Chow Vegan

Veggie McRiblet

November 5, 2011 By chow 14 Comments

Welcome to Chow Vegan! Now serving for an unlimited time, the Veggie McRiblet.

A MorningStar Farms hickory BBQ veggie riblet in a sweet and smoky sauce on a lightly toasted, freshly baked vegan hoagie roll from Zest Bakery. Topped with sautéed onions and bread n’ butter pickles that cover the entire riblet (not just the stingy two you normally get at other places).

Substitutions available, swap out the veggie riblet for another sort of patty. Of course, it wouldn’t be a vegan McRib anymore. But it’s really the flavor combination of the BBQ sauce with the onions and pickles on a bun that makes the sandwich so tasty.

Extra napkins upon request. Thank you and please come again.

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Halloween Cookie Sandwiches From Zest Bakery

October 31, 2011 By chow 9 Comments

Just in time for Halloween, bat-shaped cookie sandwiches from Zest Bakery, a gluten-free bakery in downtown San Carlos (a small town on the SF Bay Area peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose).

They’re spooky good! Kinda like an Oreo in that it’s a chocolate sandwich cookie with a creamy filling. But so much better.

Not a soft cookie, nor a hard one, it’s somewhere in between. Actually, it’s just about right (I never cared for the hardness of an Oreo cookie). And the creme filling is light and soft. Available in vanilla or chocolate flavor for $1.50 each.

While all of Zest’s items are gluten-free, just a few are also vegan. If coming from afar, it’s probably best to call ahead and see what they have available. Or you can special order things. They’re super nice and they know their stuff.

The batch of cookie sandwiches I first looked at were dairy-free and gluten-free but not quite vegan. It had powdered sugar processed with bone char. But they offered to make some that were vegan by the very next day. And instead of just regular ol’ round cookie sandwiches, they surprised me with cute Halloween bats.

Holy smokes, Batman! How’s that for great service?

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Cleo’s Peanut Butter Cups

October 27, 2011 By chow 10 Comments

After hearing about Cleo’s Peanut Butter Cups, I finally managed to track one down. They’re basically a vegan version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, a favorite before becoming vegan.

Sliding a peanut butter cup out of the package, it looked a little melty and oily. I used a paper towel to blot off the excess and took a bite. I was surprised to find the taste to be sweeter than I expected. Maybe it’s because I don’t eat all that much candy.

On the plus side, the peanut butter isn’t the dry crumbly kind, it’s smooth and creamy. Just like you see in the picture.

Yup, another fine non-dairy, no hydrogenated oils or trans fat, vegan creation from the folks at Go Max Go. There’s also Snap!, a crispy rice milk chocolate bar that I haven’t been able to find locally yet. And I’m still hoping for a vegan version of Twix someday.

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