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Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Review: NUGGS Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets

Nuggs Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets

If you're new to plant-based protein, vegan chicken nuggets are a less-intimidating option to start with. It seems like nuggets are easier to replicate because chicken nuggets are so processed anyway.

I tried Boca's chik'n nuggets a few years and they were pretty good. I heard some buzz about NUGGS and wondered how they would stack up.

The NUGGS website calls their plant-based nuggets, "The Tesla of Chicken" that are "engineered with the world's most advanced nugget technology." (It must be fun to work on their marketing team!)

I have to say these were even better than other vegan nuggets I've tried. They really nailed the outside crispy coating. I also love that the spicy version is actually spicy. About twice as spicy as Boca's spicy chik'n patties.

I went in skeptical and ended up craving these. The same thing happened to me with Tofurky plant-based deli slices.

Another unique thing about NUGGS is they're always improving the recipe and post the updates like a tech product's release notes. It's kind of cool to read through the releases and see what changes they've made over time. This review is for NUGGS 2.0.

Close up of Nuggs Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets
Water, Soybean Oil, Textured Wheat Protein, Soy Protein Concentrate, Breadcrumbs, Wheat Flour, Corn Flour, Wheat Protein Isolate, Yeast Extract, 2% or less of: Modified Food Starch, Corn Starch, Tapioca Dextrin, Sunflower Oil, Potato Starch, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Methylcellulose, Sea Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Calcium Chloride, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Paprika, Dextrose, Natural Flavors

Nuggs Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets ingredients

Review: NUGGS Spicy Plant-Based Nuggets
First impressions: Smells good
Taste: Spicy, chicken-y flavor. Reminds me of Wendy's spicy chicken nuggets, although I haven't had those in a long time. 
Texture: Very crispy
Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe
Better than other vegan options? Yes
Worth buying again? Yes
Overall: 5/5

Monday, November 16, 2020

Review: Tofurky Oven Roasted Deli Slices

Tofurky Oven Roasted Plant-Based Deli Slices

I tried Tofurky's hickory-smoked deli slices earlier this year and ended up craving it more than I expected. I tried their oven roasted deli slices next.

These were very similar to the hickory-smoked slices. I'd have to try them side-by-side to notice a difference.

Tofurky makes other flavors of vegan deli slices, but the oven roasted and hickory smoked are the ones I usually see in stores.

I've been eating these Tofurky slices the same way I used to make turkey sandwiches. I lightly cook them in a frying pan to warm them up, add mustard, and eat on a toasted hoagie roll. These would probably taste great on your favorite sandwich too!

Sandwich with Tofurky Oven Roasted Deli Slices

Water, vital wheat gluten, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans,magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), expeller pressed canola oil, natural flavors, sea salt, contains less than 2% of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, leek, lemon juice concentrate, cornstarch, garbanzo bean flour, white bean flour, rosemary extract, calcium lactate, potassium chloride.

Tofurky Oven Roasted Plant-Based Deli Slices ingredients

Review: Tofurky Oven Roasted Plant-Based Deli Slices
Taste: Similar to turkey
Texture: Similar to processed turkey deli meat
Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe
Better than other vegan options? Yes
Worth buying again? Yes
Overall: 5/5

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Review: Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices

Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices

Violife is one of the most recommended vegan cheeses I see on vegan food blogs. It's also used by a lot of vegan restaurants. So I thought this would be a good choice to start trying vegan cheese.

First of all I love their packaging. The inside plastic package is resealable and easy to open. It's also labeled, so you still know what it is if you get rid of the paper outside. 

I tried this both cold and melted. When cold, it was easier to tell that it's vegan. The texture is not quite there, but it does look and taste more like dairy cheddar cheese than I expected. 


Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices unwrapped

Next, I tried it on a vegan egg sandwich with JUST egg. I tried melting it from the residual heat of the hot sandwich but that wasn't enough. The edges didn't melt and the texture was slightly gritty.  

Vegan egg sandwich with Violife cheddar slice

I tried again but this time by I put the Violife slice on top of the JUST egg in the pan and covered with a lid. This worked a lot better and it melted all the way. I did get a funny giant bubble though.

Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices melted

Vegan egg sandwich with melted Violife cheddar


Final verdict? Pretty good on a sandwich, but I wouldn't eat it by itself. 

Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Food Starch-Modified (Potato & Corn), Potato Starch, Salt (Sea Salt), Cheddar Flavor (vegan sources), Olive Extract, Paprika extract & Beta Carotene (Color), Vitamin B12.

Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices ingredients and nutrition facts

Review: 
Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices
First impressions: Looks more like dairy cheddar cheese than I expected
Taste: Similar to cheddar cheese but doesn't have as strong of a flavor
Texture: Takes longer to melt than dairy cheese, but once melted the texture is similar
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan options? This is the first one I've tried.
Worth buying again? Maybe
Overall: 4/5