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.