Cleaning Wipes = Bad

Since I've made a habit of confessing my vices to the world through VTT, I may as well fill you in on another one, gentle reader. I am naturally a very messy girl. I really am. I was never one to be dirtydirty per se, but certainly disorganized! It has only been through living with a very tidy roomie or two that I have learned to keep my apartment in a presentable state. And so I will take whatever shortcuts I can find to fulfil my quest for order on the home front.

Keeping that in mind, I have come to love cleaning wipes. With a quick pull and a swipe, pretty much any surface can go from dusty/cat-hairy to neat and fresh. But you have to be careful with your cleaning products, kids. Sometimes bits of animals are hiding in there, not to mention all kinds of other things that aren't so nice for Mother Earth.

So of course Method's Pink Grapefruit All-Surface Wipes seemed like a perfect addition to my quasi-lazy cleaning routine. All of Method's products are vegan (wow!), are not tested on animals, and are earth-friendly. I have purchased some other products from them (including a truly amazing orange/mango spray cleaner, which I will review some other day) and was very pleased. I like grapefruits. I like supporting small companies with a cause. And I like a good price (I paid $4-something Canadian for a canister of 30 wipes at Shopper's Drug Mart. The Method website lists them at $4 US).

The wipes came home with me, and the time came to test them out. Sadly, very sadly, they smelled really gross. They smelled like someone ate a grapefruit and promptly barfed it up on a moist towelette. And they didn't have a whole lot of cleaning power... It was more like smearing power. I still kept the whole canister and used up all of the wipes, but every time I cleaned with them, all I could smell was barf (I know that's unpleasant but I gots to be honest).

Sooo I definitely have not purchased them again since, but I have kept an open mind about all of Method's other offerings and urge you to do the same. Let's buy a buttload of everything else they make, and hopefully over time pukefruit will be forced out of the product line!

Product info: http://www.methodhome.com/product.aspx?page=17200

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)

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!

Burger = Ugly

So this is the first of what I expect will be several veggie burger reviews. I say this because the standard veg*n option at most restaurants is a burger. (And if they don't have veggie burgers, you end up with a salad, right? Although at one restaurant all they were able to offer me was a plate of boiled cauliflower and carrots. I'm not even joking.) How A&W managed to screw up a simple burger so badly with their Swiss Veggie Deluxe is beyond me, but they did it!

I think the key to a good veggie burger is to keep it simple. Just because I'm a vegetarian doesn't mean that I have completely different taste buds from an omnivore! If A&W had just dressed the patty with a piece of cheddar cheese, and put it on a normal freaking bun, I wouldn't have had much of a problem. No, the portobello and soy patty isn't fantastic, but it isn't all that different from what you usually get.

The real issue is everything they do after cooking the patty. They put it on a dense whole wheat bun (I'm eating at A&W, people! Don't bother trying to health me up. Give me that soft white bun and leave me alone), splooge a thin/runny ranch sauce alllllll over the patty (why ranch??), add a pungent slice of swiss cheese, and top it off with pickles for an added (gross) bonus.

The end result is really quite revolting. The ranch sauce was so plentiful that it soaked through the bun and made the patty fall apart. I'm not great with condiments as it is, and ended up gagging and throwing most of the burger away and eating too many fries to compensate.

There actually came a later day when the only food option nearby was A&W, so with a sigh I decided to order the burger again. This time, I told the cashier that I only wanted the veggie patty with a piece of cheddar cheese on a white bun. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I don't understand, that's not what the burger is." I very slowly repeated myself and explained as nicely as possible that I find the dressing/etc. gross. She said, "Well, you're not getting the actual swiss deluxe then." I said that this was fine. When my food was ready, I unwrapped the burger and found that it was still on a whole wheat bun, and still had the swiss cheese, but at least the sauce wasn't there. So it was still quasi-nasty, but at least it held together while I ate it.

In terms of how good/bad this is for you nutritionally... it appears that there is a buttload of sodium in it, but it also has a fair amount of protein and iron, so that's nice. Keep in mind that, even without the cheese (good luck getting the cashier/cook to leave it off!), the burger is vegetarian and not vegan. As a sidenote - I tried but for the life of me could not find a picture of this piece of crap. Maybe the marketing people know just how ugly it really is.

Product and nutrition info: http://www.aw.ca/foodfacts.nsf/listbyref_new/Burgers-15

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