I’m pretty sure the last time I tried these deli slices was back in my very first year of being vegan (2016) and I don’t know if my taste buds have changed, or if they changed the formula/recipe (or if I’m even thinking of a different brand), but trying these deli slices now, I thought they were way better than I remembered!
I’m going to be honest, I bought these slices specifically so I’d have something to review. Usually, I buy the Yves deli slices (I like all three flavours now!) because they’re more widely available and cheaper in my area. Also, I know those ones are good.
These ones, despite what I ‘remembered’ pleasantly surprised me! They taste great, have a good texture and a decent amount come in 1 box. The slices themselves are more brown than pink/nude in colour and also have a small rind on them. The rind isn’t too thick though, and I think it adds an extra (very subtle) crunch to them.
One thing I found off-putting about these slices though was that after I opened the package, it smelled like dog food. That sort of… oldish gravy mixed with decaying meat? I even asked my non-vegan friend to smell it – because maybe that’s what ‘real’ lunch meat smells like and I just forgot – but they agreed, it smelled like dog food.
Absolutely does not taste like dog food, so I have no idea where that smell even came from, but yeah. Not exactly what you want to smell when making yourself lunch.
Luckily though, as I said, these slices have a great taste. They’re slightly smoky with an otherwise pretty generic ‘lunch meat’ flavour. I could not tell you if they’re supposed to be beef, chicken, pork, etc. replacements. They’re just kind of… lunch meat.
Which is is no way a bad thing! I actually love that they aren’t overpowering and don’t have a super distinct taste. It makes them perfect for their intended purpose, which is to blend into sandwiches! They add the texture you want, and zero problems!
If you can get past/through the weird smell – and hey, maybe it was just the box I got and not all of them? – I would definitely recommend giving these deli slices a try!
Lately I’ve been getting an increase in comments here, and I wanted to say two things:
Hi! Welcome. It’s good to know I’m not just speaking into a void. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and share your opinion with me! I love waking up to see new comment notifications. I don’t want you guys to be shy about leaving comments at all. If my writing made you feel something, or you have any tips/tricks to share about lifestyle things I talk about, feel free to leave them!
The second thing is the reason for this article. Due to the increase in comments, I’ve noticed an increase in comments on older posts and those comments are… let’s just call them non-constructive. And I know, this is the internet! People are going to find old things in newer years and have different opinions about them.
But that’s not what I want to address. I’m talking about receiving comments telling me that certain information in my articles is ‘wrong’, and then delving into what is frankly just very unimaginative hate because I’m ‘spreading misinformation’. Maybe part of that is because I’m a writer, but some of those hate filled comments I see and all I can think is, ‘that is the best insult you could come up with? Really?’
Not that the content of the insults is the point.
Anyway, to help mitigate these kinds of comments, I wanted to write this article, to give you guys a more guided approach to how you should be reading informational articles. These tips should help you not only on this blog, but everywhere!
So, let’s get into it.
And actually before we jump into it, I’m going to add this little disclaimer: I’m talking strictly about regular/every day folks who blog. Not like, scientists or professional information people. They play by different rules than us mere mortals.
Step 1. Look At How Long Ago The Article Was Written
If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet (or y’know, the planet Earth), you should know that what is considered ‘correct’ information changes all the time. Very quickly, depending on the subject!
And, I’ll even give you a hint: people who write articles? They are not psychic! (Or at least, not always) They won’t be able to tell at the time their article gets published if the information in it will become disproven in five years, ten or hell, even later that same year!
As with everything else humans do, you gotta do the best you can with the information you have at the time.
So, if after reading an article, you think the information is not correct, scroll back up and look to see what the date of publication is. If it’s an older article, chances are the information was accurate when they wrote it.
Also, many bloggers don’t add updates to articles, because well, speaking from experience, that in itself could become a full-time job and not leave time to write anything new.
Specifically for myself, once I publish an article, I deem that subject ‘done’ and I move on. I don’t want to keep making articles on the same topic, because I would find that boring to write, and I assume you guys would find that boring to read.
Unless it’s something very specific and/or I feel very strongly about it, there’s usually only going to be 1 article about it. That said, if you guys have anything you’d really like to see me update/get a fresh opinion on, let me know!
Step 2. Who Wrote The Article?
Are you on a scientific or official government website, or are you reading Joe from the bar’s blog to see if he posted today’s boner joke?
Taking into consideration what type of blog you’re on – and therefor, the kind of person who wrote the article – should help you determine the level of scrutiny you’ll need to read it.
If it’s an official government website, yes, you should expect the information to be as accurate as it can be, and that it was written by someone who is very knowledgeable on the subject.
But if it’s one of those stay-at-home-mom blogs? Well, Sharon is just trying to share her tips from personal experience! She doesn’t have a doctorate in Mothering, she’s just trying to help people in the same boat as her!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: not every single person knows everything about a subject.
Why doesn’t Sharon know about the new Swedish article that was published 5 months after her article about the ‘proper’ way to clean baby bottles? Well, speaking as a blogger, most of our articles are written in advanced – sometimes by months – and I would guess because she’s busy actually y’know, living her life!
Especially when we’re talking about lifestyle bloggers, people engage in different lifestyle in many different ways! You could walk outside and find five vegans (or carnists, activists, etc.) and none of them would be living the exact same way.
So what ‘qualifies’ someone to write an article on a lifestyle subject? Usually, it’s just whether or not they are living that lifestyle, or they are interested in/will be living it soon.
That’s it.
No PhD’s required.
Step 3. Where Is The Person Who Wrote The Article Located?
I kind of briefly touched on this in the point above, but another reason Sharon might not have heard about the Swedish article? Because she’s busy living her life in the suburbs of the mid-western USA.
While the internet has made it a lot easier to access information from all over the world, people still need to take the time to search for the information!
And unfortunately, a lot of people are just too busy to take dedicated time out of their day-to-day to research certain things. Especially if it’s a thing they already think they’re knowledgeable on. Why would you spend time looking up tips on something you already think you know how to do well?
You wouldn’t!
Or at least, most people don’t. There are exceptions to this of course, but they are called ‘exceptions’ for a reason!
Speaking specifically for myself, I don’t do nearly as much veganism research (for example) as I did back when I was first transitioning. (Which was all the way back in 2016)
That doesn’t mean I think I know everything there is to know about veganism, but I know enough information to get through the day-to-day stuff, and for the most part, know enough to write articles about it with confidence.
Do I still check vegan-specific news websites? Yes. Am I still following vegans on social media, listening/watching their videos? Yeah!
But I’m not dedicating huge chunks of my day to veganism research anymore. I don’t need to. (Also I don’t have as much time, but that would be a different article)
So the next time you come across an article that you think is inaccurate, I want you to keep these tips in mind before you leave a comment.
If you’ve done the above and still think your comment is warranted, see if you can re-phrase it to not sound so… mean/condescending. People are always much more receptive to listening to others if they aren’t feeling attacked.
Especially if you want the person you’re commenting to to actually listen/take in what you’re trying to tell them, instead of having them just write you off as a ‘hater’.
Good luck!
*The stay-at-home-mom blogger example was just the first example I thought of to use as a ‘regular’ person. It in no way was meant to be an insult or anything. Also the name Sharon was just the first one that came to mind. If your name is Sharon and you run a stay-at-home-mom blog, I wasn’t trying to insult you, I promise! (If you’d like more clarification, feel free to message me!)
I don’t really have other articles in the same vein as this one, but if you’d like to check out more of my blog, a good starting point would be the front page!
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Important: This is the 4th last article of 2024! I’ll be taking the last half of December and first half of January off from posting. I’ll be back January 20th, 2025 with the first article of the new year!
Chocolate bark is one of the best snacks you can reach for and this Prana chocolate bark is no exception!
This bark is incredible. It’s the perfect ratio of chocolate to hazelnuts and rice, isn’t too thick and comes in a convenient resealable pouch, just in case you have enough self control to leave some of this delicious snack for later.
As the name suggests, they use a faux milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate, which is great for not getting that drying-out-your-mouth feeling that dark chocolate tends to give.
This bark actually reminds me of those rice chocolate bunnies they used to sell for Easter. I don’t know how region specific that product is, but if you know what I’m talking about, and enjoyed those bunnies, you’ll definitely enjoy this bark!
I also found this chocolate bark at Shopper’s Drug Mart, so it’s definitely not even one of those specialty vegan-grocer-only snacks, either. Speaking of where to find it, it’s also got a competitive price ($5.79) and wasn’t even tucked into some dark back corner of the shop with other vegan-only products. I found it right there on the shelf next to the Reeces!
There is one bad thing about this product, and it’s a complaint you’ve heard from me before: there is not enough bark in the bag! I don’t know if I got a dud, but the bag I got was less than half full of bark. The rest was air, or that not-air stuff they seal in to help keep products fresh.
This is how much bark was in the bag as soon as I opened it
It was sad, because I love this product, and the bag isn’t even that big to begin with!
So while I recommend going out to try this product for yourself, be aware you’ll probably want to buy them in two’s.
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.
I’m so glad that Lindt now has a few vegan chocolate options!
At the moment, I believe they only have this Salted Caramel bar and a Hazelnut bar, but it’s still a win for vegans. Lindt is one of the biggest mainstream chocolate companies and it’s amazing to see them adding vegan options to their product line!
Salted Caramel is one of my absolute favourite flavours of chocolate, so I was over-the-moon when I was gifted this bar for 2023’s Christmas. This bar is nothing short of delicious, with just the right amount of salted caramel pieces in every square. If you let a piece melt on your tongue until the chocolate’s gone, the salt is in big enough pieces to crunch. And if you do that too many times in a row, you’ll risk cutting up the roof of your mouth and/or tongue. (Yes, I’m speaking from experience)
The chocolate is oat based and doesn’t taste too dark. By that I mean it doesn’t have that dry-out-your-mouth thing that I’ve come across in other dark chocolate. You know the feeling that you immediately need a drink of water after eating a piece? You don’t get that feeling at all – even if you wait and eat the salt bits last.
Another great thing about this bar is that it’s full sized! Yes, unlike many other vegan offerings by non-vegan companies, Lindt is doing it right with the vegan bars being the same size and width as their other bars! (100g)
Even though I was gifted this bar, it didn’t stop me from comparing the price for this article for you guys. According to the Lindt website, this vegan salted caramel bar is $6.79, whereas their non-vegan similar sized bars range between $4.79 and $5.49. (I couldn’t find a non-vegan salted caramel bar, specifically) So while the vegan one is still more money, it’s actually a pretty comparable price!
I definitely recommend you try this bar out for yourself, if you’re able to find it. From what I’ve seen, some major grocery stores carry it – like Loblaws and Metro – but it’s also unfortunately often sold out. If you do manage to get your hands on it though, I doubt you’ll be disappointed!
Important: This is the last post of 2023. I’ll be taking the last half of December and first half of January off from posting.
I’ll be back January 12th, 2024 with the first short story of the new year! (The first article will go up the following Monday)
One of my absolute favourite things about Black Fly is not only the fact that all their products are vegan, but they’re also a Canadian company! Do you need more of a reason to love a company?
Like coffee, I drink alcohol because I like the taste, not because I ‘need’ it. (I actually have a very low tolerance for alcohol, like caffeine. Half a Smirnoff Ice and that might be too much) So when I tell you that Black Fly’s Sour Cherry is a good product, know I’m talking taste-wise and not get-you-hammered-wise.
Blackfly Sour Cherry is my absolute favourite flavour of alcohol I’ve tried. While it has the typical fizzy “this is alcohol”-ness, the cherry flavour does a great job of balancing it out. It doesn’t burn your throat after so many sips like other alcohol, and is low enough in alcohol content I can usually finish 1 can without feeling like it’s too much.
The cherry flavour itself is reminiscent of Maynard’s Sour Cherry Blasters in the fakeness of it, but it’s not nearly as sweet and has a hint more realness to the flavour than the candy. It actually reminds me of those Chubby drinks, if you’ve ever had them. (Yes that was the last time I had a cherry flavoured pop)
You can also usually buy them as single tall can, in packs of four, or twelve. Which is great if you’re someone like me and only need a little bit of a drink to enjoy, instead of being forced to buy a four pack like some other companies make you. I wasn’t able to find a bigger pack than twelve though, so if you’re having a party, you’ll need to double up.
Unfortunately, the Sour Cherry flavour has been extremely hard to find the last couple years, so I finally reached out to the company on Instagram, to figure out why.
They told me this:
Hi, Thanks for reaching out! We’re happy to hear you’re writing a product review about Black Fly! We hope you’re loving our drinks so far! Our Sour Cherry is not currently available in any provinces. The variety of Black Fly flavours varies from province to province depending on what the various liquor boards choose to carry, and on the success of products! Cheers
I was obviously very saddened to to hear that their Sour Cherry flavour is no longer available in Canada. As said above, it’s my favourite flavour, but I guess most other people didn’t agree. (This unfortunately happens with a lot of products I like)
I usually like to end reviews telling you to go out and try the product for yourself, but if you live in Canada, that won’t be possible. They do have other flavours that should still be available, though. Their Grape and Orange were my second and third choices when the Sour Cherry wasn’t around.
Though as they say in their response, the available flavours will change depending on the demand of your location, so keep that in mind while you’re on the hunt!
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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.
The vegan movement has gained enough traction that even Babybel is getting on board! They’re one of the biggest snack cheese brands so this is a huge win.
Whether you think they’re doing it just for clout, or you believe they’re genuinely turning over a new leaf, there is no denying that this new vegan Babybel cheese is great. Not only is it a win for the vegan movement, but it also tastes pretty good!
Babybel says the vegan wheels are supposed to be mozzarella, and I’d say it’s true. Or at least, they taste like the other vegan brands mozzarella. Didn’t have that overpowering cheddar flavour, but you could also tell it wasn’t as ‘plain’ as Monterey Jack.
The cheese also had a good consistency – it wasn’t too hard or too soft – the texture actually reminded me of firm, uncooked tofu. I think it was a little weird the cheese itself had dimples in it. But I’m not sure if that’s something the non-vegan Babybels have as well.
I don’t think the dimples affected the taste, mostly just the look. I wasn’t expecting the wheel to be dimpled, so it threw me for a minute. They were deep enough you could feel them with your finger, but not super deep.
The vegan Babybels also come in a paper bag that isn’t resealable. I didn’t have a problem with not being able to reseal the bag, I just folded the top over like a chip bag and left it in my fridge. Each wheel was also wrapped in plastic, and the iconic Babybel wax. Though since these ones are vegan, instead of the classic red, the wax was green!
The Babybel website’s FAQ section unfortunately couldn’t tell me what type of wax the cheese was wrapped in – just that it was food safe. (Though they don’t recommend eating it)
Them calling the product Plant-Based even though they’re certified vegan set off a little alarm bell in my head, so I ended up reaching out to the company directly. Lucky the company got back to me (23.01.27) and told me “the green wax that wraps Babybel Plant-Based is the same as the one used on our other Babybel products and is certified vegan. The wax is made from a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes and colouring, which specifically contains no Bisphenol A.”
So there’s no need to worry – the cheese and wax is certified vegan! (Though I do think it’s a little weird the wax on the non-vegan cheese is also vegan)
Another good thing about the vegan pack is they’re comparable in price! A non-vegan pack of 6 Babybels are $4.77. By comparison, the vegan one came with 5 wheels and was $4.47.
It sucks we get one less, but since they’re still pretty new, who knows? If there’s enough demand for them, Babybel might decide to eventually add a bigger pack to their line up!
Go Max Go’s chocolates are closer to replicas of those famous big box, non-vegan bars. Mars, Snickers, Twix, etc. While Go Max Go doesn’t have too much variety – they only sell 9 different products – the ones that they do sell are great.
If you were around in 2018, you would know I’ve already done a Go Max Go review, so you may be confused.
That first review I did was only for 4 of their products, and I thought it was finally time to finish the line.
Truthfully, I’d been putting off trying their other chocolates, because, well… I’m not great at trying new things, especially if it’s something I don’t think I’ll like. But after receiving a free box of goodies after e-mailing their customer service, I knew the time had come to bite the bullet (pun intended) and finish the review.
While some of these new ones I liked about as much as I expected, there were also a few I was pleasantly surprised by!
Mahalo
This bar was a coconut flaked mash topped with whole almonds and wrapped in chocolate. Based on the description, I didn’t think I was going to like this one, but it was actually pretty good!
It had a nice light flavour, and though the entire inside was coconut flakes, strangely didn’t have an overly strong coconut flavour. The almonds were good, they tasted just as you’d expect an almond would. I don’t think they were roasted or anything, just a plain raw almond.
The chocolate coating wasn’t too thick, which was great because it didn’t overpower the rest of the flavours. This bar also wasn’t overtly sweet like the Twilight or Jokerz bar. While this bar isn’t my favourite out of the entire line (I’m partial to the Twilight, Jokerz and Cleo’s), it was pretty good! I’d definitely get it again if I wanted a nice, light chocolate.
A word of caution though: because of the flakes, this bar can get pretty messy, so if you choose to try it, make sure you have a napkin nearby!
Thumbs Up
This one I wouldn’t exactly call a ‘bar’ – it’s tube-shaped and consists of crunchy peanut butter wrapped in rice milk chocolate.
Even though the wrapper said it was crunchy, I was definitely not prepared for how crunchy it was! It was very hard to bite through – like the same amount of force it takes to bite through a raw carrot hard – and unfortunately, the flavour didn’t make up for that fact.
I’m not sure what type of peanut butter is used, but the middle of this thing did not taste like peanut butter to me. It tasted closer to a toffee or salted caramel or something than peanut butter. It was just sort of… crunchy sugar in chocolate.
This was one of the ones I thought I’d like, since I already enjoy their Cleo’s (which are peanut butter cups) I figured how bad could it be?
Turns out, worse than I was expecting.
I think using softer peanut butter would be better. Unless some people like working out their jaw when eating chocolate?
Major
This bar is one I knew I wasn’t going to like after reading the wrapper. The Major has “crisp, English toffee in a chocolatey coating”. While I don’t think it helped I tried this one right after the Thumbs Up, I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t like this one.
The toffee in this tasted exactly the same as the peanut butter in the Thumbs Up, and while the chocolate was good, it couldn’t save it.
Luckily, this bar was pretty thin – thinner than the Twilight, Jokerz and Mahalo – so it wasn’t so bad having to finish it.
2*Fer
Don’t let the name fool you, there’s only one bar in the wrapper. The name refers to the fact that this bar is a cookie topped with caramel in a chocolatey coating.
Because what’s better than just a straight up chocolate bar? A chocolate bar with a cookie in it!
This bar was also thinner than their other products, but I think if it was thicker, this bar wouldn’t work.
The cookie is semi-crunchy – not nearly as crunchy as the toffee or peanut butter from the last two products – and though it’s pretty plain tasting, it works well with the rest of the bar!
The caramel tastes the same as the one they use in the Twilight bar, not overly sweet, but stretchy and just the right amount of stick-to-your-teeth, and the chocolate tastes the same as well.
This one, I had my non-vegan friend try, and they said to them, this bar tasted like a dark chocolate version of Twix. I can’t deny nor confirm that as the last time I had a Twix I was still in grade school (dairy allergy), so take from that what you will.
All in all, I liked this bar and would definitely recommend you try it. However, like the Mahalo, make sure you have a napkin handy. The cookie on this puppy isn’t overly crunchy, but it’s still crumbly!
Snap!
The last of the Go Max Go chocolates I tried, the Snap! bar is a crisped rice in rice-milk chocolate bar. This bar surprisingly had a ‘light’ taste to it, and the rice was crispy, but not in a bad way.
It tasted like what I remember the Rice Krispies cereal tasting like, though I haven’t had that in over 8 years, so again, take from that what you will.
It also reminded me of these chocolate rabbits my mom used to get during Easter. I don’t know the brand, but I believe they were just called rice chocolate bunnies.
The rice in this bar is hard to explain, but I’m going to try. When you bit the rice, it would crunch, but then it would basically dissipate in your mouth, so it only took 1 bite to chew it.
The chocolate in this bar was definitely darker than the other ones in this list, but I think if they had used their not-dark chocolate it wouldn’t have worked as well as it does.
Because of the light, magically disappearing rice in this bar, it’s easy to eat it quickly. So if you want to savour the flavour, I’d recommend you consciously attempt to eat it slow, or just do yourself a favour and buy two of them.
I hope you enjoyed the second half of the Go Max Go chocolates review, and decide to try some this coming Valentine’s Day! (Or Halloween)
Have you tried any of the Go Max Go Food’s chocolates? Let me know your favourites below in the comments!
Hope you all had an amazing, relaxing holiday and are ready to get back into it. First article this year is this product review!
I’ve never heard of this brand before, but decided to go out on a limb and try their product. After all, I like pizza, so how bad could a calzone be?
I first tried these mini calzones on 22.12.14, and I was immediately surprised by how big they were. Considering they were supposed to be ‘mini’ they were a lot bigger than I thought they’d be. One calzone was roughly the same length as my hand (tip of middle finger to palm).
The box itself was relatively small, and 1 box also only came with six. This surprised me, because they were listed under the Appetizers section, and I naively assumed it would come with more, since when I hear ‘appetizer’ I immediately think of a party.
Don’t get me wrong, these would absolutely still work for a party, but you’d need more than one box. Or, you could cut the calzones into bite-sized pieces, but that might defeat the purpose of eating a calzone.
They also cooked a lot faster than the box recommended. Though my oven burns hotter than most, I was still surprised at just how fast these cooked. The boxes instructions say to cook them at 425 for 12-15min, or until golden. (And to flip halfway through)
I cooked them at 400 for 6min, then had to turn the oven down to 350 for the last 6min because the outsides were starting to look burnt. After the second 6min cooking time, I took them out and they were done! So if your oven tends to burn hotter like mine, I’d recommend doing 350 for the entire cooking time, unless you like calzones extra crispy.
Once they were cool enough to bite without burning my tongue, I went ahead and divided them between me and my non-vegan friend. (He agreed to help me out with product reviews when he was able to)
My first impression of the calzones was that they didn’t smell very ‘deep’ like regular pizza. It’s hard to explain, but if you’ve ever had pizza, it’s almost like you can smell every layer: the dough, sauce, cheese (or lack thereof) and toppings. These smelled more like… nothing.
I’m not sure if it’s because the dough was made out of cauliflower, or if it was a lacking of spice in the sauce, but when I held it up to my nose, it was almost like there was nothing there.
Which is very weird considering how many things were in it!
These calzones had: cauliflower crust, Beyond Meat Italian crumbles, vegan cheese, potatoes, bell pepper, peas, mushrooms, onions and more! Which is great for a food to have that many veggies in it.
But not so great for the taste.
Not that the taste was bad, but I definitely wouldn’t have said they were calzones. Calzones are supposed to taste like pizza, right? Just in a not-quite-pocket shape. These… didn’t. These calzones tasted closer to samosas, Perogies, or even a veggie Jamaican Patty.
They tasted like veggie soup in a wrapper, essentially. And speaking of the wrapper, neither me nor my friend could tell it was cauliflower dough. Even though the box proudly exclaimed it was made with a cauliflower crust, we couldn’t tell at all. In fact, if the box didn’t tell us it was cauliflower, we wouldn’t of guessed. It was that close to ‘real’ dough.
Though it’s clearly listed in the ingredients, you also couldn’t really taste nor see the vegan cheese. There were maybe 3 dots of white mozzarella. The inside of the calzones even looked more dry and crumbly than a calzone is supposed to.
And sure, you could argue that maybe that’s my oven’s fault for almost overcooking, but even if it did dry them out, the pizza flavour was still missing. My friend agreed. They were great! But neither of us would’ve labelled them as ‘calzones’.
So, the big question: should you try them?
If you like the taste of samosas, Perogies or veggie Jamaican patties, then yeah, absolutely!
But if you’re craving something pizza flavoured? I’d skip this one.
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This is how much bark was in the bag as soon as I opened it
