Review of 365's Organic Corn Tortillas

I love Whole Foods! And I love 365 (their store brand) stuff even more because it makes organic so much more affordable!

Some of the things that are hard to come by at the supermarkets are organic tortillas, pitas, pizza dough and other related round flat breads. Most organic bread brands concentrate on loaves and bagels.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this for sale at Whole Foods a while ago.

The taste is great, and I love that it has no sugar (I wouldn't have even bought it if it did). But the tortillas are too crumbly. I don't know if it's because I kept them in the freezer or that's just how it is.

I stored them in the freezer after buying and thawed them in the refrigerator when I actually wanted to eat them. I then just microwaved them with each meal. Maybe there was a "proper" way to heat them up?

For now I'm not sure if I will buy these again. I might if I know I will eat them immediately. But I will most likely just buy the whole grain version instead.

Review of Gogo Quinoa's Quinoa and Amaranth Burger

I bought this because it was on sale, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The mix was indeed quick to prepare - as is advertised on the package - but the instructions are in dire need of improvement.

The first thing I noticed was that the instructions didn't say which heat level I should be frying it on (low heat? medium heat? high heat?). I had to "play it by ear", but for a less experienced cook these are crucial pieces of information.

I added the recommended amount of water and it was still very dry. Adding "a little" like they say on the package still didn't help. I had to add a lot more than they recommended.

I also noticed that in order for the patties to actually fry, it needed a good amount of olive oil (1-2 tbsp) and not "a bit" as it says in the instructions.

There was also absolutely no instructions on how to form the patties. I tried forming them by hand but it was very hard (they were too flaky). I ended up using a spoon.

Even after I had cooked them, they were still very brittle. At each bite they would just crumble apart - very different from normal burgers, or even vegan burgers like SOL's.

I also noticed that the mix lacked salt, but that might intentional considering all the high blood pressure people in this world.

Conclusion:

I won't buy this ever again. It's too much work (and poor instructions) for such a flaky end result. I'll just buy SOL burgers instead.

Review of SOL Cuisine's Original Burger

This has become my favourite vegan burger (mostly because all of the other brands either have refined sugar or carrageenan in the ingredients list).

I love that I can just microwave it and it's done. It's an easy - but healthy - solution for a quick weekday meal. Perfect for a busy professional like me.

It tastes really good. And the taste, quality and size of the patties have stayed consistent with time (unlike some other health foods - more on this later).

I used to be able to find the family pack reasonably easy (and on sale) but I think they only make it in the summer. I try to buy the 4-pack on sale too, since it is still a bit expensive.

For my microwave, I have to use 1:30 minutes instead of the 1 in the instructions - but that isn't too hard to do, and not too far from the instructions.

It's also a Canadian brand, so that's one more good reason to buy from them.

Looking at the package I noticed that it's Non-GMO certified - awesome! It also seems to be Kosher and Halal (the more blessed the better!)
 I really love this product. The only thing that could make this better is if it were Organic. I try to only eat Organic, but I also love burgers. So until I have the time/patience to make burgers myself with my own Organic ingredients (or someone starts selling Organic burgers), this will have to do. For now I will continue buying this product.

Review of Silk's Unsweetened Creamy Cashew Milk - Vanilla

I tried this one a bit after I tried the original one.

The taste is very similar to the original one, but even closer to ice cream topping or even ice cream itself. I think the vanilla is what makes it taste like ice cream, and then the cashew flavour just reinforces that by tasting like ice cream topping. It's a great combination!

Like the original one, it is also very thick in consistency, which I love. (I can't for the life of me enjoy rice milk because of how runny it is. I think the thicker it is the closer the consistency to normal milk, so that's why I prefer ticker milk substitutes.)

As mentioned on the post about the original flavour, although Silk is not a saint when it comes to ingredients, I keep buying this because I don't have that much better options at the grocery store. And of course, I only buy it when it's on sale.

If you're looking for the creamiest milk substitute you can get or if you want to make home-made non-dairy ice cream or smoothies, I highly recommend this one.

Review of GoGo Quinoa's Mushroom and Quinoa Cream Soup

I bought this because I thought i t was going to be one of those quick practical soups, similar to the Knorr or Campbell's ones.

When I read the directions on the package I was already a bit discouraged, since it involved the stove-top (I had bought it online, so I hadn't really read the cooking instructions before buying). When I finally felt like I had some time to cook this, I decided to make it.

The instructions tell you to mix water and milk if you want it to be creamy. I followed the instructions and it was still super runny. Then I read the next step and it said to keep simmering until the consistency was more creamy. I simmered for the length of time they advised and it was still far from creamy (and I used cashew milk, which is by far the creamiest of all milk substitutes).

It turned out very grainy (like when you put too much cocoa powder in your milk and it gets full of little grains because it didn't dissolve properly).

I also didn't like that I had to "stir occasionally". I don't have time for that. For me, cooking is: put something on the stove top and forget it until the timer tells me it's done. I have work to do. I have other house chores to take care of. I can't afford to sit in front of the stove stirring stuff (thats why I rarely make things that are stir-fried).

The soup itself was also very grainy in the sense that it had seeds (I think flax and some others). I was expecting it to be more creamy, like the one from Amy's.

The taste was good though. It even had some carrots, which made for a nice surprise when I did bite one.

But overall, this is not something I'd buy again. It takes too much time and doesn't have a very good consistency. If you are retired or have nothing else to do, sure, give this a try. But if you're a busy professional or mom trying to stay healthy, just go for Amy's soups instead.

Review of Silk's Unsweetened Creamy Cashew Milk - Original

When I first tried this, I loved the taste. It tasted a little bit like those ice cream toppings I used to have as a kid. It is also much creamier than the other milk alternatives (like rice, almond, and even soy milk).

I like that they made this unsweetened version. It helps me to continue eating sugar-free.

The ingredients list is not too bad, but of course could be better ("sunflower lecithin" and "natural flavour" sound like euphemism words for something not so natural and probably not so healthy).

It's nice that it's non-GMO. But would be better if it were organic too.


I have been buying this when it's on sale, and will continue to buy it (when it's on sale and the other items on sale are of the same quality).

I know Silk is no saint when it comes to ingredients, but unfortunately there aren't that many better options at the grocery store.

Review of Daiya's Cheezy Mac - Deluxe Style Alfredo

My opinion of this product is very similar to the one for the Cheddar flavour.

When I opened the package, I noticed again how small the pasta is.
 IT did grow after cooked, though.

However, like the cheddar, the Alfredo sauce tasted just like the regular cheesed Alfredo sauce. There was still a very slight chemical taste, but not nearly as much as the cheddar.

Similar to the cheddar, the Alfredo sauce also tasted a bit sandy. I don't know if that's the sugar of if it's something else that doesn't dissolve properly.

Talking about sugar, I was again weary of eating this because it contains refined sugar. I looked at the box and it says "Sugars: 0g" so I understand why I bought it. But it is listed in the ingredients list, so I know there is a little bit.

Still on sugar, I also felt a small "more more more" addictive craving for this pasta. Not nearly as much as the cheddar, but still a little bit.

I wouldn't buy this again because of the sugar, but in terms of taste it is ok.