Vegan MoFo: Tofurky Tuesdays!

I have always been a busy girl.  In high school I was in the marching band (TUBA!), jazz band (TENOR SAX!) and swam on a year round club swim team (GO LAKEWOOD AQUATICS!) and was seasonal water polo player (GO BEACH!).  In college, I was just as busy.  Working two jobs and going to school.  And now, working a full time job, testing for and writing cookbooks, writing freelance for Answers.com, and of course, keeping up with this blog!  So easy, convenient, tasty foods are always a turn on for me.

When I was going to Brooks College and working at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool (around 1998-1999) I would get up at 4 am to get to work by 5 am, work until 8 am and head to school until the afternoon.  Then, I would head back to work after school.  On my way to school from work, I would stop by 7-11 and grab a Hot Pocket, heat it up in the microwave there, and eat it waiting on the bus bench.  I did this 4 or 5 days a week.  Probably not a very nutritionally sound way to eat, but it was warm, cheap, and tasty, and did the job just fine.  I haven't had a Hot Pocket since I went vegan, obviously, and to tell you the truth, I don't think I have had one since those days on the bus stop.

The fine folks over at Turtle Island Foods, makers of Tofurky products, in conjunction with Hot Ice Media were kind enough to send me a sample pack of the new Tofurky Pockets.  I was able to taste just a bite at the Vida Vegan Conference last spring but I was super excited to get full sized samples to sink my teeth into.  I haven't found these at Whole Foods yet, so this was an extra special treat.  (I also received a sample of the pot pie, but I will save that review for another day.)

I had all three flavors to try.  I will give you my opinions on each individually, but let me start with some overall thoughts.  These are a great convenient way to get some hot food in your belly fast.  They are perfect to keep at work, if you have a freezer and microwave at work.  They cook up in the exact time stated on the box.  The crust on all three flavors was less flaky and more doughy than I thought it would be, but I actually prefer it that way, so for me, that was a bonus.  Plus, the crust is whole grain.

I started with the Turk'y Broccoli and Cheddar.  This was very intensley filled with brocolli flavor and fresh green broccoli.  Almost too much broccoli.  Well, not really, but there was a lot of broccoli.  If you like broccoli, you will love this.  The cheese sauce was good, not too much, but a little thin, and the turk'y bits were pretty much what was to be expected, a little bite of cubed Tofurky.  Tasty and chewy and meaty.

Next up was the Pepperoni Pizza.  This was pretty much exactly wht I remember a Hot Pocket to taste like.  It was perfect.  There was sauce, cheese and pepperoni in every bite, and the crust had an herb blend on top that gave it an extra bit of Italian goodness.  I think this was my favorite of all three flavors.

I finished my sampling with the BBQ Chick'n.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this one.  The picture on the box made me think it would be boring.  Just chicken chunks and BBQ sauce.  Now even though, that is exactly what it was, it was good!  The sauce was sweet and tangy and the chick'n was chewy and meaty.  The wheat crust played nicely with the sweet sauce which would have been too sweet otherwise.

My final verdict is that these are awesome.  Each package comes with two pockets and my husband sampled the other pockets.  He feels the same.  They are great to have in the freezer for a quick meal or snack.  He loves the convenience of frozen meals, especially since I work at night a lot and he is on his own for dinner.  And as a lazy vegetarian (He gets such inspiration from John McDevitt's Blog.) these are right up his alley.  I don't have to worry about what he will make for dinner with these available.  So, hopefully they will arrive on shelves in my neighborhood soon!

On to today's giveaway!  Follow the prompts in the widget below to win a Tofurky prize pack filled with yummy Tofurky products and coupons.  Open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway