Sensible Portions' Snacks: Veggie Straws

The Sensible Portions' Veggie Straws Original flavour are a healthier snack option that are actually very delicious! I'm eating them as I write this *munch munch munch*. They are very crunchy, light and hollow like a straw on the inside (kind of obvious, right?) with a very mild flavour.

Sensible Portions also have Potato Straws in Rosemary and Olive Oil and Salt and Vinegar flavours, and Apple Straws in Original Cinnamon flavour.

The Veggie Straws packaging boasts: No Artificial Ingredients, 0 Trans Fat, Cholesterol Free, No Preservatives.

Veggie Straws (Original) Ingredients: Potato flour (potato flakes, potato starch), sunflower oil, corn starch, tomato puree, spinach powder, salt, sugar, turmeric.

*For those who may be allergic please be warned that Sensible Portions products MAY CONTAIN MILK, SOY AND WHEAT. Please make sure to read the ingredients before consuming any new food products.

Per 68 straws (50g) - the ideal 'portion' - there are 240 calories, 13g of fat (0 trans fat, 0 cholesterol), 520mg sodium, 30g carbohydrates: 1g fibre, (0g sugar): 1g protein.

To see other Sensible Portion products please check out their website at http://www.sensibleportions.com

Vegan 'Nutella' Recipe

One thing I really miss is Nutella. There is a super soft squishy place in my heart for overly sugary not nearly as nutritious as it claims hazelnut spread, and it is extremely hard for me to fight off the cravings - especially when my husband sneaks it into the house. Even though it is on a shelf above my head, it is as if I can sense its presence there. Then I indulge and end up regretting it. "Enough is enough!" I said to myself. There has to be an attainable substitute that I can eat! Has to be, has to be! And there is! Actually there are several, but many require that you roast and hand-peel and kill your blender blending your own hazelnuts. I don't have the energy for such an undertaking (however, if someone else wanted to make me a chocolate hazelnut spread with freshly blended hazelnuts I wouldn't object!) so I found one that uses pre-fab hazelnut butter as it's base. For the original recipe, please see Seitan is my Motor.

I worked around what I had in the house at the time to make a chocolate hazelnut spread that I think tastes like a combination of a Bueno bar and the Mayan Chocolate Häagen-Dazs flavor ice cream. With my changes, the recipe looks something like this:

Per 1/2 cup hazelnut butter (the all-natural, no preservatives kind):

• 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder, to taste (I used Fry's Premium Cocoa)
• 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (you can also make a simple syrup with unrefined cane sugar or use agave nectar or honey)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (for richness and depth)
• 2-3 tablespoons rice milk

You can also add a pinch of salt for a more salty/sweet combination. If your hazelnut butter is not very oily, you can add a little bit of oil to help it stay spreadable. The recipe I followed suggested Canola oil. You can really play around with the ingredients to make it individual to your taste. It is good hot or cold, and is actually nutritious enough to be a believable breakfast item, and delicious enough to amaze you every time you eat it.

I make it in very small batches so I don't just sit there with a bucket and a spoon and go to town. Good luck experimenting! Next time I may try spicing it with chili to give it a bit of a kick!

Apologies, this blog post is unedited because life is kicking my butt.

Special thanks to author of blog Seitan is my Motor. Your recipes warm my heart.

A Chip Substitute Comparison: Rice Works vs Popchips

So now that I have cookies covered for the most part, I was thinking (possibly out loud) that it would be great to have a good chip option for when I am in a salty savory mood (I am known to get those every now and then, especially on Friday nights). Since then, my amazing husband has managed to find me not one, but two amazing options, and they both taste great. Since there is a "vs" in the title, I have turned it into a bit of a competition. There can be only one, so let's review the facts.

Let's begin with Riceworks, it was the first one that I tried. If a bag of Doritos had a baby with a bag of rice crackers, I imagine something very similar might emerge. They are very crunchy, and they have the tendency to stick in your teeth the same way rice cakes or rice crackers do. They have two flavors that I have seen here, Salsa Fresco and Sea Salt, but their site boasts more. A big plus is that they seem to be everywhere overnight. They are in the snack stall in the lobby at my work! In the pharmacy checkout line! The corner store! Not that I don't love my health food stores, but it's not always convenient for me to drop everything and run to Kensington Market when I have a craving. This means that it is easily accessible. Everyone can have healthy chips! And they are very, very healthy. Their packaging reads: Wheat and gluten free, vegan* and Celiac friendly, low in saturated fat, natural brown rice (18g whole grain per 40g serving), no artificial flavors, no cholesterol, no trans fat. Per 15 chips (although I know no one is counting while snarfing) there are 190 calories, 9g of fat (only 1g is saturated fat, no trans fat), no cholesterol, 260mg sodium, 26g carbs, 2g of fiber, 1g of sugar and 3g of protein.

Ingredients: Whole grain brown rice, rice flour, masa corn flour, safflower oil and/or sunflower oil and/or canola oil, sesame seeds, rice starch, dehydrated vegetables (tomato, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, parsely, cilantro), salt, maltodextrin, spices, sodium diacetate, sugar, autolyzed yeast extract, jalapeno, citric acid, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, natural flavour, lactic acid, extractives of paprika, natural caramel colour, silicon dioxide and calcium stearate (anti-caking agents).

* I see a 'Parmesan Cheese' flavor on their website, so I am not sure if it is a simulated cheese flavor or if it actually contains cheese. If you are a vegan, please check the ingredients list before you start snacking!

Popchips came to me a week later, so needless to say I feel completely spoiled with chips. I've been jamming these in my face the whole time I've been writing (for research purposes, of course) and they are like eating BBQ flavored air. Delicious, delicious air. However, as yummy as they are, the packaging warns that people who are allergic to soy and to milk should avoid, and it has also been made on equipment shared with wheat. Now, because I am very dense, at first I couldn't figure out why milk allergies would be triggered, but I have since figured out that, taking a hint from little miss Muffet, it's the Whey, aka Milk Plasma, the liquid that remains after they made cheese, that they use in the BBQ seasoning (this might not be the case for all of the flavors) I have not seen these in any stores yet, we ordered them online through Grocery Gateway (they may sell them at the Longos chain stores, because that is where GG gets their food from). These are also self-proclaimed healthy snack. The package reads: Natural ingredients, no preservatives, no artificial flavours or colours, no cholesterol, no trans fat, "We don't fry (unhealthy). We don't bake it (undelicious). We start with the finest ingredients, apply heat and pressure, and pop!". Per 27 chips (40g serving) there are 180 calories, 6g of fat (o.5g saturated fat, no trans fat), no cholesterol, 360mg sodium (ouch!), 29g carbs, 2g of fiber, 3g of sugar, and 1g of protein.

Ingredients: potato ingredients (potato flour, potato starch), safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, barbeque seasoning (sugar, whey, onion and garlic powder, salt, torula yeast, brown sugar, tomato powder, yeast extract, spices, natural flavours, natural smoke flavour, citric acid* [acidulant], paprika extract* [color]), rice flour, salt, soy lecithin* (processing aid).

*naturally sourced

ALLERGEN: Milk, Soy

MADE ON EQUIPMENT SHARED WITH WHEAT

The verdicts are in! Both these chips are winners in my books, but for different reasons. The healthiest I believe is the Riceworks, and they don't compromise on flavor either, which is really important to me. I don't believe that healthier products should have to taste less yummy, and luckily, neither do they! Riceworks chips would also be able to stand up to a dip or salsa, their texture is more suited to it. Popchips, on the other hand, is the tastier of the two (if crack were a chip) in my humble opinion. The texture is light and fluffy and their BBQ flavor is outrageously good. However, not as many dietary minorities can enjoy them, and that chagrins my enjoyment just a tiny bit too. I also can't eat as many of these at a time because of some of the ingredients. Although they are delish all by themselves I don't think they could stand up to a dip because of their more delicate texture.

Drumrolls please! The winner is.... Riceworks! They have it all. Everyone should go out and buy a bag for their local corner store to show that there is a definite demand for these products in regular stores not just in specialty ones!

Pita Break Lavash Crackers

I discovered the (vegan) Pita Break Lavash Cracker "Organic Spelt" flavor while rushing around a Loblaws a couple of months ago when my mother-in-law's unexpected visit led to my husband and I hosting dinner with one of the guests being hardcore vegan. I know what it is like to go to a party or be invited to dinner and not have my dietary restriction accommodated. I have also been to ones that have been accommodating, and I am always pleasantly surprised and deeply grateful when it happens (although, as other experiences have shown, it is wise not to expect it). I wanted to extend her the same courtesy.

This flavor happens to be vegan, but not all Pita Break Lavash Crackers are. Most of the other flavors contain honey. As far as I know, the "Organic Spelt" crackers are the only ones that don't. I really enjoy them. I like products that have a small list of ingredients I can fully understand - I like to know exactly what I am eating - and I also like things that are very healthy but don't compromise on flavor.

The packaging proclaims "Source of Omega-3 Polyunsaturates" "Free of Artificial Preservatives" and "Low in Fat; 0 trans fat". Per cracker (keep in mind, they are giant and filling, the real-life equivalent of J.R.R Tolkien's Lembas Bread) there is 105mg of sodium, 1g of fibre, 1g of sugar, 2g of protein, 1g of fat, no cholesterol and 60 calories.

Ingredients: Organic whole stone ground spelt flour, filtered water, organic flax seeds (whole and crushed) organic brown cane sugar, organic sunflower oil, magnesium free sea salt, organic sesame seeds.

That's it. Seriously. I suggest eating them with hummus, guacamole or salsa or any other dip - even something sweet instead of savory - because they are definitely heavy and a bit dry.

A Gift from Toronto Pride 2010: Cookies

I have heard of ShaSha Bread before, although I will be the first to admit I was not rushing out to try their vegan or gluten-free breads. I am polish; I grew up on very delicious Rye breads and home made Challah bread, so maybe I am a bit of a snob in this respect. Well, shame on me. These tiny little cookies that were thrown at my head during the Toronto Pride Parade last weekend have definitely made me pay them significantly more attention. They are local too, their main office is right next door in Etobicoke. It is good to support local!

It is a constant battle to find snack foods that won't make me sick. I was, and still am, a BIG snacker. I have a very fast metabolism so three meals a day has never really worked for me, and the food restricted man or woman cannot live on carrot sticks alone, they need cookies too, damn it! These satisfy such an enormous craving that I can hardly condense all my avid flailing into words.

I have tried three different flavors (Gingersnap - featured above, Lemon Snaps and Cocoa Snaps) and I have liked them all. Their texture reminds me of tea cookies; they definitely live up to the "snap" in their names. They each have their own cute little slogans too. "Cocoa Snaps, A Lover's Treat", "Lemon Snaps, Spelt Hearts Filled with Zest" and "Ginger Snaps, Traveller's Friend". As far as I can tell they are dairy-free and nut-free (stated on the package). The packing on all three flavors also states it may contain "traces" of egg, for all those with relevant allergies. There is surprisingly little sugar (8-9g per 15! delicious heart shaped cookies - granted, they are a little on the small side), 90g of sodium, no cholesterol or trans fat, 2g of protein and 130 calories.

Ingredients (Cocoa Snaps): Wheat flour*, brown sugar, canola oil, chocolate liquor, water, honey**, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, vanilla extract, blackstrap molasses, baking powder, natural caramel flavor, salt.

Ingredients (Lemon Snaps): Organic spelt flour*, organic evaporated cane juice, organic sunflower oil, organic palm fruit oil, water, organic poppy seeds, organic malt syrup, organic honey**, lime powder, organic blackstrap molasses, organic vanilla extract, natural lemon flavor, sunflower lecithin, salt, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate.

Ingredients (Ginger Snaps, my favorite!): Organic spelt flour*, organic evaporated cane juice, water, organic sunflower oil, organic malt syrup, organic palm fruit oil, organic honey**, organic spices, organic blackstrap molasses, organic ground ginger, sunflower lecithin, salt, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate.

*Not gluten-free

**Not vegan (if you are a vegan who doesn't eat honey)

Available at The Carrot Common.

‘Arare’ Rice Puffs

I discovered these bizarrely flavored, oddly addictive snacks while rummaging through The Big Carrot Natural Food Market at The Carrot Common outside Chester Station. That store is pricey, yes, but packed full of vegan and gluten-free options for any snacking mood; salty, sweet, moist, crunchy they've got it all. I was in a bit of a salty savory mood when I picked these up on a whim. Now be warned, the green ones definitely have a fish food reminiscent seaweedy taste to them. The darker glossy onces are flavored like the mushroom flavored Ramen noodle broth packets, and all the others of the five proclaimed flavors just taste salty with the nice almost sweet aftertaste of a regular rice cake. They are crunchy on the outside and empty on the inside and after suffering through the first few bites they become very, very addictive. Soon enough you are snacking on them something fierce and your tiny bag that you paid four dollars for after tax is practically empty. They are vegan, fat-free and wheat-free, and for all the salty flavor there is only 160mg of sodium per 30g serving (about half a bag), zero grams of sugar and 3g of protein. I also like them because the list of ingredients are few and I understand them all. That's always a very good sign when it comes to snack foods.

Ingredients: Sweet brown rice, tamari soy sauce (water, whole soybeans, sea salt), black sesame seeds, nori seaweed, barely malt syrup, koji (aspergillus oryzae), shiitake, kombu, sea salt.