Engine 2: Traditional Hummus

3/5
I've heard a lot of great things from Engine 2 products for being natural and great tasting... Maybe it only applied to their burgers. Honestly, i only bought this product because it was 2 for $3 at whole foods and this cheap girl never misses a sale. I missed the fact that the front said "no added oils, low fat, low sodium". I'm not really fan of low fat things from past experience, especially something that is supposed to be made a little bit in the higher calorie side. At first taste i was like "hm not bad". Then i had some from a leftover tub of the traditional hummus by pita pal and then another of the engine 2 hummus and i ended up eating naked celery sticks. So like a lot of these modified healthy products, it was just what i expected: bland bland bland and bland. But maybe it's because i have an expensive tongue like my family says. If you're really desperate to enjoying hummus without packing on the calories i would suggest this one.



INGREDIENTS: fresh steamed chick peas, water, sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, cumin, guar gum

NUTRITIONAL INFO:
serving size: 2 tbsp (28g)
calories: 25
 calories from fat: 5
total fat: 1g
saturated fat: 0g
trans fat: 0g
cholest.: 0g
sodium: 50mg
total carb: 4g
fiber: 1g
sugars: 1g
protein: 1g
vitamin A: 0%
vitamin C: 0%
calcium: 2%
iron: 2%

so the nutrition value is great. It's low calorie compared to regular hummus since they replace tahini with sesame seeds, it's low in sodium and high in protein and fiber per serving size. Then again, you're sacrificing a huge part of traditional hummus - THE TASTE ! your best bet is probably to make your own at home and add spices to your taste and still be able to control the fat content. I'm better off with organic hummus by pita pal. Which has no ingredients that my mind can't process like "guar gum". I don't know if it's a bad ingredient or not but anything with the word gum kind of terrifies me. I would have given this a two out of five if the nutrition wasn't this good. Again like i said, i wouldn't recommend this unless you're in some type of diet. Maybe it tastes better on some pita or falafel but i've only gotten to try it with veggies so i wouldn't know. If the nutrition value really impress you though go ahead and give this product a try.

7-eleven Cherry Snack Pie: Review

Rate: 3.5/5
I've heard a lot of things about 7-eleven products being accidentally vegan and i am a complete gas station food junkie. Something about packaged, processed, fast food just intrigues me. If you're not into that this might be a 2 but for the products being vegan i think it could even go up to a 5. At first bite, i swear i heard a symphony playing inside my mouth. Then at second, it was like when the trombone joins into an intense song. Then at the third, i had to put it down. Nevertheless, the product is absolutely delicious and never in a million years would i have guessed it to be vegan. But It didn't get anything higher because i found out a little difficult to eat more than 1/8 of the pie. It was overwhelmingly sweet (and i have a huge sweet tooth). Mid-way i felt like i was going to pass out of how ill i felt. I wasn't able to finish the whole thing in one sitting but i'm sure if you spread it out throughout your day, this product will blow your mind.

i wasn't able to get the ingredients so i'll leave that up to you guys.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Serving size: 1 pie
Calories: 480
 Calories from fat: 190
Total fat: 22g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Polyunsaturated fat: 2g
Monounsaturated fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 350mg
Total Carbohydrates: 70g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 36g
Protein: 3g
Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 0%
Iron: 0%

There's really nothing good about the nutrition of the product. Calories are high but the pie is a lot bigger than it looks. For something so sweet the calorie count actually doesn't surprise me. I'd even say it's reasonable. The calories from fat are also a lot lower than i'd expect. Now, everything else is self explanatory. It's definitely something that i wouldn't eat more than once but then again i'm sure that you won't be finishing the whole pie in one sitting. Overall the nutritional value really takes points away from this product, but you can't expect much from gas station pastries.

Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips: Review

Rate: 4.5/5 

Pita chips are my ultimate weakness and so are sweets so when i saw this you can bet i didn't think twice about putting them in my cart (i couldn't even wait to get to the cashier to start devouring these suckers). Ok so these were absolutely incredible. The cinnamon and sugar flavor was definitely there and it's not like other cinnamon chips where by the time you're eating your last chip all the cinnamon and sugar has come off. The flavors stayed consistent throughout every bite and it tasted just like a crunchy funnel cake but still not too sweet that it's overwhelming. The calorie count is a little high for the serving size so if you're not willing to pack in 400 calories on one snack then this product probably wouldn't be the best for you. Once you try one you can't stop. I was licking the inside of the bag for more. 

INGREDIENTS: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Sugar, and Less than 2% of the following: Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Cane Sugar, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Yeast, Oat Fiber, Malted Barely, Flour, Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant).
NUTRITION FACTS:
Seving size: 1oz (28g/about 7 chips)
Calories: 140
 Calories from fat: 45
Total fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 0.5
Trans fat: 0g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.5g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 115mg
Total Carbohydrate: 20g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 3g
Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 0%
Iron: 4%

For 140 calories there's 1g of fiber and 45 calories from fat and not much nutritional value at all which is why i didn't give the product a 5. Personally, i don't mind for i'm not eating these everyday. But If you're looking for a healthy snack it's better sticking to homemade pita chips sprinkled with some coconut sugar and cinnamon.

buckwheat pancakes

this is probably the best example to how lazy and cheap my food is.
I looked for this recipe everywhere and would only find ones with strange ingredients like flax eggs and flax meal and blahblah superfood and i thought that my lack of money would never get my pancakes to be good.
This one is for everyone who simply has no time to make flax seeds eggs or get flax meal and money for weird super foods.

• 1/2C buckwheat flour 
• 1/3C water or milk of choice
• 1TSP baking powder 
• a pinch of baking soda (optional) 
• Coconut oil spray or a tbsp of oil/butter
• 1T agave/honey/maple syrup/coconut sugar or 2 stevia packets

1. Preheat a skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes 
2. Add in buckwheat flour and liquid. Stir.
3. Add baking powder/soda and stir 
4. Add in sweetner and stir some more
5. Grease your skillet and throw in as much batter as you'd like, cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until the sides looked cooked and the top starts to bubble
6. Serve and top with lots of goodies ! 

Curried Chickpeas

• 2TB unrefined coconut oil or oil of your choice 
• 2C cooked chickpeas 
• 1 Medium sweet onion diced
• 1 Large bell pepper diced
• 2 Large mashed diced tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes DO NOT DRAIN
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/8 t garam masala
• 1/4 t tumeric 
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/4 t coriander 
• 3/4t fine grain sea salt
• sprinke of cayenne (optional)
• coconut milk (optional)

1. In a large skillet, melt or throw in the oil over medium heat 

2. Add in the onion and pepper stirring every few minutes until soft and lighly gold

3. Add in spices and garlic and stir for about a minute 

4. Add in canned or mashed tomatoes and chickpeas, reduce heat, stir and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Stir every few minutes.

5. Add in cayenne pepper or more garam masala if you like it spicy. You can also add more salt if you think it needs any or even a dash of coconut sugar.

6. Right before serving add in 1-2T of coconut milk (optional) 

hi !!

Hello everyone !
i'm never sure how to start these but i should probably start by introducing myself- I'm Laura, i'm 15, i have 6 dogs, a cat, a rat, a hermit crab and a clown fish. i like nut butter, mexican and mostly breakfast foods. I was born, raised and currently live in South Florida (side note: don't ever think about living here) I've gotten many questions on my recipes and i thought it would be easier if i put them all here for you since it seems a lot more organized and i don't have to answer the same "how do you make your pancakes" question every day.

I'm recovering from diagnosed Anorexia Nervosa on a vegan diet and i'm loving every second of it. I hope that making this blog will help a lot of you open more to veganism and see that it doesn't have to just be kale and bananas, though i personally wouldn't mind if that were. Or if you're just seeking for super simple recipes that don't require crazy super foods you have to dive the bottom of a volcano for.

I'm really not a good cook at all but i hope i can inspire some of you to even make something better out of my recipes.
Enjoy :)