and Pea Protein!

A Website Full of Vegan Meats & a Taco Recipe!

Recently I came across a website called FakeMeats.com and needless to say, I was intrigued. FakeMeats.com is everything that it's name suggests and so much more. Pretty much anything fake meaty can be found on this website. You will find items like vegan meats of pretty much any kind and also condiments, meal starter kits, broths, and other fake meaty spices! You can also grab a gift basket, sign up for a subscription service or meal pack, and so many other fun foodie things! And currently, they are including a recipe card with each order. Seems like they always have cool promotions going on. This website is pretty incredible.

Upon receiving my package from FakeMeats.com (and after doing a little happy dance), I noticed a nice spicy smell. The box alone had me in a spice trance. It was the Tikka Masala seasoning packet; talk about stimulating the sense of smell! So what I have here from my Fake Meats package is:

Easy Indian Authentic Tikka Masala packet that makes an authentic Indian dish when added to a few other simple ingredients like vegan protein, tomatoes, and oil. This packet smells so amazing and I cannot wait to make this dish and post the recipe on here soon!

Edward & Sons Not-Beef rich and savory broth and seasoning cubes, which make an absolutely beautiful broth and are extremely convenient and easy to use. These taste great added to soups and any recipe that calls for broth or meaty flavor. Definitely a must have; I love this product.

Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth and Seasoning packet is also another vegan broth that adds a beautiful color and flavor to any vegan dish. You can use this in soups, stews, and boiled meals and it truly adds a special something.

Great Life by Lucinda Garden Veg Veggie Burger Mix that makes veggie burger patties simply by adding hot water and cooking! Voila! I will be posting a separate post and recipe using this soon.

BeefNot fortified chunks that are dehydrated and you rehydrate them and use them in any meal the same way you would use any other vegan protein. These are really neat for a lot of reasons, but a big reason is that they can hang out on your shelf until you are ready to use them and have a much longer shelf life than refrigerated vegan meats. BeefNot also has a whopping 25 grams of protein per serving, and the servings are only 140 calories each! That is just amazing! The entire 1 pound dry bag makes 3.4 pounds when rehydrated! At first I was scared to try these because they look and smell kind of like dog food that someone would give to their dog if they didn't like them. It was weird at first, not gonna lie, but after I rehydrated and cooked these fake beefy morsels, I got a run for my money! These were absolutely amazing (as you can tell from the before and after picture below) and were awesome in my vegan taco recipe that I'm sharing with you right now.

Before: Kibble-resembling BeefNot. After: Hot and steamy BeefNot!

Butler Soy Curls were the last item in my FakeMeats.com package. Soy Curls are dehydrated vegan "chicken" that are so simple to use and taste absolutely delicious! This versatile product takes just 10 minutes of soaking in warm water, then drain and use in anything and everything! I will be posting some recipes using these in the future, so stay tuned!

Vegan BeefNot Tacos Recipe!

What you will need:

12 taco shells

2 cups of BeefNot chunks

2 cups of water

2 tbsp canola oil

1 packet of taco seasoning

4 cups of greens

2 tomatoes, diced

1 can of beets, drained, rinsed, and matchstick chopped

5 slices vegan cheese, chopped into small chunks

1/2 cup taco sauce

What you will need to do:

Place taco shells on a cookie sheet and bake on 325 degrees for 7 minutes. Put BeefNot and water in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes, then drain. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat then brown BeefNot. Add taco seasoning and finish cooking according to taco seasoning packet instructions. Finally, fill taco shells with BeefNot and remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

Look at how amazing this BeefNot turns out! Who would have known?

Taco Night!

And if all this wasn't too good to be true, FakeMeats.com also has a jerky of the month club! You read that correctly. Vegan jerky of the month club! And guess what, I'll be trying it out! Each jerky of the month package that I receive, I will be posting and sharing my reviews with you! So check back here for that. Be sure to check out FakeMeats.com, browse their comprehensive variety of vegan meats and other items, and get your jerky on!

By the way...

This is Steven and Kim, the owners of FakeMeats.com. This is a small, family owned and operated business. So not only can you get groovy vegan goods, but you can also support small business, which I love. Us little guys have to stick together! To learn more about Steven and Kim, check out their About Us section on their website.

BREAKING NEWS: Candy Bars Disguised as Protein Bars!

In my time, I have tried many protein bars. Most of them boast that they taste dessert-like or that they taste incredible and they usually taste like cardboard. I can say with all honesty, that NuGo Dark bars are the superstars of protein and nutrition bars, hands down. NuGo Nutrition makes a ton of bars with lots of organic and/or vegan options, but the NuGo Dark bars are definitely my faves; they taste just like candy bars! And they have a couple new flavors, so I'd like to tell you about them.

I've always loved the Mocha Chocolate and Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavors, but recently they sent me a couple new ones, including their two newest Darks, Peanut Butter Cup and Chocolate Pretzel.

YUM!

Upon opening the new ones, I thought to myself, "Okay, they look the same as the others. Crisps covered in dark chocolate. What's the big deal?", but then once I tried the Peanut Butter Cup and the Chocolate Pretzel bars, I was impressed!

DELICIOUS!

NuGo Dark bars have always been an exceptional protein bar (NEVER having the nasty protein bar aftertaste, you know the one) but these two new flavors are amazing! I really liked the Mint Chocolate Chip, but to be honest, I could live without it. My faves are the four others.

SWEET!

These bars are crispy, protein packed (10 grams of protein per bar!), real dark chocolate (that melts so deliciously in your mouth!) dipped, nutrition bars, that taste more like a dessert than a recovery supplement. Eating these after a workout is the best treat ever! I love that eating one of these when a sweet tooth craving strikes, not only satisfies that craving, but also is a way to not cheat on a healthy eating plan, while curbing that hunger at the same time. These bars have a lot of health benefits in addition to a protein boost. In each bar you are getting antioxidants; I absolutely love a "candy bar" that delivers a nutritional advantage as well. I have to mention that these bars are a great compliment to a nice cup of hot or ice coffee. A NuGo bar PLUS a vanilla iced coffee with extra soy milk EQUALS my weakness!

NOM, NOM, NOM!

You can find these bars at Whole Foods Markets, other health food stores, or on their website. To find a participating retailer that carries these delicious NuGo Nutrition products, check out their store locator. 

GET IN MY BELLY!

I really adore these bars and I'm happy to be able to share the good news with you. Hopefully you'll get to try them, if you haven't already, especially their newest flavors! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Here's to chocolaty deliciousness!

CHOCOLATE!

Hot Maple! Review, Recipe, & GIVEAWAY!

Hey Ya'll, recently I came across a really great vegan-friendly, made in the USA (based out of Portland), product called Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce from Hot Maple Foods and was lucky enough to get my hands on some. Hot Maple uses maple syrup instead of sugar. What I love about this company is that not only do they use the syrup for flavoring, but also for sustainability. The process of harvesting and refining maple syrup is much more environmentally friendly than other sugars. Also, what I love about maple syrup is that you know it did not go through a bone-char refining process that many white sugars and sweeteners do. With that being said, Hot Maple is a great hot sauce for us vegan folk! And one of you will be winning a bottle...

Hot Maple has a subtle maple flavor but is not overpoweringly maple flavored whatsoever. My husband and I love spicy and I'm somewhat of a hot sauce snob; I must say this is really spicy stuff. I really enjoyed the smokey, spicy, with a hint of sweet flavor.

The texture is really lovely since it is slightly chunky. I love a really delicious, textured hot sauce that is not watery and runny. This hot sauce would be great in any recipe but I think especially great in Mexican dishes like salsa, guacamole, tacos, etc. Here is the first of many recipes I will post using Hot Maple. I made this rustic potatoes and vegan sausage dish that can be served as a hearty side or alone as a meal. I chose to make this dish using Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce because I feel that the ingredients, especially the potatoes, compliment the flavors in the hot sauce, especially the warmness of the habanero and maple.

Rustic Spicy Potatoes and "Sausage"

What you will need:

6 medium potatoes, cleaned, quartered, and boiled

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cups frozen peas

1 14oz package vegan sausage, cut into chunks

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 vegan bouillon cube, any flavor

1/4 cup Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce

Sea salt & black pepper to taste

What you will need to do:

Boil potatoes, drain and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and cook frozen peas until thawed. Then add in sausage and cook for a moment or so. Next, add potatoes and remaining ingredients and cook until thoroughly warmed and combined. Enjoy!

Okay, I know you are all waiting for me to tell you how can win this 5oz bottle of Hot Maple Smokey Habanero sauce, right?! In order to enter my Hot Maple giveaway, all you have to do is:

1. Comment below and tell me what you will make with this Hot Maple if you win! AND
2. Follow me on twitter: @theDirtyVegan and Tweet about the contest (mention @theDirtyVegan to get credit)!

Tweet and comment as much as you'd like! Each additional Comment and Tweet after your initial entry are BONUS entries! 

I will choose the winner this Saturday, February 22nd at 8:00 PM EST, so until then, enter away! Good luck, this is a very spicy prize!

Beans are the New Trail Mix!

Move over Trail Mix, there's a new healthy snack in town!

Gone are the days of boring snacking. No beans about it, I am glad that I got my hands on some goodies from The Good Bean! So here is the scoop, The Good Bean makes all natural, roasted chickpea snacks in a whole bunch of delicious flavors. Flavors like, Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper, Smoky Chili & Lime, Sweet Cinnamon, Mosquite BBQ, Thai Coconut Lemongrass, and Chocolate! Basically, any flavor that you fancy. Why snack on these chickpeas when you can get potato chips in lots of flavors, you ask? Well because just one serving of The Good Bean roasted chickpeas has as much protein as almonds, as much fiber as two cups of broccoli, and as much folate as three cups of spinach (hello prego mamas)! For just those reasons alone, makes these tiny crunch-machines superior snacks, but there is more.

Taste The Good Bean rainbow!

Not only are these portable and great for lunchboxes, briefcases, gym bags, lockers, desks, camping or hiking backpacks, you name it, the flavors are outrageous! Each flavor has a unique taste and texture also. Depending on your mood, you have flavors that range from simple to sweet to savory to complex. The Sea Salt has a smooth coating and is crunchy and smooth. Sea Salt is great for snackers who typically go for the plain or classic flavors but love the major crunch factor. For the sweet tooth there are flavors like Chocolate or Sweet Cinnamon. They remind me of healthy, candied nuts with huge flavor; what a smart way to snack when you are craving dessert. When you want savory and spicy you can choose Smoky Chili & Lime and Mosquite BBQ which are better than any potato chip that I have ever had. And as for the most complex of The Good Bean flavors, the Thai Coconut Lemongrass literally tastes like I'm eating at a Thai restaurant! It actually almost reminded me of Penang Curry Tofu!

Another great thing about these roasted chickpeas is that your jaw has to do a lot of work to eat these! You can't possibly overeat these and even if you did it is healthier than scarfing down chips. Usually with snacks I can easily eat much more than the recommended serving size, however with The Good Bean I am completely satisfied after my one ounce serving, not to mention my jaw is completely tired! These are also great for people looking to lose weight or maintain their weight and have a snack obsession like I do!

The Good Bean roasted chickpeas come in two bag sizes, a single serving bag to take on the go and a larger bag with a resealable zipper. And although snacking right from the bag is great, you can also enjoy these as salad toppers instead of croutons, in soups, mixed into vegan yogurt, over vegan ice cream (especially the chocolate - yum!), to make your own snack mixes with, or any other way that you can think of! These would also be fabulous to put in pretty dishes or bowls to offer guests during cocktail parties. These are absolutely scrumptious and are now my new go-to snack!

You can find The Good Bean at Whole Foods and other markets using their store locator or you can simply shop right on their website. The Good Bean offers FREE SHIPPING for orders amounting to $35 or more! That is easy to do when you stock up for school lunches, camping trips, road trips, college dorms or care packages, etc. 

I am so psyched about this great product and excited to make this a regular part of our family's snacking! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. I hope you have a crunchy, crispy, flavorful day!