Freedom Fridays: Beyond Meat

Today I had the awesome opportunity to try out the new Beyond Meat Chickenless Strips.  Oh man!  These things are certainly going to give Gardein a run for their money...and I love me some Gardein.

Beyond Meat is so realistic.  You will definitely do a double take, "Is this really vegan?"  (Photo courtesy of the Beyond Meat website) 

The main difference is the absence of gluten.  I don't have a gluten intolerance, but the flavor of gluten is prominent...not that it's necessarily a bad thing....it just is.  Beyond Meat doesn't have that.  Like Gardein, it is very realistic.  I am going to go ahead and say it.  It is even more realistic than it's competition.  And if you gave up meat because meat grossed you out...this is going to gross you out too.  But if you gave up meat because you just don't think it's right to eat an animal, but you liked it in your pregan days, or you are still on the fence about this whole vegan thing...then you will really love this stuff.

Beyond Meat plant based chicken (Photo courtesy of the Beyond Meat Website)

Lucky for me, it is now available in the Prepared Foods department of my Local Whole Foods market as well as the new vegan sandwich shop Phoney Baloney's in Irvine!  And they are currently working towards a nationwide presence.  If there is a place near you that has it, you should definitely try it.  I know I am going to have some fun with it over the next few weeks.  I promise to report back.

Product Review: Feed Your Face Vegan Caramels from Vegan Cuts

I am in the middle of a sweet, delicious sugar high fueled by a Feed Your Face Caramel Sampler  packed with 20 different flavors of soft, chewy, hand made caramels.  

The fabulous Melisser of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life contacted me to see if I was interested in trying out some Vegan Caramels from Vegan Cuts.  Umm, duh!  Of, course I would.

The box arrived this morning, and when I brought it in, my little man was quite curious!  In fact, I wondered if one of the flavors might be Catnip...  

I wrestled them away from him, and sampled a few flavors.  So far I have loved each and every soft, chewy, intensely caramel-y bite.  The Carrot Cake was unbelievable, and the Double Ginger packed a spicy punch.  I am looking forward to savoring each one individually, like a full dessert course slowly picking out the nuances of each lovingly chosen ingredient.  

20 different flavors!  So many flavors to chose from: Traditional flavors like Vanilla and Dark Chocolate, seasonals like Mulled Apple Cider, fancies like Hawaiian Sea Salt,  and exotics like Spicy Mango and Lemongrass Coconut.

And after I finish my last one, I will hurry over to buy a new bag at Vegan Cuts.

The fine folks over at Vegan Cuts have a VIV (Very Important Vegan) rewards program.  If you get your friends to sign up you can earn points towards special gifts and members only offers.  To get your link, just sign in or create a Vegan Cuts account here.

PLUS, Vegan Cuts is offering JustTheFood readers a special discount!  Enter the code: BLOGFRIEND and save an additional 10% off your order (Doesn't apply to shipping) Expires Oct 31, 2012

Stuff I really, really like right now.

Having a lot of pizza left over from last night, for dinner tonight...instead of a new meal or recipe, I offer a post of product reviews.  Here are a few of my current favorite vegan convenience foods.*

Wayfare Foods We Can't Say it's Cheese Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread
Spreads on crackers easily, even right out of the fridge.  Made from oatmeal!   I can eat this all day everyday.  Love it.  Not a real big fan of the other flavors, but the Hickory Smoked is FABULOUS.  I have been sharing this with nonvegans and they love it too.


Follow Your Heart Creamy Garlic Dressing
Ummm, like the best dressing EVER!  And, yes, I could probably make a pretty good dressing on my own, but, sheesh, the ease of opening a bottle and having it taste good to boot is just so much more than I could have asked for.  I also like the Vegan Caesar and Vegan Honey Mustard, but the Creamy Garlic is definitely my new fav.














Parma! Chipotle Cayenne Vegan Parmesan Sprinkles
I find myself buying a lot of this.  I never buy the plain flavor...because I can make my own, but the spice mix in the Chipotle Cayenne is just so perfect.  Mostly, I use it on salads...but it tastes really awesome on anything you shake it on.



SoDelicious Coconut Creamer
I posted about the milk last year, and have since added the creamer to my repertoire (they also have ice cream, yogurt, and kefir!).  It is really, really good.  ALL OF THE FLAVORS!  Not overly coconutty, but if you are a coconut hater, you probably won't like this.  If you like coconut, then you will love this.  I haven't completely rid my fridge of the Silk Creamer, mostly because it's so much easier to find, but I have mad a conscious effort to cut back on my soy intake, and this is a really wasy way to do it.



*I have not been given free products or samples or money by any of these companies.  I simply like to give props to companies I like, and support with my hard earned dollar in hopes that others will do the same and keep these vegan friendly companies afloat.