Stuff You Should Check Out

So after doing a bit of grocery shopping, I thought I'd let yall know about some of my fav vegan items, as well as some new products I decided to try. Goodness though, letting me into a grocery store is like putting a shopoholic in the world's biggest mall.....1) it's sooooo freakin intruguing & interesting! 2) you want to look at everything! 3) you want to (& sometimes do) buy way more than you should....

but anywho, let's start with one of my addictions, peanut butter! it's delicious, it's protein-packed, it can go into sweets or savories.....heck, it's just darn good.  I always have a couple jars on hand....

The Skippy Natural might be my hands-down favorite basic peanut butter.  It's all natural, but doesn't separate like other natural peanut butters (i definitely hate having all the oil up top, then the bottom of the jar being rock-hard....boo).  It also has that great, classic PB taste that you remember as a kid....super smooth & great for any use.  The Peter Pan Whipped is my fav for using in desserts & eating off the spoon.  It is light & creamy, & not at all dense.  Works great in frostings or mousse. Also doesn't have any of that nasty HFCS (high fructose corn syrup....it's the enemy) like other conventional PB's.  And finally, the PB & Co. Heat Is On....talk about the best PB for thai peanut sauces & dishes, stir-fries & lo-mein....it has just the right amount of heat & is the perfect base for any asian-infused peanut dish. Also as a great salty snack with celery sticks.

Now, I can't talk about PB without involving it's lover, marshmallow fluff!

Introducing....Ricemellow Creme!! The one & only vegan marshmallow fluff. Regular marshmallows contain gelatin (which comes from pig & horse feet....eeewwww) & regular fluff contains egg whites (for that airy, whipped consistency).  This stuff is uber tasty, but I must say, is not quite the same as regular fluff.  For one, it's a beige color since it's not bleached white. And two, the consistency is not as dense or sticky. Still tastes great & 'mallowy....but don't be dissappointed when it's not like the original. 

Next on my list....a new product I tried randomly....Dr. Lucy's cookies.

So Cody (aka - my hubby) got a hardcore craving for cookie dough the other day, & me....just got a good ole' hankerin for some sugar cookies. Picked these babies up on clearance....score! Lucy's Sugar Cookies, have that crisp, but not too hard, crunch & great vanilla sugar flavor, complete with sugar crystals on top.  Not only are these vegan, but they're free of nuts & gluten too. My only complaint is that the packages are kinda small.

Now, when it comes to a vegan butter substitute, I ALWAYS use Earth Balance Original.  It tastes more buttery than butter itself.

It's fantastic for every place you would use butter, & for all methods of cooking where you'd use butter....sauteing, pan-frying, etc. But the other day, the Olive Oil Earth Balance variety was on sale (vs. the Original's blend of a couple vegetable oils).

It was really tasty! Melted a bit easier than the original variety.  My only issue is that it can only be used as a condiment & won't hold up to many cooking methods since olive oil has such a low smoke point......um, explanation you ask? Olive oil has one of the lower smoke points of most oils, meaning that the oil will start to smoke & break down once it gets too hot....Bad news!!  for olive oil, it's usually around 320F, but for safflower oil it's 500F. so, for the future, I'll prolly just stick to my Original earth balance since it's more versatile. (& Yes, I know, you want my Hello Kitty toaster.....but you cannot has!!)

On the topic of substitutes, my favorite mayonaise substitute is *shockingly* not Vegenaise! Instead it's...

Spectrum's Light Canola Mayo! I was never the biggest mayo person to begin with, but sometimes you just have to make a vegan "chicken" salad, or a salad dressing, or a spinach dip....then I reach for this stuff.  It's a ton healthier & less fatty than other options & the flavor is not overpowering or too vinegar-y. Also, I hate how Vegenaise has to be always kept refrigerated.  Spectrum's mayo is shelf-stable until it's open, then it goes in the fridge. The last perk? It's usually the cheaper vegan mayo option.

My last review of the post = my most used seasoning. It basically gets used like a salt shaker in my kitchen....

If you guessed Nutritional Yeast....you win!! Perhaps you're asking, what the heck is nutritional yeast? **Lesson time** It's an inactive yeast that is a yellow-beige color & comes in either flakes or powder. It has a unique cheese-like, kindy nutty flavor & is an insanely high source of vitamin B12 (which vegans need since the only other natural forms are animal sources).  I shake it on salads, pasta, stir-fries, casseroles....almost anything savory. It's my equivalent to Emeril's "BAM" seasoning, just adding that boost to send a dish's flavor over the edge. You can buy it in bulk bins at natural grocers, but I would 1st recommend buying one of these handy shakers from Red Star since you can reuse the container.

Well now, that's a good start to some handy, tasty products. Next grocery trip experience will be quite soon, due to the fact that tomorrow is pay day =)  ooohhh, happy day!