Tag Archives: food reviews

Smart Sweets Cola Gummies Review

2024-04-13 Ater Imber Leave a comment

I haven’t had cola gummies in a long time – last time I did, was probably way back around 2008/09. They were never really my favourite candies, I always enjoyed Twizzlers or chocolates better. That said, I do sometimes get in the mood for them, but unfortunately, like a lot of other candies, they use gelatin, which makes them not vegan-friendly. Or at least, the ones they sell at Bulk Barn aren’t.

That’s why I was excited to discover this brand Smart Sweets when I was on the hunt for vegan gummy candies for Valentine’s 2022. (I was planning on making a dessert charcuterie board, but that didn’t end up happening) I had already tried some Squish vegan gummies, but I was on the hunt for cola gummies, and at the time, Squish didn’t carry them. (Or if they did, they were sold out when I looked) Which is why I ended up choosing Smart Sweets.

Despite gummies not being my favourite candy, I was disappointed to learn that I didn’t like these cola gummies. For one, they didn’t actually taste like cola. They tasted like apples and some of them had a weird spicy (not hot) flavour. It was similar to cinnamon, but couldn’t have been that because I didn’t have an allergic reaction. (Yes, I’m unfortunately allergic to cinnamon)

Now, granted, I haven’t drank a Coke in… I don’t even know how long. Definitely not since the early 2000’s, maaaybe at the latest around the early 2010’s, so perhaps I’m not remembering the taste correctly, or maybe they’ve since changed the flavour, but apples and that weird spicy flavour did not equal ‘cola’ to my brain/taste buds.

Another thing I didn’t like about them was how empty 1 bag was. They were typical fruit-snack gummy sized pouches, but there was maybe five or six in the bag I got. I’m not expecting them to be filled to the top or anything, but it seemed a little too empty compared to other snack pouches.

Switching to things I did like about the gummies, they didn’t taste overtly sugary – which is great because they’re advertised as having only 3g of sugar per bag! Y’know that nauseous feeling you get if you indulge a little too much in things that are high in sugar? That doesn’t happen when you eat these, which is good, because it means you can eat more than one pack without worrying.

They also don’t use artificial flavours, and instead use ingredients you can actually pronounce! I’m assuming this is why they tasted like apples, and a quick check of the ingredients found that they do have apple extract in them. Though it says the apple extract is just supposed to be in there for colour purposes, you can definitely taste them.

Another good thing about the gummies, was that they were a decent price! They were only $3.47 when I got them back in 2022, so it won’t hurt your wallet all that much if you decide to try them.

I’m not sure if I just got a bad batch, cola gummies might not be my bag or what, but I wasn’t all that impressed with these gummies, unfortunately. The good news is, Smart Sweets makes a few other vegan flavoured gummies, so I’ll definitely try those before completely giving up on the company.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

King’s Vegan Shrimp Review

2023-08-13 Ater Imber 1 Comment

I first tried the King’s Vegan Shrimp way back in September of 2021. It was a new product at Good Rebel, and though I don’t enjoy the taste of seafood – and I didn’t like their Simulated Chicken Leg – I figured venturing outside my comfort zone is good (once in a while) and decided to dip my toes into their shrimp. (Pun intended?)

The package came with a lot of shrimp in them – probably over 20 pieces, which was great! Finally a vegan product that comes with more than a “single serving” amount of food! I’d recommend King’s on that alone, but we both know that’s not the only thing to consider before buying a product.

Not only did the bag come with a lot of pieces, but the shrimp themselves were also bigger than I thought they’d be. I’d say they were about the same length as my palm (which is 6 inches – I only know this because I measured it for a previous article) which I believe are bigger than actual shrimp? I ended up cutting them in half (or smaller) when I cooked with them.

Maybe if you were going to use them for breaded shrimp the size would work better, but if you want to use them in a dish (and not make them the star) you’ll probably want to cut them into smaller pieces.

(This is them cut)

Once the shrimp were cooked, they had almost a rubbery texture. I’m not sure if it’s the way that I cooked them, the product itself, or if that’s what actual shrimp’s texture is (I’ve been vegan 7 years and hadn’t had shrimp for easily a few years before that), but I thought that could’ve been better. I think they were going for chewy and not that classic soft tofu texture, but it just missed the mark for me.

I’m kind of on the fence with this product. On the one hand, I’ve definitely had worse products (cough Amy’s Curry cough), but I’ve also had products I enjoyed more. I might get them again once in a blue moon, but truthfully, it was a struggle for me to finish the whole bag. Ironically, this is one product I think could benefit from having a smaller size bag.

Bottom line, I won’t tell you to rush out and buy it, but if you’re curious (or someone who enjoys the taste of seafood) I’m not going to stop you.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Que Pasa Sweet and Spicy Ranch Chips Review

2022-10-13 Ater Imber Leave a comment

I first discovered this brand in 2019, when I was pleasantly surprised by finding their Nacho chips in a No Frills.

As I explained in that article, I was having trouble at the time finding the chips at my favourite grocery stores. Even No Frills seemed to stop carrying the brand after the day I’d discovered them.

After perusing their website, I discovered they had thankfully not only didn’t discontinue the Nacho flavour, but had others as well! And, perhaps the best news, is that all their flavours are vegan!

Being cautiously excited at discovering a new vegan company, I set my sights on trying some of their other flavours. The next flavour I was interested in trying was their Sweet and Spicy Ranch chips. But just like the Nacho flavour, I couldn’t find the Ranch anywhere.

Not content on giving up, I discovered VeganSupply sells a variety of Que Pasa’s chip flavours, but as my luck would have it, they were sold out when I tried getting a bag. This irritation brought me to March of this year (2022), when I decided to try a new-ish wellness website called Well.ca.

I discovered that not only did Well carry supplements, personal products and other wellness products, but they also had quite an array of vegan foods available! In this order, I decided to get a few other products I wasn’t able to find elsewhere that I was planning on using in future reviews. This included Watermelon La Croix, Dandelion Tea, these Ranch chips, and a few other items.

To my great pleasure, I received 0 notices about the Que Pasa chips being out of stock, and actually (finally) got my hands on them when the order arrived.

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Now, I’ll be honest, I was so excited to see a chip bag that said Vegan Ranch on it, that I completely missed the Sweet and Spicy part of the name.

Luckily for me, I spotted the full name before digging in, so I was able to ration my taste test appropriately. The bag I bought was the same size as the Nacho ones had been, and while they were slightly more expensive (Well had them listed for $4.79, but No Frills had them for $3.49), I was more than happy to pay the difference considering I was having so much trouble finding them.

These chips were also more sweet than spicy for me. Being the detail oriented flavour taster that I am, the first chip I tried, I licked some of the flavouring off to get a more complete profile.

Keeping in mind I haven’t had actual ranch flavoured anything in… probably close to 15-ish years, I personally didn’t think these chips tasted ‘ranch-y’. They at least didn’t taste like the vegan Ranch dips/salad dressings I’ve gotten used to. The flavouring actually reminded me of being closer to maple syrup than ranch.

The heat also didn’t come until swallowing, but luckily it wasn’t too overpowering. There was a little tingle in the back of my throat, but I was able to eat a few at a time without feeling the need to reach for water. There was also no sweating happening, unlike when I eat Sweet Chili Heat Doritos.

I’m not usually a big fan of contrasting flavour profiles in the same dish/food. I just got used to chocolate covered pretzels not too long ago. That said, I really thought the sweetness of the chip when chewing really helped to balance out the heat experienced when swallowing.

They complimented each other nicely, and while I would’ve loved these chips more if they didn’t have that kick at the end, I also can’t say they weren’t good. I will say that even though the Nacho ones were spicier, if given a choice, I’d probably pick the Nacho flavour over these ones.

Have you tried these Que Pasa Sweet and Spicy Ranch chips? How’d you like them? Let me know in the comments!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconutmilk Frozen Dessert Review

2022-05-13 Ater Imber Leave a comment

Vanilla gets a bad wrap as being a ‘boring’ flavour, but, without a solid foundation, you can’t build ice creams that are more complex. Also, sometimes you just want a ‘boring’ flavour, or maybe someone doesn’t like a weird combo of flavours – whatever your reasoning, vanilla is a great basic flavour to keep stocked in the freezer.

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That said, this means the review of a plain-er flavour won’t be as long, because there’s not as much to talk about flavour-wise. But again, I don’t think that should influence someone’s decision to buy it!

Okay, that’s enough defending, let’s get down to the review.

I’m going to be honest, this ice cream didn’t actually taste like vanilla. It tasted like coconut, which is fine, since it’s a coconut-based ice cream. And it wasn’t an overpowering coconut flavour like some other things I’ve tried. It was actually a much more subtle flavour than I thought it’d be. I don’t know if they added vanilla, and that’s what muted the coconut, or if that’s just what plain coconut ice cream tastes like, but it was nice, even though it’s not the flavour that’s advertised on the label.

The ice cream was also very ‘light’ and refreshing, unlike some more complex flavours which feel ‘heavier’ when eating them. This ice cream was a perfect, light snack. It actually kind of reminded me of summer, in the same way that eating watermelon does.

It was also pretty soft. I don’t know if it’s because it was coconut based or not, but I actually loved how soft it was! I could take it right out of the freezer and eat it, unlike with (as an example) Ben and Jerry’s, where you have to leave it on the counter for 5-10 minutes just to get a spoon in it.

A downside to this, and so far all vegan ice cream, is unfortunately it still came in the small pint containers, like the Ben and Jerry’s ice creams. I don’t know why there’s no family sized vegan ice cream out there, but I wish someone would start making it! Sure, for one person, this size would last maybe a week (if you ate a little every day), but what should you do if you have a celebration, like a birthday? You could buy multiple pints, but the amount you’d need to feed everyone, coupled with the high price, makes it not worth the effort.

I’m going to try to restrain myself from launching into a whole rant about the sizing thing – if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know how much the smaller size thing irks me.

That’s really everything I had to cover for this ice cream: nice, light, coconut-y flavour, and a small container. Not much else I can say about it, except tell you to buy it if you like mellow flavoured ice creams.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Annie’s Deluxe Rich & Creamy Shells and Vegan Cheddar with Broccoli Mac N Cheese Review

2021-11-13 Ater Imber Leave a comment

I’m gonna be honest, this mac n cheese is not that good compared to Daiya’s. That’s not to say that this one is bad per se, it’s just… not the one I’d recommend.

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So, this box of mac was shells, with pieces of broccoli in it. I liked that they were shells, I don’t know why the go-to shape is macaroni, but shells worked just as well. The box is the same size and portion as Daiya’s (both boxes only make one bowl), which was great! I was actually a little considered because the box looked smaller for some reason, but when I put them side by side, they were the same.

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The noodles were packed loose in the box, which I don’t really mind because that means less packaging, which means less harm to the Earth (which is always a win!), but the sauce packet was surprisingly smaller.

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Not only was the sauce packet small, but it was also a lighter colour. I didn’t really mind the lighter colour, but was surprised that it tasted watered down. And I even added vegan margarine and almond milk to it! It was a much mellower taste than Daiya’s. Like, if someone was trying to make mac n cheese from a memory of how it tasted. It was there, just very subtle-y. You could actually probably use this mac n cheese and turn it into another pasta dish without knowing it was originally mac n cheese.

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The dried broccoli tasted pretty much how you’d expect dried broccoli to taste, and the pieces were very small. I mean, I like eating raw broccoli by itself, so maybe I’m just a freak, but if you’re gonna write on the front of your box/advertise that the mac n cheese has broccoli in it, you’d think there would be more broccoli in it, y’know?

All in all, this mac n cheese is pretty underwhelming. Maybe years of eating Daiya has desensitized my taste buds, but it was a pretty subtle flavour. If you don’t like how strong Daiya products taste, then I’d definitely recommend you try this one! Maybe you’ll love how subtle a flavour it has. But for me, this was a miss.

Except for the shells. Whoever was in charge of choosing the shape was on their game.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Subways’ Beyond Meatball Marinara Sandwich Review

2020-04-13 Ater Imber Leave a comment

I got to try this sandwich back in February (it was actually during my birthday week) and I’m glad to say I loved it!

I had to do some other shopping before I was able to sit down and eat it, so the sandwich was a bit smushed when I finally got home and was ready to dig in. (This is also why I’m using the official picture)

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First thing I want to say, was while I was ordering, I wasn’t too excited to try it. The Subway I went to was pretty small and busy (I inadvertently went there around the lunch rush) so I felt very rushed.

Unlike when I tried the Beyond Burger at A&W, it was slower and I was able to ask some questions before completing the order. I had asked an employee specifically about their marinara, and while he didn’t seem sure, I was able to check the website when I got home, and am happy to report the marinara is vegan!

I told them to hold the cheese (obviously), and then for veggies, I got: lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, green peppers and tomatoes. I had some Daiya Smoked Gouda at home that I added as well.

The sandwich itself was pretty substantial. I got a footlong, and I’m happy to report they gave me 9 meatballs. (5 on one half, and 4 on the other) I’m not sure how many were ‘supposed’ to be placed in there, but the worker didn’t count them out either. He just took a scoop of the meatballs (covered in marinara sauce) and rolled them out onto the bread.

Honestly, when he did that, it looked kind of gross. Just splatted on the bread… But I’m glad my first impression was wrong because it was actually pretty good!

Aside from the mess, the taste was good. The Beyond Meatballs tasted similar to the A&W Beyond Meat Burger, (which didn’t surprise me because it’s the same company) and they weren’t too big or too small either. They’re about the size of a loonie, which I think is a good meatball size. I believe they’re the same size as the Gardein Meatballs, too. I’m glad they weren’t too small, like almost every other pre-packaged vegan food is. They had what I’m going to call the ‘typical’ Beyond Meat taste.

A friend tried one of the meatballs and they said ‘you could fool a meat-eater with that. Seriously.’ I personally can tell it’s not real meat, but maybe that’s because I don’t eat it anymore? My palate is now fine-tuned to veggies!

The marinara sauce was a little on the herb-y side, and it kind of reminded me of the Roads’ End Savoury Herb gravy. Y’know how some herb-y heavy sauces have that ‘light’ taste? It was like that. They also put way too much sauce on my sandwich, it leaked out all over the plate. But that’s the risk you take when getting a meatball marinara, I guess.

I’d definitely recommend adding your own vegan cheese to it, as the Daiya cheeses’ smoke-y flavour lent itself well to the over-all taste. I’d definitely get this again, but I wouldn’t put cucumbers on it. It’s not that it was bad, but it was definitely one of my least favourite parts.

The sandwich itself was $11-something, and the combo with drinks and chips I got it for $16. That’s actually a pretty good price for a vegan sandwich. Especially because of how filling it is – not in that I’m-so-full-I-can’t-move-and-feel-gross way, but in a highly satisfied way. It’s pretty bang for your buck, if you ask me.

If you want something non-saucy, the website and posters do say there is a non-marinara meatball version, though I didn’t see it out in the trays. (Though this might have been more because I was rushed and am too short to see over the counter)

So the Beyond Meatball Marinara, have you tried it? What’d you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Que Pasa Nacho Chips Review

2020-03-13 Ater Imber 2 Comments

I first discovered these chips in April last year, thanks to Eamon and Bec and HotforFoods’ Youtube channels. (I recommend checking out these guys, btw, they’re both awesome!) They each had videos that were only a few days apart featuring this snack, so I took it as a sign that I should try them.

And boy, am I glad that I did. They are awesome!

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They’re like vegan nacho Doritos. Or at least, they’re what I imagine nacho Doritos taste like, as I’ve never had them myself. The only kinds of Doritos I’ve had are the Sweet Chili Heat and Ketchup ones. Those two are great flavours as well, but I’m always down for discovering a new vegan snack.

They’re smaller in size to Doritos, though they’re still the classic tortilla chip shape. They’re pretty cheese-y as well, and not in a nooch-y way. I’m not sure what they use for the vegan nacho flavour, but it’s really good. It actually tastes a bit similar to the Skinny Pop White Cheddar popcorn. (Which I also recommend)

Now, these chips do have a bit of a kick to them, so if you’re sensitive to spicy food, or can’t handle spicy food, I recommend not eating the whole bag at once. (Trust me, it does not make for a happy stomach) The fact that they’re spicy is one of the only bad things about them. If they were not spicy cheese-y chips I’d definitely get them more often.

Another bad thing about them? I can barely find them anywhere!

I was able to find them at No Frills when I posted the pic to Instagram, but since then? I haven’t been able to find them.

Seriously, I don’t know if they’re getting discontinued, or if other vegans are just beating me to the punch, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on them since.

The size of the bag is another thing I don’t really like. They are similar in size to Vegan Rob’s Cheddar Puffs. That kind of bigger-than-single-size-but-not-big-enough-for-family-size bag that I hate. Either make them small enough for one person, or as big as regular chip bags! (Preferably the latter)

It sucks that they’re so hard to find though, because they’re one of the best vegan snacks I’ve tried.

…. Maybe they’re just hating on Canadians?

I don’t know, but one thing is for sure: You find them in a store? You buy 3 bags.

Do you know of a store that has a secret stash of these chips? Let me know in the comments below!

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Writer – Vegan – Aspiring Buslifer