♥ So Delicious - Dairy-Free Ice Creams, Yogurts, and more! ♥

 

Who loves ice cream? Who wants to be healthy? Who doesn't want to consume yucky dairy products but still want to enjoy tasty treats? I do and I bet you do too! ;) 

Thanks to companies like SO Delicious, being more health-conscious, vegan and/or dairy free has never been easier!

Why do I like, scratch that, loooove SO Delicious? The answer is really simple; they make damn good products! From frozen desserts and dairy-free beverages, to coffee creamers, and now even yogurts, going dairy free now means no one is missing out! Aside from the wonders of being dairy-free, the other fantastic thing about So Delicious is that they are a natural foods company that takes pride in their ingredients, insuring quality and care. The soy they use for their soy items is organic and non-gmo. They also take special care to allergens. Most of their ingredients are also organic and most of their products, as well as being dairy-free, are also gluten-free. Again, dairy-free has never been easier and has never made so much sense. 

So Delicious carries a line of almond, coconut, and soy varieties of their products so everyone can discover which works for them. My personal favourites are the coconut products, but you really can't go wrong with any of their yummy products. Everything I have ever tried from this company has been above and beyond all of my expectations. 

I still remember the deep excitement I felt the first time I saw and tried the SO Delicious Coconut "yogurt" back when I visited New York-- so excited that it made me not want to go home where these delicious products had not yet reached my little town--fortunately now they have! The yogurts are packed full of flavour, are deliciously creamy and they have a lovely variety of flavours, all with a lovely hint of coconut. I've recommended these to my friends dabbling with veganism or that are lactose intolerant, and they have all loved it, choosing it as a favourite from other brands. It is easily my favourite yogurt out there, though I try not to eat it tooo much due to the sugar… hint hint to So Delicious; please make some that are fruit-sugared or agave sweetened! ;) It is the only possibly thing that isn't absolutely perfect about these… but really, they are pretty splendidly perfect. Most people I know aren't too worried about sugar either, and I am happy that So Delicious does use organic cane juice as opposed to other sugars. :) But if you haven't tried these yet, Do! Because you are seriously missing out!

When in need of ice cream, by far my favourite in the world to turn to are SO Delicious' Coconut frozen desserts! Not only do they have a mouth-watering selection of flavours, but they also have chocolate-coated bars on sticks for those lovely summer occasions. They also have yummy ice cream sandwich bars that are simply divine--just like all of their other products. Another thing I love about the SO Delicious frozen desserts is that, again, they cater to health. As I mentioned before about the cane sugar, they have a nice variety of ice creams to choose from that are sweetened with agave for those that are curious--which means I get to indulge a little extra. ;) One day I will try all of the flavours, there are sooo many to choose from it's really quite exciting. They even have a sugar-free line that actually has good ingredients--no gross splenda or any of those other bad-for-you chemical sweeteners. 

I've also tried this little experiment with friends, to see how they'd like dairy-free alternatives (you know, subtle vegan persuasion ;)), and all of them have always been excited and intrigued to try the coconut ice cream and frozen dessert bars. Their excitement certainly pays off as well! In fact, all of them have said they PREFER them over the dairy kinds! See, vegans do have more fun! ;) 

Aside from delicious sweet-tooth treats, they have a wide variety of dairy-free beverages, such as almond and coconut milks and lots of other fun variations of favourites, such as chocolate milk and nog. They also have the best coffee creamers around, that are perfect for, well, coffee, as well as lattes and baking desserts. 

Really, you just can't go wrong with SO Delicious. Even if you're not vegan or lactose-intolerant, you will still love SO Delicious and, let's face it, it's the healthier choice in every way possible. So go check them out and enjoy all of their SO Delicious products! ;) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Shepherd's Pie Ⓥ

 

When I was a child, my cousin told me there were actual shepherds in Shepherd's Pie. My childlike innocence and weariness made me not want to eat it for a while. Then, as an adult, I discovered I didn't want to eat something that had animals in it. Now, I can enjoy this delicious vegan spin on the classic, without having to worry about shepherds or animals hiding in my food. ;)

My favourite way to make this is by adding a little sweet potato to the potato topping (adds a bit more nutritional value, and colour!). Or you can also substitute half cauliflower instead of as much starchy potato, but I haven't tried this yet so I can't vouch for the flavour, it just sounds amazing to me--I'll let you know when I try it next. The other awesome thing about this recipe is you can pretty much throw whatever vegetables you have in your fridge and it will taste fantastic. You still get a lovely colour, rich protein, and packed full of flavour and goodness! 

This recipe takes a little while to cook and prepare but is super easy to actually make and put together, you can read a book during waiting times or dance around your kitchen listening to your favourite tunes as I do. ;)

Makes awesome comfort food. Perfect for cozy rainy days! 

Shepherd's Pie:

Potatoes:

4 large Potatoes (or 3 Potatoes and 1 Sweet Potato)

2 Tbsp Vegan Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

1/4- 1/3 cup vegan milk (I use almond)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Black Pepper to taste

Filling:

1 cup French or Green Lentils, soaked for 40 minutes

1-2 cups water 

4 medium Carrots, diced

2 Tbsp Oil

Veggies: parsnips, celery, corn, peas, zucchini, spinach, or whatever veggies you have on hand or leftover.

1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, Tamari, or Braggs (if you're gluten intolerant go with wheat-free tamari like I do)

3 Garlic Cloves

2 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Tbsp Rice Flour (or other flour)

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Thyme

1 Tbsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper (to taste)

In a large pot, fry the garlic and carrots in oil for a few minutes until they start to lightly brown. Add the rest of you veggies and fry for another five minutes on medium-high heat . Add in the lentils, flour, water, vegetable broth, and soy sauce and simmer for 25 minutes or until the liquid reduces. Add remaining herbs and spices and stir well. Taste and add more salt if necessary. I prefer my filling to be a little creamier instead of dry so I like to add a bit more water, but it will be up to you to get your desired consistency.  

Preheat oven to 375°. 

In a medium pot, boil the potatoes until soft--about 20 minutes. 

Drain potatoes and then add the milk, margarine, and salt. Mash until pureed--they should be a little dry. 

Spoon lentil and veggie mixture into a casserole dish and top with the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. 

Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ Go Max Go Foods Vegan Candy Bars! ♥

Vegan? Lactose intolerant? Miss mars bars and other favourite chocolatey treats? Well you don't need to! Look no further then Go Max Go Foods! 

"We set out to create extraordinarily delicious candy bars. We craved candy bars that were chocolatey, nougaty, caramely, peanutty, almondy, coconutty crazy indulgences! We wanted a variety of bars that popped with all the luscious flavor of the traditional treats."

I briefly mentioned the Buccaneer bar in my VeganEssentials post a couple weeks ago and today I am so absolutely thrilled to share with you more goodness from this amazing company. If you love rich creamy milk chocolate (of course you do! Who doesn't love chocolate?!) but don't want the cruelty after-taste of regular candy bars found in stores then you will be delighted to know you don't have to miss out or sacrifice a thing! Seriously! Go Max Go Foods brings you indulgent treats without the guilt, food the way it should be; free of dairy, eggs, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial ingredients, or cholesterol! 

Go Max Candy bars are the perfect all-natural, dairy-free, & vegan versions of the old-time favourites you grew up with (or recently gave up to be blissfully vegan)! All of their candy bars are covered in their signature-recipe rice-milk chocolatey coating. Which I must agree is absolutely light and lovely, and will have you wondering why you ever bothered with dairy-milk chocolate anyway. You certainly won't be missing mars bars, reese peanut butter cups, bounty bars or any other candy bar for that matter! 

But enough of that, here's some eye candy (ha!) of the wonderful candy bars I got to positively indulge myself in… 

 Cleo's

 I've had peanut-butter chocolate coated candy before, but this is the real deal, the true peanut butter cup flavour! I can't believe I haven't had these sooner! Imagine this; the creamiest dreamiest peanut butter filling ever, cuddled in luscious rice milk chocolate coating in two perfect sized cups that will have you dreaming for more! Trust me when I say you won't miss Reese peanut butter cups anymore!   

Mahalo

A gently sweetened coconutty treat topped with three whole dry roasted almonds and covered with dreamy rice milk chocolate coating. 

Snap! 

Toasty, crunchy, crisped rice (Yum!) jammed into a hunk of rice-milk chocolatey "BAM"! Holy Candy Bar is right! This was definitely one of my favourites that I gobbled up faster than I meant to. ;) 

Jokerz

Layers of dry roasted peanuts, buttery-tasting caramel, and a rich peanut nougat, sweetly wrapped in a delicious chocolatey coating! Can you say heaven?! 

Bucaneer

Rich, fluffy, chocolatey nougat covered in a creamy chocolatey coating. Simple, delicious, far from boring… can I have more please? 

Twilight

There aren't any twinkling vampires here, but there sure is a whole lot of magic! Take that lovely rich, fluffy, chocolatey nougat of the Buccaneer bar and top that with a layer of thick, buttery-tasting caramel all wrapped up in that heavenly creamy, rice-milk chocolatey coating. You'll quickly be on Team Go Max Go Foods! ;) 

It's hard to pick a favourite when you have so many indulgent options to choose from. But the Cleo's, Snaps, and Twilight bars were definitely irrestible… then again, I ate all of these bars in… well I'm a little too embarrassed to share how quickly I gobbled them up… hey! It was for review purposes… to share with you… shhhhh… 

One more thing I'd like to share is the story to their curious name, because if you are a regular ReLove Plan.et reader then you will appreciate it… The name "Max" is a tribute to their pound puppy who for sixteen years taught them "through action that life should be about big love, having fun at every opportunity, and not worrying about tripping when you're chasing after your dream." Beautiful no? :) 

Really simply, these are the Best candy bars you will ever eat! Being vegan has never been easier, or tastier! You really don't have to miss out on any yummy treats when you have flavour packed with so much Pow and Wow! If you're fortunate enough to have any of these candy bars in a store near you, what are you waiting for? Run now and get one! ;) If you're not, order some! Thanks to online shopping it's never been easier to get your hands on just about anything your heart desires.

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ VeganEssentials! ♥

There's been a lot of talk about being Vegan lately, yes? Well, making your vegan transition and experience as wonderful, fun, and fulfilled as possible is my personal mission. After all, I can't boast about how awesome it is being vegan and then leave you hanging. I want to make it as easy and lovely as possibly--which it absolutely is with an open mind and heart, and the right attitude of course. ;)

Many people think that being vegan means you have to sacrifice flavour and that you have to give up favourite goodies and foods. I'm here to tell you that while, yes, you will have to give up foods that contain animal products (duh! That's why you're going vegan ;)), there are so many amazing replacements and alternatives that there really isn't need to worry about sacrifice… or whine about not getting to eat a certain thing.  

The other thing that I am aware of is that it is not always easy to find those yummy alternatives--especially if you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere that is not at all alternative. I am fortunate to live in a very earthy and alternative community where there are at least a ton of vegetarians and therefor options. That being said, there are still things that I cannot get here because it is a small town and simply can't cater to everyone. 

So what do you do when you want goodies but can't get them locally? You turn to places like...

www.VeganEssentials.com   

Excuse me for a moment here while I first jump up and down and spin in excited circles shouting "omg, omg, I love love love VeganEssentials!!!"

I kid you not, you can find just about anything on this site! The customer service is also superb, friendly, and quick to reply to questions--which, to me, is important when shopping online. They carry over 1200 vegan items in stock, with a wide variety of products from snacks and candy bars, tons of food items and supplements, to clothing, beauty products, shoes, and so much more. Seriously, just about anything you may be looking for. And, obviously, everything is vegan, so you don't have to look through all the labels (yayy!). The company is also vegan owned and operated, and make sure nothing they sell is tested on animals or contains any animal ingredients.      

I recently put in my first purchase from them (don't ask me why it has taken me this long! ;p) and I am thrilled! I'd been seriously craving vegan white chocolate--it used to be a favourite and I haven't had any since I went vegan--and wanted to explore other vegan candy goodies so it seemed obvious to turn to this wonderful website. I have a pretty big sweet tooth and, again, being in a small town not everything is readily available here--such as vegan white chocolate and candy bars. When my order arrived I do believe I squealed a bit and did my happy dance. I also admit that my goodies were gone within the week (oops!). I guess that's what happens when you don't eat delicious candy for a while and then are suddenly surrounded with amazing goodies. ;)

Vegan Chocolate & Candy Bars

This time around was a chocolate delight to be sure, for two reasons: 1. me crazing various chocolates. And 2. because I wanted to share a variety of yummy chocolate brands with all of you so I could recommend more. ;) 

Let me tell you this; it was amazing to have white chocolate again! I tried two different brands: Plamil and Organic Nectars (which is also raw). Plamil was delicious and much like real white chocolate, or at least what I remember it tasting like… either way I was extremely satisfied and recommend it! ;) Organic Nectars was also delicious, a little less traditional but the fact it's raw makes me instantly love it--and it did taste wonderfully delightful. I tried another raw brand, "Righteously Raw" which was a raw Acai flavoured dark chocolate bar and I do believe was one of my favourites of them all. It had an amazing bubbly texture, rich flavour, and you could taste the raw goodness. This was also my first experience tasting raw chocolate bars and I must say I was delightfully surprised (not that I had any doubts that they would be amazing) and am excited to try more in the near future. 

Other yummy treats in my order were two chocolate candy bars; "Buccaneer" bar by Go Max Foods, and the "Dark Angell" bar. Both were amazing and similar to non-vegan candy bars I used to have when I was younger (and not vegan). Definitely a recommended treat and a satisfying alternative to non-vegan candy bars! I also had miniature almond butter and peanut butter bites by Sjaaks which are a wonderful alternative to reese's peanut butter cups and such treats--small treats packed with flavour! 

The bottom line that I can share with you is this: there are so many alternative treats that are equally (if not more) amazing than non-vegan versions that you really don't have to feel left out being vegan. You can still save animal lives, not put horrible animal ingredients in your body, and still get to eat amazing food. 

If you haven't yet, please do check out VeganEssentials for all of your vegan needs and cravings! You are sure to discover something new and exciting to leave your tummy singing with happiness--and animals will be thankful for your ethical decisions. 

www.VeganEssentials.com

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've drooled all over my computer writing this post and realize that I have devoured all my treats and need to go order some more. ;) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.