New Product Review: Vega Energizing Smoothies

After years of trying to figure out why I find all Vega products completely repulsive (after spending well over $300 trying to like them over the years). I finally figured it out as I was writing the review for Calnaturale Svelte. It's the stevia!

Back when I first tried Vega back in 2006, I'd never heard of stevia so I wasn't sure of what that awful taste was that I just couldn't get out my mouth. But now I know! Geesh - why won't these companies just use sugar! Urgh. Anywho. The kind folks at Vega sent me samples of their new Vega Energizing smoothies a couple months ago.

It took me nearly 4 weeks to muster up the courage to try one of them. I already knew I was going to hate it but, as your guineapig, I am sworn to try it! As with all Vega products, I've always tried them wanting to like them so badly - mostly because I needed it to be worth the money (this stuff is not cheap) and two because they are usually full of lots of healthy stuff.

One serving of Vega Energizing Smoothie features

•Two servings of veggies
•10 g of complete, plant-based protein
•5 g of fiber
•1 g of Omega-3

The back of the package always says "just add water and go" but seriously, have the makers ever tried this stuff with just water? That's just inhumane! I decided to try the tropical tango flavor with a big glass of mango/orange juice one morning while rushing out the door to get to a rotation on time. Before I knew it the smoothie was gone, I was at my rotation and my day was humming along until I realized - "OMG (yep, i said OMG), did I just finish an entire Vega smoothie? And dare I say did I like it?!" The answer to both questions is YES!YES! YES! Finally, a Vega product that I like, even with the addition of stevia this stuff was still amazing. The natural sweetness of the juice was enough to counteract the bitterness of the stevia for me. To make sure this wasn't a fluke I tried the Bodacious Berry with the same combo of juices and it was equally delicious. I went out and bought both flavors and stocked my pantry.

Since the first two flavors were so good I just knew the rest would be slam dunks. Unfortunately, they were not. That horrible bitter stevia taste came through loud and clear and I immediately spit out each subsequent flavor. I have a feeling if you like stevia then you would be ok with the flavor. So if you've had any of the other flavors and like them please leave a comment here and share your experience with the VGP readers! Even thought the other flavors weren't hits in my book the fact that I was able to fall in love with two Vega flavors in nothing short of a miracle so all in all, no complaints over here!

Brooklyn Dark Chocolate - You are one chocolate away from a happier day!

I am not inherently a chocolate lover. I idolized my mom growing up and she hated chocolate so I steered clear as well. Add the fact that we weren't allowed many sweets growing up and you can draw a clear picture of me eating grape nuts and nibbling on raisins instead of candy as a child. It took me 3 decades but I have finally learned to enjoy the pleasures of a well crafted bar of dark chocolate. When the opportunity came along to sample Brooklyn Dark's line of 63% cacao dark chocolate I jumped at the chance. With flavors like Moroccan spice, Classic hemp, Open Sesame, and Orange Silk who could say no?

Since I was never a chocolate lover who craved chocolate morning, noon and night I've always been more reserved when it comes to eating dark chocolate. Two little squares once a week or so is enough to keep me happy. On the back of each bar of Brooklyn Dark it says "You are one chocolate away from a happier day" to which I said out loud to myself "we'll see about that!" as I unwrapped the bar of Moroccan spice and broke off two squares. I cannot describe the perfection that is Brooklyn Dark chocolate. The Morrocan Spice flavor is everything chocolate should be, its velvety and warm but at the same time savory with hints of cumin, coriander, vanilla and black pepper. It taste like the best Moroccan sauce you have ever had in your life. It immediately fills the senses without overloading them.

Next up I tried the classic hemp, which is just that - a classic dark chocolate bar. Although it has hemp in it (all Brooklyn Dark flavors do) you don't notice it at all. Its just a perfect rich bar of chocolate. The sweet citrus taste of Orange Silk snuck up on me. First I tasted the bits of dried cranberries and the slight crunch of the sunflower seeds and then just as I was about to type "can't taste the orange at all" a subtle burst of orange filled my mouth with a taste reminiscent of orange liqueur.

By now we all know that small amount of dark chocolate in the diet can be beneficial to our health - it's full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, improves cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and recent studies have shown in might in improve cognitive impairments . Add to that the power of hemp seeds, which are a rich source of essential fatty acids and, dare I say it, these bars are down right good for you!

Since I mozy through eating chocolate at a snails pace it will likely me months before I finish the three bars I've opened and move on to the last flavor (sesame seed) but when I do I'll be certain to update this blog to let you know what I think!

You can find Brooklyn Dark Chocolate at VeganCuts.com on the Brooklyn Dark website and at these fine stores 

Tortilla Soup Recipe from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores

Roberto Martin was kind enough to let me share my favorite recipe from his new book Vegan Cooking for Carnivores. Check out my review of Vegan Cooking for Carnivores here.

Tortilla Soup


2 medium white onions, chopped

4 large plum tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups broth made from Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base or Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ bunch cilantro (stems and leaves), chopped

½ bunch scallions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 corn tortillas, charred over an open flame and cut into strips



Garnish

Seven corn tortillas cut into thin, 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch strips (see Note)

1 cup safflower or grapeseed oil for frying

Kosher salt

2 firm avocados, halved, pitted, removed from their skins, and thinly sliced

1 cup grated vegan cheddar or Jack cheese

½ bunch cilantro, minced



In a large bowl, toss the onions and tomatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Preheat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet until really hot. Place the onions onto the hot pan, and resist the urge to flip them a million times. Push some of the onions over and place the halved tomatoes on the hot pan as well.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot or small stockpot, bring the broth to a low simmer and add the remaining ingredi¬ents. When the onions and tomatoes are charred, add them to the broth.

Ladle a cup or two of broth into the hot grill pan to deglaze the pan to pick up any charred bits of flavor left behind. Return this liquid to the pot, and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly while you prepare the garnish.



Make the fried tortilla strips: Heat the oil in a small pan until a test tortilla strip fries quickly. Working in batches, fry the strips until they are golden brown. Transfer them to paper towels to absorb excess oil and season lightly with salt.

When the garnish is complete, purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return the soup to the pot and reheat.

To serve, ladle an 8-ounce serving into each of six soup bowls and place a pinch of the vegan cheddar or Jack in the center of each. Arrange some tortilla strips over the cheese, and place a few thin slices of avocado over the strips. Sprinkle each soup with minced fresh cilantro and serve immediately.



Note: 2 cups hand-crushed, store-bought tortilla chips can be substituted for the fried tortilla strips, if desired.



SERVES 6

Cookbook Review: Vegan Cooking for Carnivores

Although Roberto Martin is a celebrity chef I had not heard about him until his debut cookbook Vegan Cooking for Carnivores hit the shelves. Granted, this is because I live under a rock filled with full-time mommyhood, work and school. Living under this rock gets me even more excited about new vegan cookbooks coming down the pipeline as I am too swamped to do any large-scale recipe testing right now but still crave new culinary adventures.

I've found, with past vegan cookbooks by celebrity chefs that I'm never really blown away creatively by what's on the page. If you have a decent collection of vegan cookbooks by now you likely won't be either by Vegan Cooking for Carnivores. With that being said, each recipe in the book is a sure-fire hit - even if it they do lack the creativity I have come to expect from the new crop of vegan cookbooks. Reliability is exactly what I need being a busy mom who needs to get a wholesome, delicious meal on the table every night or packed away in my daughters lunch for the next day. My daughter has the discerning palate of a judge on Top Chef at the age of 10 months old so if the food isn't amazing the first time around it's getting thrown on the floor our family dog immediately. Martin passed the baby/dog test with flying colors and won my heart over with his tortilla soup recipe. I'm a sucker for good latin food.

Because I see so many cookbooks every week I've become a bit of a creativity snob but if you're looking for great, reliable, wholesome recipes that the whole family will enjoy then I highly recommend Vegan Cooking for Carnivores.

Uncookbook Review: Rawlicious

For years I've worked on amassing quite the collection of raw cookbooks but, without a dehydrator, I couldn't fully release their potential. I finally bought a great little used Excalibur 3500 Deluxe Series 5 Tray Food Dehydrator from a classmate who simply didn't have room for it anymore and I was ecstatic to finally try out so many of the recipes I've had to pass on over the years. There were so many recipes I wanted to try from raw cookbooks I've owned for years but, true to the blogger within me, I decided to venture into new territory and try out the small collection of new raw books I had sitting on the shelf.

The first book I grabbed was  Rawlicious: Delicious Raw Recipes for Radiant Health by Peter and Beryn Daniel. The forward is by a favorite of mine in the raw food movement Victoria Boutenko who literally wrote the book on green smoothies and changed my life in the process. Unfortunately, aside from the forward, I was underwhelmed by this book. It is a very very basic introduction to raw foods with recipes as simple as macadamia nut, cashew and Brazil nut butter where the only ingredient is a couple cups of nuts and a blender. Not even a blend of nuts - cashew butter equals cashews plus a blender, that's it. Not exactly rocket science. There was nothing too inventive or imaginative about the salads or soups. The breakfast options were elementary and the gourmet meals section was filled with extremely dressed down versions of pastas and pizzas I've come across in other raw food books. Perhaps I have been too spoiled by Juliano and raw food goddesses like Ani Phyo who push the boundaries and turn fruits and vegetables into works of art. It's very hard to go from make rich creams, cheeses, multiple types of bacons, pizzas, sandwiches and warm raw soups to Egg Mayo and Sushi rolls. I'll have to pass on Rawlicious  this time around. But I look forward to seeing what these authors have in store for the future.