Product Review: Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs

Shown with Vegetable Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti is one of my favorite foods. Since I grew up eating it with ground beef, I am always looking for ways to make it vegan. I thought vegan meatballs would be a good way to go and so I tried Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs. 

These are made from Texturized Soy Protein. 

I really wanted to like these. They didn't look weird...

But when I took a bite I was overwhelmed by the mushy texture. It might have tasted good, but I couldn't tell because I was so put off by how gross the texture was. 

I waited a little bit and tried another bite thinking, "It couldn't have been that bad." And yes, it was that bad. I couldn't finish one meatball. 

Review: Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs

First impressions: When cooking: "looks good and smells good." After first bite: "omg gross." 

Taste: Honestly, I can't give an accurate taste description because I couldn't get past the texture. 

Texture: Disgustingly soft and mushy. I couldn't finish a whole one. 

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? Absolutely. 

Worth buying again? No. 

Overall: 1 out of 5. If you are not texture sensitive and don't mind the mushiness of some veggie burgers, then you might like these better. 

Making Pasta Sauce in Bulk

I love making pasta sauce from scratch, but it can be so time consuming! There is an easy solution - making large amounts of sauce in advance and canning them. I do this with my spaghetti sauce and red pepper sauce. This makes for an incredibly easy meal down the road, all you have to do is cook the pasta and add sauce. 

For this batch, I added more vegetables to the spaghetti sauce to add more nutrients and natural sweetness (a red pepper has more vitamin C than an orange!) 

I do not have a canner so I froze my jars. There are guides on how to can without a canner, but just to be safe I froze mine. To defrost, I move one jar to the fridge at least a day before I want to make pasta. 

I used the giant cans of crushed tomatoes from Costco. I used one 106 oz can for each recipe, and each recipe made 5 batches of about 24 ounces each. 

Vegetable Marinara

Ingredients

• 4 onions (I bought a 3 pound bag of yellow onions and used half in each recipe)
• 2 red peppers
• 4 carrots (or half of a 1 pound bag)
• A whole head of garlic (ok to skip some of the smaller cloves)
• About 1 cup of red wine, I used 1/3 of a bottle of Cabernet (optional)
• 106 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• About 1 tablespoon each, or enough to sprinkle over the entire top of the sauce
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• oregano

Directions

1. Chop the onions, red pepper, and carrots. 
2. Add oil to a very large sauce pot, enough to coat the bottom.
3. Add the vegetables and salt. Saute until the onions are clear and the peppers are soft ~15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and simmer for ~5 minutes.
5. Add the wine, simmer for ~5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and other seasonings and stir to combine.
7. If you are blending do that here.
8. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, I did for about an hour and a half. 
9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
10. Let cool until no longer steaming before you start canning to avoid hurting yourself (speaking from experience).

Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 onions (I bought a 3 pound bag of yellow onions and used half in each recipe)
• 4 red peppers
• 2 jars of roasted red peppers
• A whole head of garlic (ok to skip some of the smaller cloves)
• About 1 cup of red wine, I used 1/3 of a bottle of Cabernet (optional)
• 106 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• About 1 tablespoon each, or enough to sprinkle over the entire top of the sauce
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• oregano
• cayenne pepper (I used 1 tablespoon for 5 batches of sauce, the overall spiciness was about a 3 on a scale of 1-10)
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Chop the onions and raw red peppers. If you will be blending the sauce like me, you can use a rustic approach when chopping. They do not need to be the same size. If you will not be blending, I think thin, julienne strips would look best. 
2. Add oil to a very large sauce pot, enough to coat the bottom.
3. Add the onions, red peppers, and salt. Saute until the onions are clear and the peppers are soft ~15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and roasted red peppers, simmer for ~5 minutes.
5. Add the wine, simmer for another 5 or so minutes
6. Add the tomatoes and other seasonings and stir to combine.
7. If you are blending do that here.
8. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, I did for an hour and a half. 
9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Vegetable Fried Rice

This vegan fried rice is inspired by food court style fried rice that typically has peas, carrots, and eggs. This version obviously removes the eggs, but also pumps up the protein by adding edamame. Broccoli and peas are a good vegan protein source too. 

You could easily customize this recipe by adding different vegetables or tofu.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients

• Oil for cooking - I used canola
• 1/2 cup white rice plus 1 cup water
• Vegetables, about 1/2 cup of each, chopped into small pieces
• Carrots
• Onion
• Broccoli
• Edamame - I used frozen shelled edamame
• Peas - I used frozen
• Seasoning
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Soy sauce

Directions

1. Cook rice separately by boiling with water and salt. When the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and cover. 
2. Saute the onions and carrots in cooking oil. 
3. When the onions are clear, add the garlic and broccoli.
4. When the broccoli starts to get soft, add the edamame, cooked rice, and seasonings. You may need to add more oil. 
5. Stir to combine and continue to stir occasionally until some parts of the rice start to caramelize. Adjust seasonings to taste.
6. Add the frozen peas last so they don't get mushy. Stir them in until they are evenly mixed. 

Note: Chopping all of the vegetables can take a lot of prep time. You can save time by prepping the vegetables in advance and freezing them, or by using store-bought frozen vegetables. 

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes

This is a quick pasta dish you can throw together when you have minimal ingredients on hand. I made this when I had just bought fresh cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, but hadn't gone grocery shopping yet.

When cherry tomatoes cook the flavor becomes more complex. As they heat up, the juice inside expands and they explode. This turns the tomatoes into a light sauce. I use the same method with my tomato and asparagus pasta.

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound linguini
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook the pasta separately and set aside.
2. Saute the cherry tomatoes until some of them pop open from the heat. Gently "pop" the rest with the back of your spoon or spatula. 
3. Add the garlic to the sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the cooked linguini and stir with tongs. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Product Review: Boca Original Chik'n Nuggets

Because of how much I liked Boca's Spicy Chik'n Patties, I tried their vegan chicken nuggets next. They were very similar to the patties, but the original breading is a little boring compared to the spicy. 

Just like the patties, these are ridiculously easy to prepare. They would be great for a quick snack or meal. 

Review: Boca Original Chik'n Veggie Nuggets

First impressions: "This is good."

Taste: Like the Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties, but a little boring without the spice. 

Texture: The inside texture reminds me of McDonald's chicken nuggets. 

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? No.

Worth buying again? Yes, I will probably always have these or the patties on hand for when I don't feel like cooking. 

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Vegan Tacos with Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles

The vegan beef crumbles made by Beyond Meat are better in recipes where they can be complimented by other flavors and textures. Of course I thought of tacos first. 

This is an easy taco recipe my boyfriend uses for regular beef. Use the measurements as a guideline, not a rule, and adjust to your taste. 

Vegan Tacos with Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles (or another faux beef)
• 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 packet of your favorite taco seasoning
• Juice from 1 lime
• Tortillas
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Lettuce

Directions:

1. Saute the crumbles until warm. Add salsa, taco seasoning, and lime juice. Stir and cook until heated through. 
2. Add to tortillas and assemble tacos with your favorite taco veggies and toppings. I used iceberg lettuce, tomato, avocado, and a taco sauce packet I stole from taco bell. You could also try rice, beans, bell peppers, onions, or vegan sour cream. 

Product Review: Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles

Beyond Meat has been in the news a lot lately, does it live up to the hype? The short answer is yeah, pretty much. 

It could replace beef some recipes but not all. It comes in tiny crumbles that do not stick together. It's kind of like buying precooked ground beef, as opposed to a pound of fresh ground beef. You couldn't use it to make meatballs or burger patties. It's better for recipes like tacos or goulash.

One thing that worried me is the package says not to overcook it. I don't know what happens if you do, but it might not be good in recipes that use the oven or crockpot. 

Review: Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles

First impressions: "It really looks like beef."

Taste: It tastes like beef, but isn't quite as satisfying. More like beef broth than a hamburger.

Texture: Small, dry crumbles.

Does it look like the picture on the package? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? Yeah, something about it just seems different. 

Worth buying again? I probably won't. If you are strictly vegan, this is probably the closest thing to beef you will find right now. 

Overall: 3.5/5

Product Review: Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties

Updated 9/6/2020

This was the first plant-based meat I ever tried - ahh, scary! Right?!

Well, maybe my fear was unwarranted. These were delicious. My picky-eater boyfriend liked them so much we are adding them to our rotation. I'm more optimistic about trying the other varieties now too. 

These are great with vegan ranch, bbq sauce, or sriracha if you want more spice. They are a little bit spicy. Maybe a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. 

 

If you're skeptical about trying faux meat, I suggest starting with these or another vegan chicken patty. I guess it makes sense, "real" chicken patties and nuggets are already mostly made from soy. If anything, the vegan version is better tasting and probably less processed. 

This was my favorite plant-based meat for a while until I tried the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger. Those would also be good to start with if you're new to plant-based foods and craving a burger. 

Boca Spicy Chik'n Veggie Patties ingredients:

Water, wheat flour, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, corn oil, contains less than 2% of salt, yeast extract, wheat gluten, methylcellulose, spices and herbs, sugar, onion powder, yeast, vinegar powder, paprika extract (color), dried garlic, natural flavor (non-meat), corn, malted barley, rye, succinic acid. 

Review: Boca Spicy Chik'n Veggie Patties

First impressions: "Wow. This is much better than I expected." "I am so pleasantly surprised."

Taste: Like a Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's. 

Texture: Like the inside of a chicken nugget. Obviously there will be no "grain" like a real chicken breast, but you don't get that from any chicken nugget or patty.  

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Worth buying again? Definitely. We have them on a regular basis because they are a quick, simple meal. They bake in about 12 minutes. It's so easy to throw them in the oven with some fries or another side. 

Overall: 5 out of 5

Product Review: So Delicious Minis - Coconut Almond

These vegan ice cream bars are made from coconut milk and have almonds and coconut mixed with the chocolate shell. They taste just like an almond joy! I'll definitely be buying them again. 

Review: So Delicious Minis - Coconut Almond

First impressions: "Yum!"

Taste: Just like an almond joy with dark chocolate.

Texture: The texture is exactly like any other ice cream bar. The chocolate crunches and the ice cream is airy and soft. 

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes.

Can you tell it's vegan? No, but it doesn't taste like vanilla ice cream, you can definitely taste the coconut. It tastes like coconut flavored non-vegan ice cream. 

Worth buying again? Yes, definitely. 

Overall: 5/5

Product Review: Trader Joe's Soy Creamy Mini Vanilla Sandwiches

I love Trader Joe's! They have a lot of vegan products that I am looking forward to trying. I started in the dessert section with Soy Creamy Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Mini Vanilla Sandwiches, aka vegan ice cream sandwiches. These are made from tofu, but don't have a soy aftertaste like most soy products. 

Review: Trader Joe's Soy Creamy Mini Vanilla Sandwiches

First impressions: "This is good... This is soy? I couldn't tell"

Taste: It doesn't really taste like ice cream, but it's still good. It's kind of like comparing cool whip to whipped cream. They are different but both good in their own way.

Texture: The texture is similar to a non-vegan ice cream sandwich. The cookie part is chocolately, soft, and sticks to your fingers. The ice cream part is smooth and a little softer than non-vegan ice cream. It doesn't melt as fast as a standard ice cream sandwich.

Does it look like the picture on the box? Yes

Can you tell it's vegan? No. It tastes different than ice cream but there is no soy aftertaste.

Worth buying again? Yes, especially to try the other flavors. There is also a chocolate and maybe strawberry.

Overall: 4/5. Good but not amazing.

Have you tried these? Write your own review below!

Product Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Mocha

I love this brand of premade iced coffee, but this flavor was not my favorite. The cafe latte and double espresso varieties have a rich, strong coffee flavor. The mocha does not. It has a chocolately, sweet taste, more like a chocolate almond milk. They also make a caramel version, but I've only seen it in the individual size. 

Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Mocha

First impressions: "Hmm... not what I was expecting"
Taste: Too sweet, you can't really taste the coffee
Texture: Similar to other almond milk iced coffees - thick and creamy.
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes. It tastes like chocolate milk with a vegan aftertaste.
Better than other vegan versions? No. I think the best mocha iced coffee is Almond Breeze.
Worth buying again? No, I would buy another flavor instead.
Overall: 3/5

Roasted Gold Potatoes

I love just about any kind of potatoes, but there's something special about the Yukon Gold variety. They're golden in color, hence the name, and they also have an almost buttery flavor to them. 

For this recipe I cooked the potatoes twice - first in the microwave and then in the oven. This makes them soft and fluffy on the inside, but crunchy on the outside. 

I got this recipe from one of my college friends. Her mom made them one night and I was instantly hooked. Whenever I make them I always make extra to have as leftovers, but still end up eating them all right away.

Roasted Gold Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Yukon Gold potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Oregano

Directions:

1. Place washed, unpeeled potatoes on microwave safe plate. Poke holes in the potatoes and microwave on high for 20 minutes.
2. Peel the potatoes. I used a fork, but they are easy to peel by hand if you can wait for them to cool.
3. Place peeled potatoes in an oven safe dish and add seasonings and olive oil. Stir until the potatoes are evenly covered with oil. 
4. Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring half way in between. The potatoes are already cooked, so you are just getting them crispy in the oven. If it is taking too long, you can use the broiler. If you do use the broiler, be very careful to set a timer or keep an eye on them - it is really easy to accidentally burn food under the broiler!

Product Review: Almond Breeze Iced Coffee - Vanilla

Earlier we tried the mocha flavor of Almond Breeze premade iced coffee. This time we tried the vanilla. It also comes it caramel macchiato. I liked the mocha better because it tastes like chocolate milk, which I love. The amount of coffee flavor in the vanilla was similar to the mocha - not very strong. So far I would recommend this line of vegan premade iced coffees to people who are not die hard coffee fans. It's great if you just want a hint of coffee flavor. This makes me think of people who take a little coffee with their milk and sugar. 

Review: Almond Breeze Iced Coffee - Vanilla

First Impressions: "This is ok."
Taste: Kind of sweet, the coffee flavor is subtle. You can taste the vanilla more than the coffee.
Texture: Thick and creamy like the other almond milk iced coffees.
Worth buying again? Yes, especially because it goes on sale more often than the other brands (at my store at least).
Better than non-vegan version? Not really, there is not a strong coffee flavor.
Better than other vegan versions? No, Califia Farms is the best brand we have tried so far.
Overall: 3 out of 5

Mushroom Goulash

Goulash is a Hungarian tomato and meat stew served over pasta. I used mushrooms instead to make a vegan goulash. This can also be made into a more soup-like consistency by thinning it out with vegetable broth. 

I'm still learning how to make the most out of my spice rack. For this recipe I used paprika, cumin, and oregano. I would say the paprika is really important here. But if you are out of cumin or oregano, you don't need to run to the store just for those. You could also use garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic.

 

 

Mushroom Goulash

Ingredients:

• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2-3 cups of baby bello or white button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 pound of pasta such as elbow macaroni or shells
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter such as Earth Balance (or olive oil)

Directions:

1. Boil water for pasta 
2. Saute vegetables and garlic until soft
3. Add tomatoes and seasonings, cover and simmer until pasta is ready
4. Drain pasta and add butter to keep noodles from sticking
5. Serve goulash over pasta

Puppy Chow

If you haven't heard of puppy chow before, don't be thrown off by the name. This treat is not for dogs. Puppy chow is a delicious mix of chocolate and peanut butter poured over Chex cereal, all covered in powdered sugar. I'm not sure where the name came from, I've also heard it called muddy buddies. No matter what you call it, you won't be able to stop eating it. This is a crowd pleaser and is sure to impress your friends. This is my grandma's recipe and has been a family favorite for generations.

Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons vegan butter such as Earth Balance
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 6 oz (half a bag) vegan chocolate chips such as Chocolate Dream
• 5 cups Chex or Crispix cereal
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar (divided into 2 parts)

Directions:

1. Melt butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. If microwaving, heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. 
2. Add Chex and stir until fully covered with chocolate mixture. Stir as gently as possible to avoid breaking the Chex. 
3. Take half of the powdered sugar and pour over Chex. Stir until evenly coated. (Alternate method: add chocolatey cereal and powdered sugar to bag and shake until coated.)
4. Wait 30 min or until completely cool and add rest of powdered sugar. Adding the powdered sugar in 2 steps helps to better cover the Chex and prevents the sugar from melting into the chocolate. 

Product Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Cafe Latte

This has been my favorite brand of vegan premade iced coffee so far, so I was excited to try another flavor. The Cafe Latte is similar to the Double Espresso. Both have a strong coffee flavor, but this variety is a little less sweet. I liked the Double Espresso more, my boyfriend liked this one more. Both are fantastic. 

Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Cafe Latte 

First impressions: "Mmm... this is good." "You can really taste the coffee."
Taste: Intense coffee flavor, not very sweet.
Texture: Thick and creamy like the other almond milk products.
Worth buying again? Definitely.
Better than non-vegan version? This tastes almost exactly like the pre-made Coffee Frappuccino from Starbucks. I don't think I would be able to tell the difference.
Better than other vegan versions? Absolutely. This is the best brand we have tried so far.
Overall: 5/5

Product Review: Parmela Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese

I like to put parmesan cheese on everything, so I have been on the hunt for a vegan parm replacement. The first one I tried is Parmela Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese. 

This vegan cheese is made from almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, soybeans, salt, and tamari. It doesn't look like real parmesan cheese. It's light brown and looks more like breadcrumbs. It tastes kind of like breadcrumbs too. 

This would work on pasta, but not as well on salad or soup. I tried it on a salad and it wouldn't hold on to the lettuce, it just fell to the bottom of the bowl. Because it doesn't melt, I don't think it would be good with soup. I haven't tried it for frying, but it would probably be great in a flour mixture for eggplant parm.

Review: Parmela Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese

First Impressions: "Weird." "Hmm." "It looks like breadcrumbs."

Taste: It tastes good, but is kind of boring. It does have a bit of a parmesan/salty taste, but mostly tastes like breadcrumbs. It tastes like a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese that you might use for frying. 

Texture: Soft and powdery. It doesn't melt. 

Worth buying again? Probably not.
Better than non-vegan version? Not even close. 

Overall: 2 out of 5. 

Product Review: Silk Iced Latte - Mocha

Whether or not you will like this brand of vegan pre-made iced coffee comes down to how much you like the soy aftertaste. I love it, so I really liked this coffee.

Unlike almond milk, soy milk has a strong after taste. You can taste the almonds in almond milk, but they don't stand out from the other flavors in coffee. With soy milk iced coffee, you can definitely taste the soy.

I have always liked the taste of soy milk in coffee, and usually order soy at Starbucks. I thought the soy and coffee went really well together here. My boyfriend, on the other hand, did not like it at all. He couldn't finish a glass. So if you don't like the taste of soy, this is not for you.

Review: Silk Iced Latte - Mocha

First Impressions: H - "This is a lot better than I thought it would be." A - "Really? I thought it was disgusting."
Taste: You can distinctly taste the coffee, chocolate, and soy. If you like soy, the 3 work well together. If you don't, the soy will be overpowering.
Texture: Thicker than non-vegan version. Smooth, velvety.
Worth buying again? I would if I was craving a strong soy flavor. Otherwise probably not.
Better than non-vegan version? No. It's not really comparable to Starbucks because the soy flavor is so strong.
Better than other vegan versions? No way. Nothing has come close to this brand.
Overall: If you like soy - 4, if you don't - 2.

Product Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Double Espresso

This is the next product my boyfriend picked for our iced coffee adventure. Because the Almond Breeze Mocha we tried last time didn't have a strong coffee flavor, we chose the Double Espresso variety for this brand. It's also made with almond milk.

We do most of our shopping at Von's and Trader Joe's, but have recently started going to Whole Foods more often. That's where we found this brand, I haven't seen it anywhere else.

Review: Califia Farms Iced Coffee - Double Espresso 

First impressions: "Wow." "Damn... this is really good."
Taste: Intense coffee flavor, can't really taste the almonds. It's sweeter than other brands I have tried, but that could be to balance the double espresso.
Texture: Creamy, pretty thick. Not as thick as the Almond Breeze, but thicker than Starbucks.
Worth buying again? Absolutely, favorite one I have tried so far.
Better than non-vegan version? This tastes similar to a pre-made Coffee Frappuccino from Starbucks. It's so good that I would pick it over their version. If they were the same price and available everywhere, I would always pick this one.
Overall: 5/5