Vegan – Page 44 – The Celiathlete

March 2, 2013

PROBAR Lemon Fruition bar a super-delish superfood snack

Product: PROBAR Lemon Fruition Snack Bar – $1.45+

I have my favorite running store to thank for the random purchase I made of a PROBAR Lemon Fruition snack bar. It was up by the register as I was making a purchase of another amusing BondiBand or something of the sort. Lemon. Gluten-Free. Healthy. SOLD. Literally. Out of the display and onto the counter for purchase. This happily returned home with me.

But I am the ultimate hoarder of snack bars (not really…I just buy them en masse) and some are way better than others. But you have to take that chance and buy one before you can decide whether it was worth the money or not. So into the drawer this went while I went through those that came before it.

But last week as I was gearing up to head to Disney World for a half marathon, I was trying to not buy snack foods for work. So, the items in my pantry and snack bar drawer were what I was working with. Lo and behold…the next one up was this little lemony delight.

PROBAR Fruition is the newest and latest gluten-free addition to the PROBAR lineup. This snack bar is entirely fruit-based and designed to be satisfying without extra fat and calories. You gotta love that. In fact, each bar guarantees one complete serving of fruit, only 160 calories, 4 grams of filling fiber, 2 grams of fat, gluten-free, and that it is loaded with antioxidants and omegas from the addition of chia seeds. These bars are also certified organic. Love that.

All day I had been anticipating my little lemony afternoon snack. I mean…I love, love, LOVE lemon. In case that wasn’t clear enough…I LOVE LEMON!! So, the knowledge that this was stashed in my desk drawer waiting on that 3 p.m. snack time to strike was anticipation enough. And when it finally came…I tore into it. Pausing only momentarily to take a picture.

Lemon. Oh yes…there is lemon. Amazing lemon flavor that is very well balanced by the other ingredients that make up the bar. In fact, it is the perfect blend that keeps the lemon flavor prominent, but not overpowering. Seriously. Delicious.

The PROBAR Lemon Fruition bar is composed of organic date paste, brown rice syrup, cashews, gluten-free oats, gluten-free oat bran, chia seeds, and natural lemon flavor. One bite…that’s all it took. I was hooked. I had to share a small piece with my roommate so I could get her opinion as well. And she also gave a nod and actually said it was “really good” instead of her “That’s pretty good.” or “It’s okeedokey.” That meant this had potential. And it really does. The taste is amazing. The texture is soft, but not overly soft. You won’t be sitting there chewing continuously and wondering when you can take your next bite. It’s a perfect blend and a perfect combination.

The lemon flavor of this bar lingers on the tongue and really lasts even after you’ve swallowed…all just inviting you to take another bite and experience it all over again. The sweet, tangy, citrus flavor is awesome and meshes beautifully with the oats and cashews, which provide not just texture but a savory flavor to balance toe tartness. This is a true lemon-lover’s dream bar.

At first glance, this bar seems very healthy by all aspects. As mentioned before, the entire bar is only 160 calories and contains only 2 grams of fat. The protein punch this bar packs is 3 grams. The filling fiber stands at 4 grams, while the sodium content settles for a very impressive, low 10 mg. However…I’m a bit disconcerted at the 18 grams of sugar that is listed on the label. Sure, much of it comes from the fruit, I’m certain…but that’s a lot of sugar to pack into one bar…no matter how amazing it tastes. But, we all make some sacrifices somewhere. I try to keep my sugar intake a bit lower as an athlete…but 18 grams in one snack bar, while a little higher than I like, isn’t too bad.

So, when it comes down to it, I’d be more than happy to try another PROBAR Fruition in one of the seven flavors that are offered. These bars not only come in lemon…but also cherry, blueberry, cran-raspberry, peach, strawberry, and the newest addition…chocolate orange. This snack is definitely a superfood powerhouse and one that I am proud to say…I truly enjoyed.

Time to hit up my running store to see what other flavors they have in stock.

February 19, 2013

Greens Plus Vegan Dark Chocolate, Almond & Blueberry Crisp bar a huge disappointment

Product: Greens Plus Vegan Dark Chocolate, Almond & Blueberry Crisp Bar – $2.29+

You know that fake, almost medicinal taste you get when you bite into a protein/snack bar…and that fruity part tastes…just off or wrong? That’s about how I felt when I took a bite into my latest snack at the office.

It was all my grocery store’s fault, you see. This bar was on sale and it was one of two flavors that caught my attention. I ate the other one last week…and it wasn’t very tasty either. I was hoping that the addition of fruit with the dark chocolate might tip the scale in the other direction. After all, dark chocolate and fruit just kicks booty.

Part of me was hisitant, just because the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp bar was seriously lacking in flavor…and quite reminiscent of a Quaker Granola Bar or a Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Bar. It was…okay…but it lacked that “WOW” factor that I seek when I actively seek out new protein/snack bars for either my running days…or snacks at the office in the afternoon. Normally, they are run fuel…but if I don’t get to them before the expiration date comes close…I take them for snack.

So…with the memory of last week’s bar in my mind, I took a tentative bite. I didn’t get the lack of flavor that the peanut butter one had. This one definitely had a taste…and at first…it was good…tolerable. And then…it tasted fake. That weird medicinal flavor that fruit bars sometimes have. It was definitely the blueberry portion of the bar…but the dark chocolate helped to smooth out that taste. Thank goodness the dark chocolate was present in the taste of this bar. It needed that hit of dark, bitter chocolate. The almonds also helped to smooth everything out. But that blueberry flavor tasted so fake…so wrong…that it was sort of an issue for me with each bite.

My roommate agreed. I sneaked a small piece over to her at the office and she agreed with the bizarre taste that came with the blueberries. So, it was nice to hear that it wasn’t just me.

This bar is rather basic…being composed of organic dark chocolate, organic tapioca syrup, organic whole grain brown rice crisps, chia seeds, almond butter, pea protein crisps, organic dried blackberries, almonds, brown rice syrup solids, organic arabic gum, organic agave syrup, vegetable glycerine, safflower oil, vanilla extract, sea salt, natural flavors. So, a few odds and ends in there…not completely all-natural.

One bar will set you back only 16o calories and 8 grams of fat. Only 7 grams of sugar (awesome!) and 5 grams of protein are packed into this bar. I love that it is so low in the sugars as most snack/protein bars bulk up on the sugar. This bar is also cholesterol free and is very low in sodium (only 70 mgs). Love that.

So, while this bar is awesome as far as the nutrition aspect goes…the flavor is just all wrong for me. I won’t be buying this one again. It was good to try something new…but sadly…this new product didn’t win me over with either flavor of bar I tried. The texture is awesome…but the flavor just was all wrong.

I think, in fact, despite there being a couple more flavors out there, I’m done with the Greens Plus brand all together. They have failed to win me over twice now.

Greens Plus Vegan Dark Chocolate, Almond & Blueberry Crisp Bar (unwrapped)

February 16, 2013

1-2-3 Gluten Free bakes up not-so-light-and-fluffy, but quite delicious Southern Glory Biscuits

Product: 1-2-3 Gluten Free Southern Glory Biscuit Mix – $7.99+

Do you know what has been seriously lacking in my life since I had to go gluten-free? Light, fluffy biscuits. Yes. Light AND fluffy biscuits. They just…don’t seem to be possible either from a mix or from scratch. The closest I have ever come to what i seek was a light and fluffy dinner roll from Sinfully Gluten-Free in Dayton, Ohio. Those were awesome. But I don’t live in Dayton…and, technically, those aren’t really biscuits.

*sigh*

However…the great purge of the gluten-free selection at my local grocery store was going on and one of the items that was on closeout just happened to be 1-2-3 Gluten Free Southern Glory Biscuits. The box lays it all out: Light & Fluffy. Completely gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, casein-free, peanut-free, tree nut free, egg-free, and soy-free. Whew. On the Web site for the company, it might, just might even hint that these biscuits taste better than biscuits that contain gluten.

So…I figured…why not? Since my roomie was craving biscuits and gravy and I had just whipped up a vegetarian mushroom gravy for the occasion…the biscuits were next. Now, the instructions on the back of the box are rather daunting. I will warn you about that. The easiest way to make these would be in a food processor…but mine is so tiny it wasn’t an option. So, for the first part of the process, I used my blender…then did the rest by hand.

But…first things first. I am lactose intolerant…so the rest of the ingredients weren’t going to work for me. Sure, I could use heavy whipping cream and half and half…but my stomach may not like it after I eat a couple of these. However, 1-2-3 Gluten Free has a suggestion on the bottom on how to make non-dairy buttermilk biscuits. So, I poured 1-1/3 cup of warm unsweetened almond milk and added 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to it. I let it sit for about 25 minutes allowing it to thicken. Once it got there…the biscuits were on track to be made.

Into my blender went the package of Southern Glory Biscuit Mix along with the butter, cut up into pieces. I pulsed it until it resembled a coarse meal, then added the ‘buttermilk’ to the mix. This is where my blender stopped being of use, so everything got poured into a bowl and I ended up kneading the dough until it came together into a ball.

The next step was to roll out the dough to about a 1-1/2 inch thickness and cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter or a glass. I used a biscuit cutter and ended up getting 18 biscuits from the dough. Then, into the refrigerator these went to cool. The box says that the colder the dough, the higher the biscuits would rise. Well, I wanted some really tall biscuits, so I left them to chill for about an hour (the box says to go for at least a half hour). Then, I preheated the oven to 375°F. Each biscuit got a light wash of almond milk and a sprinkling of salt before the pan went into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes. Mine actually took about 30 minutes because my heating element is STILL off.

And when they came out of the oven…they really hadn’t risen all that much. Which…made me sad. My roommate and I decided to go ahead and split one to see how they tasted. They were still a little doughy in the middle, so I put the pan back in the oven for a little longer. But from the half we each were eating…we seemed to like it. It tasted like a real buttermilk biscuit. They weren’t exactly light…or fluffy…but they tasted good. So, that was at least half the battle.

This morning, after a 10 mile run, I came home to assemble breakfast. These biscuits, topped with a homemade vegetarian mushroom gravy and one poached egg. My roommate requested biscuits and gravy…as she has been craving. And in this house, she eats what I cook and I cook what I can eat. So, sometimes allowing the gluten-free vegetarian to be the cook doesn’t always work out to her advantage. Lucky for her…I had a biscuit mix that needed to be used and some gravy that I could make thanks to some fresh produce from my CSA bin.

So, I reheated the gravy, then popped the biscuits into the microwave to warm them back up. With breakfast assembled, I went to settle in to enjoy. And, sadly, the biscuit, while it tasted awesome, was still just heavy and dense. Not light and fluffy. It made me weep a little on the inside because all I really want is to be able to cook up an amazing biscuit to have every once in awhile. While the taste is spot-on with this mix from 1-2-3 Gluten Free…sadly the texture is still not right for me. Still too heavy. Still too dense.

The promise of a light and fluffy biscuit might have fallen…flat…but the flavor…the taste…that is on point. It reminded me of the buttermilk biscuits from restaurants that I used to go to for breakfast. So…at least the taste hit a high-note for this gluten-free girl.

Would I buy these again? Perhaps if they were on sale. My search for the perfect gluten-free biscuit continues. While these delivered on flavor, they completely fell short on texture. Light and fluffy…not so much. I’ll keep on searching…

“Buttermilk” Biscuits from 1-2-3 Gluten Free Southern Glory Biscuit Mix

February 15, 2013

Protein packed Greens Plus Vegan Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Crisp falters with taste

Product: Greens Plus Vegan Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Crisp Protein Bar – $2.29+

Normally, when a gluten-free product makes it into my shopping basket, it’s because there is some sort of sale going on. Such was the case, then, when my roommate discovered protein bars that are soy-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free at our local Earth Fare store. As I often use these to fuel my runs or refuel after my runs, protein bars are never in short supply in my kitchen ‘run’ drawer. Trust me. There is such a variety in there, I sometimes have a hard time deciding which to go with next.

While most are tried and true favorites, sometimes it’s fun to try a new product.

And that’s what happened when these bars were on sale at Earth Fare a couple months ago. I selected two, because I didn’t want to stock up on something and then hate it with an intensity that I just ended up trashing them all and calling myself a bargain buying fool. Hey…it has happened before! I’m a bit more mindful of the situation now.

As I am also aware, this bar was approaching it’s sell by date, so I figured it was time to devour it and see if it was worth the investment. So, knowing that after running this morning and then doing some speed work/intervals on lunch, a protein bar would be a good pick-me-up snack for the afternoon, I packed this one for the office…with some not as healthy items to use as back-up if needed. Trust me…I’ve been burned enough by nasty tasting snacks that I come prepared…just in case.

When my 3 p.m. snack time did roll around, I pulled the Greens Plus Vegan Proten Bar from my snack drawer and peeled the wrapper open. It reminded me a lot of what Quaker Granola Bars look like…but on a bit of a larger scale…and minus the wheat, milk, soy and high fructose corn syrup that comes with each bite of a Quaker Granola Bar.

Instead, this vegan protein bar from Greens Plus combines organic peanut butter, brown rice, pea protein, and chia seeds with organic dark chocolate. And…for the first time, I didn’t cringe at the calorie count of a protein bar. So often, these top off near the 200 or more calorie margin. Not this one. Despite including peanut butter and dark chocolate, one bar delivers 170 calories toward your daily intake and 8 grams of fat. One bar also delivers 5 grams of protein. Sugar is not off the charts either. This particular bar, despite having dark chocolate in it, only contains 7 grams of sugar. Thanks to the addition of chia seeds, it also provides a huge Omega 3 punch. All of this makes it the perfect bar for athletes, travelers, students, or whoever might need a meal supplement or snack to get them through the day.

So, drawing in a huge breath and repeating…”Please be good, please be good, please be good…” I broke off a small piece and took my first taste.

I was immediately underwhelmed.

It’s not bad. I didn’t spit it out or wrinkle up my face in disgust when it crossed my taste buds. On the contrary, I ended up taking another bite, figuring that it really did remind me of something I have tasted before. I broke off a piece and walked it to the other side of the office for my roommate to try. She agreed that they did taste like something…but couldn’t pinpoint it at first. Then said it reminded her of a Luna Bar. She might be right. Before I had to go gluten-free, Luna Bar’s were my go-to snack for on-the-go snacking. And this might be reminiscent of one of them. It also kind of does remind me of those Sweet and Salty granola bars from Nature Valley, now that I think of it.

But…even my roomie said it. When she took her taste, she didn’t immediately think dark chocolate and peanut butter. What you really get first are the rice crisps. Then maybe a hint of peanut butter. Then…that bittersweet taste of chocolate. But…not strong. And definitely not where you’d immediately recognize it upon first bite. This wasn’t horrible by any means. In fact, the bar is one of the better ones I have tried on a whim…which is definitely saying something.

But would I actively seek this one out again in the grocery store? No. Would I purchase it again if it were on sale…maybe…but probably not. It wasn’t bad…it just wasn’t amazing either. And when you are a lactose intolerant, gluten-free, vegetarian athlete…you really want something that you like to eat when you need the protein fix.

I appreciate the effort Greens Plus puts into these bars, ensuring they are vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free…I just wish they flavor had been as amazing as all of that sounds.

Green's Plus Vegan Peanut Butter And Dark Chocolate Crisp Protein Bar (unwrapped) — Greens Plus Vegan Peanut Butter And Dark Chocolate Crisp Protein Bar (unwrapped)

February 12, 2013

Recipe: Gumbo for Vegans

Tomorrow, my dear friends, is Fat Tuesday.

It’s that time of year when everyone is getting into the Mardi Gras spirit. King Cakes are being baked, brought into office/home, and consumed. Cajun food is a big, big thing. And it lasts…all the way through Mardi Gras.

But most Cajun food is very sausage and seafood heavy. And for someone like me…a gluten-free vegetarian, that’s not a good thing. Especially since…I love Cajun food. Red beans and rice…heck yeah! Gumbo…bring it! Jambalaya…oh yeah. Loved it all. And ate plenty of it prior to becoming a vegetarian.

Some Cajun food does happen to be vegetarian friendly. Some is even gluten-free friendly. But finding a combination of the two isn’t easy. Especially out in the wild.

So, with the upcoming Fat Tuesday falling tomorrow, I took a recipe from Top Chef alumni (and fan favorite) Fabio Viviani and made a few changes to it in order to truly make it gluten-free and vegan. And I cooked this all up on Sunday night for dinner…and it made enough for my roommate and I to dine on it all the way through Fat Tuesday. Gotta love that.

Below is the recipe with my modifications. What emerges is a delicious dish and meal that will satisfy even the most savvy Cajun carnivore. I hope to make it again sometime soon.

Recipe: Gumbo for Vegans

Servings: 6
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp flour (I used Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper (I used a red pepper because they just looked better at the grocery store)
2 chopped celery stalks
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (I used Colgin Liquid Smoke)
1 tbsp file powder (I used cornstarch)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups vegetable broth (I used Pacific Natural Foods low sodium)
1 lb chopped baby collard greens (I used rainbow chard)
10 oz frozen black-eyed peas (I couldn’t find frozen, so I used one can of organic black-eyed peas)
1 cup dried jasmine rice

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of dried jasmine rice and 2 cups of water to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the rice cooks, in a large saucepan, cook 2 tablespoons of flour in 3 tablespoons olive oil until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the chopped onion, pepper, celery stalks, salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 8 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of Liquid Smoke, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.

Add 2 cups vegetable broth.

Bring all the ingredients up to a boil and add in the chopped baby collard greens and the black eyed peas. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

Serve over white rice.

February 10, 2013

Ian’s bakes up a crispy piece of Allergen-Friendly Cheesy Vegan French Bread Pizza

Product: Ian’s Gluten-Free/Dairy Free Cheesy Vegan French Bread Pizza – $6.99+

So…it’s National Pizza Pie Day.

Yep. I don’t mess around when it comes to holidays…and after a busy day on the go (with an amazing brunch, coffee, shopping, and a stop off for some crazy-good ice cream)…I came home for a bit to relax. And I knew…that despite the brunch and ice cream treat, my roommate and I were going to need something else for dinner.

And with it being National Pizza Pie Day…I had just the thing in mind.

Please note…I realize this is not actually a pizza “pie” per se…but it is…technically…a form of pizza.

Even better…it’s a form of pizza I can eat.

Now, I’ve done my share of sampling of gluten-free frozen pizzas since going gluten-free. Kind of. Normally, despite craving some gluten-free pizza at times, I don’t like paying an arm and a leg for a frozen gluten-free pizza. I’d rather go spend that money and get one done up right at a restaurant (like Mellow Mushroom or Uncle Madio’s where they take extra precautions with gluten-free pizza preparations). It would end up being about the same amount for the same amount of pizza actually. And if not, the quality is far better.

But, last weekend, my roommate told me she would buy me a gluten-free treat of my choice while we were roaming around Earth Fare, my favorite grocery store…ever. It took me a moment to ponder out what exactly I wanted to get with such a tempting offer. And after struggling with choosing between a sweet treat, gluten-free onion rings, gluten-free vegetable pot stickers…I finally decided to go with Ian’s Allergen-Friendly (no wheat, no gluten, no dairy, no casein, no soy, no eggs, no peanuts, no tree nuts) French Bread Pizza.

This is not a new product. Not at all. In fact, I’ve seen this product in the freezer section of my local grocery store since I had to go gluten-free…and always said I was going to try it. Unfortunately…the price just never was right and I couldn’t justify it in the end with my tight food budget. But…as a treat…it might be worth it. Especially if I needed a quick hit of pizza sometime.

Well, what better day to eat it than National Pizza Pie Day?

The box comes complete with two slices of gluten-free French bread that is topped off with a tomato sauce and Galaxy’s vegan mozzarella rice cheese. I wasn’t sure what to make of the product upon opening it. The frozen bread looked like any normal frozen pizza would have done. I wasn’t sure how well the “cheese” would do in the oven, but I preheated it to the 400°F the box suggested and placed each slice of bread onto a baking sheet. Into the oven it went for 23 minutes…but since my oven is a bit off…I let it go for 25 minutes before removing it.

Much to my surprise, the “cheese” melted beautifully over the slices of French bread. The tomato sauce was bubbly and the cheese was piping hot and gooey. In fact, some of it had even stuck to the pan. So, that was a nice surprise. Vegan cheese never melts this well lately (and trust me…I eat it all the time). The French bread crisped up to a beautiful golden color. That was a nice surprise!

So, I plated each slice, handed my roommate hers and went to retrieve mine. She was already digging in when I returned so I inquired as to what she thought. I mean, after all, she can eat any pizza whenever she wants. It’s me with the dietary restrictions.

“It’s yummy!” she said. So…I went ahead and took my first bite.

Despite the fact that I burned the roof of my mouth on the molten vegan cheese…I had to agree with her. This was a delicious bite of pizza. And so easy. I mean…for something frozen and out of a package…the flavor was amazing. I loved the crispy crunch the crust of the French bread gave each bite. And the the inner parts were soft and chewy, like a good pizza crust would be…without being doughy or overly chewy. The sauce was a non-entity and the “cheese” just gave it that pizza topping that was necessary for it to be a pizza. But…it was good. It was really good.

Each slice of bread contains 250 calories and 10 grams of fat. The sodium content is quite low, at only 220 mg per serving. And each slice offers up no cholesterol, no trans fat, and 3 grams of protein. Nice!

And despite being rather small in size, these slices of French bread pizza are definitely filling. I didn’t even need a salad or anything to eat with it. Perfect as a meal on its own and rather safe for basically any food allergy. It was only recently that Ian’s moved away from soy cheese, which was a fantastic choice in the end, opening this one up for people who have soy allergies. All the products Ian’s puts out contain no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives…ever!

I would definitely buy these again in a heartbeat. The crust was awesome…loving the crispy outside and soft inside. It wasn’t overwhelming with the amount of bread. The sauce and cheese were a great topping. And these were so easy to prepare and so delicious to devour.

Which is exactly what happened…while watching Moonraker on Blu-Ray.

Don’t judge.

There is no better way to spend Naitonal Pizza Pie Day than enjoying a gluten-free and vegan French Bread Pizza…from Ian’s.

Find it in your grocer’s freezer section…and give it a try yourself.

Ian's Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Cheesy Vegan French Bread Pizza (baked) — Ian’s Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Cheesy Vegan French Bread Pizza (baked)

February 6, 2013

Recipe: Gluten-Free Hearty Rice and Bean Vegan Nachos

Twas the day of the Super Bowl and I made my roomie one simple promise.

Nachos.

No…really. She had been craving nachos and I decided, despite us not watching the big game (instead we watched cooking shows…for real!), I told her Super Bowl Sunday would be the perfect day to break out some nachos for dinner. Of course, the one catch to me being the chef of the apartment is…I make them my way.

Thankfully…she’s quite okay with that…and words like gluten-free and vegan don’t phase her one bit.

I know…awesome!

So…after a major cleaning spree that day, I started to piece together our not-too-bad for you version of Super Bowl Snack Awesomeness. And we dug in while watching an Emeril Lagasse show on Vegetarian Main Dishes. I can’t make this up, friends!! This is a true story. But the best part of this story is…how awesome and filling these nachos turned out to be!

Recipe: Gluten-Free Hearty Rice and Bean Vegan Nachos

Servings: 2
Time: Prep 60 minutes; Cook 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice (I used Lundberg Family Farms)
5 ounces (about 6 1/2 cups) Tortilla Chips (I used Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Chips)
3/4 cup cooked no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained if canned
4 ounces Teese Nacho Vegan Cheese Sauce
1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 avocado, sliced
1 fresh Serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional) (I roasted mine with my red pepper)
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Cook the brown rice according to package directions. While rice cooks, saute the onion in a small skillet and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add Teese Nacho Vegan Cheese Sauce and 1/4 cup milk. Stir together until creamy and sauce thickens. Add half of the roasted peppers.

Spread chips in a 9×13-inch baking dish and spoon rice over top. Sprinkle with black beans beans, onions, and the rest of the roasted peppers (red and Serrano). Bake until the nachos are very hot, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the avocado slices. Spoon the vegan nacho cheese over the nachos, add salsa, sprinkle with cilantro. Squeeze lime over the top.

Serve.

~*~*~

These were so amazing and delicious. I was so happy with the way this turned out. It was definitely the perfect food for Super Bowl Sunday. Nothing better than some junk food on a big game night, even if you are not watching the game. And as far as recipes go…this isn’t too bad for you. Packed with protein (thanks to the beans…and quinoa could be substituted for the rice), vegetables, and vegan cheese…it was guilt-free snack food for dinner.

And my roommate has already requested I make them again sometime.

I only take that as a good thing.

February 5, 2013

Not completely sold on Sol Cuisine’s Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs

Product: Sol Cuisine Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs – $5.49+

Being a gluten-free vegetarian isn’t always easy. When I had to go gluten-free…it meant that many of the faux-meat products out there, via Boca, Morningstar, Quorn, and Gardein were off limits to me. So, finding a replacement has been more than a challenge. Sure…there are some that exist…but they are few and far between…and mostly limited to veggie burgers.

Which is fine. Except when you’re tired of veggie burgers.

Imagine my excitement to walk into my favorite grocery store, Earth Fare, and find a product line called Sol Cuisine, which features gluten-free and vegan products. The one that immediately caught my eye, however, was the Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs.

Yes…BBQ Ribs. For gluten-free vegans.

*the gluten-free gods smile upon me*

I did what any clear-thinking gluten-free consumer would do. I grabbed one from the freezer section and tossed it into my cart. I mean…why not? If nothing else…it would be interesting.

Welcome, then, to the weekend…where my usually scheduled meal and snack times goes completely awry. Seriously. It’s not always a good thing…but that’s what happens when you’re constantly on-the-go on the weekend. It happens. After a long day out on Saturday, my roommate and I returned home, hungry and ready for dinner. I had plenty from my CSA bin to work with, but she was in the mood for fries. And I decided that the perfect compliment to homemade, baked “fries” would be…these Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs that were sitting in my freezer.

Why not? What did we have to lose?

The box actually indicates that these should be thawed in the fridge (whoops) or in the microwave…although no actual instructions for that are given. So I threw the package of ribs onto a microwave safe plate, and began to hit the defrost button until I felt I had reached a good level to continue with the cooking process.

Nothing could be simpler. Then…you get your choice of cooking method: Microwave, Stove top, or Oven. Since I had the oven going, I went ahead and opted for that method. So, into a casserole dish they went…and then into a 350° oven to cook for 20 minutes. About halfway through, I was to give them a good stir…so I did that and then let them finish cooking as directed by the box.

Once time was up…I happily pulled the casserole dish from the oven and began to serve up the ribs with the baked fries as well. Now, the box indicates that there are 3.5 servings inside…so my roommate and I decided we would split the difference and just make it into 2 servings. That meant we each got 4 of the tofu ribs. I set them alongside my homemade fries and dinner was served.

So…I dug in…very eager to taste.

And very confused.

Okay..not confused…but let down. Before I had to go gluten-free, I loved eating Morningstar Farms BBQ Ribs. They were amazing. These…these were…not as amazing. In fact, the texture was a bit spongy…but, let’s keep in mind, this is tofu. So…I can deal with that. Sadly, however, the sauce was rather bland. Bland enough that I went and grabbed my bottle of Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce and added to my plate. I think next time I get these, I will try to cook them in a pan, and maybe get a different and better texture on them.

For being made of tofu…these weren’t bad. They just weren’t the epic feast that I was hoping for. So…worth trying again, yes. Scream about them from the rooftop awesome? Not really.

Now…for the nutrition part…

Sol Cuisine Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs pack a caloric punch of only 130 calories per serving and 7 grams of fat. These have a very low sodium count, holding at 160 mg. And, even better, they pack a whopping 9 grams of protein per serving. Awesome! So, quite nutritionally sound…I will definitely give them that.

Despite the texture and lack of flavor, I’d be willing to try other products by Sol Cuisine…and I would happily eat these again…but probably seared off in a pan instead of cooked in the oven. Maybe work some of that spongy texture out.

Overall…not great…but definitely not bad.

Sol Cuisine Organic BBQ Tofu Ribs (cooked in the oven and served w/ a side of homemade oven-baked fries)

January 31, 2013

Recipe: Roasted Potato and Curry Soup

I know it’s early in the week, but I am already trying to work through my CSA bin produce to make room for the following week. I was pretty darn successful when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest yesterday. Yes…yesterday…which I then proceeded to make for dinner. Why? Because I had all the necessary ingredients.

Except celery. But instead of rushing out to buy that…I substituted sliced carrots. You know what? That worked. It worked amazingly well.

This recipe is actually based off of one by the amazing and inspiring Kris Carr from her CrazySexyWellness page. Love this lady and find her battle to be one amazing journey of courage, strength, and determination. If you don’t know about her…look up her page and read a bit about her life with cancer. She’s super-inspiring.

As for the recipe…super delicious and filling. It was love at first soupy slurp.

Recipe: Roasted Potato and Curry Soup

Servings: 8
Time: Prep 20 minutes; Cook 50 minutes

Ingredients:

2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds potatoes of choice, cubed (I used French fingerling)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium carrots, chopped (the original recipe just asks for 2 stalks of celery, chopped, FYI)
32 ounces gluten-free vegetable broth/stock (I used Imagine)
3 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
1/2 fresh lime, squeezed
1 teaspoon red chili paste
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 cup light coconut milk
sea salt and pepper, as desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Chop all potatoes and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes.

In a medium pot, heat remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, then add onions, garlic and celery, sautéing for about 5 minutes. Slowly add broth. Add tapioca starch and lime juice, stirring thoroughly. Add chili paste and red curry paste, stirring until combined. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer (with lid on pot) for 5-6 minutes.

While soup is simmering, combine coconut milk and 1 cup roasted potatoes in a high speed blender or food processor. Puree and then add mixture to pot. Add remaining roasted potatoes and simmer for additional 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.

~*~*~

It’s simple. It’s amazing. It’s chunky. It’s a little sweet and a little spicy. It’s soup perfection. Completely vegan. Completely packed with flavor. I was so happy with how this turned out. The most time consuming part is all the prep of chopping the vegetables, but in the end, the soup is nicely balanced and full of flavor.

And who doesn’t love potato soups?

I’d make this again in a heartbeat!

January 31, 2013

Glutino’s gluten-free table crackers a necessary addition to any table

Product: Glutino Gluten-Free Table Crackers – $3.99+

You know how much I love my products by Schär…so way back when this gluten-free thing was brand new to me, I busted out a box of their gluten-free table crackers. And I declared my love of their gluten-free cracker.

But then…last year…Glutino introduced their own variety of table crackers. And, yes, I bought a box. And like most things in my pantry…it took me forever to actually bust into them. But that changed last night. Because I made a homemade soup. And it was a chunky soup…so I didn’t want a gluten-free/vegan grilled “cheese.” Nope…crackers. That’s what this soup needed.

Into the pantry I went and out came the box of Glutino Gluten-Free Table Crackers. I had been quite curious about these ever since purchasing them last year while in Denver, Colorado. So, keep in mind…these have made a plane trip from Colorado to Indiana and they still weren’t massively busted up! That’s a sign of a good packaging job.

There really is nothing special to the appearance of Glutino’s Table Crackers. They look like oversized saltines. Honestly. Saltines on steroids. But, I was definitely intrigued. So, after snapping my mandatory blog photo, I dished up my Gluten-Free Roasted Potato and Curry Soup and dug out a serving of Glutino Table Crackers. For the record…that’s three of these long sheet crackers. Awesome.

Settling in to an episode of She-Ra: Princess of Power (I’m a child of the 80s and I’m reliving my favorite parts currently!) while I ate, I broke off a bit of the cracker and took a taste. I needed to taste it on its own before I could get to the dipping and crumbling into the soup part.

OH. MY. GLUTEN. FREE. CRACKER. BATMAN.

I had ever right to rave about the crackers that came before…but these…these were SO amazing. A gentle crunch. A light, airy taste. No unnecessary salt. Crisp. Rich. AMAZING! These table crackers were better than the ones I had from Schär…and I’m a Schär pimp. For real!

On their own…fantastic. Dipped in my chunky soup…supurb. These crackers can definitely be eaten on their own…but mixing them with soup, or topping them off with cream cheese, or hummus, or butter, or peanut butter, or jam…that works too. Me…I love soup and crackers and this definitely worked. The sweet/spicy flavor of my homemade soup wasn’t hindered by added salt from the crackers. These crackers are not laden with salt. And they are still mighty good.

In fact, one serving (as I said before…three crackers) is only 160 calories and 7 grams of fat. That’s not too bad for table crackers. The sodium is very low…coming in at 270 mg. As for fiber and protein…well, you’re not finding those here. But…I used these in conjunction with a plant-based, vegan soup that made up for the difference.

Unlike Schär, who uses buckwheat, the main ingredient that serves as a base for these crackers is corn starch and soy flour. So, there is definitely a difference in the taste. I just preferred this one…just slightly over the other. Slightly.

Going crackers? You bet I am!!

I now know that should I ever be in need of any sort of cracker…Glutino is my go-to, with Schär a close second. Glutino has truly been wowing me with their products…and they continue to come out with more gluten-free goodness for me to try. And I am a willing guinea pig, that’s for sure!

So if you’re gluten-free and desperately wanting to go crackers…go Glutino!