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Vegan and Vegetarian in Nashville & Middle Tennessee

Archive for the ‘Reviews’ category

SoyGo Soy Creamer

April 10th, 2011

I sometimes go through two pounds of coffee a week at home. That’s alot of coffee and I sometimes drink it with a creamer. When I’m not home finding a vegan creamer at a coffee shop or restaurant isn’t easy and is usually impossible. SoyGo is trying to fix that.

SoyGo Soy Creamer is a soy-based powder coffee creamer in a small, travel-sized packet that’s easy to carry wherever you go. Very welcome to the vegan or health conscious who don’t want the unpronounceable chemicals in most powdered creamers or a non-dairy creamer in their coffee.

SoyGo Soy Creamer is available in handy, travel-sized packs.

A single pack of SoyGo gives enough creamer for an 8 ounce cup of coffee. Much more coffee than that and you’ll need a second pack of SoyGo to get the flavor and proper results. It’s been a couple decades since I used a powdered coffee creamer such as CoffeeMate so I don’t remember how well it dissolves but SoyGo needs a very good stirring before breaking down sufficiently and then it still leaves a powdery swirl in your cup. I stirred for about 30-40 seconds yet the majority of the powder had still not dissolved. The flavor is there, lightly but I would prefer it dissolve better. At the bottom of your cup you will find a sludge of soy powder goo once you drink the coffee.

SoyGo Soy Creamer after stirring

After stirring for a bit there's still some SoyGo that doesn't seem to dissolve.

SoyGo Soy Creamer in the bottom of the cup

After drinking the coffee SoyGo residue is left in the bottom of the cup.

The ingredients are all-natural and all-vegan. – Soy Powder (non-GMO), Vegan Sugar, Color Added (All-natural whitener), Xantham Gum, Inulin, Natural Flavors (French Vanilla), Natural Flavors (Non-dairy cream flavor), Dipotassium Phosphate, Lecithin, Salt

Overall, SoyGo is a welcome product. I like having the option to get a cup of Sock Juice (brewed coffee) while away from home and have the option to add a vegan creamer. I would like to see it dissolve a bit better and maybe a half-ounce more product per packet so a larger cup or mug of coffee can be fixed up with just one pack. With that said, I’ll be sure to take a few packs with me on road trips. It will come in very handy at those coffee shops where vegans are never taken into consideration at the condiment bar.

SoyGo Soy Creamer is available at most Whole Foods locations including Coolsprings and Green Hills. You can find it in the baking aisle near the cocoa in both of those stores. It is also available directly from SoyGo, Amazon and some other online vegan outlets.

For more information on SoyGo Soy Creamer visit SavingOpusOne.

SoyGo Soy Creamer Review

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Posted in Coffee, Dining Out, Grocery, Milk, Reviews, SoyGo Creamer, Vegan Products

Tags: Grocery Review SoyGo Creamer Travel Vegan Products

Chuy’s – Mexican Food Can Be Vegan

December 9th, 2009

A new restaurant has popped up in the middle of what used to be restaurant central where Beethoven’s once resided in Coolsprings. Chuy’s serves the standard Tex-Mex in an ambiance that seems like TGI Friday’s crossed with Joe’s Crab Shack. This location is the first one outside of Texas and has been met with extremely long wait times.

Upon first hearing of their opening I brushed it off thinking there would be nothing vegan, let alone vegetarian, on the menu as most Mexican restaurants fill their beans with meat stocks or lard and chicken stock is a common find in the rice. After a bit of research I found this is actually not the case at Chuy’s and there’s actually a decent selection for vegans and vegetarians.

Chuy's Guacamole Tacos

Our first visit we had the Guacamole Tacos and Veggie Enchiladas. The only specification needed for the enchiladas and the tacos was no cheese. The ranchero sauce served on the enchiladas is vegan. You have a choice of Mexican or Green Chile Rice and Refried or Charro Beans, all vegan. The enchiladas, filled with squash, peppers and onions, were a little small but the sides made up for the lack of filling. They are wrapped in blue corn tortillas but I’m sure you can substitute any of the tortilla selections if you want. The Guacamole Tacos, choice of hard or soft, were larger than expected with two good scoops of guacamole in each shell and topped with lettuce and tomatoes they were quite filling. On our second trip we split these for a late snack.

The Nashville area already has its share of Mexican restaurants but few, if any, can make vegetarian selections, let alone vegan. (Don’t get me started on those Mexican restaurants that have a Vegetarian section on their menu with beans and rice listed that are chocked full of animal juice!)

As for the list of vegetarian and vegan choices at Chuy’s:

VEGETARIAN

Vegetarian Sauces

Ranchero
Tomatillo
Deluxe Tomatillo
Boom Boom

Appetizers

Chips & Salsa
Guacamole
Nachos
Special Nachos
Cheese Quesadillas

Salads (all dressings are vegetarian)

Guacamole Taco Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad (no chicken)
Mexi-Cobb Salad (no chicken)
Dinner Salad

Sides

Flour, Corn, Blue Corn, Wheat Tortillas
Mexican Rice
Green Chile Rice
Refried Beans
Charro Beans

Tacos, Sopapillas & Burritos

Guacamole Tacos
Bean & Cheese Tacos
Bean & Cheese Burrito with above sauces
Bean & Cheese Sopapilla with above sauces

Chile Rellenos & Enchiladas

Cheese Chile Rellenos
Veggie Enchiladas
Cheese Enchiladas with above sauces

Combinations

#3 Taco & Enchilada (sub vegetarian taco & enchilada)
#4 Relleno & Enchilada (choose your own vegetarian options)
#5 Chalupa & Enchilada (no chicken on chalupa, sub cheese for chicken enchilada)
#6 Enchilada, Taco & Chalupa (sub vegetarian enchilada & taco, no chicken on chalupa)
#7 Vegetarian Combo

Desserts

All desserts are vegetarian but selections can vary by location so ask your server for options.

VEGAN

Vegan Sauces

Ranchero
Tomatillo

Appetizers

Chips & Salsa
Guacamole
Nachos (no cheese)
Special Nachos (no cheese)

Salads

Guacamole Taco Salad (no cheese)
Grilled Chicken Salad (no chicken)
Mexi-Cobb Salad (no chicken or cheese)
Dinner Salad
Dressing: Cilantro Vinaigrette

Sides

Flour, Corn, Blue Corn, Wheat Tortillas
Mexican Rice
Green Chile Rice
Refried Beans
Charro Beans

Tacos, Sopapillas, Burritos & Enchiladas

Guacamole Tacos (no cheese)
Bean Tacos (no cheese)
Bean & Cheese Burrito (no cheese, with above sauces)
Bean & Cheese Sopapilla (no cheese, with above sauces)
Veggie Enchiladas (no cheese, with above sauces)

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Posted in Coolsprings, Dining Out, Franklin, Mexican, Nashville, Restaurants, Reviews

Tags: Chuy's Coolsprings Dining Out Franklin Mexican Nashville Restaurant Tex-Mex

Galaxy Nutritional Foods – Rice Vegan

July 23rd, 2009

Rice Vegan - American

“So, you’re vegetarian? Why not vegan?”

“I love cheese.”

I have heard that reply many times. In fact,I said the same thing until I realized the connections cheese and dairy have on the animal cruelty angle as well as what you’re actually eating. Even vegans like something melted on their sandwich.

“I’ve tried those fake cheeses, they don’t melt like the real thing.”

I know where you’re coming from. Nothing worse than expecting cheesy goo and getting mealy gunk. So, finding some truly dairy-free cheese singles the image of gooey sandwiches fill my head, but the thought of a mealy texture overshadows it. I tried Galaxy Nutritional Foods Rice Vegan as opposed to the typical soy cheeses that are available. It is available in both block-style and singles, I have a few packs of the latter, Pepper Jack, Cheddar and American flavors, to give a try. Of course the test that first comes to mind, where the cheese should run and hold firm two slices of bread would be the perfect grilled cheese, and it works great for that. Even adding a few slices of fresh out of the garden tomato and gluing it all together, it makes one of my favorite sandwiches.

But a grilled cheese? That’s too easy. We need more layers to meld, more flavors to lend it’s own taste to. Patty melt, that’s should do the trick. And besides, I love patty melts and it has been a long time since I indulged in greasy goodness.

So, let’s see, we have some tasty grilled onions a few pieces of fresh rye and some veggie burger patties mashed as flat as possible, it works great, trust me. But, what is a patty melt without the melt? Two slices of Rice Vegan American should work (Sorry, no Swiss available). Rice Vegan seems to do the trick, it does need a bit longer to melt as traditional cheese but the melty goodness can be attained and the flavor is good, no mealiness. The only thing you don’t have with Rice Vegan is that stringiness when you pull two pieces apart, but the flavor is there and the ability to hold all of those layers together is there.

Vegan Patty Melts with Rice Vegan

Also, I have found many non-dairy cheeses contain casein to lend the ability to melt. I don’t understand the point of making a soy or almond cheese and then adding a dairy ingredient to it. If you can’t make it truly dairy-free then why bother? Rice Vegan is dairy free and contains no casein, yet still has the ability to melt.

Vegan Patty Melt with Rice Vegan

Of all of the single serving cheese substitutes I have tried, Rice Vegan comes out on top. It melts well and tastes excellent. Compared to traditional cheese it has half a gram of saturated fat as compared to Kraft Singles, which contains 2.5 grams per slice! If you still have a cheese craving Rice Vegan can fill the void.

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Posted in Patty Melt, Reviews, Rice Vegan

Tags: Patty Melt Reviews Rice Vegan

GardenBurger Hula GardenSteaks

May 16th, 2009

GardenBurger GardenSteaks Hula

I don’t do many product reviews here but thought it was time for one. I have been eying GardenBurger’s Gourmet GardenSteaks for awhile now and decided to give them a shot. At $5.99 for two it wasn’t an easy choice but I thought maybe they’re worth it. Now anyone who reads this blog or know me otherwise knows veggie burgers are my junk food. I usually down two of them once, sometimes twice if I’m feeling edgy, a week. Served up with a heaping side of tater tots or a couple baked potatoes they are quite pleasing. I decided to go along with the tropical vibe the box said I would encounter with these particular patties I would have a fried plantain with them and since I had a fesh pineapple handy that was in need of being devoured I should cook up a couple slices of it along side as well.

These are pretty hefty patties and I thought twice about having both but decided to not go hungry and threw both in the pan along with a slice of pineapple for each. I am not a directions follower, that “cook 6 minutes each side and serve” crap is worthless. Good things come to those who wait and I cook a veggie burger for no less than 45 minutes, on low, flipping about every 5 minutes. I know you may think that’s burning them but no, that’s getting some amazing flavor from a patty. I would be changing nothing in my cooking regiment with these. I brought them to a good sizzle, turned down the heat to low and checked back every few minutes. I served them up with the aforementioned plantain and on two fresh, homemade buns with lettuce and tomato. They have a good texture and aren’t very mushy. I could taste the chunks of ginger and noticed large flakes of coconut. I did, however, find them to be a bit on the sweet side and decided to forgo the sliced pineapple since it lent only more sweetness. Still, a bit sweet for me as a veggie burger. If I did try these again I would add a bit of heat with some peppers instead of the pineapple slices and use mustard instead of the Vegenaise I typically use.

GardenBurger GardenSteaks Hula

Two of these at a time are a bit much but I toughed my way through them both, and the fried plantain, which is always a tasty treat. Next time I’ll be spreading the box over a couple nights.

I saw two other varieties when I bought these, a black bean and a Tuscan flavor. The Tuscan is not vegan, the Hula is. I am unsure about the veganess of the Black Bean variety but if it is it will be tried next.