Awesome Vegan Meals by Luvo!

When the company Luvo contacted me to try out some of their vegan frozen meals, I was really excited about it, but was super impressed with how they arrived to me. Before we talk about these wonderful vegan products, let me tell you first about how amazing it was that this giant box of frozen meals traveled from the other side of the country, from the west coast all the way to me on the east coast, and when I opened the box they were still frozen! The dry ice was still intact, in fact we did a science experiment using it! So I thought that was really impressive and I wanted to give a shout out to Luvo for those amazing packaging skills.

This company does healthy and quick meals made from wholesome and real ingredients. They are not a full vegan company, although they have these amazing vegan meals, they also offer some that do include animal products, which is their only downside, in my humble opinion. Obviously I want every company that offers vegan products to be 100% vegan, but I respect that so many companies are offering an array of plant-based and vegan meals and are doing such a splendid job at it, like Luvo is.

Here's the scoop on what I tried from Luvo and what I think about these frozen meals:

Let me just start by saying that these four products are vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free, and I absolutely love that! Each meal is a fantastic offering of each food group and includes a lot of different components and flavors.

Hawaiian Un-Fried Rice: this meal has rice, shiitake mushrooms, pineapple and cashews, which are some of my favorite things melded together in one delicious plant powered bowl, but the best part is how authentic it tasted. A very enjoyable frozen meal for sure that is unlike any others.

Great Karma Coconut Curry: this bowl is a combination of jasmine rice, butternut squash and garbanzo beans along with the tempting flavors of coconut and curry making it just super yummy and perfect for any day of the week. This one you don't have to be in the mood for; I would eat this all the time and might not ever get tired of it.

So Cal Kale & Bean: this bowl is packed with red rice, broccoli and white beans. It tastes super fresh and clean while still remaining absolutely delicious. This one will be my go-to for after a workout for sure because I felt powerful after I consumed it.

Mighty Masala & Greens: brown rice, green garbanzos, cabbage and kale compose this stupendous vegan bowl and these are all my faves for so many reasons; the flavor combined with the nutritional aspect make this one my top choice.

All of these great Luvo meals are packed with whole grains, fresh quality ingredients, fiber, protein, and are super healthy while being delicious at the same time. Big thank you to Luvo for generously sending me this package - not only did I love your vegan products, but you also made me a huge fan of your company. Please keep including more vegan meals to your line, they are fantastic!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off - eat your beans and greens!

Testing Exciting New Vegan Products: Enjoy Life Foods!

This is such an exciting time for vegan food and I'm so grateful that companies send me care packages to try out the latest products. There are so many amazing new food items just recently released or that will be available very soon, and I am over-the-moon happy about this!

The latest Enjoy Life vegan stuff! Yay!!!

I wanted to talk about the latest three delicious and gluten-free Enjoy Life products added to their line of wonderful vegan offerings and allergy-friendly foods.

The red bag is the Dark Chocolate Regular Size Morsels, which I thought they always had but maybe these are new because they are 69% cacao. Anyways, these are for baking and other recipes but are so good straight from the bag! What?? I didn't eat the whole entire bag before getting a chance to use them for a recipe post. What? There's a recipe using these scrumptious chocolate morsels coming soon...maybe.

Then there's the brand new protein bites, ProBurst Bites that I'm most excited about! They are nut-free, made with sunseed butter (sunflower seed butter), they are completely natural, they pack a 6g of protein punch, but most importantly...they taste more like a dessert than a snack. I was expecting these to taste like the protein balls that I sometimes eat (you know when I'm in workout mode, occasionally) but they actually taste like the best chocolate truffles I've ever eaten! You get 5 servings per (resealable) bag, however that's 3 bites per serving and they are so rich and decadent that I can easily eat one or two and be satisfied. These are a great value and nutritional, but yummy, offering.

And last but certainly not least, the Muffin Mix with Ancient Grains. My favorite aspect of this muffin mix is that the mix has 5g of protein per serving developed with probiotics. I absolutely love when something like muffin mix isn't void of nutritional value. These muffins are coming in at only 170 calories each prepared muffin, and you can make about 10- 12 muffins per box, so if I am in workout mode (haha, yeah right) I won't feel guilty at all eating them...all...eating all the muffins. Damn, they are tasty muffins - don't judge me.

Big thank you to Enjoy Life Foods for sending these new products over to me to try. I am a big fan of this company and they really continue to make vegans lives so much easier with their delish and revolutionary products. Bravo!

Which of the latest Enjoy Life products are you most exciting to try out? 

Tiger Nuts...Rawrrrr!

I know what you're thinking. Where does she find this stuff?

Here's a little something, something about Tiger Nuts...

Tiger Nuts are NOT nuts. Make sure you've had your caffeine before reading this one. They are actually nut-free and gluten-free. I know, mind blown.

If they aren't nuts, what are they??

They are tubers that grow underground like carrots or potatoes do. And you guessed it, they are jam packed with minerals which include fiber, vitamins C and E, and iron! They are vegan-friendly, obvi, but also suitable for people who must avoid gluten or have nut allergies - since they are tubers and not nuts.

You'd be nuts not to try these tubers! They are totally tubular! <--- I'm sorry, I had to do this.

Anyways, what you see pictured: the original Raw Premium Organic and the original Supreme Peeled, also the Tiger Nuts flour! Yep, you can bake with it, Folks! I will be posting some Tiger Nuts recipes on here soon - I've been hard at work since summer on my Dirty Vegan Cookbook, but you can definitely expect to see a recipe on the blog using this amazing Tiger Nuts flour coming soon!

Thanks, Tiger Nuts, for sending me these tubular tubers and Tiger Nut flour to try! I love trying new products and sharing with the Dirty Vegan community.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off - I hope you have a nutty-but-not-actually-a-nut day!

Vegan Snacks...CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

Do ya'll remember Bugles? You know those tiny little crunchy cornucopias that were pretty darn tasty and extremely addictive? Now imagine that you want a natural and vegan option. Well, look no further! Here I present to you... Laiki rice crackers!

These light and delicious crispy crackers are ONLY 3 ingredients! Rice, oil, salt - that's it! These scrumptious snacks are also 100 percent whole grain, gluten-free, non-GMO, all natural and vegan of course!

Hoda Kotb raved on the Today Show, about how she's eating these snacks by the bagful. I can totally see why! These are so yummy and it is really hard to stop at just a handful of these, yet I feel completely guilt-free after eating them. Plus, they remind me of healthy Bugles soooo... see there is nothing that us vegans can't have!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. I hope you all have a crunchy day... you know I will!

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.

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!

Chocolate Covered Granola?! Wha, Wha, What???

I absolutely love granola. I'm like a granola freak! Sometimes it is hard to find a good vegan granola since many seem to contain honey or milk products. I also adore chocolate. Cocoa is like nature's way of making your day more awesome. Now imagine, just imagine...chocolate covered granola clusters. I know, in our wildest dreams right? WRONG! Nutty Steph's has made this fantasy a reality. I honestly had never thought about this nutty combination, but now that I know about Nutty Steph's, I can't see how I lived without chocolate covered granola for this long.

 

Nutty Steph's is a Vermont-based granola company that specialize in handmade treats like granola, trail mix, dried items like fruit, chocolate candy, and their special creation called Magic Chunks.

 Magic Chunks!

Nutty Steph's has their ingredients on the website with their products, so you can see that they offer many vegan options. I love that their granola is sweetened with pure maple syrup and not honey. Pure maple syrup just so happens to be a favorite of mine. Plus, Vermont is known for excellent maple syrup. Their products are handcrafted, which is really neat. They also have a gluten-free selection, so everyone can enjoy these.

I tried the following vegan Nutty Steph's products, and here is what I thought of them:

Magic Chunks in Dark Chocolate flavor: using chocolate grown in protected forests by Ecuadoran farmer cooperatives to cover these granola chunks, the flavors you get are vast and intense! They are 70% cacao and you get nutty notes from the chocolate, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds. You can also detect the beautiful flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. Marvelous to get all of these elements in one scrumptious bite!

Magic Chunks in Chewy Fruit Chocolate flavor (Black Forest): My favorite of the two chunks I've tried. You can really taste the coconut, sun dried bananas, and cherries with every bite. What a lovely combination along with the delicious granola. Amazing and addicting!

Vermont Granola: this is definitely a great granola. The flavor combinations are superb and I loved trying it with almond milk and also over my vegan yogurt. The oats combined with nuts, cinnamon, and maple syrup make this a very special treat. Try not to eat the whole bag in one sitting, I dare you. I have tried a lot of granolas and Nutty Steph's is one of the best.

Blackbird Dark Chocolate with Three Seeds: what an interesting way to experience your candy bar. Seeds in this smooth and buttery (from cocoa butter) chocolate make this a yummy and nutritious treat. And think about it, the antioxidants and omegas you are getting from the cocoa and flax seeds make this a health-worthy indulgence.

Lemon Ginger Pecan Dark Chocolate: if you like zing in your chocolate, this one is for you. Nutty Steph's chocolate is super delicious along with refreshing lemon, spicy ginger, and pecans to balance it all out, which make this a really fun one! I'm definitely a fan.

If you want to get your hands on some Nutty Steph's, they are available on their website and they also have a Flagship store for anyone who is in the Vermont area.

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hope you have a sweet and nutty day!

Weird (but Delicious) Brownies (and NOT the Wacky Tobacky Kind).

I've heard about black bean brownies and I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Out of straight fear of eating black beans in my brownies, I delayed in this exploration. However, I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and I must say this is a very interesting wagon indeed.

I did some research on the interweb and came across some rather odd recipes. Some were no fat, some were no flour, some were even no sugar! How dare they! I finally stumbled upon the recipe on the No Meat Athlete's website, and decided to give it a try. In true Dirty Vegan fashion, I had to put my own Naughty spin on it. I also made these gluten-free, which if you haven't noticed, I have been doing more of. I received requests from vegan and gluten-free readers who wanted to see more GF-friendly content. Needless to say, thank you NMA for giving me the recipe guideline! I only changed a couple of things anyway, so I totally give you the credit. Before your recipe, I wouldn't know the first thing about putting black beans into desserts.

These were delicious! The picture doesn't do them justice whatsoever.

Here is what I did:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
• 1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 4 tsp instant coffee powder (not gonna lie, I just busted open a K-cup)
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup nuts (use whatever nuts you like - walnuts or hazelnuts seem perfect for this)
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed then placed back into can and fill the can with water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup water (additionally)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) in a large mixing bowl. Puree can of black beans with that new water you added to it. Mix puree with vanilla and that additional cup of water. Mix wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and pour batter into it (batter will be watery, don't worry about it). Bake for about 30 minutes, carefully rotating pan a couple of times during baking. When your brownies are not watery or runny in the middle and they seem to be pulling away from the sides of the pan, they are done. Let cool and then cut into squares and enjoy! These retain heat very well, so when I enjoyed my brownie, I got nice oozy chocolate chips inside. Yum!

Thanks No Meat Athlete! I wouldn't have tried black bean brownies, like ever, if it weren't for your recipe. I'm glad I did, these were surprisingly fantastic!

Love Me Some Soda Pop!

I don't drink a lot of soda, but when I do I opt for regular and never diet soda. I stay away from the chemicals in diet sodas and a little bit of sugar won't likely hurt a healthy person. However, for us vegans, we never know what sugar is vegan-friendly and not processed with animal bone char, unless it is confirmed. I tend to stick to definite vegan products, ones that someone has confirmed are vegan-friendly. I came across these sodas at Trader Joe's on our last grocery shopping trip, and I wanted to share.

 These vintage sodas taste amazing and the bottle is cool! I love drinking soda from a glass bottle because the beverage gets really cold and I find that it tastes more refreshing.

I like these vintage Trader Joe's sodas. As you can see, this one is gluten-free (I'm sure most, if not all, are free of gluten) and contains no artificial flavors or preservatives. I used to be real keen on Jones Soda, however Jones does contain "natural and artificial flavors". These Trader's sodas are a real good option if you are skeptical on soda, but want to include it in your life occasionally. I know a lot of people who ban soda in their household, and I probably would have felt that way too if I hadn't found an inexpensive and all-natural soda like this.

Are you still a soda drinker? How do you feel about soda and including it in your family's diet?

Cereal, How I Love Thee. Let Me Count the Ways...

I have been craving corn flakes. You know, the kind that you grew up eating as a kid as you sat in front of the tube and watched Saturday morning cartoons. Yes I'm serious, kids did that back then, instead of playing around on their smart phones as toddlers, like they are doing now. So back to the flakes...

To my surprise (not really surprised at all), as I scanned the boxes in the grocery store's cereal isle, all of the corn flakes were filled with junk. Junk, trash, chemicals, trans fats, preservatives, and cancer-causing ingredients. No way am I going to put that trash in my temple body, especially my pregnant (and soon-to-be-nursing) body. Plan B, what will be my Plan B?

Luckily, I was introduced to Erewhon Organic Cereals, by Attune Foods, (you know, the makers of the probiotic dark chocolate candy bars and other wonderful products that you can find at Whole Foods) just in the nick of time! Erewhon Corn Flakes definitely fulfilled my cereal craving and then some.

Corn Flakes...hmmmmmm!

You will be delighted to know that Erewhon Corn Flakes contain no GMO ingredients. These cereals are NON GMO Project Verified. Yes, I mean it, a corn product that actually is real, old fashioned, corn and not some creepy GMO science experiment. The taste of this cereal is real, delicious, honest to goodness corn flake cereal. That is exactly what I was looking for. Golden in color, the way nature intended it, what cereal from corn should look like. I enjoyed a huge bowl (or two, or three, or four...) of these corn flakes with cold almond milk and I thoroughly enjoyed every solitary bite.

Ingredients: Organic Milled Corn, Sea Salt. <--- doesn't get much better than that now, does it?

Oh wait it does, each serving (who eats only 1 serving anyways?) contains 60mg of potassium, 3g of protein, and even some Vitamin A, Iron, Phosphorus, and Magnesium. Its not the hugest amounts of these vitamins and minerals, but again, who only eats just 1 cup of cereal? We go through boxes and boxes of cereal in my household per week; cereal is an important thing. Moving on...

Crispy Brown Rice, Gluten-free, tastes like I remember it!

I also tried the Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice, Gluten Free cereal and it reminded me of cereals past but way better. This actually tasted nutritious...because it is. You don't get that brown rice taste, it tastes like a white rice cereal would taste, however you get that nice fulfilled and satisfied feeling after a bowl of these little treasures. Gluten-free, contains 2g of protein per serving and less than 1g of sugar. Its healthy for your children too and they will never know its healthy. Shhh, it will be our secret.

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Sea Salt.

Low on the Glycemic Index and safe for your health-food kick. You'll forget though, this cereal tastes that good; not kidding. Dirty it up, you ask? Do what I do and add a splash of Silk creamer to your vegan milk. For some reason I do this only when I eat rice cereal. I'm glad to have finally found a brown rice cereal that I love; this will be a staple in my cupboard for sure!

Last but certainly not least, my personal favorite, a superfood-cereal-powerhouse!

Erewhon's Supergrains, Buckwheat & Hemp cereal packs a nutritious punch, let me tell you. I love hemp, it is a perfect food for your body. Bodies love hemp. Buckwheat is also great for your body and the combination gives you fiber that your body needs to haul away harmful waste in your intestines. This cereal contains a whopping 6g of protein, 5g of dietary fiber, 9% iron, and 2% calcium. If you eat your cereal in generous portions the way I do and pair it with your nutritious vegan milk, you have yourself a super breakfast. This cereal is organic, it is gluten-free, and contains absolutely no GMOs. Six ingredients, that is it. Cereal that is so close to the whole food itself that your body can immediately begin to utilize it as fuel for your functions. This cereal is tasty too; if you eat any type of bran flake in the morning or use it for baking, I recommend trying Erewhon's Buckwheat & Hemp cereal. You can even process some in your blender and use it as a really healthy breadcrumb. I would suggest using it for breadcrumb in stuffed mushrooms; I think that would make a delicious and hearty appetizer.

All three of these cereals will be making regular appearances in my pantry and I'm excited to try other Erewhon cereals. Attune Foods makes other great vegan-friendly products, so keep your eye out for them at Whole Foods. It was exciting to share this with you because as you know, I am very passionate about good food and I'm obviously not going to keep it all to myself. These cereals are great finds and I feel comfortable feeding them to my family. That is a rare occurrence these days, as there are a lot of gross ingredients in packaged foods, so it is a relief to find products like these that work for the health conscious.

The Holy grail and ass-kicker of cereal! Yum!

Happy Valentine's Day To Me!

What a Valentine's Day I've been having today! I woke up to hear a sweet voice say to me, "Happy Valentine's Day", romantic greeting cards, received a delivery of a delicious bouquet of heart-shaped fruits, and just got a velvety box of vegan chocolates delivered to me, all from my wonderful husband! I couldn't be more excited for our date tonight! I did want to share these chocolates with you because they are from a company who makes these gourmet sweet treats in vegan and gluten-free options. How cool is that?

Sweet Pete's in Jacksonville, FL! They ship to your door!

A knock on the door. A package. I opened the cardboard box. To my surprise, a giant, velvet, heart box!

I opened the heart-shaped box. Did I mention how nice and velvety it felt? How adorable, a little caramel of sorts. I ate it. It tasted like caramel, butter toffee - chewy with a little crunch.

Oh my! This box has the most delicious marzipan candies, chocolate covered cherries, caramels, filled heart candies, and more! Absolutely delightful! I have the best husband ever!

Just wanted to share with you. This candy company will definitely be a lifesaver during all of the candy-related holidays...which are like every single holiday. Hope you have a sweet day too! Happy Valentine's Day!