The Curious Confectionery's Pumpkin Spice Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls are a timeless treat that we don't see enough of nowadays! They always remind me of autumn and Halloween, so I was extremely excited when The Curious Confectionery released their limited-edition Pumpkin Spice flavor this year. I was lucky enough to receive this flavor for review, and I couldn't be more pumped! First, a little more about the delightful duo who run The Curious Confectionery...

Halloween 2016 at Cost Plus World Market

The gang is all here!

I popped into Cost Plus World Market over the weekend to see if they had their Halloween items out yet, and luckily they had just started stocking them! I spent some time browsing around, admiring their Dia de los Muertos decorations, checking for vegan Halloween foodstuffs, and ogling all their Halloweenie decor. Check out some snaps I took of their selection below:

What I Ate: July Junk Food Edition

Tex Mex Taco Fries - made with Trader Joe's shoestring fries, Trader Joe's Soy

Chorizo, a cilantro pesto sauce and creamy garlic Alfredo crema (recipes in

the June edition of VegNews), tomatoes, jalapenos, onions.

From the pics below, it looks like I have subsisted on a diet of only vegan donuts, pizza, and sweets this July! Well, maybe that isn't too far from the truth, haha, but perhaps in the future I'll take pics of healthier meals (and try to eat healthier more often...maybe?). All the glorious food in this post is, as always, vegan, and I love sharing these posts with readers so they can see that vegans don't only eat salads.

So here is some of the delicious vegan junk food that I enjoyed this July!

Food Review: Gardein Pizza Pockets

Gardein Meatless Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

Helloooooo tasty convenience...these new Meatless Pepperoni Pizza Pockets from the lovely folks at Gardein hit stores in the last few months. I tried them at Expo West in March, and had picked up a box in a grocery store soon after that, but somehow these Pizza Pockets got buried in my freezer (behind the wall of other Gardein products, haha). I chanced upon them in the depths of my freezer a few days ago and it was quite a nice surprise, especially since it was one of those days where I was looking for something quick and easy to eat.

These beauties are shaped like buns, about 2 inches in diameter, and are stuffed full of yummy goodness, including pepperoni and mozzarella. Like all other Gardein products, they are vegan and contain non-GMO ingredients. I was curious to try them, since they seem so similar to Tofurky's Pepperoni Pizza Pockets that came out a few years ago (my review) as well as Gardein's own Pocket Meals that I had tried last year (my review). I enjoy most vegan foods that are fast, convenient, delicious, and come encased in a bun, so I hoped to add these Pizza Pockets to my arsenal of go-to on-the-go vegan products!

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? 

Food Review: New Grounds Food's CoffeeBars

When I was offered a chance to try three different flavors of the energy snack CoffeeBar made by New Grounds Food, which boasts "a cup of coffee in every bar!" I was intrigued. As a coffee drinker, I had to know more about a healthy energy bar that also doubled as a caffeine pick-me-up! Plus, all their bars are made with fair-trade coffee, and are organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free. and come in three yummy flavors - Mocha Latte, Coconut Mocha, and Caramel Macchiato. Yes, please give me ALL your CoffeeBars!

Two college students, Johnny and Ali (who you can see in the first photo above), came up with the concept for CoffeeBar. Their mission is emblazoned on the back of every CoffeeBar and says:"Starting out in our college dorm room, we were two freshmen who wanted a simpler way to stay energized, without sacrificing nutrition. We promise this delicious, edible coffee will give you the natural, on-the-go energy you need to keep on exploring!"

Top 10 Vegan Products at Natural Products Expo West 2016

This past weekend I attended the Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center to scope out all the new vegan goodies coming out this year! I attended last year (check out my report!) and the year before (read all about it here), and every year has gotten bigger and bigger, with each show having more and more vegan options!

This year I was only able to attend for one day, but I tried to visit as many vegan and vegan-friendly booths as possible. It was fun seeing so many old favorites, seeing new vegan food items, and visiting with many of my favorite vegan people and companies! Though I had a whirlwind day, I feel like I covered a lot of ground in eight hours on the show floors and can bring you my top 10 favorite vegan food products from the Expo, plus some honorable mentions.

Food Review: Trader Joe's Mini Cinnamon Sugar Churros

My latest obsession? These brand new accidentally vegan mini churros from Trader Joe's! They just hit stores this January, and I'm already hooked! Though traditional churros are actually vegan and made with just water, flour, sugar, oil, and cinnamon, it's hard to find vegan churros at restaurants as they tend to add icky, unnecessary ingredients like eggs and dairy.

So you can imagine how overjoyed I was to learn that these churros were accidentally vegan, hurrah! The only reason they aren't marked with Trader Joe's trusty vegan "V" label is because they can't guarantee that the sugar used is vegan, but unless you have strict views on sugar processing this shouldn't be a problem.

Food Review: Peanut Butter and Co.'s Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter

You read that right - Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter is here during the most wonderful time of the year! I finally got my hands on some Peanut Butter and Co.'s Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter - I grabbed mine at Sprouts, but I assume you can find it elsewhere, too. Last year I settled for the very unhealthy Jif version (review), so I was overjoyed at finally getting my hands on the good stuff!

Food Review: Terra Sweets and Pumpkin Chips

Frankie enjoying some Terra Sweets and Pumpkin Chips!

These were an impulse buy at some big box grocery store - or maybe it was Whole Foods, I can't remember - I have a tendency to wildly grab anything that has the word "pumpkin" on it or whose packaging is autumn or Halloween colors, and I don't always remember where I bought things! Anyways, I saw Terra's Real Vegetable Chips  in Sweets and Pumpkin SOMEWHERE and had to try them!

Food Review: Nature's Bakery Pumpkin Spice Fig Bars

These delightful limited-edition pumpkin spice snacks by Nature's Bakery are like a healthier version of Fig Newtons! They come individually wrapped in convenient twin packs that are perfect for grabbing on the go. Each pack contains two bars that are slightly bigger than Fig Newton size. These would also make great treats to hand out on Halloween night!

Food Review: Laughing Giraffe Organics' Pumpkin Spice Snakaroons

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

I found Laughing Giraffe Organics' Pumpkin Spice Snakaroons in my local Sprouts' grocery store (check out my other pumpkin finds HERE!), along with the rest of their pumpkin products. This was a new item for me, and I was super excited to try it! The Snakaroons are macraoons, and they are delightful mounds of coconut and pumpkin spicy goodness! They are also vegan, raw, gluten-free, non-GMO, and certified organic.

The Snakaroons are made with simple, natural ingredients, with no preservatives added. Their nutrient-rich and power-packed ingredients include coconut, pumpkin puree and seeds, vanilla extract, coconut oil, lemon juice, and spices.

Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows Now Available!

Those Dandies Pumpkin Marshmallows everyone has been salivating over and dreaming about (I've been looking forward to them ever since I first drooled over them way back in May!) are FINALLY HERE and available for purchase online!! You can now get your pumpkin-picking hands on these delightfully festive marshmallows to use them in fall-inspired recipes. I plan on using these mini marshmallows in hot cocoa (once it gets cool enough) and to make an extra-special batch of crispy cereal treats with them! They are also pretty awesome straight out of the bag (I can attest to this since they were nice enough to send me a few bags last month...full review of them coming soon!)!

You can buy them online at Vegan Essentials and they will be on physical store shelves on October 1st!

Dandies are vegan air puffed marshmallows, completely free of animal-based gelatin and any other animal products, and they are also gluten-free and kosher. 

Go get yours now, as I'm sure these will fly off the (virtual) shelves!

You can find them HERE!

Halloween 2015 at World Market

World Market always has rad stuff for Halloween and gets it out relatively early, so when I visited a store over Labor Day weekend I was disappointed to find that there were no Halloween items yet on shelves! However, I visited again just yesterday and am happy to report that they are finally stocking Halloween products.

Top Five New Vegan Products from Trader Joe's

Written by Sarah E. Jahier

Trader Joe's has been rolling out some fantastic new vegan products lately! It seems that every time I make a trip to one of their stores I end up scoring some new vegan food item to try. Lately, I've discovered some exceptional new snacks from TJ's, which I wanted to share here with you. From drinks to cookies to popcorn to breakfast breads to dessert hybrids, there are lots of great new vegan snacks I've been drooling over lately.

What I Ate: June Junk Food Edition

I meant to post this at the beginning of July, but this month has just flown by! Is it just me or is this summer going by super-fast?! Not that I'm complaining, mind you; summer can suck it and autumn can't come soon enough! Anyways, I can't let these vegan junk food pics go to waste (though you will recognize some if you follow me on Instagram), so I'm sharing the yummy noms I ate in June below:

 This is Amy's Vegan Margherita Pizza topped with avocado slices and sriracha.

I already love the pizza on its own, but the addition of the avocado and sriracha 

just sky-rocketed its flavor!

Food Review: NII Bars

Last month at the Natural Foods Expo West (check out my coverage here!), I was fortunate enough to stop by the NII Bars booth, where I got to sample their vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO verified nutrient-dense organic food bars!

While I sat there stuffing my face with all the flavors they had to offer, their founder Shanais Pelka told me all about her vision and her company. As a mom and nutritionist, Pelka was always looking for a quick and healthy to-go meal for herself and her kids. She didn't want to sacrifice nutrition for convenience, so she spent lots of time experimenting to create the perfect food bar. The end result is the NII Bar, which comes in five scrumptious flavors!

Food Review: Setton Farms' Pistachio Chewy Bites

There were so many products and companies at the Natural Products Expo I attended a few weekends ago (you can read about my coverage of the event here), it was just impossible to see them all! Which is why I am eternally grateful to companies that go out of their way to send me products to review if I missed them at Expo.

Setton Farms is one such booth I missed at Expo, so I was thrilled to receive their Pistachio Chewy Bites to try! With everything going on I didn't have a chance to write about these delectable little snacks until now, though they have been the perfect healthy, to-go snack for these insane last couple of weeks!

Top 10 Vegan Products at Natural Products Expo West 2015

This past weekend I attended the Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center to scope out all the new vegan goodies coming out this year! I attended last year (check out my report!), but this year was even bigger and better, and I was ecstatic to see so many vegan or vegan-friendly companies rolling out exciting new vegan products!

Over the few days at Expo West, I got to try oodles of vegan food, beauty/health products, drinks, and got to visit with some of my favorite vegan companies as well as discovering new ones! It was a blast, and I already can't wait until next year!

There were SO MANY awesome products launching, so it was really tough to narrow it down to my top 10 favorites. I finally did, sorta, and below you will find my top 10 favorite products from the Expo, plus some honorable mentions. Not all of these are available in stores or available in the US, yet, but most should either be coming soon or already in some stores.

Food Review: Gardein Pocket Meals

Gardein Pocket Meals in Italian Meatless Sausage

 with Roasted Red Peppers and Spinach

The Gardein Pocket Meals debuted recently, and I picked some up at Whole Foods in early February. They are shaped like little buns (or dinner rolls, as described on the package) and stuffed full of delicious vegan ingredients. The varieties I picked up were the Italian Meatless Sausage with Roasted Red Peppers and Spinach and the BBQ Pulled Porkless Shreds. These are convenience meals, so don't expect them to be too healthy, however they pack between 6 to 10 grams of protein, and do not contain genetically modified soy, wheat, or canola.