Cofresh Hummus Chips - Creamy Dill

In planning my travels for the holidays, I had plotted that I wanted to leave straight from work (I get out at 8pm this Wednesday), and head to Fresno to see my family with as minimal amounts of stops as possible. I knew that I wanted to stop at the nearby 7-Eleven for a beverage for my 3-hour nighttime excursion, but I thought I could easily head to the store and gather some snacks for the road beforehand.

While running a quick errand before work today, I made the mistake of straying from my goal of looking for one thing (which was in no way food-related) and perused the store ending up in the snack aisle. I found a few goodies, one of which were these hummus chips.

I like hummus! So I bought some to try.

Now COFRESH is a company I have never heard of before, but hey... that's not to say they won't be good. A lot of lesser known brands as well as generic versions of things are just as tasty if not better than the original.

Anyone try the Kirkland products from Costco? Then you know what I mean.

Anyway... now here I sit at work on my lunch break (which I usually spend working on my story blogs), trying my hummus chips and writing about them.

Right away the bag is not so big which is all right by me. It's a nice and compact 4.7oz which is easy for snacking as well as sharing. The image ON the bag is pretty much what you get IN the bag. They remind me of some weird love child of a Frito Scoop and a Bugle.

The front of the bag also boasts this treat has 30% less fat than regular potato chips (fat reduced from 10g tp 7g per serving... someone want to tell me what that means/)

The bottom of the bag says these chips are gluten free with no artificial colors or flavors and also have no artificial preservatives.

So this makes me curious about the ingredients.

Flipping the bag over I see the following: Chickpea Flour, Potato Starch, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed), Corn Flour, Creamy Dill Flavor (Whey Powder, Salt, Dextrose, Onion Powder, Rice Flour, Sugar, Flavor Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Lactose, Cheese Powder, Yeast Extract Powder, Natural Flavorings, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Diacetate), Herbs (Parsley, Dill).

Ahhh, good ol' MSG. Recently hung out with friends, and they were talking about how MSG makes things taste so much better. I have stuff without it, and it tastes just as good so I have no idea what they're talking about.

Then there are other things that I wonder about (like "rapeseed"?), but overall, it looks - for all intents and purposes - normal and digestable.

Also on the back it gives "Allergy Advice" saying that this product is made in a factory that handles milk/dairy products, nuts, sesame seeds and wheat and may contain trace allergens. Contains Milk & Dairy products. When reading that (as well as typing it out), it made me think of those drug commercials that are supposed to make you better, but then they start listing the side effects, and the list seems to go on forever and ever. This allergy list didn't run as long, but it was more than I was used to seeing on a food item.

Pop open the bag. Stick a chip in my mouth. CRUNCH!!!

We have taste success.

This snack (could be because I'm currently PMS'ing) is nicely salted and not overly so. The consistency of the chips makes me think of Munchos since they're so puffy and light. You can also taste the dill which is subtle which is great since some chip-like snacks can have a lot of flavor that - while flavor is good - sometimes can overpower your tastebuds.

Would I ever try this again? Maybe. It's a brand that I haven't come across frequently enough, and it's not so mind-blowing great that I would ever seek it out. As a "new thing", it was a nice experience and apparently a healthy one.

http://www.cofresh.co.uk/creamy-dill-hummus-chips

Cofresh Snack Foods
Cofresh House, Lewisher Road
Leicester, LE4 9LR, United Kingdom
Tel: 44 (0) 116 246 4101
Email: sales@cofresh.co.uk
Website: www.cofresh.co.uk

Angie's Kettle Corn

my bag was the new yellow design

Popcorn.

It's an evil treat. It tastes so good, you gobble it up, and it's gone before you know it.

I grew up on regular popcorn - either popped by my parents or stock sold at the movies. We had a popcorn maker that we occasionally brought out, but then my favorite was always the Jiffy Pop - the little foiled pie tin with a handle that you would cook over the open flame of the stove.

I love watching that thing pop into a giant ball and then when you ripped it open, all the steam would come out. So hot, fresh and tasty.

(There's a joke in there somewhere.)

Then of course there were the variations of popcorn: Fiddle Faddle, Crunch & Munch, and (of course) Cracker Jack. Sweet and salty... and sometimes you got a prize!

In elementary school on game days, I'd occasionally buy a rectangular block of pink popcorn. On some holidays, I'd receive a nice popcorn ball as a treat.

And then the evolution of popcorn delivered unto me one of my best friends and vilest of addictions: kettle corn.

I believe I first experienced kettle corn during my fair days. My mind immediately conjures up a dude in an apron behind a giant black cauldron-looking thing (I could totally be wrong on this). And all he'd do all day at faire was make kettle corn.

I think I shared some with a friend and after they let me snack on some, I was immediately hooked and wanted my own bag.

The fresher, the better.

So since renaissance faires aren't all day, every day, the only time I could buy tasty goodness from the vendor was weekends when faire was going on, and I was able to make it.

Then kettle corn became a thing and everyone was making and selling. At the time, all I came across were microwaveable kettle corn, and let's just say... no.

Keeping an open mind, I tried various kinds /brands of kettle corn, but nothing measured up to the sweet treats of renaissance faires. Nothing tasted as good.

Until now.

Can we say "snazzy logo"?

Recently I attended a Halloween party, and toward the end of the evening when a handful of us were left, I began cleaning up a bit. Like last year, there were lots of snacks that the hosts were trying to send home with people. I think I got cookies, chips and Wheat Thins.

This year? I got a bag of kettle corn.

I was starting to PMS. I thought it'd be something to nosh on during my "gimme salty" food cravings and while watching shows on Hulu.

I didn't notice until later (I think I had finally made it home) that it was kettle corn. It was also a brand I had never tried before (Angie's), so I thought, "Why not? I can try it and write about it."

Now in taking time away from devouring the bag to actually look at the bag, I see that the ingredients include: popcorn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane juice, and sea salt.

The serving size is two cups which gives seven servings per 7oz bag... and seeing as I was given the rest of the open bag (which was maybe 2/3 full)... I ate a lot of servings (each serving being 140 calories).

The bag of the bag states this is "goodness you'll love" since it's...

• all natural
• no artificial anything
• cholesterol free
• who grain
• no high-fructose corn syrup
• vegan
• no trans fat
• kosher
• certified gluten-free
• non-gmo project verified

Now... aside from that last one, that all sounds healthy, right? (But wait, there's more.)

May contain the following: Delight = 25,000mhz, snack satisfaction = 39 ROI, flavor density = 1700 G/CM, happiness = 1.21 gigawatts.

That last one was a Back to the Future reference, dammit, and one of my favorites, so how can you NOT love this snack already?

Furthermore, it's just... AWESOME! It reads healthy, and it doesn't taste like society assumes healthy food tastes like (which is crap). 

When you get a moment, you should read their story which is posted on their website. 

Would I ever try this again?: Does a bear shit in the woods? LOL! But seriously, yes, I would. In fact, I want to know where the person who brought this stuff bought it. Most likely Whole Foods or some such.

(And while writing this post, I finished the last of the kettle corn. And there was much weeping and sadness.)

Angie's Artisan Treats, LLC
1918 Lookout Drive

N. Mankato, MN 56003
1-888-982-4984

http://angiespopcorn.com/