Monday, April 18, 2016

Food Review: I Heart Keenwah Quinoa Puffs


I had my first taste of I Heart Keenwah's Quinoa Puffs at last month's Expo West, where they were one of the best things I sampled (you can read about my top 10 picks from Expo HERE!). I have been craving these delightfully crunchy snacks, in both sweet and savory varieties, ever since then! Their vegan flavors of savory quinoa puffs include Sea Salt Truffle, Sweet Chili, and Herbes de Provence. These are like cheesy puffs all grown up, with refined flavors and crunchy texture! Their chocolate puffs come in two flavors (both vegan!), Dark Chocolate Himalayan Pink Salt and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, and taste like vegan malt balls! Are you drooling yet? 

Quinoa (phonetically pronounced keen-wah, hence the adorable name of this brand!) is the main element used in these snacks as it is a superfood, containing all nine essential amino acids and making it a complete protein. It has been used since ancient times and is a nutritional superstar. Besides packing a huge wallop of protein, it is also naturally gluten-free, low-glycemic, high in fiber, and full of vitamins and minerals. For all these reasons, plus its delectable taste and texture, the founders of I Heart Keenwah wanted to spread the love of quinoa far and wide in ready-to-eat snack form.

Lucky for me, the I Heart Keenwah folks kindly sent me some of their quinoa-packed products for me to review! My thoughts on each of the flavors I received are below!


My sweet tooth bid me to dig into their chocolate puffs first. I remember adoring these at Expo, so I was very excited to eat them again. Like I mentioned before, these come in two varieties, Dark Chocolate Himalayan Pink Salt and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. The chocolate puffs are Fair Trade Certified, non-GMO, and gluten free. And, they seriously taste like vegan Whoppers or chocolate malt balls! The dark chocolate is rich and creamy, but thick enough that it doesn't melt in your hands. The inner quinoa puff is crispy and light, and not as hard as non-vegan Whoppers. The peanut butter puffs were my favorite of the two, with smooth peanut butter taste mingling with the chocolate coating. The Chocolate Himalayan Pink Salt puffs were very tasty as well. Both varieties are perfect to munch on by themselves, but they would make a fabulous topping to a vegan ice cream sundae or even a vegan cake, too. 

The savory quinoa puffs were superb snacks as well. Not only do are they filled with protein, but they are Gluten-Free Certified and Non-GMO Project Verified. I was reunited with the three vegan varieties - Sea Salt Truffle, Sweet Chili, and Herbes de Provence (they have a cheddar flavor that isn't vegan, but they are working on making it so!). The puffs are airy, crunchy bites seasoned with refined flavors that are sure to please any palate. Plus, they all pack five grams of protein per serving!


The Sea Salt Truffle puffs have a subtle salty flavor along with an earthy yet sophisticated taste of truffles. They are made with quinoa flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, pea protein concentrate, baking powder, high oleic sunflower oil, sea salt, parsley, dried truffle, natural flavor. I loved the light, delicate flavor of these as well as the satisfying crunch they provided. 


I love herbs, so the Herbs de Provence were an absolute treat and packed full of zesty herb taste. They contain quinoa flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, pea protein concentrate, baking powder, high oleic sunflower oil, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, parsley, black pepper, oregano, dehydrated garlic, citric acid, lavender. I could not stop eating these puffs!


The Sweet Chili puffs packed quite a spicy punch, which comes as no surprise since they are made with real habanero and jalapeƱo! The spice is nicely balanced with a kiss of sweetness from organic cane sugar. This flavor is made with quinoa flour, brown rice flour, white rice flour, pea protein concentrate, baking powder, high oleic sunflower oil, organic cane sugar, paprika, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, habaneros, jalapeƱos, citric acid, extractives of lime. This puff is perfect for those seeking some heat in their snacks!


I Heart Keenwah makes some absolutely divine snacks, ones that you'll never guess are actually healthy! I can't seem to get enough of them, and the good news is that they can be found at most grocery stores (here in Orange County they can be found at Von's, Whole Foods, and Sprouts grocery stores) and can also be ordered online.

For more info, visit I Heart Keenwah's website!

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