The Most Crave-able Vegan Candy Bar!

I've been vegan for about six months and outside of cheese the hardest food to look past and ignore in the grocery store is chocolate, especially that rack of flashy candy bars on the checkout line. And no, I don't really dark chocolate all that much. I'm talking about real, creamy, luscious milk chocolate. You know - the kind most people crave and are addicted to. I don't care how much sugar, fat and oil they're made with - Snickers, Kit Kats, Twix, Reeses, M&M's, Milky Ways, 5th Avenues, Watchamacallits, Nestle Crunches, Butterfingers and Hershey Bars are all freaking delicious. I especially have a hard time ignoring those bagged Dove Chocolates :(

But...like vegan cheese, wonderful change is appearing on the horizon and already in some retail stores. Vegan chocolate companies are springing up everyone online, and the best chocolate candy I've had the pleasure to try so far is this wrapped wonder:

I think I love you, Mahalo 

 Say aloha to Mahalo Bar! The vegan answer to creamy, chocolately-coconut Almond Joys. Funny thing is, before I went vegan I never liked Almond Joys - in fact I kind of hated them. I just wasn't a big fan of either the almonds or the shredded coconut, and it was the kind of candy I had no interest in if somebody gave one to me. But now, six months into this vegan thing and desperate for decent cruelty-free chocolate, I have become hooked on this yummy little bar!

How does it taste? Like creamy chocolate heaven with a gooey, sugary coconut filling bursting with full-blown dairy chocolate flavor. Go Max Go Foods makes these dream bars along with an assortment of other candy ( the Buccaneer is a nice approximation of a Milky Way) and I'd like to congratulate them for putting out the first mass-produced edible vegan chocolate bar. 

If only more food companies understood how badly vegans want their milk chocolate! But Mahalo is a sweet step in the right direction. Now if only Whole Foods would start selling them :|

In Miami you can find Mahalo bars at the Adventist Book Store located in Miami Springs:
1 S Royal Poinciana Blvd, Miami Springs, FL 33166

https://www.facebook.com/ABCMiamiBranch

Mad About Maoz!

A big sign hanging  in Maoz Vegetarian on Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road warns customers: "Careful - Our falafel can be addictive!"
After my fiftieth visit, I am starting to agree with them. (Actually it's been more like 5, but whose counting?)
 I am definitely not a falafel expert - I only had it once before at Pasha's in Aventura mall years ago and at a Middle Eastern restaurant further south on the beach, and both of those experiences were definitely meh - but Maoz has those amazing green beefy balls darn near perfect!  If there is a better tasting falafel out there, please someone tell me what it is so we can have a Falafel Off. (That should be a kid's TV show character)

Being that I'm kind of inexperienced in the falafel world, I did not realize that falafel meals typically come with a rainbow assortment of delicious vegetables and sauces to stuff into your pita. When I saw them I thought those were expensive side dishes you had to pay extra for. Not so! I discovered this mountainous veggie buffet of coleslaw, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, pickles, carrots, olives and more amazing toppings are part of the falafel indulgence experience, and they are free for the taking!

Naturally, I spent a good 10 minutes filling up those trusty plastic sauce cups with generous helpings of each tasty topping. My absolute favorites from Maoz are the tomato medley salad (diced tomato chunks, cool cucumbers and chickpeas) and the spicy onions which come slathered in a toothsome tomato paste.  All the veggies are super-fresh and pleasingly chilled and - I still can't believe it - they are all you can eat!

 To the Sauces: I have heard about tahini and know it is a Middle Eastern paste made from sesame seeds. But I just don't like it. Every time I go to Maoz I try to sample some, hoping the taste will grow on me. But after my umpteenth try I have decided I just don't like their tahini sauce - it tastes too much like wet, smoky chalk. Sorry if I offend any tahini lovers out there. But Maoz also offers great fresh ketchup and a very yummy garlic yogurt sauce which unfortunately is milk-based but if you're in the mood to cheat it's dee-lish.

Now for the best part: DEM FRIES! Maoz has some of best french fries out there - thick, perfectly crispy, perfectly salty, highly flavored and well seasoned. I am putting these fries up there with McDonald's for pure addictiveness. And you can choose from regular ones or sweet potato - or get them both mixed for an extra 50 cents. On this visit I went old school with the regular ones (These did not last long after the little photo shoot)

The conclusion: Maoz has phenomenal falafel! And it's even better enjoyed if you take your meal (which they will generously wrap up and bag for you) across Washington Ave to the beautiful New World Symphony park, where SoBe denizens and tourists lounge on the numerous benches and quiet grassy spots to soak up the nourishing sunshine.When I visited last Friday, the atmosphere was peaceful and the air crisp and pleasantly cool. It's a perfect place to dine al fresco while indulging in Miami's best fried green garbanzo balls.

And those bougainvilleas! There's nothing better than noshing on a pita while gazing up at bright pink flower vines wrapped in worm hole wire ice cream cones.
I love it!

Maoz Vegetarian is located at 1657 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach.
Open Sunday - Thursday from 10:00 am - 11 pm. Closed Friday and Saturday.
www.maozusa.com/restaurants/locations/miamibeach

Slate Declares It: Vegans Own Mayonnaise

I'm so happy to report an editor at Slate officially recognized the miracle product that is Vegenaise and blogged it was the best mayo she's ever eaten - vegan or not!

Of course, everyone else who has tried and fell in love with this Wonder-in-a-Jar already knows how amazing it is.  But most people outside the veg community don't  seem to know hardly anything about it beyond it's oddish name. Well, too bad for them!

The King of Condiments

Whatever you call it,  it's far and away better than THIS: 

These brings back some really bad vegan memories :o

World's BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!

It's been nearly two years since I discovered these dream cookies at my former office job - they were my boss's favorite and he used to foolishly leave them lying on the kitchen counter. (I confess Mr. Herzfeld: it was me )
But I will forever thank him for introducing me to these magical treats, which are so perfectly crunchy, crumbly, and oozing with jumbo-size super-fudgey chocolate chunks that I still obsessively read over the ingredient list to make sure they're somehow not vegan. But holy crap - they somehow are.

                          
                                         
I get them at Whole Foods for around 4 bucks and they are the most scrumptious store-bought cookies I 've ever had. They're definitely tastier than the hard, grainy, half-bland mass-baked  sugar biscuits from Chips Ahoy and Keebler  (though I do like Sandies:| )

No - these things easily best all of the store brands I've tried. And they taste so fresh out of the box, like they were just pulled and packaged straight from the baker's cooling rack. That might be due to the fact they're free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors and syrups and actually do taste better. 
So munch on - These cookies are good for you! Kind of.

Now excuse me while I head out to Whole Foods to load up my cart with 20 more boxes. 

Rejoice! 2014 Will Be The Year of Vegan Cheese

The year 2013 was an amazing, groundbreaking year for veganism. So many incredible new blogs, new restaurants, new products, new celebrities trying vegan food and attracting some major mainstream press (thank you Mr. and Mrs. Carter). VegNews Magazine's food covers were giving Bon Appetit and Gourmet a serious run for their money, and Forbes officially chose Vegan Dining as the #1 food trend of 2013. Even in the glow of last year's  accomplishments and milestones, 2014 is on track to becoming an even more incredible one, because vegans seem to have finally achieved the impossible: mastering the art and science of creating delicious gourmet cheese. That's right: 2014 will be the year vegan cheese shows up and takes some names. 

Sure, we already have Daiya - that ubiquitous dairy-free alternative that has been saving countless vegans from premature cheese-starvation deaths since 2009.

Daiya, for all its imperfections, is something of a miracle food and its introduction represented a quantum leap for vegan cheese from revolting, plastic-wrapped Play-Doh in health stores to edible food that melted, stretched and tasted something like real cheese. But Daiya is not a perfect product, as most vegans well know. I've definitely seen too many disgusting, Daiya-choked pizzas at too many potlucks and do not want to see one ever again (but I probably will)

You know a Daiya pizza when  you see one

 Problem is, whether you use Daiya on pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, salads or tacos, it still cannot compare to the unique textures and complex flavors of milk-based cheese. And that has really sucked.

But finally the times are beginning to change. Enter the Game Changers: a group of bold individuals and companies who aim to forever alter the concept of vegan cheese and elevate it from inferior substitute to equal peer and challenger to dairy's dominance. Here are 3 reasons 2014 is going to be one very delicious year:

1.   1. Artisan Vegan Cheese Makers – Expect to hear a lot about artisan vegan cheeses this year. Thanks to bold and daring connoisseurs, hand-cultured and crafted Brie, Gruyere, Bleu, Chevre and Pepperjack are a few of the incredible vegan cheeses coming out on the consumer market. With Tal Ronnen's Kite Hill cheese shop in California, the ever- growing trendiness of Treeline and Dr. Cow in New York, and fearless new takes on vegan cheese from Punk Rawk Labs and Door 86, artisan vegan cheese is doing things few would have thought possible several years ago. 
      Don't believe me? Just ask Food and Wine Magazine

2. The Dairy Tree 

This somewhat-mysterious company appeared on the social media scene early last year with a tantalizing Facebook page showing off some awe-inducing examples of their finest dairy-free cheese work, including creamy Bleu and melted Mozzarella. Unfortunately they seem to have since gone into hiding for research and development purposes, and it's unclear when they'll re-emerge. But if their cheeses are anywhere as good as their luscious photographs, we could be in for an amazing vegan treat. Stay tuned!

3. The Non-Dairy Formulary – I am super-intrigued by this scientific-sounding book with its easy-to-follow recipes, the long list of dairy foods  it promises to replicate (I especially heart the Greek yogurt and fresh Mozzarella), the 4 and 5-star Amazon reviews, and the fact most recipes don't require Rejuvelac (a major plus for me!) 

I'm pretty much sold on it and I'll be placing an order to try it out. If even half of the recipes in the book deliver on their promise to replicate the dairy-based foods I love and miss so much, I'll be one happy customer. I'll keep you posted!

With the cheese revolution, 2014 is indeed going to be another great year for vegan-dom. So watch out, omnivores: vegans are fast encroaching on your previously exclusive territory, and it won't be long before we're enjoying one of these again:

               

CHEEEEEEESE

And you'll want a slice of that plant-based deliciousness, too. But for now, I guess it's back to the good ol' Daiya. The only question left is: Shreds or wedges? 

Tofurky Pockets - A Vegan Product Review

If you are an honest vegan innocently wandering the frozen aisle of Whole Foods one day in search of a convenient and tasty snack, beware. If you see this product:

I urge you to run the other way. Sure, it looks nice and appealing with its bright colors and scrumptiously pictured veggie pepperoni and cheese-stuffed pockets. You see the little "Vegan" label on the bottom and you think "OMG! Could this be? They've come out with a vegan version of Hot Pockets!"
 Your mouth might be agape with joy at the thought of being able to enjoy the über-popular American snack that is mercilessly off-limits to vegans and even vegetarians. So after staring at the delicious-looking box in disbelief for a few moments, you happily toss it into your cart or basket, giddy and excited to buy this product and get it home to cook one up. But remember - all that glitters is not gold. In this case, it's more like a sack of vegan coal.

I eagerly got the Tofurky Pockets home, opened up the box and placed one of the foil-wrapped pockets in the microwave as per back instructions. As it cooked, I left the kitchen to do something, but after a minute or so I noticed a strange, sharp odor permeating the air. I immediately felt fearful. Please, I thought, do not let that smell be coming from the food. I have had too many bad vegan product experiences to count, and usually the first sign something is wrong is a weird smell from the microwave. The bell beeped. I trepidly opened the door and confirmed my worst fears- yes, the cooked pocket smelled like a melting power plant. But it's okay, I tried to assure myself. It's always the taste that matters most. I pulled back the foil to see a pale, sandy-brown pocket sitting there, looking rather weak and reluctant to be eaten. Taking a deep breath, I pulled 2 inches off of the crusty brown edge, and took a hopeful bite. It was even worse than I imagined.

The cheese that looked like it was pouring so bountifully out the middle of the pocket on the box was actually a thin, gluey half non-existent layer, with a lot of it stuck to the insides. And it sure as hell didn't taste like any cheese I'd ever eaten. The "pepperoni" was actually cubed chunks of inedible - and I mean inedible - dog-food grade artificially colored textured soy sh*t with no discernible flavor or taste except nasty. The breaded pockets themselves reeked a very strange plastic-y smell, like the foil wrapper partially leached aluminum into it while in the microwave. Mind you, I was starving when I cooked this thing and normally would have have just forced it down while chalking it up to another horrible vegan meal, but this went beyond normal the "yuck" eating experience. It was an affront and assault to any normal person's sense of taste and appetite.

 How, I wonder, do these things make it past the product-testing stage? Is it possible thinking people tried this garbage and thought it was okay? That it was worth sending through a processing plant and stuffing into boxes and distributing nation-wide to millions of people? That it's something consumers would want to pay $4.99 for? I don't know what's worse - these Not Pockets or that PETA nominated them for Best New Vegan Item of 2013. (Thankfully they lost.) To be fair, Tofurky has made 2 other pocket flavors - I think Broccoli Cheese and BBQ - that might be better than Pepperoni Pizza. But their attempt at imitating the original Hot Pockets classic failed epically, and I hope they don't dare insult vegans like this again.

Moral of the story: As a vegan, you have to be careful. Don't get your hopes too high when you see a packaged food promising to be an exact replica of a non-vegan item that you used to love and are craving. You will be let down way, way, way more than not.

The good news is that vegan foods have come a long way, and for all the horrible muck and garbage out there, these days there's at least one good company or brand proffering something delicious in any food category or sub-category that you seek. If you can't find it in a physical store, then check online. Or look for a way to make it yourself. As a vegan, you have to be willing to explore, experiment, try things out, and refrain from getting too disappointed. Vegan food IS delicious - it just takes some work and effort to find the best options and alternatives. 
But whatever you do, don't eat those pockets. 

What's the Matter with Miami?

Why is it so hard to find vegan food down here? If, like me, you eat out at least half the time and hope to find a tasty, square, filling vegan meal when driving around, well tough luck. I’m usually restricted to finding two items at the bottom of a menu (on a good day), piecing together a sad meal from side dishes, ethnic restaurants (read: Chipotle, Taco Bell and Chinese), or just resorting to the reliable local sustenance: black beans and rice (Pollo Tropical has saved me many a starving day.) 

Unfortunately, the few existing vegan places here are 

A. Far-flung apart B. Muy expensive C. Dark, strange-looking places that I’m usually too scared to enter or eat from

The question is: Why?  Miami is more than anything a city in progress, a city trying to make an identity and become more sophisticated, cultured and cosmopolitan. But as far as veganism goes, it lags way behind other large cities. And yet, I don't understand why. This is a place obsessed with fitness, yoga, body waxing, plastic surgery, the South Beach diet, putting boob and butt implants up on billboards. It loves sexiness.  It loves trends. It loves frozen yogurt.  It seems the juicing craze has caught on big here, but actual decent vegan food? It's super hard to find, and it’s a real mystery as to why it’s so lacking. As the food critic Lee Klein once asked in a New Times cover story about Miami’s low status in the general culinary world: “What’s the Matter with Miami?”

Thankfully, we have several beacons of hope – including Choices Café and Bunnie Cakes – that serve excellent vegan fare and are helping push Miami into the brighter plant-based future. 

 It is my sincerest hope that this blog serves as a useful resource and guide for all the poor vegan-challenged souls in and around the Magic City, and also inspires and encourages others to start a mini-movement of their own and ask for more vegan foods and options in South Florida markets and restaurants.

It's actually an exciting time to be vegan in Miami, and I'm happy to be here to see it blossom and grow. 

Welcome to Miami!

It ain’t easy being vegan in Miami. For the past six months I have been learning that truth the hard way. But thankfully, there are emerging signs that things are changing for the better and our lovely city is beginning to join the 21^st century and open itself up to plant-based eating. 

But for all the steps toward progress and improvement, it’s still not easy being vegan in Miami, and that's what inspired this new blog.

Vegan 305 is my personal project to help other vegans and part-time vegans find the best (and avoid the worst) of vegan eats, restaurants, products, and experiences in and around Miami. I will also be sprinkling in random posts about things I find that might be funny, strange or interesting here and there, but the main theme centers on veganism. This is a very different kind of vegan blog. Why? Because this blog focuses on Miami – not Fort Lauderdale, not Boca or Delray, and not the Palm Beaches.

Those places are nice, but I don’t appreciate how people from there tend to look down on Miami, like it’s a wild, backwater jungle or something. I can kind of understand why think that - Miami has a lot of rough spots and needs some major cosmetic, cultural, and linguistic improvements - but still, it isn't fair. Miami is not that bad. And I don’t appreciate how all the vegan guides and blogs focus so much on Broward and Palm Beach. They do have an amazing vegan scene going on, but I don’t live there and don’t frequently drive much father north than Fort Lauderdale, so as a Miami-based vegan the focus on those areas is somewhat annoying.  

No– this blog is about what Miami has to offer, occasionally venturing past county lines to explore the vegan life in more northern country. And when I say Miami I am referring to the city itself and its surrounding areas, from Aventura all the way to Homestead. So I cordially invite you, dear reader, to join me on a journey of exploration to uncover and enjoy Miami’s many vegan treasures. Yes, they do exist.

I warmly bid you: Welcome to Miami!