I present to you:

The Mariani Honey Bar, Trail Mix
check out company info here

Ingredients
Peanuts, Honey, Raisins, Sunflower Kernels, Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds.

Say whut?! That ingredient list blows me away. It is literally just trail mix, with honey.

6g Protein, 2g Fiber, 12g Sugar, 12g Fat.

Taste: Crunchy (no wonder, it’s just nuts), chewy. I guess neither of those describes the taste, really. It tasted like trail mix (surprise!) but with extra sweetness from all the honey.
Price: $1.49 I think? Cheaper than your average Clif bar, for sure.
Like:
The ingredients! Wow! And it’s less messy than a bag with trailmix on your lap.
Dislike: A bit too much honey – almost a bit too sweet and your fingers get all sticky.
WIBTA*: For sure.

*WIBTA = Would I buy this again?

PS: Yes, I eat honey (for now). No, I don’t think that makes me a cruel person. Yes, I do promise I will look into the science of beekeeping further to assure it matches and adheres to my ethical values. If that is not the case, -yes I will reconsider this decision.

You read right – it’s bar time. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of ‘let’s grab a coat and find the next pub/bar’ time. It’s not the let’s chill, talk about love and vegan pizzas, the comfortably sipping a beer after a long day of work kind of bar time (sigh).

It’s, instead, – not as alcoholic but nearly as fun – energy bar time!

look at these babies

Clif bars, Luna bars, Lara bars, Honey bars .. they’re all out there. Many of them are vegan, and while still often containing high doses of sugar, their natural ingredients still make for a relatively good snack.

So, how did I get to this point where I’m blogging ’bout energy bars?

Well, I had to admit it, but this time of year we’re coming close to exam time. That means long study sessions and little time for cooking, especially trying out those elaborate recipes that are worth sharing for you guys (like the Vegan French Onion soup!). Instead, I will at least share (sharing is caring!) and review the copious amounts of energy and chocolate bars I devour on a daily basis.

Why the sudden fancy for energy bars? – you may ask. Well, truth is, we’ve only recently discovered our love, and now it’s hard to go back. A new sweet little grocery opened right on campus and they have an excellent selection of the afore-mentioned bars. They are handy, readily available, not-too-expensive (2$ max), relatively healthy, give a good energy boost and are just yummy. What can beat that?

I will start this little series with the first one of my 2 victims tonight, the:

LUNA: Smores Flavour Bar

Marshmallow nuggets swirled with graham crackers, topped with dark chocolate.
This is what LUNA has to say about this bar:

How can something so good for us be so delicious? It’s simple. Start with the best ingredients possible (nothing artificial, 70% organic) and nutrition that matters most to women. Mix with flavors that make mouths water and the rest is sweet (and healthy!) history.
High in calcium and folic acid
Rich in antioxidants A, C, E
9g protein, 3g fiber

Luna is a brand under Clif bars, which I really like. Their products are (partially) organic, vegan most of the time, with clean ingredients and creative flavours.
I also really like this tool on their website that let’s you see exactly which ingredients and allergens are in which of their products. It’s always pleases me to see companies be aware of and catering to people with food allergies and dietary preferences.

Now, let’s get talking ’bout that bar.

Taste: Very yummy, good chocolate base. I could not really taste the smores though. Tasted more like coconut to me.
Price: $1.69. Tolerable.
Plus: 9g of protein and 3g of fiber are excellent stats.
Minus: Luna bar – “the whole nutrition bar for women”. Seriously?! Not sure what it is specifically about this bar that makes it more appropriate for women (estrogen additives? happy mood drugs? chocolate base for pms victims?).That labeling really put me off.
Would I buy it again? Yeah, probably. Although now I’m tempted to try the other flavours first!

Right, that’s it for tonight. Back to the books – au revoir mes chéries.

Last weekend, we went skiing. After a long morning of racing down the slopes, we all met up again on the hut for lunch. We were in a hut, and all my friends ordered French Onion Soup, while I was chewing on the Tofu-Baba Ganoush sandwich I sneaked in(true story). This is one of these situations where you wish restaurants would even try to be accommodating.
Now, to be honest I can’t even remember ever trying French onion soup – but it did sure look delicious.

Back at home, a few days later, I am on a mission to once again convince the world that vegan food can be just as delicious as the ‘original’. And trust me: mission accomplished.

I used this basic recipe from the Olives for Dinner blog, but modified it a little bit due to some missing ingredients:

3 large Vidalia onions
5 TB Earth Balance 2 TB E.B., 2 TB Veg Oil, salt
1 TB flour Forgot to put it in
1/2 cup sherry 1/2 cup white wine
4 cups homemade vegetable stock Some non-measured more cups of wine
1 Not-Beef bouillon cube Salt, more salt, chicken seasoning, Chili powder
5 springs of fresh thyme, tied with baker’s twine
2 bay leaves (YES!! – Managed to follow the instructions correctly!)
sliced baguette pieces,
Daiya shreds, mozzarella-style

So I am not saying my version is better on any means, just saying: if you need to improvise, do so. It will most likely still turn out delicious.

For detailed cooking instructions, please check the original recipe.

After simmering for a whole 2 hours

The stuff that dreams are made up of

This was also my first time buying Daiya cheese. I’ve heard many good things about it, so my expectations were high – and I was not disappointed. I will do a more thorough review later!
(Hint: look at the above picture to get the o-tone of my review..)

And oh man, did I love this soup. I may have gone a bit overboard with the wine, but most of the alcohol cooks off anyway (right?). So yeah.. try this and you will not regret it! I also loved having the left overs and haved enjoyed onion soup for breakfast, lunch dinner the past few days. (just kidding, the night I made it we ate so much of it there was barely any left …). But if you have more self control, I am sure this soup would make lovely leftovers!

Yet another wonderful recipe from the PostPunkKitchen blog. I present to you, the

Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Mini Loaves

Except, instead of making 8 mini loaves, I made one big loaf.
It tasted very yummy, but the texture is a bit off. I think I didn’t leave it in the oven for long enough, so it’s more a brownie-like consistency – which is fine. Makes no difference to me, really.

Even worse (ie better); I got the same food again. Bless me, eh. It was even more delicious than the first time, which may have been due to the fact that this time I was well rested instead of absolutely exhausted and starved from a long bus journey (coming from NYC).

Tempehtation Pita, take II. Still doesn’t really compel the taste through the picture.

Beautiful interior

That’s vegan cake behind the glass things! Nom! Also super cute table deco.

Stalking people to get more pictures – slyly done.

I think I preferred this location overall, it was slightly bigger (although that may have been an illusion), the table decoration was much cuter (did you see those flower pots?) and the surrounding area – the Mile-End – is nicer.

in conclusion: if you’re in Montreal, hit up Panthere Verte definitely. If you have the luxury of choosing, go to the location on 66 Rue Saint Viateur Ouest; otherwise hit up the other one.
Both are brilliant.

After a year of:

Going vegetarian in February;
Going vegan for lent;
Living off cheese & bread over the summer;
Moving to Canada in September …
And eating (almost) vegan again until December;
Traveling over Christmas and consuming dairy again;
Coming back, turning 21, and wanting change in January;

I decided to, once and for all, go vegan on February 1st.

That is, I eat a vegan diet. I still own many woolen sweaters, some leather belts, etc. I am only just starting to learn about a vegan lifestyle other than food, so give me time.

Either way:

Enjoy your day, guys!

The Green Panther is a fresh, dynamic project whose main goal is to develop
a more sustainable way of living in today’s urban reality by supporting and creating local alternatives, through the use of organic produce (local when available), recycled materials and by raising awareness.

Sounds like good hippie food, eh?

I managed to visit both of their locations, in spite of only being in Montreal for 2 days. That I call some vegan-food-finding talent. Still, I have absolutely no regrets. On both visits I was not disappointed …

To make things easier, I will report about the first location on 2153 Mackay St in Montreal downtown today, and will follow on with pictures and reports on their other location at 66, St-Viateur Street West next time.

OK I know I know – less talk, more foodz!!1!

Menu

Tempehtation Pita, $6.99

Choc Chip Cookie for good measure

It may not look like much, but the combination of the soft pita, yummy dressing (Hummus & lemon I think?) and the crispy tempeh was divine. The cookie was also delicious…
Overall – the food was so good, I had to go back the next day (review to follow).

Have a good Tuesday, guys!

Homemade Vegan Reese’s cups

Sm’love Pie

PB-Coconut-Chia Balls

PB, I love you. I can’t believe I had neglected you for 20 years of my life, but now we have all the time in the world to catch up. Thank goodness.

I heard heard that Pita Pit was “basically like Subway, but with pitas instead of subs” – and in a way, that’s very true. From the green billboards to the ads of supposed “fresh eating”, the 2 places seemed very similar. Same concept, too: you walk in, choose your size and kind of bread, choose your main topping, and then have a variety of vegetables, extra toppings, and sauces available.

Toppings bar

One significant difference to Subway though: this place seemed much more vegan friendly. There are a total 4 vegan options, and they are clearly marked as such on the menu – Hummus, Babaganoush, Falafel and Garden. Check out their menu here. I chose the 6 inch Babaganoush on whole wheat bread with lots of spinach, tomatoes, onion and black olives (love black olives), and bean sprouts. The whole thing cost $3.79, which I deemed acceptable.

babaganoush pita

Definitely good choice for a quick Sunday night dinner, maybe not great if you’re very hungry or needing some protein (shame, no tofu or tempeh in sight).

Best part: free pita chips!