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Garden Lites - Kale & Brown Rice Bites

11/28/2017

My last trip to the grocery store turned up quite a few products that I had not tried before including these Kale and Brown Rice bites from Garden Lites. Being that they are dairy free, GMO free, and gluten free, I was excited to see what these tasted like and what their consistency was.

The bites can be baked, pan fried, or microwaved and as always, I went with the oven method for testing. I always say this but if there are other methods to cook aside from the microwave, go with those. Microwave cooking usually leaves the product lackluster.

The bites came out of the oven with a little bit of a crisp on the outside but still felt pillowy and inviting. After biting into one, I realized I had not checked the ingredients and it was extremely obvious that there were eggs in the product. Despite this, I found them to have the consistency of little kale quiches and frankly, they were delicious. They were extremely flavourful, airy, and fun to eat. I would eat them again in a heartbeat and I strongly recommend them to all of you who are VEGETARIAN!

This also shines a light on the importance of reading your ingredients before leaving the grocery store. It's apparent that they stock their shelves without realizing they are mixing vegetarian / vegan products and I unknowingly purchased a product that was pretty egg forward. I was ok with this but someone who is vegan obviously wouldn't be so it's super important to take the time to read your labels!

Garden Lites product line is chalk full of veggies in every serving. They have quite a great selection of products with extra veggies hidden inside like frozen waffles, chocolatey muffins with carrot and zucchini, and savoury bites like these Kale and Brown rice bites. I am now a total fan of this line and will be looking for more of their products the next time I shop.

I strongly recommend giving these products a try and would love to hear from you guys should you try one that I have not yet.

www.gardenlites.com
HAPPY VEG

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Oh Naturel - Black Bean Bites

11/25/2017

6 Comments

I was so excited to spot the Oh Naturel line at the grocery store after trying their chik'n nuggets a few weeks back. I loved the nuggets so I was expecting the rest of their line to be equally as delicious. I decided to go with the black bean bites because I had everything I needed at home for some delicious wraps.

There's a pretty good amount of bites in the bag so you can definitely stretch them out over a few meals. They looked like little meatballs coming out of the bag which was perfect for my wraps. The bag gives instructions for the oven or stove top and I decided to go with the oven to hopefully get a nice crisp on the outside.

Although they didn't get as crispy on the outside as I'd hoped, they were pretty freakin' delicious! I loved the flavour of the bites and really picked up on the cumin in them.

They had a really great texture as well which made them easy to eat. Often times, I find bean balls / burgers have a bit of a refried bean consistency inside but these actually had quite a nice bite to them. They definitely held up to the chipotle mayo and salsa in my wrap without getting soggy or falling apart.

I strongly recommend picking these up if you spot them at the grocery store. Having tried two of their products so far, I'd say Oh Naturel is one of my favourite plant based frozen food makers. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the products they offer especially after these tasty black bean bites!

HAPPY VEG

www.ohnaturel.com

6 Comments

Zoglo's Meatless Chicken Patties

11/17/2017

8 Comments

Zoglo's is not a brand I was familiar with so when I spotted these at the Superstore I was a touch hesitant to purchase them. This was especially true because there were no other products by this company anywhere to be found which made me even more skeptical. Part of this blog is trying new things and letting you guys know about them so I picked up a box and brought them home to try.

There were several methods to prepare the meatless patties on the box but I decided pan frying them was my best option. I didn't want to chance them getting dried out in the oven because they were fairly thin. A little oil and into the pan they went for approximately 7 minutes per side until brown. They cooked up pretty beautifully despite not looking like chicken whatsoever.

They had a really great flavour and were quite light and airy inside. The outside was deliciously crispy which was exactly what I like. They didn't have any chicken flavour in my opinion and needed a bit of salt to wake them up. The second time around I gave them a pop of pepper flakes and cajun seasoning which really spruced them up.

Ultimately, I would recommend them if you spot them at the market. There are four per box which is technically two meals if you pair them with a delicious side and salad. Totally worth the money and as I said, they were quite enjoyable.

Upon researching Zoglo's I discovered that they have quite an extensive product line! They carry a variety of meatless products including hot dogs, burgers, various vegetable patties, and other specialty products. They boast no preservatives and absolutely no GMO soy which is a big deal. Their products are available in specialty stores across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Israel, and Australia. They will be continuing to expand to new locations so keep an eye out for their products. I know I can't wait to try the rest of their line!

www.zoglos.com
HAPPY VEG

8 Comments

Royal Delight Samosa

11/7/2017

13 Comments

I absolutely love Samosas! I guess I pretty much love anything wrapped up in a wonderfully crispy dough to be honest. How can you go wrong?

I've eaten plenty of samosas in my time so trying new brands is always exciting because it's fun to compare the little differences. This particular brand is made in Ontario by Shimla Foods along with a variety of other flavours and bread products.

Like other frozen samosa products, the option to pan fry or bake is totally up to you. I like the ease of throwing everything into the oven and I love the resulting crispy samosa when it is finished. What I loved about this brand was their size first of all, literally the perfect size for a samosa. Two or three bites is what I like.

The inside was probably the best samosa filling I've tried in the frozen foods market. Typically, I find that these products have flavour but lack salt, this brand was especially flavourful and had the salt right on. The potato filling was fluffy, spicy, and perfectly seasoned.

The price was perfect for the size of the bag and the ingredients list was short and without sciency sounding ingredients. Too many crazy ingredients is a red flag so the short ingredients list was a good thing for sure.

I strongly recommend picking up a bag on your next trip to the grocery store. They also offer non traditional flavours like Jalapeno & Cheddar and Mushroom & Swiss but I haven't been able to confirm that those are vegetarian. If you guys try them please shoot me a comment and let me know what you think!

HAPPY VEG

www.shimlafoods.com

13 Comments

Vegetarian Cheese - A Lesson On Enzymes

11/1/2017

9 Comments

Until recently, I hadn't considered how cheese was made as I had a vague idea and that felt sufficient. I was taken by surprise when I learned that rennet, sourced from the lining of a slaughtered baby cow's stomach, was used in a variety of cheeses I was unknowingly consuming. The enzyme in rennet can also come from plant / vegetarian safe sources as well. I immediately did my research and found out exactly what to look for when it comes to cheese.

There are several different enzymes used in the production of cheese to curdle and separate the milk from the whey. Depending on the source of this enzyme, your cheese may or may not be vegetarian friendly.

I've found a list of these enzymes and their sources so that you can read your cheese labels before buying. In some cases, the product may only specify enzymes without any detail of the source. This can be tricky, my suggestion is to read other products / brands that are similar and look for the specifics on the enzymes. If that isn't an option, hold off until you can get home and google it. Head to the manufacturer's website and look for details just to be safe.

CALF RENNET - There are several cheese including Parmigiano, Blue Cheese, and Romano that are almost always made with calf's rennet. On the labels, it should specifically say calf's rennet. There are vegetarian safe versions of parmesan or romano that are made outside of Italy and I've found that they are typically grated or shredded. One rule of thumb, if you've purchased a wedge of fresh parmigiano or romano, you're likely eating calf's rennet.
VEGETABLE ENZYMES - These enzymes are sourced from vegetables and are vegetarian friendly. Cultures have used figs, tree bark, and ground ivy as well as sources of the enzyme needed to curdle the cheese. Unfortunately, these are much harder to find because of Genetically Modified Rennet.
MICROBIAL ENZYMES - Vegetarian cheese produced through the use of microorganisms would be considered microbial rennet or enzymes. Typically sourced from molds grown in controlled conditions and purified to make it safe for human consumption. These are now harder to find because of Genetically Modified Rennet.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ENZYMES - Less expensive to produce and considered vegetarian safe, genetically modified enzymes are also found on your cheese label. These organisms are fed cows genes so the vegetarian safe line is blurry to me. These are sourced from yeasts, fungi, and other bacteria and are also the most used method of of coagulating cheese.

www.livestrong.com/article/309400-what-enzymes-in-cheese-are-vegetarian/

www.vegsoc.org/cheese

https://butternutrition.com/secret-ingredient-hiding-in-your-cheese/

What does this all mean? Well for starts, we're consuming a large amount of genetically modified products. As most cheese in North America is now made with these modified enzymes, the choice to continue knowingly consuming them often or cutting back lies with us.

GM enzymes don't show up differently on cheese labels. Microbial enzymes will be what is seen without any mention of genetic modification. Unless you see vegetable enzymes, be aware that you are likely eating genetically modified cheese.

I hope this helps you guys or sheds some light on what exactly we're consuming!

HAPPY VEG

9 Comments

Garden Lites - Kale & Brown Rice Bites

Oh Naturel - Black Bean Bites

Zoglo's Meatless Chicken Patties

Royal Delight Samosa

Vegetarian Cheese - A Lesson On Enzymes

Jonathan - Happy Veg

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