Archive for the ‘Vegetarian’ Category
06/27/2018
June 27, 2018
If only there was a pint of Guinness and some crackers sitting on the table along with this. Sigh! As the name suggests this cheese has its roots in Ireland. Dublin is its namesake.
The web site says this has characteristics of a Cheddar with hints of Parmesan. I can buy that, even if I didn’t exactly have the same impression. The first takeaway is, the flavor of this cheese is a little different. That adds a little mystery and conversation as you and any others partaking of the cheese discuss your own interpretations. My interpretation of the flavor is a cross between a Cheddar and an aged Gouda. The second takeaway is, this is a nice cheese.
The cheese is firm and slices nicely. Because it’s sold in nice rectangular blocks, it’s easy to divide into cubes for a cheese tray. While it’s an aged cheese (
over 12 months according to Wiki), I did not find any cheese crystals making this also a very smooth cheese. It melts nicely. I used some of it as a three cheese combination in a grilled cheese sandwich. It added a little flavor pop over a straight American cheese grilled sandwich. In the fine print on the label are the words, “suitable for vegetarians.” That takes the guesswork out the equation when you try to figure out whether the cheese is vegetarian friendly. As it’s not an exclusive at Trader Joe’s, it’s likely you can find it at a different store near you if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s close by.
Price $7.99 per pound Calories 110 per ounce (28g)
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Tags:calories, cheese, dubliner, food, kerrygold, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, vegetarian
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's, Vegetarian | 4 Comments »
05/23/2018
May 23, 2018
This isn’t a bar burger. Whatever your opinion about bars, when they have burgers, those burgers are often some of the best at any restaurant. These, on the other hand, are a reasonably priced source of nutrients that taste okay.
There are a couple of odd things about this burger. First, the cooking instructions are for a frozen patty, whether skillet, grill or broiler. No microwave instructions are given. When cooked in a skillet, the frozen patty tended to raise in the center resulting in a nice ring of cooked patty around the edges and the center needing longer to cook through. I suppose putting a weight on the patty would be the way to correct this? Some of the cheese in the burger tended to melt and ooze out while cooking. I did not try the broiler or grill. Second, there was noticeable fibrous material in the patty. This affected the texture somewhat. While there is bacon added to the patty, it didn’t seem to add much to the flavor or texture.
There are more calories and fat in each patty compared to an equal portion of 80/20 ground beef. Both of those numbers may be due to the added cheese and bacon in the patty. Or there could be a higher percentage of fat in the beef.
While convenient and reasonably priced at $3.45 per pound (compared to ground beef alone), you’ll probably be able to build a better burger by starting with straight ground beef, adding a slice of cheese near the end of cooking and then adding a couple of slices of cooked bacon on top of that.
Calories 460 per patty (151g)
Price $6.89 per box of 6 patties (2 lbs. total – 908g)
Disclaimer:
This is an independent review of a product purchased from ALDI. The author(s) are customers of ALDI and have no business or other relationship with ALDI. If you have an issue with the product and desire to contact ALDI, either see your local store manager or use the ALDI customer contact URL immediately below to send a message to ALDI.
ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/
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Tags:aldi, bacon cheddar, beef patties, black angus, calories, cattlemen's ranch, food, nutrition, price, review
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 5 Comments »
05/19/2018
May 19, 2018
I’m not sure what makes these Asian, as opposed to just a nicely flavored veggie burger. I guess they had to pick a name because the box is too small to write “Just a nicely flavored veggie vegan burger.” Maybe I should follow that kind of thinking and change the name of this blog to “Asian.”
The flavor is a little sweet and a very little bit spicy. The burger firms up nicely in the microwave, not falling apart like others. A pet peeve I have with most veggie burgers is they’re generally on the thin side and are overwhelmed somewhat by a bun. Putting two burgers on a bun produces a better ratio. But I wish they’d make a single burger a little thicker/heavier so we don’t have to double up.
This seems to be another special item that’s only around a week. I don’t know when it will grace the freezer cases again. The product is labeled vegan and the ingredient label (not shown here) tends to agree with that designation. At $3.69 per box, this is priced higher than the regular vegan veggie burger at $2.49.
Calories 130 per burger
Price $3.69 per box of 4 veggie burgers (10 oz. total – 284g)
Disclaimer:
This is an independent review of a product purchased from ALDI. The author(s) are customers of ALDI and have no business or other relationship with ALDI. If you have an issue with the product and desire to contact ALDI, either see your local store manager or use the ALDI customer contact URL immediately below to send a message to ALDI.
ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/
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Tags:aldi, asian, calories, earth grown, food, nutrition, price, review, vegan, vegetable burger, vegetarian, veggie burger
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 9 Comments »
05/04/2018
Here’s a vegetarian version of my original queso dip recipe with a vegetarian soy chorizo product substituted for the original Italian sausage. In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t actually measure the spices. So vary the guidelines below to your taste. As is, this is a fairly spicy hot recipe. However it was always well received at work with repeat requests.
1 pound Clancy’s CheeseMelt (ALDI) or similar vegetarian cheese
1 package (12 oz) Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo or similar vegetarian product
1 – 10 or 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons crushed red peppers
4-8 tablespoons olive oil, or oil of your choice
1 medium diced onion
Add 4 tablespoons oil, oregano, crushed red peppers, basil, black pepper, parsley, onions to a skillet. Heat and stir for about 2 minutes over medium heat to flavor the oil with the spices. Remove the soy chorizo from the plastic casing. Add soy chorizo to the skillet and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until done (see package directions.) While cooking, add additional oil as needed to keep the soy chorizo from drying out.
Cut the cheese into 1 inch cubes while the soy chorizo is cooking. Add the cubes to a large microwave safe bowl. Melt the cheese in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Return to the microwave, reheat and stir as needed until the cheese is soft and fluid.
Add the cumin and diced tomatoes with chilies to the melted cheese. Add the cooked soy chorizo and spices. Deglaze the skillet with wine or water and add to the cheese mixture. Stir together. Heat the final mixture in the microwave as needed.
That’s it. The final product tends to be a little too thick for easy dipping. Spoon over tortilla chips and go at it slowly at first. Your mouth will be hit with a progression of different flavors ending with the heat.
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Tags:cheese dip, chilies, cooking, diced tomatoes, dip, food, queso, recipe, recipes, soy chorizo, vegetarian
Posted in Recipes, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's, Vegetarian | 8 Comments »
04/28/2018
April 28, 2018
There’s gusto in the pesto! The aroma of garlic permeates the room as the microwave does its thing. St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t get any greener than this.
There’s only a sprinkle of cheese on the top. If you’re expecting a restaurant lasagna where the mozzarella is overflowing the plate, you’ll be disappointed. The lasagna noodles are a little soft. To make up for these problems there’s a nice thick layer of pesto on and between the layers. Mixed between layers are a few identifiable pieces of mushrooms. One final problem with the product, the plastic film sealing the container is hard to remove.
A strange thing about the packaging is the absence of the word “vegetarian.” Sweet Earth specializes in plant-based products. There’s nothing listed in the ingredients that would make one think this is not vegetarian. All the cheeses used in the product list “vegetarian enzymes” as part of the cheese. The cheeses are made from milk. So take a look for yourself, but for now I’m listing this as vegetarian.
Aside from the above issues, overall this is a tasty take on a traditional lasagna. It may not be traditional, but the generous amount of basil and just enough garlic make this product worth a try. Even a non-vegetarian could like this. The cat cleaned up the bowl.
Calories 450 per container (1 serving, 255g) – Price around $4.19, $3.50 on sale
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Tags:basil pesto lasagna, calories, food, nutrition, price, review, reviews, sweet earth, target, vegetarian
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »
04/28/2018
April 28, 2018
Ever since discovering the Curry Tiger Burrito I’ve had Sweet Earth on my mind. However, unlike the Tiger, this Chana Masala lacks some teeth. This is a tamed Indian-styled entrée.
For my tastes. this is the result of not enough and the wrong combination of spices. The tomato sauce surrounding the chana (chickpeas) tastes like, tomato sauce. For a good Indian dish, the sauce should be a fireworks display for the mouth – hot rockets exploding into bursts of different flavors with an almost overwhelming feel. This turned out to be a few sparklers at best.
This is a single compartment container so there’s really no way to keep the rice separate from the rest. I mention that because I like to eat the normally companioned basmati rice separately from the sauce. But I needn’t have worried about that because the rice here appears to be just unflavored long grain white rice with a funny yellow color.
While disappointing as an Indian entrée, this is a fairly nice chickpea stew in tomato sauce. Unlike the recently reviewed Sweet Earth Basil Pesto Lasagna, this one is clearly labeled vegetarian.
Calories 320 per container (1 serving, 256g)
Price around $4.19, $3.50 on sale
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Tags:calories, chana masala, food, indian, nutrition, price, review, reviews, sweet earth, target, vegetarian
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »
04/20/2018
April 20, 2018
Using oil to pan-fry, the patty stays together nicely. Scrapping away some of the breading the underlying patty sort of looks like chicken. Cooked; the breading is crisp, the mouth-feel is nice, the patty doesn’t fall apart. The patty almost has the firmness of a thin real chicken patty. Not surprisingly, the patty does not taste like chicken. In fact there’s an interesting hint of fried okra. Even with the slight taste of fried okra, the patty is perfectly edible as is without condiments. With some lettuce, tomato, and mayo (not vegan), the taste is even better, but that fried vegetable taste still comes through some. Substituting some aggressive guacamole for the mayo also worked well.
The product is labeled vegan. For non-vegetarians, this soy protein based patty is an acceptable substitute for the real thing. Unfortunately this seems to be one of those ALDI special items which are only around for a week or two. But like most ALDI special items this one will probably make its way back to the freezer cases sometime in the future.
Price $2.99 – package of 4 patties
Calories 150 per patty
click on images to enlarge
Disclaimer:
This is an independent review of a product purchased from ALDI. The author(s) are customers of ALDI and have no business or other relationship with ALDI. If you have an issue with the product and desire to contact ALDI, either see your local store manager or use the ALDI customer contact URL immediately below to send a message to ALDI.
ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/
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Tags:aldi, calories, chickenless patty, food, nutrition, price, review, reviews, vegan, vegetarian
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 10 Comments »
03/27/2018
March 27, 2018
This is a “vegetarian friendly”, certified organic, aged, sharp cheddar cheese. The texture of the cheese is firm, not hard, and not crumbly. There’s a touch of a non-cheddar flavor in the cheese. Regardless, this is a nice cheddar cheese, especially for someone looking for an organic cheese. Calories 110 per ounce, price $5.99 per pound
Roth cheeses can be found at other supermarkets also, click here to search near you.
One of my pet peeves about cheese labeling is the ambiguous references to “enzymes” in the labeling. Some enzymes (a minority now) come from animals – making them non-vegetarian. Animal enzymes are sometimes labeled as rennet (although even the word rennet can be used ambiguously). Other enzymes (many cheeses use these) are produced by bacterial cultures or are plant-based, and are vegetarian friendly. By not clearly labeling the type of enzymes used in making the cheese, the cheese makers make it more difficult for vegetarians to find cheeses which suit their dietary preferences. Even this one which is labeled “vegetarian friendly” – and I assume that means non-animal enzymes – doesn’t mention the source of the enzymes in the ingredient label. Here’s some additional reading.
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Tags:calories, cheese, food, nutrition, organic, price, review, reviews, roth cheese, sharp cheddar, trader joe's, vegetarian
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's, Vegetarian | 4 Comments »
03/05/2018
March 5, 2018
Certified vegan, certified organic, non-GMO, dairy-free, gluten-free, family owned, 100% recycled paperboard carton and re-recyclable, Amy ticks off almost all the check boxes. It even tastes pretty good.
The green curry is medium spicy. More than the heat, it also a nice flavor. The flavor is not as complex as what can be found at a good Thai restaurant, but still nice by frozen box-food standards. The rice and vegetables are a bit softer than I like, but not overly so. Like many commercial products, the amount of sodium in the product is on the high side, 780 mg. At 360 calories per container, it’s a light lunch, but still filling. The$3.75 sale price is getting up there for a single portion frozen boxed meal. However if you need one of those check boxes listed above, this product could be for you.
Price $3.75 (on sale, Target) ($4.19 regular price)
Calories 360 per single serving container
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Tags:amy's, box lunch, calories, food, green curry, price, review, reviews, target, thai, vegan
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 6 Comments »
12/09/2017
December 9, 2017
The box says, ‘with 11 vegetables’. How do they fit them all in a 4 inch diameter circle?
One good thing, you can actually see the little veggies in the circle. Being that the veggies are of a size that makes them visible, the burgers tend to fall apart if handled too much while cooking. Like many veggie burgers, the flavor of these is on the bland side. I saw the word chipotle through the glass freezer case, but somehow when I got home they had changed to just plain veggie burgers. I’ll look twice the next time.
Along with the bland flavor, these tend to dry out while cooking in the microwave. Both problems can be overcome with the use of condiments. For my purposes I topped with a spoonful or two of pickle relish which added a little flavor pop and also some needed moisture. Problems solved.
While comparable to other veggie burgers on the market in texture and taste, these are also labeled ‘certified vegan’. What’s also nice is they’re in the ALDI freezer case, meaning you won’t have to go elsewhere looking for a vegan veggie burger. Now the potential downside is, I don’t know if these are a special item which will soon disappear or whether they’ll be a regular item in the freezer case.
Calories 90 per burger – 4 servings per container (10 oz. total – 284g)
Price $2.49 per box
click on images to enlarge
ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/
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Tags:aldi, calories, earth grown, food, nutrition, price, review, vegan, vegetable burger, vegetarian, veggie burger
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Vegetarian | 10 Comments »
June 27, 2018
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 