A few years ago I did a taste test of the various nogs available at the time. I still have bad memories regarding the rice nog. After seeing so many new varieties available this year I thought it would be time to do another test.

Now, nog, or egg nog as you know it by traditionally, is not everyone’s thing. I have always enjoyed it. As a wee kid I would drink glasses of it. The non-vegan stuff isn’t light on the fat or cholesterol, it does have egg in it, after all. My grandfather always preferred boiled custard which I felt was just the same as egg nog without the spices. I have not found a vegan boiled custard but have run across a few varieties of nog. I have chosen four for this article, one from each of the more popular bases: soy, almond, coconut and flax. OK, flax isn’t that popular and has a relatively small shelf footprint but the other choice was rice and I wasn’t going to go through that again. Rice nog is terrible. Cut the chase, there’s your answer.

So as I’m not the only opinion you’ll get on these nogs, I enlised the tastebuds of the kid. The kid is my 12 year old daughter. She’s picky.

The nog’s are Silk’s Nog that is always a staple in the non-dairy section this time of year, So Delicious Coconut Nog, Trader Joe’s Almond Nog and Good Karma Flax Nog. Lined up, and poured into glasses, the sipping was on.

Silk Nog

A few years ago when I first did this taste test, Silk faired pretty well. I expected it to do the same again. Though, something seems to have changed with Silk’s nog. I don’t know what it is. I am sure Silk has undergone a formula change in many of their products since recently removing carageenan from their ingredients for whatever reason amid sqiubbles of ultra-purists. That might be the change I am tasting. Still, not a bad nog. It doesn’t come close to what was my favorite at one time. (I miss you, Earth Balance Nog) This one has a good flavor with a slight hint of nutmeg. It’s not too sweet though it is a little on the thin side. No nog consistency at all. It doesn’t cat the side of my glass like a good nog should.  A-

The Kid: This is good.

Good Karma Holiday Nog

I’m not one for flax, I don’t even like flax used as a binder in baking. There’s not much it lends to anything. It also doesn’t lend anything to nog. I don’t even think this is nog. In fact, I’m not sure this was even meant to be a drink. No flavor, none. It’s almost like Good Karma said “We need a nog. Let’s make a carton that says Holiday Nog and pour our flax milk in it. We don’t have to do anything else because it won’t matter. Flax is terrible.”  The worst part is the heavy chemical taste and the horrible aftertaste. I don’t know why something natural would have such a chemical aftertaste. It’s just so powerful. The only flavor this nog has is chemical. No spice. No sweetness. Just chemical. Not drinkable. Don’t try.   F

The Kid: I don’t like this one.

Trader Joe’s Almond Nog

I can generally drink almond milk if it is cold. People who use almond milk to make lattes have no scruples. I thought this one would be good. I could see where a light almond flavor would lend to nog. After one sip I knew I was off the mark with that idea. So nutty. Just nuts. This doesn’t taste like nog at all. I caught a hint of a flavor that was trying to reach out. Was it nutmeg trying to get my attention? And then it was gone, crushed by the overwhelming nuttiness. Not a total failure only because I would then have to say it’s as bad as Good Karma.  C-

The Kid: Eww. NO!

So Delicious Coconut Nog

I have never been much a lover of coconut milk products. When it comes to these most just make me feel like I am drinking oil and So Delicious coconut milk is the same way. I can enjoy their ice cream but that’s about as far as I go. However, this was the only nog I tried that had the right consistency. A good thickness that would coat the sides of the glass is key in nog. Unfortunately, that about all this one has. I am sure the spice is there but it just so sweet I can’t taste it. There’s so much sweetness that you can’t call it much other than sugar nog. If it were not for the powerful sweetness this might be good. Otherwise ,may be good for helping with nausea.  B-

The Kid: This doesn’t taste right.

If you have found a nog that I didn’t try let me know. Next year I’ll try to add it to my drinking list. I hope your holidays are happy and full of a good nog!

While thumbing through Twitter last week I came across a tweet by a good followee for a smoothie recipe. I’m always looking for smoothie ideas as I usually have one a day. This one stood out with an ingredient I had never considered: Oats. A protein powerhouse in itself it was mixed with some tasty ingredients and began salivating for this smoothie.

1 1/2 frozen banana

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup chocolate almond milk

1 heaping spoonful of almond butter

Blend in VitaMix for 20 seconds until smooth.

A few days passed and still I had no chance to make this smoothie, one that I knew would be filling and should be an early morning drink. Once I got around to trying it I was blown away. Wow! This things rocks! Very tasty, very filling and full of protein. You’ll definitely need a Vitamix for this smoothie to blend up the oatmeal. I don’t think a standard blender is up to the job.

If smoothies are your thing or even if they’re not you need to treat yourself to a Vegan Man Cave Smoothie. The dude is onto something here. I can’t believe he hasn’t patented this yet. I fully expect to see him on a late night infomercial soon touting this smoothie. (Dude, get on this!)

I have written in the past about my desire to find a milk other than soy to make coffee with. I would go each time through rice, almond, hazelnut and others only to fall back to the reliable soy after finding each was either too watery or just wouldn’t foam, some even tasted bad. After seeing Silk PureAlmond I thought I should give it a try. I had tried Almond Breeze, both aseptic and refrigerated, but was put off by the strong after-bite. As far as I know Silk PureAlmond is only the second refrigerated almond milk variety.

A good coffee milk should always hold up first to steaming. A nice foam never hurts and this is where most of the milk options I have tried failed. Silk PureAlmond worked very well, surprising actually as I have never managed a good foam with almond milk. The foam was as good as soy milk. The milk is thicker than other almond milks which lends to the foaming ability.

Taste is most important and the flavor held up well to the espresso I use. No overbearing taste to mask the coffee. Most important there is no afterbite like all other almond milks I have tried.

I doubt I will give up soy milk completely for almond milk but finding a new option that tastes good and actually works well for coffee is always welcome.

My month-long soy free journey is nearly at an end.  As I have stated in past posts, I have felt no change, in energy or weight loss, during this time.  So many pieces of research I have read before and during this trial has stated that there is a direct link with soy and the thyroid and a significant decrease in soy intake will result in heightened energy levels and potential weight loss.  I have read studies indicating consumption of soy in relation to memory loss and concentration issues.   All of those have not proven themselves during this test and so, from my standpoint, are bunk.  During this time not only have I given up the more wholesome soy in its unrefined form but I took out of my diet the processed soy you find in just about every snack food.

I have had visitors to the blog since I started this project who are vegan and allergic to soy.   To me that’s willpower.  Being allergic and unable to consume soy but then taking it one step further and deciding to be vegan for whatever reason, that takes willpower!

Eating out was limited for the past month.  Most items contain some soy additive and sometimes, even with known vegan stuff, you just don’t know if it has soy or not so it was better to abstain.  I did some deep checking into some places and found an item here or there.  One thing I managed to find out was soy free was the sweet & sour at Pei Wei.  I had assumed eating anything Asian would be out during this time and considered myself lucky on this one.  Sweet & Sour vegetables with rice fit nicely and I managed to get a plate piled with fresh veggies and a tasty sauce that hit the spot.  A trip to Atlanta left out most of our favorite eateries except for Eats.  You can’t find soy in the pesto or a big veggie plate and you can’t go wrong at Eats!

After this is over I’ll be going back to soy.  Of all the things I missed I think the soy milk in my coffee would be the first to come to mind.  As I said before I didn’t notice any changes during this time.  Maybe after the upcoming holidays I’ll do this again and have some bloodwork done before and after just to benefit those in doubt.  I’ve made it through one month, I can do it again.  Willpower!

One more day left!

I am at the end of my first week of reading labels more extensively than I ever have as a vegan.  The soy industry has a firm grip on every aspect of our food supply, and nowhere is this more evident than in processed foods.  Soy protein isolate, soybean oil, soy lecithin – all components of just about every processed food you pick up.  Although some processed foods don’t contain soy, the fact is most do and the only way to truly avoid it is to eat whole foods.  Fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts, which are indeed the best foods for your body, are also the only road to getting zero soy.  With that said, I have not been eating only whole foods.  I have found a processed food here or there without soy.  Our garden is still producing tomatoes, cucumbers and okra.  I picked a small amount of pinto beans last week.  These items typically give me a good lunch but I get lazy in the evenings, the time I really shouldn’t.

The milks I have been trying, which I have spouted about over the last two posts, have been narrowed down to hazelnut.  I have tried a few over the past week.  Almond: too much of a bite.  Rice: too watery.  Oat: grainy, gritty, liquid paper. Hemp: powdery, not as bad as oat.  Drinkable but far too expensive.  Hazelnut tastes light enough, doesn’t have a bad aftertaste and isn’t too expensive.  I spend the most time on the milk subject because I drink a lot of it.  I use it extensively in my coffee and in my cooking.

I have read many articles about soy interfering with thyroid activity.  I haven’t noticed a difference in my energy levels or any weight fluctuations since starting this plan but this is only the first week.  Those differences, should they come, would be expected later on, possibly near the end.