Facial Cleanser = Bad

Good morning all! Today we are going to talk about skin care. I don't know if any of you are anything like me, but sometimes I think my skin just hates me. No, I never really suffered the wrath of excessive acne or eczema or anything like that, but I still get breakouts and patches of dry skin and redness - often in the same damn place. How does that even happen? Ack. I've been told that my skin is actually sensitive and that's why I sometimes encounter a combination of issues. And going along with my whole veg*n lifestyle, I have been searching for a product that will address my "sensitive" needs and leave animals out of it.

So say hello to JĀSÖN (I don't know why they opted for the diacritics)'s Fragrance-Free Twice Daily Facial Cleanser. I went into this purchase with a very positive attitude. It wasn't tootoo expensive (about $11 Canadian), is free of animal products, and is not tested on animals. It also says it is soap-free (is soap a problem?), will be gentle on your skin, and will reduce redness, etc. That all sounds great, right?

It wasn't. Number one: This stuff is NOT fragrance-free. Well, let me revise that... It does seem to be perfume-free, but it still smells. I would have taken any kind of flowery aroma over the odour it has as an apparent result of its fragrance-free-ness. It smells a little musty or something. Number two: Maybe this was the inherent nature of it being "soap-free", but it didn't even seem like this was a cleanser. No matter how vigorously I rubbed it, it never had any sort of lather to it. It seemed like I was just rubbing a creamy lotion on my face during my shower. I was actually worried that I had accidentally purchased a bottle of their moisturizer rather than their cleanser. But the label did indeed say "cleanser", and on the sly I compared it to the contents of other bottles at the drug store, and they all seemed to contain the same thing.

And I am now seeing the effects of that creamy lotiony business. I am breaking out and my skin just doesn't feel all that clean, you know? I think I'm going to have to try yet another product. I was totally pumped about this being animal-friendly and fitting into my budget, but it was mostly a disappointment. Maybe I need to try one of their cleansers for a different skin type? I don't know... I'm not expecting much other than stink. Diacritics be damned!

Product info: http://www.jasoncosmetics.com/jason-fragrance-free-facial-products.html

Sandwich = Good

I have a confession to make, my dears. I used to lovelovelove KFC. And what's more, it is the animal food that I miss the most. This may be due in part to the fact that it was the last meat that I consumed before becoming a vegetarian? Je ne sais pas. But yes, I have missed all of that greasy, fried, breaded goodness. And so, when I heard that KFC was coming out with a vegetarian sandwich, I damn near pooped my pants in joy. I waited and waited for the sandwich to make its way to my local KFC. And when it finally arrived, I booted my ass over to buy a combo meal.

Man oh man, is this thing good. I probably devoured it in under a minute. And I am a notoriously slow eater. I had wished that the breading was more like their crispy chicken, but whatever. The texture was awesome, the taste was satisfying, and they dressed the sandwich exactly like their regular chicken sandwiches (soft white bun, mayo, iceberg lettuce). I am kind of drooling just thinking about it.

The vegetarian sandwich costs about the same as their classic sandwich. It is cooked in vegetable oil, which makes me very happy. Now, the only thing is, I cannot find nutritional information for this bad boy anywhere. From the articles I've read, it seems that it is vegetarian and not vegan (despite people describing it as vegan, I'm sure eggs and/or milk are in the sauce and probably the bun), but I've found little else. KFC did work with PETA on it, however, so I am trusting that much - especially since PETA has been so vocally anti-KFC in the past.

In many ways I feel bad purchasing anything at KFC at all, as I feel about most fast food restaurants, since I don't really want to support an establishment that is responsible for so much use of dead animals. But I have come to think that it's a good thing to buy the vegetarian options at such restaurants. I think that the more people buy, the more that these places will view vegetarian items as viable, profitable foods to have on their menus. And maybe eventually the more vegetarian items they sell, the fewer meat items they will sell, which could be a nice big step toward a more animal-friendly world.

So. I know the lack of info = bad and KFC = kinda sketch, but deliciousness = good and animal-friendliness = good too! To my American friends: I don't think the sandwich is available in the US (yet), so you're going to have to stop by one of our KFCs up here while you're shopping for végépâté and Yves' products and stuff. You won't be disappointed!

Related articles:
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1515295681.html
http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/07/tastes_like_chi_1.php

Shepherd's Pie = Bad

I love Le Commensal, a chain of vegetarian restaurants that has several locations across the province of Québec (and which I believe has recently spread to Ontario as well, with one restaurant in Toronto). They offer a diverse range of delicious veg*n dishes, served up buffet-style, in a cozy and inviting environment. My first experience with Commensal was in Québec City, right in Old Québec, and I was delighted from my first step in the door. They have salads and hot dishes and desserts and more! You pay by the weight of your food! Aaaaand they let you bring your own wine! Wicked.

Aside from their restaurants and offering catering services, Commensal has also branched out into the world of frozen entrées. Yes, we all know that I haven't had much luck with TV dinners in the past (see: ugly manicotti), but loving the Commensal restaurants as I do, I had highhigh hopes. And a couple of the entrées ended up not being too bad at all (I will try to review these at a later date). Sadly this was not the case with their Veggie Shepherd's Pie.

People, I am a sucker for comfort food. I love mashed potatoes, I love corn, and I used to love meat. (I have grown fond of faux-meat in its place. You know how it is.) Given this, and the fact that Commensal rocks in general, you would thiiiink that the shepherd's pie would be a sure-fire hit, no? Well, actually, no. I don't know if it was the particular soy-mix and seasoning they used, or perhaps the flavourless-ness of the mashed potatoes, or the general frozen nature of everything altogether, but it tasted pretty darn bad... Sort of blandly dog food-esque (not that I have eaten dog food, but I can imagine). Plus, this poop was expensive! It was $6-something Canadian (another mid-workday purchase for lunch) for a relatively small serving. I have willingly paid this on more than one occasion for Commensal's other entrées, but since this was crappy, it was kind of a kick in the face.

The shepherd's pie is at least good for you in many ways, with lots of protein and iron and calcium, though it seems to have more fat and sodium than other pre-packaged veg*n products. Also, I should note that it is vegetarian and not vegan. Overall, this ended up being a disappointing product from a company that I know can do better. Maybe if I had brought my own wine to work to drink with it, it would have gone down better? Something tells me that wouldn't go over well with management.

Product and nutrition info: http://www.commensal.com/en/produits/epicerie/repas_indiv_surgel/product41

Cookbook = Good

Well, mes amis, I know I have mentioned before that I have a dear friend who was one of my inspirations for becoming a vegetarian. The other two main influences were my mom (who is not a veg*n but is health-conscious and open-minded when it comes to food), and a little cookbook she once bought called How it all Vegan. And this year actually marks the 10th anniversary of the book, so what better time than now to review it?

I was pretty impressed when my mom bought the book. The cover features the co-authors (Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard), decked out in tattoos and piercings, proudly displaying an array of delectable-looking foods. My first thought when I saw the book: Those girls are bad-ass! My second thought: When did my mom get cool enough to buy a book with such bad-ass people on the cover? Aaaaand then the other thoughts poured in: Is that cake they're holding really vegan? Can vegan food actually taste as good as that looks? Should I try it? If my mom thought this book was a good purchase, does that mean she approves of piercings and tattoos? Can I get pierced and tattooed?

No, I didn't get tattooed, but I did end up going veg*n and turning to the recipes in this book. And hey, it turns out vegan food really can be that good! (And yes, that cake is of course vegan - Mmmm.) How it all Vegan doesn't just feature recipes either. The girls provided thoughtful introductions to the book, as well as a measurement conversion chart, a list of veg*n no-no ingredients (gelatin, castoreum, etc.), and much more. The whole thing is styled really nicely too. It has sort of a retro vibe to it, with lots of pictures and a fun colour scheme.

How it all Vegan spawned a few sequels, all of which I have loved. Tanya departed after the second book (The Garden of Vegan), leaving Sarah as the sole author of La Dolce Vegan and the latest Vegan A Go-Go, but the writing and recipes have in no way suffered in her absence. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at Toronto's Veggie Food Fair in 2007, and she was lovely - very funny and gracious. She even agreed to take a picture with little old me and signed my book.

The 10th anniversary special edition of How it all Vegan will be released in September, and if you don't own the book yet, I highly recommend buying it. There's a reason they call it the "vegan bible". So get ye to your kitchen and pray! Er - cook. You know what I mean.

Sarah Kramer's website: http://govegan.net/

Sans-poulet hachée = Good

This is actually a product that Boy suggested I review (thank you honey), because he likes it just as much as I do! Amazing. And yes, I chose to title this with the French name for Yves' Veggie Ground Chicken... Not because I'm a snooty-pants or anything, but because I think "sans-poulet" is kind of a better description for something that does not contain a chicken, no? I had actually thought they called it "chick'n", but I guess that was a different company or product. Meh! On to the review.

For a long time I used to buy plain dehydrated TVP (textured vegetable protein) flakes to use as a ground meat substitute. TVP is cheap (you can buy it in bulk) and doesn't taste like anything... You just soak it and stir it into other stuff that tastes like something and hope for the best. But when you've got options like Yves' "chicken", why settle for bland?

Yves' other ground products aren't bad either, but this stuff is definitely the best of what they offer. You don't even really need to add seasoning to it. I could fry this stuff up plain with some veggies and serve it over rice and it would still be delicious. I usually use it in spaghetti sauces and casseroles though, and it makes for a perfect protein-y component of a full meal. It has a super moist/meaty texture (eep - that sounds a little gross but I swear I meant it as a good thing) and I think you could probably roll some sans-poulet balls out of it, or even mash it into patties... It holds together well, though I prefer to keep it crumbled.

Other plusses beyond the obvious yummy ones: It's really good for you (woooo vitamins), contains no saturated or trans fats, is vegan, and is totally affordable ($4-something Canadian for a 340g package). And when you've got a meat-eating boy who not only tolerates it, but actually likes it, how can you go wrong?

Product and nutrition info: http://www.yvesveggie.ca/index.php/products/product/veggie_ground_round_chicken/

Delays = Bad

Hello dear readers! I am so sorry for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks - Things have been a little hectic in the world of my real job. I'll get something up later today. Smoochies!