Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n = Good

Aaaaahhhh another few months of craziness, another lapse in reviews. But believe me, those months have had me try all sorts of exciting veg*n products, many of which you'll get to read about here! Are you as pumped as I am?! Bah, whatever - let's get into it.

As you may have noticed, Gardein has been quietly coming to the forefront of the faux-meat product scene. And that makes me super-happy. They're not sticking with the same old veggie-dog/veggie-burger/veggie-slice formula at all (I'm looking at you again, Yves!). Gardein is offering veg*ns a variety of amazing, quasi-gourmet options, and they should be commended for their creativity at the very least. No, they're not always entirely successful (I tried a truly bizarre faux-beef/rice combo of theirs a few months ago, and let's just say it wasn't pretty), but they are clearly putting in an effort for their customers - and I, for one, appreciate it.

So. One of their newest products is the Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n. I can't even tell you how happy I was when I saw this in the frozen foods section at my local grocery store. Right away I thought of this crappy chain Chinese restaurant that I used to always go to (before my veggie days) at a mall near my hometown. Okay wait - that doesn't sound like any reason to be happy, does it. Be patient and let me explain! So yeah - crappy Chinese restaurant. When I was an omnivore, I used to lovelovelove to get this combo plate of fried rice, mixed vegetables, and orange chicken. It was so freaking good. Every time I go to that mall and pass that stupid place, I think, "Oh jeebus, what I wouldn't give for some nasty-delicious orange chicken right now." And then I gather up my strength and walk on by and get a (kinda dissatisfying) falafel or something. I've been doing this for like nine years now. But falafel no more! I've got my own orange chick'n now, b*tches!

The mandarin chick'n comes in a pouch with the faux-meat pre-breaded and a separate sauce packet enclosed. I should note that the size of the pouch of chick'n is misleading in the way a bag of chips is - it looks huge on the shelf, and then you get home and open it up and it's half empty. But anyway. So you fry up however much chick'n you want (I cooked the whole bag even though I was eating alone. Be quiet! My stomach was crying, "Ohhhhhh ooooorange chiiiiiicken, I've miiiissed you baaaby," and I had to appease it) - then you stir in the sauce and you're ready to eat.

The breaded chick'n itself was awesome. It had a great flavour and texture, the way most of Gardein's products do. I probably could have eaten the faux-meat by itself, sans sauce, and I would have been satisfied. With the sauce, it was still pretty good. I found it a little watery, and it had this sort of stanky edge to it (almost like balsamic vinegar or something), but not in a totally offensive way. According to the ingredients list on the package, there are a couple of different types of vinegar in it, so that's probably why. I would have preferred it if the sauce was thicker and sweeter and less stanky, but overall I'm a happy camper - and I will buy this product again!

I paid $4.99 Cdn for the pouch, but I think prices vary a little bit from store to store. This is a vegan product, so pretty much everyone can try it. Let me know if you do!

Product and nutritional info: http://www.gardein.com/products.php?t=frozen&p=32

Bacon = (Sorta) Good

Wow, it's been a long time since the last review. Let's just say this has been an interesting year filled with job changes, a few cross-continental moves, and more. But it's time to get back down to business, kids! And by business, I mean bacon business. Yes, I may have found a decent bacon-replacement product in Morningstar Farms' Bacon Strips! Well... they're better than Yves's anyway.

I actually only bought the bacon after I was foiled (yet again) in my attempt to purchase the Morningstar Farms corn dogs. WTF, man?! Are they really so good that people everywhere are buying them up before I can? Or have they - horrifyingly - been discontinued? I need to do some further investigation. So yeah, I was staring forlornly into the veggie frozen goods section at Target, hoping that the corn dogs would just magically appear from the great unknown, when I saw the bacon strips amid the stacks of boxes of faux-ribs (which are also not bad and should be reviewed some time), burgers, etc. I was reeeeeally not expecting much, since my past experiences with faux-bacon have tended toward the rubbery and overly smoky, but picked them up anyway and hoped for the best.

As with the corn dogs, there's not a whole lot of nutritional value to the bacon. I think Morningstar Farms could help themselves (and their customers) by injecting a vitamin or two here and there into their products, no? Althooooough, maybe the vitamins are what is making Yves's products a little lacklustre. Hmm. Maybe I should just take vapid deliciousness for what it is, and quit expecting to get my daily intake of iron and B12 in one little strip of faux-meat? Probably. It just irks me to see a company plastering promises of healthiness on all of their packaging, when by healthiness they only mean that their products have a lower fat content than the animal-filled alternatives. Meh.

So onto the actual food experience. The strips are comparable to Yves's strips in that they look truly, hilariously artificial. They are cut into perfect rectangles, roughly the length and width of a standard bookmark. They are mostly a translucent cream colour with swirls of red painted on them. Where they really differ from the Yves strips, however, is in their thickness. They are cut very thin, which does give them a slightly more realistic and less bologna-esque consistency.

You can microwave or fry them, but I chose to fry them (in a buttload of oil) in an attempt to bring out a more authentic bacon-ness. I think this was a good idea, though I'm pretty sure I overcooked a few pieces, making them a little too dry and crunchy, with the overall palatal impression making them comparable to those Munchos chips. You know? Sort of airy and bland and crunchy, but in an inoffensive way. The strips that I didn't overcook still had some crunch, but a little chewiness too. So fairly balanced. Aaaand they weren't crazily smoky, which made me happy. Overall, they made a pretty satisfying addition to my breakfast, and I think I will buy them again!

They cost about $4 US (which, for you Canadians out there, is a steal given our strong dollar at the moment - yaaay), and I think they are actually only available in the States right now, like the rest of the Morningstar product line. Seriously, somebody get this stuff across the border! (Especially the corn dogs though. I'm dying here.)

Product and nutritional info: http://www.morningstarfarms.com/products_veggie-bacon-strips.aspx

T-Shirt = Good

I was looking at my old posts and realized it has been a long time since I did a clothing review. And I actually do have a lot to work with (being the fashion-loving lady that I am), soooo I decided to pick one of my favourites and go for it! And today we're looking at the Herbivore Clothing Cow Hugger tee.

I really do love this top, and I get a lot of comments/compliments on it. What better (non-confrontational) way to show your veggie pride than with a cute message tee? The design is by Jen Corace for Herbivore, printed on a 100% cotton American Apparel shirt (as many of their designs are). I own the sky blue tee pictured above, but they also have offered the design on hoodies, long-sleeved shirts and more.

The fit is nice (not too tight or short, but not sloppy-big either) aaaaand I'm happy to report that whatever they printed the picture with seems to hold up well - No signs of peeling or fading! (I had a Sailor Moon t-shirt in high school that sadly was not so durable. I kept trying to wear it long after Tuxedo Mask's face had peeled off but finally had to admit that it needed to be chucked. I'm sorry Darien!)

I paid $25 US for the shirt, plus about $5 in shipping. It arrived pretty quickly, along with a complimentary Herbivore sticker (very nice!). Now, it looks like they no longer offer the blue tee directly on the Herbivore website, but they do have it in a purple v-neck, and I believe you can still get this one at other online veg*n clothing stores (see below). Plus Herbivore has a ton of other really great stuff - I definitely recommend checking them out!

http://www.herbivoreclothing.com

http://www.veganessentials.com/catalog/cow-hugger-womens-fitted-short-sleeve-by-herbivore-clothing.htm

Body Wash = Good

Alright, I have another brand-spankin' new review for all of you, and it's a good one. Yippee! Also, just to shake things up a bit, we're looking at a bath/beauty product. It's been awhile, no? I think we've tended to have bad (or ugly) luck with these, but luckily the Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Body Wash is awesome.

The backstory to my purchase: A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided to make a little trip across the border with the intention of buying a caseload of those wiiiiiicked veggie corn dogs I reviewed awhile ago (what, you thought I was joking?! I have been dreaming about those bad boys ever since then. I TOLD you they were fantastic). So we hit up the nearest Target and booted it to the frozen goods section. But, woe betide me, they were sold out. Sold out! Was it one of my readers, acting upon a hungry impulse brought about by my enthusiastic review? Is there someone out there slumped in their computer chair, tummy swollen and eyes glazed, surrounded by dozens of empty Morningstar Farms boxes, cackling to him-or-herself at my misfortune?! Arrrrrrrgh - Vengeance will be miiiine!

Uhhh... Sorry about that. Moving on. Needless to say, I was disappointed not to have found the corn dogs, but I consoled myself by checking out the other veg*n products available in-store. And to my surprise, there were plenty! I actually needed to pick up some shampoo, conditioner, and soap, and out of curiosity decided to pick up Nature's Gate's stuff.

The body wash was $6-ish US (though their website lists it at $7.49) for a 532 mL bottle, which pretty much fit into my (almost non-existent) budget. The scent was really nice, and the bottle said that the product contains no animal byproducts and involved no animal testing - Wooo! After taking it home and testing it out, I can say with all sincerity that I will be buying this again. It lathers well, still smells great (fruity and zesty but not overpoweringly so), and leaves my skin clean but well-moisturized.

The company's website info indicates that their products are indeed certified vegan and cruelty-free, which we can all feel happy about! It looks like they also have a tonnnnn of other products that I'd love to try - And you should too! Just save me a box or bottle or two this time, okay?

Product info: http://www.natures-gate.com/shop/showitem.asp?ProductId=43100005&menuId=223&withLinks=1

Vida e Saúde = Good

Maybe it's kind of a snooze to have two good reviews in a row, and two restaurant reviews in a row, but whatever, people! I have been dying to review Vida e Saúde (that's "Life and Health" in Portuguese), a veg*n buffet restaurant here in Porto Alegre.

First of all, before I talk about all the specifics of the place, I have to give a huge, gigantic, hearty thumbs-up to the PRICE factor. Guess how much you pay for an unlimited lunch buffet, including unlimited drinks and dessert? $11 Brazilian reais, which is equal to about $6 Canadian (and also about $6 US, seeing as the Canadian dollar is pretty much at par with the American one right now, muhaha). Six freaking dollars! Amazing. My North American mind has no concept of this.

Well, maybe I could understand the price being so low if the food was crappy or of poor quality. But it's so good! I know I rated the Green Door's food as excellent, but Vida e Saúde's is even better. Really. You get a lot of traditional Brazilian fare (beans, rice, polenta, pasteis, etc.), in addition to fabulous fresh fruit and veggies, all kinds of fried patties, faux-meat, pasta dishes, and more. (All of these are vegetarian and many are vegan.) They have a wonderful selection of fresh fruit juices. Aaaaand some of the desserts are to die for. These again are mostly of the Brazil-specific variety, made with doce de leite (dulce de leche) and sweetened condensed milk and the like. Lately I've been wondering how I went my whole life without these little bits of heaven! One not-so-heavenly little nugget of information I just came across though: For some reason, the jell-o they serve is animal-based. Why?! I'm just glad I didn't eat it before I found out, *eep*. Consider yourselves warned.

The restaurant is located in downtown Porto Alegre, which is a bustling, hot, crowded place, composed of old historic buildings interspersed with government offices, large businesses, and little shops in varying states of repair. Walking into Vida e Saúde serves as a breath of fresh air and a refuge from the chaos around it. It's spacious, cool, clean, and has a simple but cheery decor. The staff is friendly and efficient. And like I said, the food is so good and so delightfully affordable!

Vida e Saúde is open for lunch every weekday. So I think I might need to campaign somehow for them to extend their hours - and to switch to animal-friendly jell-o! I'll let you know if I'm successful.

Business hours and other info: http://www.guiavegano.com.br/vegan/restaurantes-com-opcao-vegetariana-em-porto-alegre/vida-e-saude

Green Door = Good

Good day, dear readers! Today will be a Canadian review rather than a Brazilian one, just for kicks. (Aaand also because I haven't been in Brazil all that long but spent my whole life in Canada, so I have a little more experience with Canada's veggie products and services. You get it.) And, for something new, today will be our very first restaurant review! Woo! Are you as excited as I am? I can tell you are. Let's go.

The restaurant in question is Ottawa's The Green Door. Ahhhh Green Door, how I miss thee! It's probably Ottawa's number one veg*n restaurant and rightfully so. They work with a buffet format (like the once-mentioned Commensal), and you pay by the weight of your food (other than the bread and soup, which are flat-rate options). You know, I love buffets (good buffets, that is). You get to pick exactly what you want, in exactly the quantity that you want. So if I want to have three quarters of my plate covered in mashed potatoes (by the way, the Green Door's mashed potatoes are excellent), then I will! Or if I want to mix some broccoli-and-tofu stir fry with lasagna, spanikopita, and avocado salad (again, these are all wicked choices on their daily menu), then I can! You see my point.

The Green Door knows their stuff. They've been in business for more than 20 years, have a devoted clientele, and are pretty much always working with a full house. They have vegan and vegetarian dishes (always clearly marked), organic and soy-based drinks, a great selection of fair trade tea and coffee, offer take-out, and have a catering service as well. I believe they also have some t-shirts for sale and even published a cookbook (which I really wish I had purchased before I moved to Brazil, *sigh*). They also showcase and sell a rotation of local artists' works. Overall they are just a really cool place to hang out and eat and feel at home in downtown Ottawa.

My only real beef (tofu?) with them is that they're a bit pricey. Not ridiculously so, but be prepared to spend about $15 or more if you have a good-sized plate and a drink. Oh, also, they are closed on Mondays. On more than one occasion, Boy and I forgot this and trudged over in the snow, only to be left hungry and (literally) in the cold! Picture our wistful, frost-bitten little faces pressed against the window, staring longingly at the empty buffet trays and unfilled coffee pots. (Cue violins.) Okaaay, so it wasn't that dramatic - shush. But it's a testament to how much I like this restaurant that I wish they were open every day. So if you're ever in the Ottawa area and need a nice, cozy place to get your veggie eat on, head over to the Green Door. You'll be glad you did!

Website: www.thegreendoor.ca

Curry = Good

Guess what, everyone? We finally have our first good TV dinner review! (As in the dinner was good, not just the review. The reviews are always good, right? RIGHT.) Yup, Helen's Kitchen managed it with their Thai Yellow Curry. I am actually looking at the empty container for it right now and marvelling at how good it was.

Today's lunch break involved yet another meander through grocery store aisles with my wonderfully patient co-worker friend. Seriously, these trips can be major ordeals. I had a drink, bun, and yogurt in my basket but could not decide on a main course. Salad? Soup? Or did I dare venture back into that crap-riddled freezer that is home to so much grossness? I was feeling brave so I decided to go for it.

I'd been eyeing Helen's Kitchen's dinners for awhile, because they offer quite a range of veg*n organic products (and because I love the company name, *teehee*), but I always shied away because of the price ($6.99 Canadian - *gulp*). But today I threw caution to the wind (I did pick up a second job recently; maybe I can splurge here and there on a TV dinner or two) and grabbed the yellow curry, if only because its package was the most colourful.

And back to the office we went. I microwaved dutifully, stirred everything up, and took a bite. It was good! Yes! And not just passable, either - It was actual, honest-to-goodness good. Sweet, spicy, tangy, and filling. It was some kind of mix of vegetables and tofu on a bed of rice, so it's actually a nice balanced meal with lots of protein and nutrients. It is vegan, so no worries about searching for strange little remnants of animals! It kind of has a lot of saturated fat (5 grams, which is apparently 25% of your maximum daily recommended intake?), but no trans-fat (whatever that means).

So because I don't care tooooo too much about fat, I will probably buy this again, when I have a little extra pocket change. $7 really is a lot for one little TV dinner. Given the fact that I see my co-workers with Michelina's that they paid like $1 for, I'm a bit scandalized. Well, a girl's gotta pay for the good stuff, I guess!

Product and nutrition info: http://www.helensfoods.com/meals.shtml (scroll down to Thai Yellow Curry)

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

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/

Deli Slices = Good

Sandwiches are a beautiful thing, no? Whether you're having PB or grilled cheese or toasted tomato or egg salad (or all of the above? Ew, maybe not), they can be simple but so very satisfying. And I make a bad-ass sandwich, people; in my tortured youth I was once a certified Sandwich Artist at Subway (*sigh*) as well as whatever the hell the equivalent title is for someone working at Pita Pit. Yes, I've had a lot of random jobs in my day (you don't want to know about all of them, really), most of which were in food service somehow. I've said it before and I'll say it again - them bills don't pay themselves!

Back to the sandwiches. I'm sure many of my veg*n comrades have faced the same no-lunchmeat issue I have. Sometimes it really sucks to not have an easy ham and cheese. Luckily many companies offer (to varying degrees of success) their own faux-lunchmeats. And I have to say, the Tofurky deli slices line is by far the best. Produced by Turtle Island Foods, Tofurky has been (unfairly) stuck with an infamous reputation in the non-veggie world as some kind of hippy-drippy/flavourless/colourless/blobby imitation turkey. This couldn't be further from the truth. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of their full roasts (see: http://vegetariancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/tofurkey___friend_or_foe_ ), but their other products have been nothing short of awesome.

The grocery stores around Ottawa only seem to offer the original and hickory-smoked deli slices, though the Tofurky website lists many other varieties, all of which look pretty darn good. I find the original flavour a little boring, so I usually buy the hickory-smoked... It has a great taste and texture. It's really a lot like thinly sliced roasted turkey. The thin slicing is probably one of the best features of Tofurky's line. Other companies (I'm looking at you again, Yves! *shakes fist*) cut their stuff way too thick, and insist upon everything being in unnaturally perfect circles, with seriously odd textures. Tofurky's slices are the complete opposite and I love them for that. I feel like I'm having a real sandwich, not a rubber disk on a bun.

The deli slices are vegan and are full of those oft-elusive vitamins I've mentioned in other reviews. In just a few slices (which, as I said, are very thin), you get half of your daily required B12. They come with a pretty standard price tag too (about $5 Canadian), aaaaand are available in both Canada in the US. I looked into online purchasing, but it seems that they only ship items in bulk. So maybe buying online is intended more for stores and restaurants? That or you can make a wickedly huge sandwich. Mmmm, sign me up.

Product and nutrition info: http://www.tofurky.com/products/delislices.htm

Pâté = Good

Don't worry, no geese were overstuffed or otherwise harmed in the writing of this post. Today we are looking at Fontaine Santé's delightful, delectable végépâté!

In all my omnivorous years, I never actually consumed animal pâté, so unfortunately I'm not able to compare the veggie stuff to it. I do, however, have a wonderful and food-savvy friend who is a pretty good judge. She has been a vegetarian for several years longer than I have (and served as one of my inspirations for going veggie), and never liked most meat products anyway - save for pâté! (I can't help but imagine my friend as a prim and fancy little five-year-old, crooking her pinky and demanding pâté, as her parents scramble to bring out the good china, laden with France's finest. This is a ridiculously inaccurate imagining of things, but come on - so cute.) She says that she thinks it was actually the seasoning and texture that she liked about it, so of course she was happy to have encountered the veggie version, and she then turned me onto it.

My impression is that the végépâté is a little nuttier and chunkier than regular pâté, which makes sense since the bulk of it is a sunflower seed paste with other ground vegetables mixed in. I really don't think it was the company's intention to create an imitation pâté per se anyway... This stuff has its own groove and stands very well on its own. I have bought both the traditional and country-style varieties, and I personally prefer the traditional seasoning, but the other kind isn't bad either. I have shared this stuff with omni-friends (including Boy), and they really like it! It is frighteningly easy to scarf down a whole package with a baguette or two.

Aaaand you probably don't want to do that - not just for the fact that it's apparently a dumbass move to eat a whole baguette on your own (whaaat?). The végépâté is obviously intended as a snack or appetizer, not as a significant component of a complete meal. There's not a whole lot of nutritional value to it, though as with many other veg*n products, it is trans-fat free and has no cholesterol. One serving, which is equivalent to a generous 1/4 of a package, contains 100 calories. I'm going to let you all know now that I don't have any kind of formative background in nutrition (shocking, right?), so calorie values and the like mean nothing to me, but I'll let you do what you will with that information.

It's also not a bad price. I believe I paid about $4 Canadian for a 227g package. Since Fontaine Santé is a Canadian company (like Yves Veggie Cuisine), I'm not completely sure if their products are available in the US. Maybe my friends to the south will have to do as I did with the corn dogs, and make a trip across the border. Or we could do a trade! We'll meet in the middle. You bring the dogs, I'll bring the pâté. Awesome.

Product and nutrition info: http://fontainesante.com/wfs_En/Produits_En.php?M=Produit&C=30&F=33&P=90

*Note* I wasn't able to load the official site's full nutritional information, but I found it here: http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/fontaine-sante/vegepate

Shampoo = Good

It can be difficult enough to find food and clothes that are animal-friendly. But holy poop, things start to get really dicey when you try to find makeup and hygiene products that fit in with your veggie lifestyle. Despite being a vegetarian for several years, I still struggle with this. Many familiar brands do offer vegetarian (and even vegan) items, but you have to do a little research to make sure. Sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in chemistry (which, regrettably, I don't have) to even understand all of the ingredients listed on the package! That's one of the reasons why I love companies who proudly market themselves as veg*n, and who make it clear on their packaging that no animals are harmed in the making of their products. One of these wonderful companies is Alba Botanica. They have an extensive line of hair and skin and bath and lip care items, all of which are vegetarian and most of which are vegan.

The first of their products that I purchased was the Mango Moisturizing Hair Wash. Yes, they call it hair wash but it's just shampoo. They have others that they call shampoo and I don't know what the difference is. And they translate both into "shampooing" en français. Annnnyhoo - this stuff smells delicious. It smells like the Mango Tango bubble gum that I used to love when I was 13 and can never find anymore. It serves its clean-y purpose. It is vegan. The bottle is really cute. I was able to find it at my local drugstore and at many grocery stores (not to mention online). There are apparently no harsh chemicals in it. And it is so very nice to wash my hair with something that I know doesn't contain animals and was never tested on them.

My issue: it is expensive (roughly $9 US for a 350 mL bottle). If you are on a budget at all, it may be too expensive for you. I certainly would not have been able to afford it when I was a poor undergrad living on rice and a dream. At that time, $9 was just about my monthly grocery budget (shut up). Having at least a liiiittle more disposable income now, I am willing to pay extra for things that are in keeping with my beliefs, especially since this is a really nice shampoo. And maybe if we buy more of this stuff, eventually the price will come down? Well, I can wish anyway. Overall, a thumbs-up! Now I'm off to see if I can find out what happened to that mango gum.

Product info: http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=60&pid=563

Belt = Good

Because the goal of this site is to review a broad range of veg*n products, I thought I'd better start branching out from the food-y stuff. And sooo today we have our first clothing review! This is the Vegetarian Shoes X Belt. No, I don't know why it's called the "X Belt" (maybe I'm missing something obvious), but do you really care? Good, neither do I. Let's move on.

When I made the choice to stop eating dead animals, I automatically extended this to the rest of my lifestyle choices as well. No more leather, no fur (not that I would have had any to begin with... oh wait, there was my Dynasty-inspired collection of mink stoles, *raooooowwwwrrrr*), nothing containing gelatin, etc. I did keep what leather items I had (a belt and some shoes), because I didn't see the sense in wasting what I owned already. Well, when the cow-belt did finally wear out, I had to do a little searching to find a cruelty-free replacement.

Thank goodness for online shopping, because it is much harder than many people realize to find a nice, good quality, non-leather belt at the mall. Sure, I could have gotten that sparkly pink plastic thing at Walmart, but now that I'm growing up and sit at a desk all day I should probably shy away from things I would have drooled over in high school. Also, damn the Wal-man.

So I eventually made it onto the Vegetarian Shoes website. They are based in the UK but ship all over the world. They have lots of shoes and belts and clothes and other goodies to choose from. I wanted a chocolate brown belt with a silver buckle, and they had a few belts that fit this description, all reasonably priced! I liked the shape of the X Belt's buckle the best, so I chose it, paid, and went on my merry way. Yessss I had to wait a little while (I think a couple of weeks) for it to reach me, but come on, it had to swim all the way across the North Atlantic.

I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the belt really is. It looks good with jeans and with dressier pants. It has proven to be very durable. It hasn't shown any real signs of wear and tear, actually. It is made of "vegetan micro", which the company describes as "the toughest, hardest wearing and most water resistant breathable material that we use." Just be warned that the sizing is a little small. I am on the skinny side but decided to play it safe and go up a size, and yet when I tried it on with my favourite jeans, I still had to use the second-to-largest spot on the belt. Regardless - the belt was absolutely affordable (under $25 Canadian), shipping was inexpensive, and I am very happy to support a company that takes a stand against killing animals. Highly recommended. Hooray!

Product info: http://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/belts/x_belt_brown/10556_p.html

Corn Dogs = Good

There are a ton of faux-meat products out there. As someone who was an omnivore up to the age of 20, I can't help but miss meat sometimes, and have thus sought animal-friendly alternatives that approximate the real thing as closely as possible. One of these real things (and I suppose I use that term loosely) is the hot dog.

You know, for a product that people say is made of any number of odds and ends (boots, sawdust, rat tails), it is pretty damn hard to find a satisfying veggie equivalent. I have found a brand or two that I don't mind (more on those some other time), but generally you end up with a rubbery pink cylinder. Ack, that doesn't sound so good - not in a food context anyway! I digress.

In my meat-eating days, I may have had a corn dog once or twice. My mother (bless her frugal heart) would have bought Pogos only if they were on a serious sale, which apparently happened once in a blue moon. So I had always built them up in my head as an impossibly delicious, fanciful combination of sweet and salty, meal and dessert, weiner and bun. When I heard that a few vegetarian companies were coming out with their own versions, I was admittedly skeptical but hopeful.

Let me tell you, Morningstar Farms' Veggie Corn Dogs will not disappoint. They looked and smelled great, and after my tentative first bite, I ended up mowing (mawing? maowing?) down and eating a whole box of four. They are that freaking good. The dog itself has no hint of that rubbery-ness or that artificial smoke flavour crap that is infused in so many of its other-branded brethren. The batter is light and fluffy. It comes on a stick. Close your eyes and you will find yourself lost in a carnival fantasy, complete with lights and sounds and rollercoasters, only this time you can line up at the refreshment stand with your omnivorous friends and say, "Me too."

A few cons: They are available only in the US. I had to make a long-ass trip from Ottawa, Ontario to a Target somewhere in upstate New York to find these bad boys. I don't even know if you're allowed to bring food back into Canada from the US, actually. Well, I did it anyway. Also, they aren't exactly cheap. Not like $20 a box or anything (which, pathetically, I might have paid), but I think they were $5-something US for a box of four dogs. Finally, although they are much lower in fat than a meat version, and aren't completely terrible for you, I wouldn't say they're really healthy either, as they don't contain a hell of a lot of nutrients/vitamins/etc. I guess I expected them to be like Yves Veggie Cuisine's products, which are all fortified with B12 and stuff. Meh.

Final verdict! I love these and am already planning another trip across the border for the sole purpose of buying a caseload. Shh, don't tell the government.

Product and nutrition info: http://www.morningstarfarms.com/product_detail.aspx?family=367&id=322