The New Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat

I have been intrigued with the new Beyond Burger (the vegan burger that the media has dubbed "the burger that bleeds" due to its juiciness and use of beet juice as food coloring) ever since I first heard about it earlier this year. It is an all-vegan burger that is very close in appearance, texture and taste to the "real" thing. To be honest, the concept freaked me out a little and I wondered if I would be able to handle such a "meaty" vegan burger! This vegan burger REALLY blends into the meat section of the grocery store, and without its packaging in a side by side comparison I bet most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Beyond Burger and a beef burger.

Food Review: Pure Genius Brownies and Blondies

Pure Genius Provisions kindly sent me some of their brownie and blondie bars to try, and I'm pretty much blown away by how delicious these are! They come in cute little individually wrapped squares and are made mostly with garbanzo beans, making them surprisingly healthy! Don't worry though, they don't taste like beans - just pure indulgent goodness!

These desserts are not only vegan, but they are also gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and kosher. Pure Genius is also in process of becoming non-GMO certified, so you can soon add organic ingredients to their long list of positive attributes! Additionally, they are only made with natural, good-for-you ingredients like the previously mentioned garbanzo beans, maple syrup, flax, oats, cane syrup, chocolate, and so on - no weird, unpronounceable ingredients here!

Food Review: Hampton Creek Just Dressings

Hampton Creek has released so many new products lately, and some of my favorites so far are their new vegan Just dressings! These are available at Target, and I believe they are starting to reach other store shelves as well! I got my hands on three of their new dressing flavors - Just Thousand, Just Caesar, and Just Ranch!

All of their dressings are egg-free, dairy-free, and most are gluten-free and soy-free. I have been using them for a month or so now in various dishes, and still can't get enough! Besides these three flavors, there are a lot more, so check your local Target to see what flavors they carry!

Food Review: Wholesome Chow's Brownie Mix

Last year at Expo West I was introduced to a company called Wholesome Chow that makes vegan and gluten-free baking mixes. Since then, I have been seeing their baking mixes appear on more and more grocery store shelves! Wholesome Chow makes vegan and gluten-free baking mixes for pancakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, scones, brownies, and more. I have been having mad cravings for brownies lately, so I decided to try their brownie mix.

Food Review: Daiya Deluxe Cheezy Mac

Daiya Deluxe Cheddar Style Cheezy Mac

Just a year or so ago, vegans didn't have many options for cruelty-free mac and cheese. We had the delicious frozen mac and cheese from Amy's [review], but the first boxed vegan mac and cheese that was decent was Earth Balance's version [review], released just last year in 2014! After that, many new vegan mac and cheese options have hit the market, including Daiya's three different types. I had tried this kind at Expo West (read about my initial thoughts on it HERE), so I was ecstatic when it finally hit shelves.

Daiya's Cheezy Mac is different from other brands' mac and cheeses as it comes with a packet of cheezy sauce and instead of powdered cheese mix, so you don't need to add any non-dairy milk or vegan butter to make it. Everything you need (macaroni pasta and cheezy sauce) are included in the box it comes in. 

Food Review: Upton's Naturals Chili Lime Carnitas Jackfruit

Upton's new Chili Lime Carnitas Jackfruit served up in tacos, perfectly 

paired with Califia Farms' Vanilla Coconut Horchata!

I have been waiting for Upton's Naturals to release their new jackfruit products since I had the opportunity to try them at Expo West (they were number 3 on my top 10 products from the expo!). I was so happy when I found the Chili Lime Carnitas Jackfruit at Whole Foods!

Jackfruit, in case you are wondering, is a versatile plant most often used in Indian and Asian cuisine as well in other parts of the world. Ripe jackfruit has a fruity, sweet flavor, but unripe jackfruit, like what Upton's uses, is often used as a vegetarian meat substitute, since it mimics the look and texture of meat as well as easily soaking up seasonings/flavorings.

Food Review: Neat Egg Replacer Mix Plus S'mores Cookie Recipe

I previously reviewed all of Neat's meat replacement mixes (check 'em out here!), but I wanted to do a separate post to highlight their awesome new egg replacer, called the Neat Egg! I used it in all of the Neat mixes I tried, and it worked wonderfully, but I also wanted to try baking with it.

The Neat Egg is pretty awesome if you ask me! Not only is it versatile and can be used in cooking and baking, but it is also only made with two ingredients - chia seeds and garbanzo beans! That means it is totally natural, plus it is gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, and, of course, vegan! It comes in a dry mix, and to replace one egg you just mix together one tablespoon of the Neat Egg with two tablespoons of water and add to your recipe! It's so easy and it is a fantastic binder!

Food Review: Neat Meat Replacement Mixes

Neat booth at Expo West 2015

While covering the Natural Products Expo West last month (read my recap here!), I was lucky enough to stop by the Neat booth, where I sampled their breakfast mix and was blown away at the how good it tasted! I knew that I needed to try ALL of their mix flavors and the kind folks at the family-owned Neat were kind enough to send me all their products for review.

Neat offers meat replacements that come in a dry mix, and you just need to add water and an egg replacer (like their Neat Egg, made from chia seeds and garbanzo beans) to make them! They offer a variety of flavors to suit any occasion! They have an Italian Mix, perfect for pastas and lasagna, a Mexican Mix, great for tacos and nachos, an Original Mix, awesome for burgers and chili, and a Breakfast Mix, ideal for sausages and quiches.