Diamond of California Hickory Smoked Bacon Walnuts

Fourth times the charm?

Diamond of California Teriyaki Wasabi Walnuts

Third times the charm? Hope I'm not disappointed.

Diamond of California Himalayan Pink Salt Walnuts

Walnuts are my least favorite nut.

Sol Cuisine - Crispy Chik'n - Plant Based Bites

pic from site - not my image

Last night I was craving something to eat, but I didn't want to cook something too time-consuming. 

Since I like trying out new things, I have the habit of going to the store with a list but then seeing something that interests me... and into the cart it goes. I wouldn't necessarily call it impulse-buying completely since I do read and review the item to see if it's something that I will like. (Yeah, I don't put EVERYTHING in my cart that catches my eye.)

ZAZUBEAN - Pomegranate & Hazelnut with Coconut Sugar

One day after work on my way to my friend's house for a weekly friend get together, I stopped by a store for some wine (like you do), and as an impulse buy, I got a chocolate bar that looked promising. (To be fair and totally honest, the pomegranate caught my eye first... and then there was the coconut aspect. It being chocolate was just a bonus at that point.)

The front label also says that it's chocolate with coconut milk which sounds extra yummy and promising.

Opening the bar makes me think of when Charlie opened his Wonka bar and found his Golden Ticket... but I wasn't expecting anything but chocolate in this case.

Removing the bar from the foil wrapper, the chocolate is sectioned in small rectangles like a Hershey bar. Right away, I can smell the fruit mixed with the chocolate which is happy-making on its own. Breaking off a section, I can see the hazelnuts mixed into the chocolate, and as I chew it, everything blends well together. I get a little bit of everything - nothing overpowers the taste. I can't taste any of the coconut, but that's most likely because it wasn't an ingredient per se - the sugar and milk mixed together with everything else results in a great final chocolate bar. I think the only obvious way I could taste the coconut would be if there were shredded bits in it, but I feel the milk at least helped with the smooth and creamy texture.taste.

Tasty tasty chocolate of the Underworld!

The bar is 3oz and 55% cacao. One serving is half a bar (or 1.5oz) and is 240 calories.

In checking out the website, they have other chocolate bars with fun-sounding names that I'm curious to try. But first, I need to finish this bar.

https://www.zazubean.com/coconut-sugar-chocolate
https://www.zazubean.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Sinbad Specialty Foods - Roasted Beet Hummus

I think the first time I had hummus was after college. And since then, I was hooked.

My favorite hummus is garlic - though any ol' hummus will do. My hummus love is not biased at all.

Sometime after my initial taste of hummus, I found some edamame hummus during a late-night grocery run, and I was intrigued. I love edamame, and it looked appealing, and my curiosity getting the better of me, I bought it. And guess what? IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

Since then I've noticed a variety of hummuses not made with chickpeas, and I've liked them all. (Once I brought up in conversation with a friend if you made hummus and replaced the chickpeas with something else, would you still call it "hummus". They said no since hummus is made with chickpeas. I had used milk as an example since we have non-dairy milk but they still say "milk" - like almond milk, oat milk, etc - but nope, my friend didn't budge on the hummus-name-thing. Me, however, I'm fine with calling it hummus - chickpeas or no.

Recently while at a grocery store, I saw some hummus in their deli cold case. All of them were hummus color - until I saw a vibrant pink one - Roasted Beet Hummus.

SOLD!

To be honest, I'm not the biggest beet fan. I know people that will have it solo - roasted or however they wish to cook it - but I'm not a fan. I do like shredded beet in salads, but a la carte? I'll pass.

But still - this was HUMMUS!!! So I was open to trying it.

Looking at the label when I got home, the first ingredient listed is chickpeas (the edamame hummus I had before didn't have chickpeas in them), so that was a surprise.

Ingredients: Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), Roasted Beets, Tahini, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Sea Salt.

Perhaps it's a consistency thing? Or a preference? Both chickpeas and edamame are "beans" - but I'm not going to think that much into it.

I can smell the garlic right away, and the consistency is of your standard hummus variety. But the taste? It's pretty good. I didn't really think I was going to like it one way or the other, but this turns out to be another way for me to eat some beets.

The package is 6oz, and doesn't offer any nutritional information, but the label states that it's vegan and gluten-free... and all the ingredients seem okay, so I could finish off the whole container if I so chose to... but I think I'll be a good girl and save some for later.

Okay, I'll leave here with a question: If YOU made hummus and replaced the chickpeas with something else, would you still call it "hummus"?

https://sinbadspecialtyfoods.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Hungry Buddha - Coconut Jerky (Teriyaki)

I'm of the mind that in most food situations, if an item is made up of things that I like individually, then together, I will most likely like it.

So by that rationale, this item would be perfect. I mean... I love coconut. I love jerky.

When I opened the bag, the smell was... interesting. I think it was more faint teriyaki than coconut, but it wasn't strong or anything so it didn't bother me much.

The look of the coconut jerky reminds me of the pig ears or bone treats you give dogs to chew and gnaw for dental health. The pieces are dark brown and appear to be hard... and some of the pieces are but once you break off a piece, you can chew it. In comparison to coconut chips, they are considerably larger in size. I guess the best size description I can think of is if you've ever had dried fruit slices like pineapple rings or apples. They're roughly that size.

The flavor is not jerky. I say that here because most of the time when I try something that claims to be one thing but an alternate version of that, the flavor profile is roughly similar to the original item. Case in point, I've had beef jerky since I was little, and all the brands basically taste the same even if one brand has a leaner cut and another a thicker cut. I've also had other meat types of jerky - turkey, fish, etc. And they all taste and feel like "jerky."

Now perhaps it's because this is a fruit and not a meat that this rule doesn't seem to apply. With that said, this is in no way (in my opinion) jerky-ish at all. The texture is off, but then again, it's coconut so the process could obviously affect the end result. The flavor profile is off for me as well. I can taste a little bit of both coconut and teriyaki, but those two components mixed together with the other seasonings are just not making my palate very happy.

The bag is 1.4oz - with one serving being half the bag (90 calories per serving).

I'm open to trying other coconut jerky types/brands or other coconut jerky flavors by this brand, but this particular flavor wasn't happymaking for me at all.

https://www.buddhabrandscompany.com/hungry-buddha/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

dang Toasted Coconut Chips - Savory Bacon

Okay. I found another coconut chip in my stash so hey - why not talk about it now?

First off - BACON!

I often joke being Filipino that pork is one of my basic food groups, but yeah - I love pork. Oddly enough I don't eat it as much as I used to, but I still partake once in a while.

Is it just me or does that sound similar to "I only drink socially"?

Anyway, back to these bacon coconut chips.

Once I opened the bag, I smell bacon right away. No coconut. Just bacon.

The coconut slivers look toasted - they have a light brown hue. And there's no powder on them.

Tasting one chip, I can taste a little bit of bacon, but this snack is vegan. So let me explain.

The ingredients are coconut, Bacon Seasoning, and Coconut Oil. The "Bacon Seasoning" is comprised of: Cane Sugar, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Pepper, Bacon Flavor.

What the frak is "Bacon Flavor"? I can understand calling something "Bacon Seasoning" and then listing all the spices that make up that seasoning. That's like with Pumpkin Spice or Chai Spice, but bacon flavor in bacon seasoning?

Anyway, moving on.

The bag is 2.82oz and lists one serving as an ounce - leaving three servings per bag.

Overall, this treat wasn't my favorite. As much as I love bacon, I would prefer bacon-flavored treats -vegan or otherwise - to actually taste like bacon. And these tasted like barbecue chips to me, and if I wanted those, I'd just buy those chips.

https://dangfoods.com/
https://dangfoods.com/collections/dang-toasted-coconut-chips

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Hungry Buddha Coconut Chips

I will be perfectly honest - as much of a lover of coconut I am, I'm not really a coconut chip eater. Well... at least not solo. If it's in a trail mix or something, I'll partake - but this snack is not something that comes to mind when I feeling a bit peckish.

But when I saw the following two items, I immediately became intrigued so I picked them up to try later.

Disclaimer: I'm not a spicy person by any means. It's only been until my later years that I will randomly not only crave spicy food but tolerate it, but it's completely random. I can't have had - say a ghost pepper and be okay with it only to go to a restaurant down the road and order a ghost pepper dish there. Again - my body is random so I have to always do the meek taste test and if it's okay (aka I don't die or hack up a lung), then I can eat the rest of whatever else was offered to me.

Wild Wasabi

Smells okay. Granted the only time I've ever truly "smelled" wasabi was when I put too much in my soy sauce while eating sushi and almost snarfed it up. (I'm pretty sure in this context you can guess what I mean by "snarf" - and no, not the creature from Thundercats - but even if you're not exactly right with what I mean, I'm pretty sure you'd be close enough.)

Back to the smell - it smells okay, but I can't smell coconut. I do smell a little... something? - but not coconut or wasabi.

The coconut chip feels and looks toasted, the color a light brown hue. There's no seasoning dust or anything on it - just the coconut itself.

Ahhh... there it is. It's baked in. How? I have no idea, but it's really in there. It tastes like the coconut was dusted with wasabi paste or powder. The wasabi isn't overwhelming - only giving a hint of spice and that's it. There's a bit of a salty taste to it but again, not a lot - only a hint.

I really like these.

Smokin' Sriracha

Where I couldn't smell anything from the Wasabi bag, I definitely smell sriracha from this bag. No coconut - just sriracha.

They (of course) feel toasted. However, they look very much like a barbecue potato chip - slightly orange-red.

And the taste - THE TASTE?

I immediately thought "barbecue potato chip." The flavor is just as subtle as the wasabi - there but not overpowering. In the beginning, I wasn't feeling any heat. I tried a few more - still nothing. Then I grabbed a small handful, and that's when I started to feel the heat. But it's not too much. It's just enough.

These bags are 40g each and are 250 calories per serving - one serving being the whole bag.

I like these - I REALLY like these. I would say of the two, the wasabi was my favorite. Thank goodness they come in such small portions or I may make myself sick eating too much of them.

https://www.buddhabrandscompany.com/

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae