Silk: Non-dairy Yogurt

Just had to post this while I'm eating it...

I've tried some different non-dairy yogurts before and have not had too great an experience until now. I have tried the soymilk ones from Whole Soy & Co. The texture was slightly grainy and not thick and creamy like regular yogurt. I have also tried almond milk yogurt from Amande. This was like eating flavored almond milk agar jello (if you know Vietnamese "tat", a firm white jello made with coconut milk and (I think) agar). The texture was not creamy but too light and gel-like.

I have recently bought the Silk "fruity & creamy" soymilk yogurts and these really hit the spot. The first was Black Cherry, which I thought was pretty tasty. But the flavor that prompted me to write this is the peach mango flavor. It's just so good! It is not as creamy as 2% or whole milk yogurt, but has a light creaminess and the right consistency.

http://silk.com/products/peach-mango-soy-fruity-creamy

It's made with soymilk, cane sugar, maltodextrin, peaches, mangoes  natural flavor, tricalcium phosphate (calcium source), pectin, sodium citrate, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), sea salt, locust bean gum, malic acid, Vitamin D2, and Live & Active Cultures

The sugar content, 19g, is lower than most milk-based flavored yogurts (often topping 20-30g of sugar per serving). It also has 6 g of protein, which much be from the soymilk, because no other source of isolated protein is listed in the ingredients. I think this is great because Americans are getting too much chemically-isolated proteins in their diet. We do eat enough meat, nuts, and legumes to give us enough protein. We do not need soy or milk protein isolates. They are usually derived through strenuous chemical and physical separation processes that wastes the rest of the original material and puts the final product through too many chemicals and treatments. If you want more protein, people, don't suffer those chalky powders! Just eat a handful of almonds or a chicken thigh. I assure you that you'll enjoy that better.

This was not endorsed or sponsored  by Silk. I just really liked this yogurt and wanted to share my experience.

Question of the day: Have you tried alternative yogurts/ice creams? What is your favorite brand and flavor?

Happy Springtime!

Random Food Likes

I always come across certain marketed foods, try them out, and am both surprised and delighted when I find that I like them. When I eat consumer foods (i.e., fast food, packaged grocery items) and I like them, I wonder what other people would respond to these foods and with whom could I share my enthusiasm? For lack of such people close at hand, I generally turn to the comical review website, The Impulsive Buy. One late night, I stumbled across this consumer foods review site and laughed so much at its ridiculous comments, which verged nearly on Family Guy kind of humor.

But, I digress.

The reason for this blog post (no, I am not avoiding studying for my GRE, which is in 12 hours and 44 minutes...) is that I would like to share my thoughts on particular food purchases I have made recently.

1. Greek Yogurt: Danone and Fage
You've heard of the Greek yogurt craze. You've seen the yogurt/dairy shelves slowly being replaced by  new number 5, PP, plastic yogurt cartons with strange Greek words on them. Fage??? Oh wait, it's pronounced Fah-yeh. Repeat after me, faaaaaa-yaaaayyyyy. And Danone? It's always been Dannon, but now they're all being European fancy with their Danone. Anyhoo, recovering from pedantic appellations, I have to say that Greek Yogurt is the shiz. It's thick, but not cream cheese-choke you up thick. It's a euphoric kind of thick and glorious texture, with a slight tang of yogurt cultures.

Fage flavors: Cherry Pomegranate, Strawberry Goji, Mango Guanabana (Custard apple), Blueberry Acai, and Honey. (Courtesy of Trendcetera)

I enjoy having my yogurts not pre-blended. By having the fruit spread on the side, or underneath, you can get a scoop where you have an angelic layer of pearl white, plain Greek yogurt, juxtaposed by the deep color of the sweetened accompaniment. Once it enters your mouth, the contrast is enhanced on your tastebuds, as it encounters the tanginess of the yogurt, then the sweetness of the fruit spread. It really is super tasty, and the individual cups are great portion sizes with the right proportions. One 5.3 ox cup is 130 calories, and about 13g of protein, and much less sugar than the regular blended yogurts such as Yoplait of Dannon regular yogurt. I would recommend trying all the flavors.

2. Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill
Is there a word to describe food institutions that combine freshness, natural and organic ingredients, and quality? Would "healthy" and "responsible" suffice? I wish I knew, but until then, I can only describe it by "Sharky's". This place is like an upscale fast food restaurant - better in decor, service, and quality than seemingly synonymous Rubio's Baja Fresh. Sharky's is an all organic (meat, fish, produce), health-conscious Mexican Grill that does not sacrifice flavor one bit.

I've been here twice. The first time, I got an eclectic "wild salmon 'lite' burrito." For only $7.49 here in Aliso Viejo, I got salmon, avocado, cabbage, poblano brown rice, and interestingly enough nori (dried seaweed found in sushi) wrapped inside a whole wheat tortilla. The salmon was grilled to a nice crisp bust still juicy and tender. The inclusion of the nori really gave it almost an obfuscating (definition: confusing, confounding) flavor that was redolent (definition: reminiscent) of sushi. The flavor isn't bad at all, but it's just...interesting.

Second time - today actually - I ordered the kids BBQ salmon rice bowl, which came with a small (less than 3 oz) piece of salmon, poblano brown rice, grilled veggies, a drink (yay Organic Valley lowfat milk!), and a min churro. The brown rice occasionally had an unexpected crunch to it, but was surprisingly still good. The salmon was again cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, but maybe could have used a slight extra brush of BBQ sauce. The grilled veggies were a tad too crispy, but eating it all together with some salsa melded it all together. Overall, a really awesome plate for a kid to have. Nearly gourmet in that it was presented in a large white bowl-plate with a thick rim. They even bring it out to your table. I love the experience and food here. If I could, I would eat this often (and feel good about it!) and force someone to open a store near me in Berkeley!

Kids BBQ Salmon Rice Bowl - $5.92 (tax incl)

Hrm, I'd like to include some more ravings, but alas it has hit the 1:30 am mark here. I really should sleep soon so that I don't impair my test-taking abilities tomorrow afternoon. Well, wish me luck and talk to you all soon!