Miyoko's Vegan Garlic Parm Butter and Unreal Peanut Butter Cups!

 

Although Miyoko's cashew and oat butter are pretty easy to find around me, the garlic parm oat butter has been more elusive. I had almost given up hope of ever trying it until Saturday when I stumbled across it at Natural Grocers, and to make it even sweeter, it was on sale!

Yesterday I took a mental health day. I was feeling very overwhelmed and extremely anxious all last week, and I needed a day. I've been feeling very homesick for Seattle, so I decided to make lentil soup. Since I perfected my lentil soup skills in Seattle, it seemed very appropriate. I picked up some fresh baked bread to make garlic bread. Soup and bread, one of my favorite combos!

I had some leftover violife Parmesan so I shredded some on top of my soup. I don't love the violife parm, but I love other violife cheeses. Maybe I'm just not crazy about parm? I don't remember loving it in my pregan days.

The garlic butter spreads incredibly well, even cold. I was really impressed. And it tastes incredible!! I know garlic butter is really easy to make, but this is nice when you just don't want to take that extra step. I think this would be great tossed in some pasta with a little nooch, and also for a garlic-y grilled cheese! Ten out of ten I highly recommend for a treat!

I grabbed these at Smith's last week because they were on clearance. I've never had an unreal peanut butter cup that I know of, and that is a mistake. Even though it says less sugar, these are still nice and sweet, and the peanut butter is a bit thinner than Justin's which I liked. Now if only they made a vegan milk chocolate version!

Vegan Natural Grocers and Trader Joe's Haul Featuring The One Amazing Trader Joe's Vegan Tzatziki Dip!!!

 I really wanted to go to Trader Joe's on Thursday or Friday to avoid the weekend crowds, but it was so cold and rainy I couldn't be bothered. Flash forward to me on a sunny Saturday, standing in line to get in to a crowded Trader Joe's, cursing at myself! 

I went to Natural Grocers first, and boy is it a different experience than Trader Joe's. Because Natural Grocers is expensive, you don't see a lot of people doing major shopping. it's more of a run in for a thing or two kind of store. Yesterday it was me and two other shoppers plus employees. It was so nice and relaxing. The calm before the storm!

Although they are expensive, they sometimes have excellent sales, like this week Kevita kombucha is on sale for $1.99 a bottle, and I found the Miyoko's garlic parm butter on sale! I see some awesome garlic bread in my future!

Pita bread, romaine, apples, onion, tofurky slices, vegan tzatziki sauce, roma tomatoe, tofu, cucumbers, celery, slivered almonds, shredded hash browns, blood oranges, carrots, chai concentrate, marinara sauce, veggie spring rolls, lemon, red pepper, rigatoni

I was seeing the vegan tzatziki sauce all over Instagram, and I was so happy my Trader Joe's had it! In my pregan days I made homemade tzatziki all the time, but it's hard to find plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt, at least around these parts. 

Last night's dinner was one of the best things I've made myself in awhile! I just sauteed some soy curls with chickenless seasoning, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika and a little oregano and stuffed it in a pita with a lot of tzatziki, and a cucumber, tomato and red onion salad. This hit every single spot!!

If you love dill and garlic, you will LOVE Trader Joe's tzatziki sauce! I guess they call it a dip, and it is a little thick like a dip. The base is a vegan cream cheese alternative, so not the thinner yogurt I always used. It's not too thick though, it worked as a sauce just fine!! It seems to be getting a lot of love, so hopefully it will stick around for a very long time!!

Vegan Bolognese, Garlic-y Ramen and Minty Mrs. Meyer's!

 Simple Truth is Kroger/Fred Meyer/Smith's and I think Ralph's store brand organic line. In the last year or two, they have been really taking care of us vegans. It seems like almost every time I'm at Smith's, I see a new vegan goodie! They  have cheese slices and shreds, deli slices and even sausages. Both the slices and sausages are gluten based and seem very similar to tofurky. I've been on a tofurky kick lately, so I will try the slices one of these days. 

What I can say about the Simple Truth line based on things I've tried so far is that when they nail it, they really nail it, and when they bomb it's nuclear. They make a vegan queso that is perfection. It's so freaking good. I also love their vegan Alfredo. It's not better than homemade, but for something quick and easy, ten out of ten. 

Then we go to their vegan cream cheese which was so bad I threw it out, and also their vegan ice cream bars were a huge no too. I haven't thrown them out yet, but I question why they're still in my freezer when I know I won't eat them!

I've had a jar of their vegan Bolognese sauce in my pantry for months. I bought it when I was still gluten free, and I remember not wanting to waste it on gluten free pasta! The other day I finally decided to give it a try. 

Before I go into how much I didn't like this, I will say that I have never had Bolognese sauce vegan or not. But, based on this version I never want to give it a second chance! It's made with red beans, celery, carrots, miso paste and seasonings and veggie puree. It's very carrot forward, but in a weird way, and the ingredients don't list the spices individually, but there's a spice or herb that I hate in this sauce. It's something I can't recognize but yuk. This was so bad I could not finish my meal and the rest of the sauce had to go!

I had tossed in a few Ikea vegan balls (he he) that needed to be used, so I was like a little kid picking out the balls and leaving the rest!! 

I found this on sale and decided to give it a try. It's pretty tasty, they mean it when they say garlic-y! My only complaint is that this is not a meal on it's own in my opinion. To really fill you up you would either need to add more to the soup or have something else with it. 

Moving a bit away from food, I love Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products! they have the best scents, and really work! If you see this mint dish soap, grab it because it's limited edition so it won't be around long. It's minty but in a very gentle, almost flowery way. I wish I were better at describing things, but minty flowers is always what I think when I use it! Ten out of ten, I already bought again!!

Annie's Vegan Mac and Cheese Is.... Great!!!!!

 Back when I first decided to go vegan. I picked up a box of Annie's vegan mac and cheese. It's not the powdered mix, but the creamy cheese sauce packet kind. I remember it being on sale, and several people on Instagram had recommended it to me. I've been let down by every single boxed mac and cheese I've tried, so I actually ended up using the shell pasta for some other recipe, and just threw the cheese packet in the pantry. 

Well, yesterday was just one of those days. I wanted something easy and I guess kind of junky and fun for dinner. I had some random small pasta that I used in place of the original shell. When I first stirred the cheese into the warm pasta, the smell was that typical cheese smell and honestly I was scared. I was sure this was going to be another nasty mac and cheese. Before even tasting it, I doused it with hot sauce and pepper, and considered ketchup which I've never had on mac and cheese, but I've heard helps mask nastiness. 

If I would have used all of the cheese sauce I'm sure it would look even creamier. But I used about half because I figured less is better when it comes to these vegan cheese sauces. 

I really should have tasted before judging, because this didn't need anything to mask the nastiness, cause there was no nastiness! The flavor was nice and cheese-y, not fake cheese-y at all. And the texture of the cheese was great. It easily melted into the pasta. I know a few I've tried mixing has been an issue. I really was so surprised! I totally give this a ten out of ten, will buy again!

I've seen this milkadamia milk at Sprouts, but it's always expensive so I've never tried it. But I came across this creamer on sale so I decided to try it. The texture and consistency are great, I do wish it had a stronger cinnamon flavor. I'll stick with silk for my regular creamer, but this is okay, and I love moo is moot!!!

Small Natural Grocers Haul

 I have a very small Natural Grocers haul to show. I don't really go there often because they're expensive, but sometimes they have decent sales, and most importantly they are almost always pretty slow. My front door was getting replaced yesterday morning, and they didn't finish until after one pm. Trader Joe's on a Saturday afternoon? No and thank you! I just picked up a few essentials to last me until a weekday when I can go early in the morning. 

Carrots, red leaf lettuce, kale, nag champa, avocado, bath salts,tofu, crackers, booch, yogi tea, Hope French onion dip, tofurky slices, vegan white choclate(!!!), frozen butternut squash, oranges, vegan chewy candy that's rock hard

It was a cold, grey and rainy day yesterday, so by the time I got home I was wet, frazzled and maybe even a step above hangry. I almost just threw some frozen fries in the oven, but I decided to show some love to myself and make butternut squash soup! It was almost as easy as fries! I just tossed onion, garlic and ginger in a pan with some turmeric, red curry paste, smoked paprika and crushed red pepper, added the frozen squash, red lentils, a few cashews and some coconut flakes. When the lentils were soft I blended it all up and it was so beautiful!

I was feeling all kinds of things yesterday, and I really felt like I wanted to kind of slip back into some of my old, more self destructive coping skills, and I'm proud that instead I made soup. Most of the time it's the small things in life!

Some More Things I've Tried

 I think I mentioned in my last haul post that I used to love Rising Moon vegan ravioli. My favorite was the butternut squash. I loved having a package in my freezer for a really easy meal that felt fancy. Especially because I can't make ravioli. I know Sprouts used to sell them, but they seem to have replaced Rising Moon with some other brand that has no vegan options. 

Rising Moon was always in the freezer section, and I never thought to look anywhere else. I happened to notice these little guys when I was looking at their hummus offerings. I haven't had ravioli in YEARS, and these were an okay price so I treated myself!

The other night I was having a really down day, and decided that maybe ravioli would bring some cheer. I made a roasted garlic almond Alfredo sauce, and added some garlic-y lentils. 

Definitely not a beautiful dish, but Alfredo with garlic-y lentils is something I will definitely do again! 

The ravioli was honestly kind of a let down. Several fell apart while boiling so it made it kind of a muddy mess, but most importantly they were pretty bland. I'm glad my sauce was flavorful. I expected a stronger taste since they're stuffed with eggplant, garlic, tomato and roasted red pepper. I'd give the ravioli a five out of ten. They were okay, but I won't go out of my way to buy them again.

This is something that I will buy again and again! I like to cut my coffee with decaf so that I can have several cups but with less caffeine. I had gotten some store brand of decaf to save a few bucks, and wow, every time I have the decaf it kills my stomach. But my regular coffee doesn't. Anyway, I decided I needed to get a better decaf, and this was on sale for about the same price as higher quality coffee, so I decided to try it and WOWZERS!!! It's almost like hot chocolate but not, and it made my coffee like the best mocha you could ever try! Ten out of ten!

Since we're on the topic of chocolate, I know I've shown these before, but they deserve another round of applause! These have the perfect amount of salt, and the chocolate isn't super sweet. They're like a crunch bar, if crunch bars were perfect! I've only seen these at Smith's, with their trail mixes and other "healthy" organic snacks. These are one of my favorite things ever!!!

Urban Accents Korean BBQ Vegan Of Course!

 

Last night I decided to try this little meatless mix. It's basically TVP with seasonings already mixed in, so all you have to do is rehydrate the mix, saute an onion, add the mix to the onion, add soy sauce or tamari, saute a few more minutes and bam, you have a meal!

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag was the amazing smell! It smelled garlic-y and really, really inviting. 

 Lettuce wraps are the suggested way of eating these, but of course I didn't have any lettuce for cups so I made tacos. I also made a little slaw with coleslaw mix, veganaise and gochujang. 

This was a really tasty and easy meal. I give it extra points because I've never been able to make TVP taste this good. I guess I've never experimented with these flavors, but still. 

I will definitely buy this again, I like to have stuff like this when I don't want to do a lot of cooking. Also, the leftovers are even better!

Small Vegan Sprouts Haul!!!

Yesterday was a kind of stressful day, my landlord decided that during a pandemic seems like a perfect time to have new doors put on all the apartments. We've lived with these doors this whole time, but now we need strangers clomping around replacing them. The work was starting at eight am, and she gave no information as to where they were starting, so we all just had to be ready and waiting. To make matters worse, the job took longer than expected, they only replaced two or three doors, and they are coming back next Saturday to finish! My door did not get replaced, so I get to rinse and repeat next week!

Since I needed groceries yesterday, I had to make a very early morning trip to Sprouts. They had a digital coupon for five dollars off a forty dollar purchase, and you know I had to take advantage of that! Believe it or not, it can be hard to spend dollars if you avoid all the specialty stuff. Sprouts really does have some amazing deals on produce!

yogurt,oranges, lemons, vegan ravioli,green onion, cilantro, Ataulfo mangoes, tofu, live booch soda,black beans,La Croix, ketchup, oat coffee creamer, Korean BBQ tvp kit, shredded cabbage, carrots, red potatoes 

 If you live near a Sprouts and like kombucha and boochy sodas, Live probiotic soda is on sale two six packs for seven dollars! That's the cost of two single bottles of booch, if you're lucky! 

Since I needed my total to be at least forty dollars, I had a few bucks extra to spend, so I decided to try this. It was on sale, I love Korean flavors and it's made with TVP which I also love. I think I'm going to make some tacos with a spicy slaw this week. 

Does anyone remember Rising Moon pasta? They had a few different vegan ravioli options that were so tasty. They used to be a nice little treat. For some reason, I haven't been able to find them anywhere. I've been craving ravioli like mad, and kite hill is way, way out of my budget. I found these in the hummus, fancy pickles section. I'm so excited to try these, I just have to figure out a worthy sauce!

Just Some Random Stuff

 After making my naan bread, I had a bit of plain, unsweetened yogurt that needed to be used, so I made some tofu tikka masala. Perfect dish to go with naan bread!

I usually use coconut milk for dishes like this, but marinating the tofu in spices and yogurt, and then using the yogurt for creaminess gives the dish a tang I enjoy. And I love meals where bread is my utensil!

I was very hungry, or I guess I should say hangry the other day, and when I saw spicy potato filled flatbread I was pretty much sold, and then when I saw vegan proudly written on the front I just had to.  I would say this is spiced, not spicy. Delicious! I saw lentil and spinach stuffed options too, both vegan so maybe I'll try the lentil someday!

So this is unfortunately a thing. I feel like all I need to really say is, notice the color and the cost. The bottle is pretty small too. They say to use the milk like any milk, in cereals, coffee, etc. Excuse me but I don't like that color at all. Who wants cereal with green milk? This just feels ridiculous. For years we've been told to support vegan products, because that's what brings the cost down, and interest in vegan foods has only risen, yet each new thing is more expensive than the last. 

Plain Ruffles are my favorite chip. They're salty, and the ridges really hold the salt. Plus, they're so much better than flimsy Lays if you want to dip. I'm pretty sure most flavored Ruffles aren't vegan, and plus when it comes to chips I'm pretty basic. Some of the crazy flavors really make me feel anxious. I want my chips to be chips, not a whole meal. Anyway, I saw someone post about these on the Gram, and yes, they are accidentally vegan! The best way I can describe these are like a slightly sweet BBQ chip, but seriously made with the best BBQ ever. I mean, these things are dangerously good. Twenty out of ten, highly recommend and will buy again, and again!

I Finally Made Some Naan!!

 When I decided to have gluten in my diet again, one of the first things I bought was garlic naan bread from Trader Joe's. While it was okay, and of course tasted AMAZING after years of no gluten, I wasn't crazy about the naan. It's very small, thick pieces as opposed to the larger, thinner pieces of naan that I'm used to. They have naan in their freezer section that looks more like what I want, but it isn't vegan. 

After that I checked the Indian market near my place, and alas all their naan has dairy too. I have been enjoying their paratha bread, but it still isn't fluffy naan!

I Googled some recipes, even found some plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt on clearance, and then for the past few weeks have been scared to make the naan. I don't know why I had such a fear, maybe because I've had so many gluten free fails over the years. I used to be a pretty confident cook, but something changed.

Anyway, my vegan clearance yogurt needs to be used, and I can't imagine eating plain yogurt(blech) so it was either waste food or make naan! Plus, yesterday I was feeling super low and lentil dal is always what I crave when blue.

I can't believe I had such success! I was worried because every single recipe I found said to use a cast iron pan which I don't have. I'm sure a cast iron pan would make it better, but this was still pretty great!

I love when I can use bread as a utensil!! The recipe made quite a bit, so now I have lots of naan in my freezer for whenever I need. I eat a lot of curry dishes so it won't last long! I used this recipe if anyone is looking. Very simple to follow and delicious results! Also, it didn't need a lot of hands on time, and the recipe made a lot, so it's very budget friendly. Naan bread is expensive at a store!

Vegan Haul Time Featuring Trader Joe's and Whole Foods!

 I have a small Whole Foods and Trader Joe's haul. I lucked out at Trader Joe's, the guy in front of me started the line, and by the time I left there was a very long line. I love it when my timing is on point! I don't mind standing in the line, it's just that I've learned the longer the line, the crazier the inside!

Wheat crackers, vegan cheddar crackers, plant based whipped topping, chocolate covered raisins, Ben and Jerry's vegan cookie dough bites, yellow and German mustard, vegan jalapeno ranch dressing

I was really excited about the plant based whipped topping. I LOVE Cocowhip, like LOVE it. Back when I lived in PA. Dylan and I would just share spoonfuls. Yes, he loved all things coconut! So, I was excited because this was only $2.99, much cheaper than Cocowhip, but I realized too late the base is palm oil, not coconut. I do my very best to avoid palm oil, I don't consider it to be vegan. You see plant based and think you don't have to read the label!! We never stop learning I guess!

Celery, Romaine hearts, carrots, green onion, edamame, mandarin chickenless chicken, tofu

Water Kefir, booch, sumo orange, avocado, Dave's bagels, potatoes, green lentils, apples, lemon, oranges, banana,garlic, instant cold brew coffee

The Dave's bagels are from Smith's. I meant to grab onion bagels which are my FAVORITE at Trader Joe's but forgot.  I also got a new to me flavor of fizzy water from Bubbly, white peach ginger and it is soooooooooo good!!

More new little spring babies! Spring is my favorite season, but this year more than others I'm struggling. I've been pretty unhappy in SLC for awhile, and the climate has something to do with that. Spring seems to last for maybe two weeks, and then it's insane, intense heat and the brutal sun. And the dryness, oh the dryness. I never, ever thought I would say this, but in Utah I prefer the winter. And I am a winter hater, a summer and sun lover!!!But, for right now I need to enjoy peaceful, cool mornings. The calm before the storm I guess.

Vegan Cheese and Butter and Pasta Oh My!

 

I am a sucker for vegan cheese. When I have a few extra bucks in my food budget I almost always choose vegan cheese over a vegan meat. I'm still searching for a vegan Swiss cheese!

I recently discovered this Nuts for Cheese and so far I've tried the Brie and the Chipotle cheddar wedge. Both incredible! They are velvety smooth and the flavor is incredible! The brie is mild and creamy, and the chipotle cheddar has a real kick! I haven't tried the red rind yet, but I expect great things. This ties with treeline for my favorite vegan cheese! Here is their website if you'd like to check them out!

When I was a kid, my mom used Country Crock. I remember that beige tub always hanging around. I needed butter and my favorite vegan butter Mitoko's is unfortunately not always in my budget, but this was two something at Smith's. I've now used it all the ways, baking, slathered on bread and toast, and last night I used some in my pasta dish. This is dangerously good!! I actually like it as much a Miyoko's and it is so much cheaper. I'd still rather support Miyoko's of course, but I can't always afford to support who I'd like. This gets a ten out of ten from me!!

Last night I made one of my favorite meals, linguini with garlic-y kale and lots of nooch! I added a few dabs of the butter at the end just to make it really luscious. This felt like restaurant quality coming out of my dinky little kitchen!

Bad Snacks Good Soup!

 

When vegan pork rinds and cracklins started becoming a thing, I had no interest at all. I even wondered why someone would even think to make this! But, to be fair I have never had a pork rind, and it wasn't something my family ever had around.

The thought of pork rinds has always grossed me out, so I've never had a desire to try the vegan version. If I want a snack, I'd rather spend my cash on vegan cheese crackers or Vegan Rob's puffs!

Whenever I don't listen to my intuition I always regret it, and these are no exception. I saw these on sale, and I was craving a cheese-y crunchy snack, and I couldn't find my favorite vegan cheese crackers, so I went against myself and got these.

Look at that! I couldn't believe how empty the full bag was when I opened it! At first I was so shocked and irritated, but after tasting them I was pretty excited to have less product.

I hated these. the minute I put in in my mouth I regretted it. They are chalky, dry and super dense. I really love Beanfield's chips, so I'm shocked by how much I dislike these! Negative ten out of ten is my score!

Back to tastier things, I found this Vietnamese sour soup base at the Asian market. It has tamarind, pineapple and lemongrass so I felt like it had to be good. Luckily I was right! It's sour but in a tart way? When I think of sour I think extremes and this isn't.

Last night I added some of the base with water, and added some baked tofu and potstickers. So freaking easy and it tasted like I got it from a restaurant! It reminds me of a soup I loved at this little Thai restaurant in Seattle. I've been missing Seattle so this hit the spot and the feels.