Review of 'Liberte' Plain Firm Tofu

Liberte -- Plain Firm Tofu (vegan)
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: This is one of the best tasting plain, firm tofu products I've tried. I bake thin slices, seasoned with black pepper and any spice blend my mood calls for. The final product is always delicious. The texture is perfectly chewy on the outside and tender and spongy on the inside. My main concern is whether or not their ingredients are GMO-free. Their official website wasn't 100% clear on this issue and that raises an eyebrow...and apparently they ponied up money to block labelling of GMO products. So, despite their stated commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), I am not sold on this brand and I would not recommend it.

Where to buy: Fortinos, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart, No Frills, Freshco, Loblaws, Longos

Ingredients: filtered water, soybeans, magnesium chloride (coagulant).

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 package (125g)
Calories: 170
Fat: 11g
     Saturated: 2g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 3mg
Carbohydrates: 1g
     Fibers: 0g
     Sugars: 0g
Protein: 17g
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 15%

Do not be fooled by the simple ingredients in this case. Those soybeans are likely GMO, since this company is not committed to the non-GMO project. Aside from that, the nutrition facts are pretty good. No fiber, but it makes up for that in a whopping 17g of protein and low sodium. Too bad...Oh well, the search for a better brand that is committed to the non-GMO project will be a delicious one, I am sure!

Check out their recipe page here, where you can browse by product.

Other Tofu products:

• Tofu with Fines Herbes

Brand:

• Has contributed money to defeat Proposition 37 and is thus not on board with the GMO-labelling movement (read more here)
• Has committed to reducing its environmental footprint by supporting the development of organic products and farms.
• Supports sustainable work methods 
• Partnerships with ethiquette, a consumer not-for-profit; Défi Climat, awareness campaign for climate change, Éco Entreprises Québec (EEQ), and  Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (CBSR)
• Most products are kosher (find the exceptions here)
• Read more about sustainability accomplishments here
• May 3rd 2012 recall of yogurt due to chemical residue (read more here)

Review of 'Equal Exchange' Organic Ecuador Dark Chocolate (65% Cacao)

Equal Exchange -- Organic Ecuador Dark Chocolate (65% Cacao) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: Intense is the word. I think this is what real dark chocolate is meant to taste like. It has a distinct bitterness to it, but it's well-balanced with sweetness -- there's a real heavy depth to the flavour that I've never encountered before. It's a soft (only very slight brittle to it) chew, which was nice. I used it to bake some double chocolate chip cookies and they turned out wonderfully!

Where to buy: Bulk Barn, retail web store

Ingredients: *Organic Chocolate Liquor, *Organic Raw Cane Sugar, *Organic Cocoa Butter, *Organic Ground Vanilla Beans.

*Fair Trade Ingredient. By weight 100% Fair Trade content.

May contain traces of milk, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios and pecans.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 9 squares
Calories: 200
     Calories from fat: 130
Total fat: 14g
     Saturated fat: 9g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Total carb.: 18g
     Dietary fiber: 4g
     Sugars: 12g
Protein: 3g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 30%

The official website has some really interesting and informative reads about chocolate: e.g. How to Taste Chocolate, Chocolate and Coffee Pairings.

Also check out their recipes here. Some recipes that use their chocolate bars include: Delightful Date Cookies, Chocolate Scones, and Hazelnut Coffee Brownies.

Other chocolate bar flavours:

•  Organic Milk Chocolate Minis (41% Cacao) 
• Organic Dark Chocolate Minis (55% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Panama Extra Dark Chocolate (80% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Orange Dark Chocolate (65% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Mint Chocolate with a Delicate Crunch (67% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Chocolate Espresso Bean (55% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Milk Chocolate with a Hint of Hazelnut (38% Cacao)
• Organic Dark Chocolate with Almonds (55% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Very Dark Chocolate (71% Cacao) (vegan)
• Organic Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt (55% Cacao)

Brand:

• Small farmer grown
• Sustainable farming
• Organic and Fair Trade
• Worker-owned cooperative

Review of 'Parnoosh' All Natural Pitted Dates

Parnoosh -- All Natural Pitted Dates (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: These are the best dates I've ever had (well, I've only ever had 3 brands in total). They're sweeter than other brands and have a sugariness to them that's just awesome. It has a very, very thin shell that's slightly crisp and gives way to a juicy, super tender and soft interior. These are so good, that I could actually have them for a dessert and be satisfied. That's how sweet they are! And no matter how long the dates are kept, they remain delicious! I'm just a bit disappointed that I couldn't really find much information about the Parnoosh Company, so I deducted points (for instance, as it's not organic, I can't confirm whether pesticides were used). Bummer.

Where to buy: Freshco

Ingredients: sayer dates.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 6 pieces (40g)
Calories: 140
Fat: 0g
     Saturated: 0g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Carbohydrate: 33g
     Fibre: 3g
     Sugars: 28g
Protein: 1g
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 6%

As a health-conscious eater with a massive sweet tooth, dates are *always* in the pantry. They're just essential for baking cakes, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, and all sorts of desserts. It's a great substitute for sugar and my family can't even believe that some of my baking creations are sugar-free!

You can check out some recipe suggestions on the official Parnoosh website (e.g. Stuffed Salami Wrapped Dates!).

Brand:

• Not much information available about the company on the website.

Review of 'Blue Diamond Almonds' Almond Breeze Original (Unsweetened)

Almond Breeze -- Original (Unsweetened) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: This milk has a neutral taste and is best for making shakes, cereals and teas/coffees. It's not one I'd personally prefer have on its own because it's unsweetened. I use it in baking to melt chocolate and create sauces and as a dairy milk substitution. It's a hit in my baking activities. It's got a smooth and thin texture and a very clean, simple taste. It is refreshing as a stand-alone beverage, but my sweet tooth is demanding! I'd recommend this product for its great ingredients, clean taste, and versatility.

Where to buy: Freshco, Fortinos, Sobeys, Bulk Barn



Ingredients: filtered water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin and natural flavour.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 40
Fat: 3.5g
     Saturated: .3g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 180mg
Potassium: 190mg
Carbohydrate: 2g
     Fiber: 1g
     Sugars: 0g
Protein: 1g
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 4%
Vitamin E: 15%
Phosphorus: 2%
Magnesium: 8%

The ingredients are simple, minimal, and free of GMOs and all things artificial. This alone scores this milk some big points. It's super low-calorie, low in saturated fat *and* carbs, and has no cholesterol. I'm not a big fan of the sodium content because I tend to get more than enough sodium in my diet (like most of us), but this means I just have to monitor myself a little bit more.

Although it's low in fiber and protein, it does make up for this in calcium and vitamin E and my body can always use a bit more calcium (I'm getting old!...yeah yeah, aren't we all).

I give this 2 thumbs up, especially for diabetics  (0g of sugars).

Other 'Almond Breeze' flavours (all vegan):

• Unsweetened Vanilla Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
• Unsweetened Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend 
• Vanilla Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend 
• Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
• Original 
• Vanilla (reviewed here)
• Vanilla - Unsweetened
• Chocolate
• Chocolate - Unsweetened 

Brand:

• Soy-free
• No MSG
• Non-GMO
• All refrigerated products are kosher
• Gluten-free
• No artificial flavours
• No BPA in packaging
• Almonds are grown by a growers cooperative

Review of 'Blue Diamond Almonds' Almond Breeze (Vanilla)

Blue Diamond Almonds Almond Breeze (Vanilla) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: Wow, this turned out to be way sweeter than I expected.  It's great on its own and great in cereals and coffee/tea. The texture is really smooth/velvety and creamy and it's a very refreshing beverage. It's pretty low-cal for how great it tastes and I'd definitely buy this again. Check out the brand details below...fantastic company to support!

Where to buy: Freshco, Fortinos, Sobeys, Bulk Barn



Ingredients: filtered water, evaporated cane juice, almonds, calcium carbonate, natural vanilla flavor, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan and sunflower lecithin.

Nutrition Facts*
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 90
Fat: 2.5g
     Saturated: .2g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 150mg
Potassium: 180mg
Carbohydrate: 16g
     Fiber: 1g
     Sugars: 15g
Protein: 1g
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 4%
*Full nutritional profile available here.

Great, clean ingredients (unless you're concerned with sugar content). There's no added sugar, which is a big plus and the calorie count is nice and low! I'm happy for the 30% calcium content, since I'm almost always lacking in my daily calcium intake. My only issue is the sodium content. I really don't like that much sodium in just a beverage...it doesn't help when so many foods are already too high in sodium! Still...I'd buy this again :) It's just that yummy.

The official website has some really yummy-looking recipes: check out the 'Almond Cupcakes'.

Other 'Almond Breeze' flavours (all vegan):

• Unsweetened Vanilla Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend 
• Unsweetened Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend 
• Vanilla Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend 
• Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
• Original 
• Original - Unsweetened
• Vanilla - Unsweetened
• Chocolate
• Chocolate - Unsweetened 

Brand:

• Soy-free
• No MSG
• Non-GMO
• All refrigerated products are kosher
• Gluten-free
• No artificial flavours
• No BPA in packaging
• Almonds are grown by a growers cooperative

Review of 'Triscuit' Baked Whole Grain Wheat Crackers (Original)

Triscuit -- Crackers (Original) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: I do like these. They're super crispy and fresh, even though I opened the box about 2 months before the 'best before' date. The texture is really great with the interwoven wheat. It's nicely salted (not too salty like many crackers). I have been pairing it with an ajvar spread and...yum! My  only issue is how terrible the brand (made by Kraft) is...I wouldn't buy it again simply for that reason. You can read more about the brand below.

Where to buy: Freshco, Sobeys


Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SOYBEAN OIL, SALT.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 4 crackers
Calories: 80
Fat: 2.5g
     Saturated: .4g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 115mg
Carbohydrate: 13g
     Fibre: 2g
     Sugars: 0g
Protein: 2g
Iron: 6%

There would be no problem with the ingredients if I didn't think that the oil was almost certainly a GMO. Other than that, the nutritionals are fine for a little snack. These are simple and great-tasting crackers and you can put almost anything you like on them. Nothing beats cheeses and meats, of course, but I've also tried it with a hummus spread and an avocado spread and it works really nicely.

Other flavours:

• Low Sodium Original
• Low Sodium Roasted Garlic and Herb
• Dill, Sea Salt, and Olive Oil
• Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil
• Rosemary and Olive Oil
• Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil

Brand:

• Some products contain GMO ingredients (more information here)
• Class action lawsuit filed against Kraft  by employees resulted in a settlement (read 2012 article here)
• 2007: sued for falsely labelling Capri Sun as 'All Natural' (read article here)
• 2011: class action lawsuit filed against Kraft's pollution in Attica (read article here)
• There are more lawsuits, though too many to list here! You get the picture...
• Work with American Red Cross for humanitarian efforts
• Uses BHT in packaging of some products

Review of 'Clif Bar' Black Cherry Almond

Clif Bar -- Black Cherry Almond (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: The (soy) white chocolate made took this from a 3.5 to 4/5! It was soo good! The bar isn't quite as sweet as other Clif Bars I've had, which is my only issue. For any normal person, I'm sure it'll be sweet enough, though. It's chewier than I expected, which I really liked (a soft and nicely textured chew). I found that the cherry flavour was super subtle and I had to really search for it. 'White Chocolate Almond' may have been a better name. Overall, a delicious, filling, and nutrient-packed snack bar.

Where to buy: Bulk Barn, Fortinos, Costco


Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, ClifCrunch® (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium), Almonds, Dried Cherries, Organic Cane Syrup, Soy White Chocolate (Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Cocoa Butter, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Organic Fig Paste, Almond Butter, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Natural Vitamin E (Antioxidant).

Nutrition Information*
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 250
Fat: 5g
     Saturated fat: 1.5g
     Trans: 0g
     Polyunsaturated: 2g
     Linoleic acid: 2g
     n3 linolenic acid: .2g
     Monounsaturated: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 110mg
Potassium: 440mg
Carbohydrate: 44g
     Fibre: 3g
     Sugars: 20g
Protein: 10g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 50%
Calcium: 25%
Iron: 25%
*Full nutritional profile available here.

Although this is a really yummy bar, my love for chocolate drives me to rate chocolatey snacks higher (generally speaking). I deducted points for the missing cherry flavour, which is kinda big. I don't often find cherry-flavoured snacks, but I was hopeful that Clif Bar would be able to deliver one of the gems...like So Delicious' Cherry Nirvana -- reviewed here (mmm!). I'm dyin' to try the White Chocolate Macadamia now that I've tasted just how good they do the 'soy white chocolate'.

Other Clif Bar flavours (all vegan, baby):

• Apricot
• Banana Nut Bread
• Blueberry Crisp
• Carrot Cake (reviewed here)
• Chocolate Almond Fudge (reviewed here) 
• Chocolate Brownie
• Chocolate Chip (reviewed here)
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
• Coconut Chocolate Chip
• Cool Mint Chocolate
• Crunchy Peanut Butter
• Gary's Panforte
• Iced Gingerbread
• Maple Nut (reviewed here)
• Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
• Peanut Toffee Buzz
• Peppermint Stick (reviewed here)
• Spiced Pumpkin
• White Chocolate Macadamia

Brand:

• Each Clif Bar is 70% organic
• No high-fructose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils
• No artificial preservatives or trans fats
• No artificial colours, sweeteners or flavours
• Non-GMO
• Clif Bar Family Foundation
• Commitment to Zero Waste
• Climate Action Approach
• Partnerships with American Forests and Trees for the Future
• Organic farming strategy
• Certified Sustainable
• Community involvement (e.g. collaboration with other businesses, volunteering, sharing products, philanthropy)