Product Review: Ulimana Mayan Truffles

Tweet

Pin It

I've heard about these super-decadent, surprisingly healthy truffles through other blogs, but never knew that they're made so close to home!

Yup, Ulimana Truffles are from Asheville, North Carolina - it's nice to see something tasty come from somewhere other than California, for once!

So I was obviously super-thrilled to get to try a couple:

I decided on ripping into the Mayan truffles first, as I wanted something intensely chocolaty and have been meaning to give spicy chocolate a go for a looooong time...

They sure aren't as fancy-looking as some truffles and they tout waaaay shorter ingredient lists (remember my promise yesterday?):

Despite (or because of?) this, they tasted WAAAAAY better than the truffles I had yesterday! Or, to be quite honest, any that I've ever had. I even prefer these to the Lindt bar that I had the other day...

The texture is just awesome - fudgy and very stick-to-your teeth chocolaty with an intense (but somehow not bitter?) chocolate flavor that I really haven't experienced anywhere else. Maybe its the fact that they're raw? Or that there's no refined sugar in them (I'm guessing that could be what improved the texture to awesomeness). And the spice kick of the cayenne pepper - wowza! LOVED IT!

Now I can be quite the chocolate fan and have been known to put a good amount of chocolate to rest, but I couldn't eat more than one of these little beauties (I had to share with my chocoholic mom, who LOVED them, too). The flavor is just so intense and so amazing that you just have enough after a little bit!

Which is a good thing, too, as they're pretty pricey - but it's okay, I guess, considering how tasty and healthy they are, plus the fact that you won't (can't) eat them in bulk. Seriously, these are a good once or twice per week treat, but I'm not enough of a chocoholic to have them daily.

Oh, and I bet they'd be good for people with issues with binge eating/portion control as you seriously *can't* eat a boatload of these (seriously - I bet you that you can't. This is the opposite of the Lay's potato chip challenge)!

They're RAW, VEGAN, and ORGANIC, guys!

Have you ever tried spicy chocolate?

Have you ever had raw chocolate?

Do you think luxury is worth it (ie: Ulimana truffles)?

I'm going to have to go with yes for the last one...what's the point of money, if not to improve quality of life?

Read More...

Do You Speak American?

Tweet

Pin It

Hi, guys! What fun stuff have you been up to? I got to watch someone get what looked like a USB stick drive inserted just below her skin. In reality, it records heart frequencies and, as she has a tendency to just tip over, lets the doctors know what exactly is going on in there when she tips over. Tipping over isn't always so good... :P

I also tried these:

Which, despite their pretty packaging...

...were pretty disappointing. I didn't get the intense dark flavor that I like and the weird wafer thing (reminded me of a cheap ice cream cone?) over the Nutella-ish filling and under the weird chocolate sprinkles (didn't taste like much, I felt like they were just hardened sugar clumps that were dyed brown...) was pretty icky. The best part was the hazelnut in the center, but it was just a pretty standard hazelnut and nothing to write home about.

Bummer.

Maybe blame it on the ingredients list?

It's generally a warning when sugar is the very first ingredient - unless there's something intense to follow, it just means sweet. And sweet whey powder? White flour? Wheat starch? Tapioca starch? Ammonium hydrogen carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate?

Since when do such things belong in a truffle?! Sheesh, Ferrero!

Anyway, after that disappointment I'm looking forward to trying the super-yummy looking (very few, and all natural, ingredients, to boot!) truffles that the kind folks over at Ulimana sent me. That post will come soon. Probably sometime this (long) weekend. :)

Oh, and I just had to post these tasties:

Because other than having a great cracker texture for scooping up peanut butter, nutella, quark, you name it (check it out!)...

...they also reminded me of Sara!

That's why I bought them actually, because I couldn't stop giggling in the store. And I'm glad I did! Unlike Ferrero (who you think would know their chocolate), Finns obviously know their crackers/crisbread!

Oh and, as for the title of the post -

Fellow Intern: It's great how well you [and foreign patient] understand each other. It's so useful that English and American are so similar!

Me: Ehm.... (thinks: I didn't realize American was a language!)

Do you speak American?

What do you think it means to speak American?

Do you ever buy things because they remind you of someone you (kind of) know?

Read More...

Cheezy Spinach

Tweet

Pin It

I stumbled upon this fabulous side dish yesterday - cheezy spinach!

I started with some oil, chopped tomato (1 medium/large) and some frozen sauteed spinach (about two handful out of this empty box).

After sauteeing all of that for about five minutes, I add a shake pepper, a teeny-weeny pinch of iodized salt, and a great big of Nooch.

Stir it all together and sautee for another three minutes and tada!

It's a delightfully flavorful side and goes excellently with potatoes in about any form. For some protein, I recommend pairing with a sausage/vegetarian sausage/tofu.

It was deliciate-worthy (deliciate = old word meaning to enjoy, delight in).

Do you ever accidentally make something delicious?
Do things turn out better or worse than you expected (for the most part)?

Read More...

A Very Chocolatey Bakefest

Tweet

Pin It

After completing some chemistry and procrastinating with some reading, the baking bug bit again!

I planned on just making one recipe (chocolate chip muffins for my muffin-loving uncle):

But they turned out so nicely (compared to the blackened disasters I got out of my geriatric oven last week).

I decided I just had to try just one more recipe. Something experimental...

Not a giant hockey puck, I swear. Nope, this is a 'tray' of brownies baked in a skillet pan. I wanted them to have some interesting spelty flavor, because I'm a big fan of whole grain baked goods, and I was also hoping to sneak in a little protein. So whole spelt flour? Check. Tofu? Check. Tasty? Check!

The best part about baking sans-eggs is being able to sample the batter throughout, in order to see whether or not the result will *probably* taste at the end.

I stirred together: 0.25c baking cocoa, 0.5 c. whole spelt flour, 0.25 tsp. baking powder, and  0.25 tsp. salt. In a separate bowl, I blended 0.6c honey, 50g firm tofu (chopped), 0.5 c. olive oil, 0.25 c. cow's milk, 1 tsp. vanilla extract (butter-vanilla, to be exact). I combined the two (don't overmix!) and then added 100g of chopped Lindt Excellence. Throwing in a candy bar is always a fabulous idea. :) Then I baked the beauty for 30 minutes, covered with aluminum foil, at 150C. It was tasty! I will have to try it as a brownie sundae base...

Anyway, now I had this big tub of tofu open, and nothing to do with it! So I decided to try to make my own tofu 'ice cream' pops.

They ended up being slices, but tasty ones!

I blended: 350g (finely chopped) firm tofu, 1 Tbsp baking cocoa, 1 tsp vanilla extract (butter-vanilla, again), 1.5 c. cow's milk, 0.2 tsp. salt, melted 100g Lindt Excellence Bar, 0.3 cup honey.

Then I poured it in a ceramic form and stuck it in the fridge for an hour. Took it out again, inverted it, and froze it in single portions. I'm imagining that this will be *fantastic* frozen, as it was very tasty just chilled.

But I didn't even turn on the oven for that, so it just couldn't be how I'd end my baking day. Instead, I decided to make another chocolate chip cookie pie, since it was so tasty!

But, knowing me, I couldn't leave the recipe alone. A gabajillion alterations later, this popped out of the oven:

A very tasty, but very different, still-chocolate-chip-cookie pie.

This time, 500g white beans, 0.75 tsp. baking powder, 0.125 tsp. baking soda, 0.125tsp. salt, 1 c. honey, 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract (butter-vanilla), 0.4 c. quick oats, 0.25 c. (generous) semi-ground flax seed, and 0.3 c. olive oil were blended together. Then a 100g bar of Lindt Excellence was chopped in, followed by a couple handfuls of chocolate chips. A little shake of cinnamon, 75 minutes (covered in aluminum foil) in the oven at 170C and tada!

As to which one I prefer, I'm reserving judgement for just a little bit longer. I'll get back to you about that! :)

Anyway, it was a very satisfying Saturday. But boy was I full at the end!

Have you ever baked with tofu?

Do you find yourself tempted to play with recipes?

I can never leave good enough alone, because I always see room for improvement (in everything) and why settle for good?

Read More...

Reformhaus Bacher

Tweet

Pin It

It's no big secret that I'm a huge fan of the Reformhaus Bacher. Whether for grocery shopping, a sweet treat, some fresh bread, or a little snack, it's pretty fantastic!



I had a few extra minutes before my bus arrived, since I missed the one that I was trying to catch >_< , so I decided to have a little snack while I waited. They have so many fresh salads - I just couldn't resist trying a few!



A bean salad in some tangy dressing with Raps oil (I think). YUM!



A red lentil salad that was really hearty and tasty (the dressing tasted very similar to the one on the bean salad, but a little heartier). YUM-YUM!



And, of course, a traditional Weinkraut salad! YUM-YUM-YUM! This is Germany, after all, and we love our Kraut. ;)

I really can't choose a favorite between the three. They were so delicious! And the perfect little snack to hold me over until I could get home and make some dinner - with an ice cream sundae for dessert, as we've been enjoying what I believe is the last of our lovely summer-ish weather!

How do you usually commute?

What's your favorite season?

Are you a lentil fan?

Read More...

Bake-fest

Tweet

Pin It

This weekend, I really got in the mood for baking. So I baked not one, not two, but three tasty desserts! In order of best turn-out, here they are:

Adapted from OhSheGlows' Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares with Homemade Jam.

My changes:

* I used 1 real egg (in place of the chia egg), because I neither had chia seeds nor are any of us vegan.

* I  used Latta margarine instead of Earth Balance, because I'm abroad and they don't have Earth Balance here.

* I crumbled walnuts on top, instead of sesame seeds, because the walnuts added awesome flavor.

* I used a 1/2c. white flour and a 1/2c. whole wheat flour because I didn't have any Kamut flour.

* I used white sugar, since I didn't have any brown sugar.

* I used honey in place of maple syrup.

* I used baking powder, since I didn't have any baking soda.

* I used dairy milk instead of almond milk, because I didn't have any almond milk and no one here is vegan.

It really seems like I can never just leave a recipe as-is! Still, it was really easy (and quick) to make and everyone, even those who *abhor* anything even close to a healthy-ish dessert, loved it!

The base (and topping) ended up being more cakey, with a runnier batter, than Angela's. That's probably due to the egg, the baking powder, and maybe the different margarine? I'd like to try it with a flax egg...though then I have to go find some ground flax seed. I've never actually baked with substitute 'eggs' before...

I had originally planned to freeze some for later, but these are too much of a hit for that to stand a chance of happening!

Recipe #2 was still tasty, but it was actually the first one that I baked (in my WWII-era oven, mind you) and the finnicky oven didn't want to do a good job - it burnt the top in the first ten minutes! Still, it ended up tasty - if charred. :)

Beany Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

425 g white beans

1 cup quick oats

0.5 cup vegetable oil (I used Raps, but canola should work, too)

2.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1.25 cup sugar

0.25 cup honey

200g high-quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used 2 Lindt Excellence 100g bars)

1)    Put the first 7 ingredients in a blender, blend. CAUTION: You’ll want to use a good blender! This killed my cheap one!

2)    Stir in the chopped chocolate.

3)    Pour into a baking paper lined baking dish (I baked it in my skillet pan).

4)    Bake at 175C for about 25 to 30 minutes, until testing toothpick comes out without globby stuff on it.

5)    Cool, cut, enjoy!

High in protein and fiber, this is a tasty way to sneak in some extra nutrients! It's essential to use high-quality chocolate, though - how can you expect a good pie if you don't use good ingredients?
You can definitely taste the bean flavor, so this isn't something for the warier picky eaters out there (my little sister wasn't a fan). The flavor fits in surprisingly well, however (me and my mom both really like it), so it's great if you're looking for a way to sneak in some beans into a tasty treat!

Funnily enough, the recipe that I enjoyed the least was also the 'normal' one. An apple pie that did not turn out well!

I left off the top crust, because I thought it would be nice to be able to see the apples, but then the filling didn't really solidify super-well. It tasted okay, but was definitely not a beauty.

Oh well! I'd say 1.5 out of three (the second recipe gets 0.5, since the oven charred it) is a good start for an oven that's been out of circulation for several decades. :P

Do you notice differences when you bake in different ovens?

Have you ever tried a baked good with beans in it?

What's your favorite healthy dessert recipe?

Read More...

Pastaroni

Tweet

Pin It

ToTo tell the truth, I'm really not a big pasta fan. I just don't find it that tasty and I think the texture is weird. But now and then, I do feel like a plate of pasta (usually elbow macaroni or the corkscrews that my little sister so affectionately calls 'caterpillars').

The best way to make pasta, in my opinion, is to approach the stove without a plan and just go wild!

Results:

In case it looks tasty and you'd like to know how to make it, here's the 'recipe.' I made it all in one pan (my handy-dandy cast iron skillet pan) so it's a great, quick recipe for college kids and anyone else who doesn't want to do a lot of dishes or spend a lot of time cooking.

Vegan Pastaroni for One

1) Bring a little less than an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of an ~9" diameter pan.

2) Pour in a little frozen broccoli (however much you'd like) and simmer for ~2 minutes.

3) Add however much pasta you want (I used whole wheat macaroni). Cook for ~5 more minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated/been absorbed.

4) Pour a good couple of glugs of olive oil over the mix, stir. Add ~1/2 can chopped/diced tomatoes, a good sprinkle of oregano, a good sprinkle of paprika, pepper, and salt. Stir.

5) Add a bunch of nutritional yeast (I think I used ~1/4 to 1/3 cup, but I really just shook it in there until it looked good). Stir.

6) Cook for another ~2 or ~3 minutes, until the broccoli is nice and soft.

7) Enjoy!

I'm a card-carrying member of the clean plate club:

And, for dessert, I had a bowl of raspberry Quark with flaxseeds and walnuts.

Yum-yum-yum! And this meal is *very* filling. It's definitely a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

Do you prefer fast recipes or ones that you linger over?

Are you a one-pan cook?

Do you prefer pasta, rice, potatoes, cereal or bread?

Read More...