A Review of New Things I've Tried #51: Miscellaneous

I figured while I wasn't doing as much cooking, it was a good time to show you another round up of new vegan things I've tried. This one is a miscellaneous category--just an assortment of various things from juice to grain blends to chocolate. Some of them were good, some were great, and some were terrible. On balance, I think most of my experiences were positive, though!

1. Fresh Gourmet Organic Seasoned Croutons

These are the only vegan croutons I have been able to find in stores near me. Every single crouton other than these has dairy in it. I do not know why that would be. It's surely something people allergic to milk or avoiding lactose also take issue with. But in the meantime, these croutons are great!

2. Real Cereal Co. Corn Flakes

These corn flakes are corn and salt. Nothing else. Thus (of course) they are vegan--one of very few options in the realm of corn flakes that are, given that most are fortified with Vitamin D3 from wool. I love that this is an option! With soy milk and a sprinkling of sugar, this brings me back to my favorite childhood breakfast.

3. Wegmans Dolmas

I'll admit these are a bit of a luxury, but in the summer, I get creative about avoiding cooking. I found these to be remarkably good, especially considering that they come in a can. Don't let that throw you off. You can have stuffed grape leaves on hand whenever you want!

4. Divina Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

I found this on clearance, and I'm so glad I picked it up! The concentrated tomato flavors were amazing. No dairy needed.

5. Smart Juice Antioxidant Force

In hot weather, I start looking to drink more. This juice was one I bought as one of those encouraging-hydration strategies. I liked it, but not as much as many other things I have had. I will have a hard time describing this, but I'll try. It wasn't very sweet--which makes sense, based on what it's made of, really, after all. I mean, pomegranate, tart cherry, purple carrot, and cranberry wouldn't make for a sweet drink, and grape and blueberry can only go so far to help matters. So it was a little earthy. But I didn't mind it, and it was on sale, and it got me to drink things on hot days, so all in all, probably the best I can hope for, really!

6. Wegmans Green Glory Juice

I am glad I only bought a little bottle of this to try, because I did not like this. It was bitter and had a weird texture. You also have to shake it up a lot, because the "green" part separates into sludge at the bottom in a very unappetizing way, with brown liquid on top. Maybe I'm just not a green juice person.

7. Pearls Simply Green Olives

Canned olives are typically black in my world, and the olives in jars come with the price you expect from things in jars. So a budgetary compromise for my apparent need for fancy salads all summer was to pick up canned green olives. These were good! Firm and flavorful. Not as delicious as some other, pricier olives, but definitely a nice change of pace from black olives.

8. Wegmans Grain Blends Indian Style

I had a coupon for this. It wasn't great, sadly. It was barely edible. But it was a nice concept, anyway, and I salvaged it by serving it with some flavorful curries and homemade naan.

9. Knudsden Blueberry Pomegranate Juice

More juice on sale. This one is made primarily of apple juice, and I thought it tasted mostly of apple, too, but it was good. More blueberry and pomegranate flavor would have made it more exciting, though maybe not sweet enough? Maybe I'm hard to please!

10. Tony's Chocolonely Dark Almond Sea Salt Bar

Though most of the Tony's Chocolonely bars have dairy in them, this one is dairy free. It's also one of the best bars of chocolate I've ever had! The texture is so smooth, and it melts in your mouth more easily than most dark chocolate does. I've kind of avoided Tony's for a long time because there are so many lovely dairy free brands, but sometimes, one can't find those available. I'm glad to have this option!

Have you had anything new lately?