"The Vegg" Vegan Egg Yolk Review

You've probably heard of the Vegg (pronounced like "egg" but with a 'V') even if you aren't a vegan blogger or egg-replacement aficionado. The purpose of the Vegg is to replace the actual egg yolk instead of the whole egg and not only imports the slightly eggy flavor into whatever you like - it also has a beautifully golden color like an egg yolk. The flavor is very slight, at least to my tastes when I used it in my vegan omellete but I could smell it a bit better in my yellow cake recipe.

I thoroughly enjoy the packaging and the way the whole thing sent to me was in a beautiful brown envelope, containing the big Vegg packet and information cards. The mascot on it is adorable and its very easy to tell what type of product this is!

The Positive: It only takes a very small amount of the Vegg to make the equivalent of two and a half egg yolks (about a teaspoon) and the package can make up to 40 average "yolks". All of the ingredients are common and pretty well known - two components are added for color, the nutritional yeast (which is also added for taste, I presume) and beta carotene for a more golden color.

Plus, every 2-3 yolks are only about 10 calories and the product is free of (high) allergens! Can't say that much.


The Negative: It can be a bit pricey, depending on the shipping cost and the location that you're buying it from. You also have to be sure to have a blender because it will not turn out right if you try to hand-mix it, as demonstrated on the package.

I've found that I've also need to add cornstarch to the water and Vegg so it can be a bit more silkier and stronger for all of my needs.

Image from "Meshell in the City" http://meshell.ca/

The Interesting: The Vegg contains "sodium alginate" and if you're familiar with molecular gastronomy or just enjoying seeing spherical shapes on your dinner plate at a fancy restaurant, you'll be happy to see that this very ingredient aids in gellifying your yolks and if you place it in a calcium lactate bath - you'll have a gelatinous, ooey gooey and good for the Earth egg yolk! Just pop into your favorite molds (maybe a Hello Kitty one?), freeze and make your calcium lactate bath, then you can dip bread into it or meld with some delicious tofu egg whites for an amazing fried egg.

For flavor and the signature egg taste (brought on by sulfuric compounds) - an Indian black salt is used. Isn't that neat?

Here above you can see a picture of a spherical Vegg yolk! Isn't that exciting?


Average Price: $7.00

Price I Paid: Free for a review.
Despite it not having the huge strengths in taste and smell you would expect from an egg yolk, its a huge step and I would most definitely buy this product again and suggest it to all of my friends. Plus, its especially helpful when making such moist yellow cake!

Here's a link to where you can buy "The Vegg" but there are plenty of retailers around!


http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2013/01/vegan-yellow-cake-recipe-soy-free.html 

Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0085V3YFO/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

FunBites Review, Back-To-School Event AND Giveaway!





Image from Funbites.com/

"Back to school" means a different thing for everyone, for the kids (and those new to college) it can be about meeting new people, getting older and having wonderful experiences. For parents it is about another time to pay bills and make sure that their children are getting the most out of their education, entire school experience and most definitely nutrition. Sadly, not all school lunches are made equal and a lot of times they aren't very healthy but with a little spare time you can easily pack a healthy lunch. What if your kid is still a little picky and that broccoli croquette you've presented isn't very...appetizing to them? You may not have the time to make huge bentos where everything is delicately placed and fits well 100% of the time, but you can make something that is both cute and interesting to the senses of looking and feeling. Introducing Funbites!

As with all of my product reviews, I will point out the good and the bad - as well as reasons for my point of view. Since this is also a back-to-school event I am also posting helpful tips, pictures and websites from those who have either emailed me or messaged me on Facebook, to aid those that want to jazz up their lunches.

Website Price (For Both Shapes): $12:99

Price That I Paid: $0 as I requested to review it.

The Pros: I have a love for their color and the two shapes that they come in, hearts and squares, however I only requested to review the heart shape and so I cannot verify on how the square shaped Funbites cutter will work. This food cutter is better than a few others that I have bought in bulk in which it does not break easily and you never have to worry about it rusting as it is a plastic. Plus, it makes a sandwich, rice, pancakes or other foodstuffs very neat and easy to eat with little fingers and there is no danger of them cutting themselves. I really love the hearts on the sides, and you will see me using those two the most often at home. It comes with a food pusher which is a smaller block that you fit inside of the actual cutter so that you don't have to always take a butter knife or something else and empty it onto a plate in a big mess. To help sturdy it further, it has great big handles that you can grip and use to cut and shape your food. The weight is quite heavy so that does make it harder to lose it, plus it is easy to sturdy due to the handles on both sides. The size (a bit bigger than the palm of my hand) makes it much easier to put in a place where it won't be misplaced either, plus, the reason for Funbites being made is pretty fun too. Check out their website near the bottom of their page to see just how awesome that is.

The Cons: It is quite bulky and heavy, even for me. It also makes it kind of hard for children to use unless they can push all of their weight on it. It is a bit harder to push the food through because of the way the plastic is. Some of the food that you have cut may still be in bits of the food cutter or may not be fully pushed out, which means that sometimes you do have to push it out.


Overall Overview: I would buy this food cutter although it does have its issues. I would be more likely to buy it if I had a small child in the house, but I do have a few relatives and friends with children and they are very content with it.

The makers of Funbites have not commissioned me to do this review and I am not a member of their company.




Tips, Tricks and Fantastic Blogs:

Sarah Felder of Bentoriffic and Lisa Latorre of Veggie-Bento suggest using silicone cups, trays and molds to create great little stashes of frozen yogurts, hummus and guacamole. After placing them in the molds and freezing them, you can pop them out or keep them in their molds as a sort of edible ice-pack that will keep the rest of your food at room temperature.

For grains such as brown rice, spaghetti and other pastas you can place into a cup or twirl into "birds nests" for super cute kyaraben. Any leftover fruit can be sliced and placed on tortillas with peanut butter or in a quick smoothie.

                 Bentoriffic Blog     Veggie-Bento Blog      Cute Food for Kids Blog         FunBites Blog


There are two mandatory entries for this giveaway.

1. Like Shin's Vegan Lovin' and FunBites on Facebook and share this post.
2. Follow me on Google Friend Connect on the right sidebar.

Extra Entries:
1. Share this giveaway on your blog.
2. Comment with your favorite lunch utensil.
3. Share one of my posts on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook then link it into your comment.
4. Follow me on Twitter and tweet "I've just entered Shin's Vegan Lovin's and FunBites giveaway!" and link to this post.

Do not unfollow once this is done. Separate each post or they won't count. You may do the extra giveaways every day as much as possible until the giveaway is over for extra chances.

Make sure to leave me a way to contact you through email, and other details will be posted once you have won. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED; WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN LATER!

Thank you all who have entered and thank you FunBites!

Product Review: 8th Continent Soymilk Original & Vanilla (With Recipe)

Photos courtesy of www.8thcontinent.com/

I'm used to other soymilks but decided to try this one about a year ago when there were no other options at the store. I felt that the packaging was very friendly and looked as if a very happy child had drawn the cover - otherwise it was simple white packaging. It also states the common notice that soy protein may have the ability to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and has a common top to open the package through. In front it states that it is both lactose and gluten-free, so if you've ever had to worry about either in your soymilks then this may be a better choice for you.

The first of the two soymilks that I had tried was "8th Continent Soymilk Original" and when smelling the container it smelled more so like Silly Putty or Playdoh had been rolled through it and there was a bit carried over. I was a bit hesitant with the initial smell-test, but I poured it into a glass and found that there was still a hint of that taste, although very faint. It was not a very invigorating or inviting taste but I found that it was "milky" afterwards, making it somewhat better. The mouth feel of it, however, felt as if someone had just combined a powder with water and it didn't completely mix because on the top it was very smooth and nice but in the middle it got a bit watery and then proceeded onto chalky.

When combined with vinegar (or any other acids) I found that it curdled immediately, which is a good sign for whenever you're baking or using vegan buttermilk. It did not remix with any of the liquid at floated around on the top, which made it look quite gross although it is what is mostly expected from curdled soymilk. Although other soymilks work similarly when curdled, the texture and mouth feel of this soymilk made it so that it was a bit slick. Taking a look at the ingredients list, it looks like there may be an answer as to why it feels a bit oily and powdery - Soybean Oil and Soy Protein are separate on the ingredients list, while normally I would assume that they're simply doing this as soybeans do contain their own oils but that seemed to be an odd thing to place on such a list. Essentially, from as far as I can tell, they're mixing two different components from the same plant with water and you're receiving something that tastes a bit like baby formula and reacts like it too. 

8th Continent Soymilk in Vanilla has the same reaction and base flavor although the vanilla makes it a bit easier to drink it also seems to heighten the scent of it. When it comes to baking, both react\ quite well with whatever you're using and you only really taste 1% of it, while providing some good flavor and moisture. Infact, I've used it for my (extremely) simple pancake recipes below - you be the judge.

8th Continent Pancake Recipe:

1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup of All-Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp of Baking Powder

1/4 tsp of Baking Soda

2 & 1/2 tsp Stevia

1 tsp Raw Sugar

1/2 cup of 8th Continent Buttermilk

Water to thin

Combine your dry, then fold in your wet about 10 times, then let the mixture rest, scoop out in 1/4 cups and cook on low-heat with a low-fat spray. This recipe makes about four pancakes so it is equal to two general servings.

[                   (Cal)  (Carbs) (Fat) (Prot.)

<><>

Total:	556	98	4	28
Per Serving:	258	49	2	14]

So, here are my ratings for this edible product.

Packaging: 3/5

Taste: 2/5

Smell: 1/5

Mouth Feel: 1/5

Curdling: 4/5

Baking: 3/5

--

Now, every soy milk is different, so my first reaction may not be the reaction of yours and I do still buy this soy milk when absolutely necessary and have become used to the taste, but it would most definitely would not be my first choice or suggestion for you.

To enjoy or not to enjoy, that is the question!

Product Review: Rival 1.5-Cup Mini Chopper MC-67BL

Photo courtesy of http://www.walmart.com/

Sleek, cute and most definitely mini - this would be perfect for a small kitchen or a household that has small children. The entire mini-chopper has only five parts; the mechanical base, the container, the blade, and the top. Like most food choppers, it has a clear top with opposite ridges and an easy to control base that makes it simple to process or chop your food. It also holds only a small quantity of food, so after you snap your base on (it won't start otherwise) - it is very unlikely for anything the spill if it should fall. I mostly use this for egg sheets and hummus, but it never gets a proper blend  unless it is almost to the brim and you hold the button for long enough. If you're looking to make some mushroom balls or something similar this is great for you because it can easily leave a chunky texture if you only pulse a few times - its very easy to control because of its one button.

Price I Paid: $2.00

Suggested Price from Sellers : $2.84

The Cons:
There are a few problems with this mini chopper. The hardest part for me being the top - which has the amazing ability to lock and will only start once you hear a nice "click!" after sliding its sleek ridge underneath the machine's black nook. It is a bit hard to master at times, as sometimes the ridge will get past the nook and slide into place, but the click won't happen. At other times, it may be that the larger and shorter ridge won't be in the correct position or the top won't grip onto its container correctly. The last time I made guacamole - it took me about five minutes for each component to be married into the dish because the top would keep snapping the wrong way. You really have to make sure that your two little edges (seen in the front and back of the photo) facing the correct way or else it will take you forever to get  have solid food already in there it is very easy for it to get stuck underneath and jam the food processor. Its a really gross process to get it out so that you can face the blade the correct way and not allow it to get stuck with food. You may want to initiate the processing with a few dry practice runs so that everything is okay, then add your food in small batches.

The second issue is quantity - although it says that it should be able to contain about 1.5 cups of food, it is safer to place only about 3/4-1 cups of food within the dish. If you do not want a paste, you do still have to turn the food around a bit more, even if you are using a small quantity. This is normally shared with other brands of cheaper food processors - as well as the fact that water can easily mess with the function of the chopper. Although it is a coated base with a long spool in the middle to place itself on top of the machine, it still has a tendency to leak fluid that has not touched anywhere near the whole, so you need to be more careful or add less liquid. You may find that you have to scrub a ring (no matter how clean it is) from the middle where the blade goes, this may be due to constant wear and tear or overheating due to the quantities I first used. It is still fine at this time.

The Pros:
The size of this food chopper is about the size of one of my fists, making it a very small chopper. This means that it can be easily stored and the pieces are also similar to most other basic choppers - blade, top, container and electronic base. I've also (accidentally) dropped this a few times and it is very sturdy, I have had no cracks in the past five months that I have had this and it is very easy to clean. It is also see-through so you can see most of your mistakes easily despite the size and its easy to carry from room to room. "Meaty" products such as spongey vegetables, mushrooms and nuts go perfectly with the size of this processor and are beautifully turned into powders, sauces and much more - it goes wherever your imagination takes you.

It has only one blade and one button so using it and cleaning up afterwards are a breeze. Soaking in a bleach or vinegar solution afterwards will keep it extra clean and beautiful.


Product Summary: Overall, with the given price this is an okay processor - but don't expect to be making fantastic egg sheets or giant quiches anytime. This is a great processor for single-serving to double-serving foods but it leaks with too much liquid from time to time while the ring inside is very hard to scrub away. This is very simple and pretty since you can look through it, but its size makes it a bit hard to get to every little bit of food when you're processing so this is not good with especially big hands or it most definitely isn't safe for children as it is a food processor where things often get stuck. If I was given the choice to buy this again or given this knowledge beforehand, I probably would save my money and buy a slightly bigger food processor - but that isn't to say that I don't enjoy its usefulness when I want to make a few veggie burgers and can't be bothered to pull something big and heavy out that takes up a lot of space.

I would not recommend this product for a full-time job and I would barely recommend it for any other kitchen activities.

I was not contacted by the Rival Company to do this post - this is of my own, free and unpaid time.

What else would you like me to review? Did you enjoy this one?