This was an item that I was really looking forward to. In past holidays, my family and I would buy a Trader Joe’s brand vegetarian turkey roast. Unfortunately, that delicious roast was sold out for the season (understandably), so we had to search elsewhere. We also weren’t sure if that roast would suit my vegan requirements, so all in all, we’ll just have to find out next year when it returns. However, while exploring Whole Foods, we found the Tofurkey Vegetarian Roast, and the picture looked almost exactly like what we were used to having in the previous years, so we were all extremely excited.
However, the picture turned out to be far different than the product inside. After we cooked it up and surrounded it with our gravy and vegetables, we sliced it open…the stuffing that was supposed to have filled it with about a three inch diameter, as shown on the box, turned out to only be a speck of maybe half an inch to an inch. I’m not sure if this was simply a malfunction of sorts, but it was a big let down, since I am an enjoyer of stuffing. But the disappointment didn’t stop there. The faux-meat had very little flavor and the texture was similar to an overly-dense veggie-hotdog that you’re not even sure if you want to finish. i had one slice of the overgrown hotdog, and I don’t plan on trying to enjoy another. I’ve had many other meat alternatives, vegan and all, that were far better than this, and I was surprised at how bland and dry it was.
Luckily, the rest of my meal was just various vegetables, and those were awesome.
Vegan Shortbread Cookies by Veganbaking.net
Yes. I baked these up on Christmas Eve and was personally amazed. It was the first time that I could really describe a cookie as “melt in your mouth,” because it genuinely did. They turned out delicious, were easy to make, and go great with almost any hot winter drink you can think of. It was a pleasure to treat myself with these.
Their only flaws would be that when the cookies are first in your mouth (for the first couple of moments) they seem a bit dry. The recipe is extremely simple with only five ingredients. These cookies, in my opinion, are best when they’ve cooled overnight. However, I also appreciate soft, doughy cookies, so I might experiment a little with this recipe to try to achieve this effect more. Maybe adding some applesauce? Just a bit more moisture to the mix for when I want something a bit gooier.
Plain and simple, this was a very nice whipped cream replacement to go on top of my pumpkin pie. I love coconut, so that was only an added benefit, and it just added a nice touch to my hot chocolate and pie. I really enjoyed this and plan on buying it again in the future when I feel like sweetening up some cozy nights. The one critique I have for this lovely product is that the consistency is a bit different than what one might be used to with whipped cream. This is a little bit runnier– not like soup or anything, but it just doesn’t quite have the usual bounce or fluff of regular whipped cream. However, Cocowhip is still very creamy and sweet, and really, if you’re looking for a great dessert topping and love coconut as much as I do, this is the product for you.
These were the three products that left the biggest impression on me the other night, and were also very new to me, so I just wanted to share them with anyone interested. I certainly wouldn’t call these healthy, but if you’re looking for a bit more indulgence and simplicity for your holiday meal, here are some examples!
Life-Full Living 