New Food Finds | Part 6

Ad | Contains affiliate links I am back with September's Foodie Finds feature. As regular readers of the blog might know this is a...

Ad | Contains affiliate links

I am back with September's Foodie Finds feature. As regular readers of the blog might know this is a monthly roundup where I share fabulous vegetarian and vegan products from new/established brands, independent producers and artisan food specialists. Last month's edition featured Nexba's Kombucha & Kefir, ChicP's Veggie Bites & Hummus, Jubel's fruit-infused, vegan craft lager and Chef Akila's vegetarian & vegan curries which were simply fabulous.

Take a look at this month's discoveries.

Bioglan Superfoods

First up, let me introduce you to Bioglan Superfoods. They make great tasting superfood powders that can be added to breakfast, smoothies or other recipes to get your daily boost of essential nutrients and minerals. Their range is entirely vegan and includes Superberries, Digestive Boost, Flax+Chia, Supergreens, Cacao Boost to name a few.

We tried out three of their offerings - Beauty Protein, Supergreens and Super Protein and loved all the three although I like Beauty Protein a little more than the other two.

Super Protein is an energy-enhancing blend of adaptogenic superfoods ashwagandha, maca, ginseng and schisandra and plant-based pea and rice protein. The powder also contains Vitamins C, B6 and yerba mate and all of this together helps in reduction of tiredness and fatigue and also regulates hormonal activity. Mr.H enjoyed adding this to his pre-exercise shakes. It worked nicely with homemade yoghurt too - a guilt free snack.

Super Greens is packed with green goodness - wheatgrass, spirulina, barley-grass, kale and chlorella. It also contains Vitamins B12, C and E. It gets its flavour from apple powder and subtle spices (Coriander, Cassia Cinnamon, Ginger, Salt, Cloves) added in it. I tried it with water, as suggested but did not quite fancy the drink. However, it worked well when I used it in pea soup. Also was great in stir fry. The powders are quite versatile and you can use them in your own recipes in many different ways.

The third product we tried was Beauty Protein - a collagen-boosting blend of berries and plant-based pea and rice protein. It also contains hyaluronic acid, bamboo extract, biotin, Vitamin C and amino acids. I tried this in two ways - first by adding a few tablespoons to a pancake mix and it was good. But I enjoyed it more in my summer fruits yoghurt sorbet. If you would like to try it, here is my recipe. It is quick and simple. Blend frozen summer fruits (2 cups), yoghurt (1 cup), honey (2 tbsps.), lemon juice (2 tsps.) and Super Protein (2-4 tbsps.) in a food processor until smooth. Freeze the mixture for 3-4 hours and enjoy.

This has been a great find. I can see myself purchasing these superfoods again.

You can check out and purchase the entire Bioglan Superfoods range online from Amazon.

Barebells Functional Foods

Launched in 2016, Barebells offer a broad range of protein-enriched alternatives to snacks and desserts. Their product range includes protein bars and milkshakes in a variety of flavours.

We tried out some of their protein bars and absolutely LOVED them.

From their regular range we tried Caramel Cashew which was gooey & chocolatey and Cookies & Cream which was creamy & delish. From their vegan range we sampled Hazelnut & Nougat which had crunchy hazelnuts & creamy nougat and Salty Peanut which was a lovely blend of peanut & chocolate with just the right amount of salt.

The vegan versions have 15gms of protein per bar while the regular range bars contain 20gms of protein. All bars contain no added sugar and score well in the taste department. There is no aftertaste as is the case with some high protein bars and with a low calorie-high protein macro, these bars are great for those who are looking for protein bars that don't compromise on taste. Both Mr.H and myself loved it.

Barebells bars are available to purchase in BP/Marks & Spencer petrol forecourts across UK and online from Amazon.

Love Yourself's Veto Diet

Next we tried Love Yourself's (a freshly cooked meal box delivery service) new Veto Diet. Love Yourself provide an easy meal prep delivery service to your home or office. They prepare the meals fresh each day using locally sourced and fresh ingredients. We had tried out their Vegetarian Diet a while back and had loved the concept and the meals. They recently launched a Veto Diet which is like a Keto diet but vegetarian. The Veto diet is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates and Love Yourself have completely relied on plant based proteins as the main element of this diet.

As with their other diets, you can order the Veto Diet for various durations - 1 day, 5 days, 6 days, 4 weeks or 8 weeks. We sample their one-day menu and it was based on 1700kcal made up of around 70% fats, 25% Protein and 5% Carbs. The menu included:

• Carrot cake chia pudding (breakfast) - Key ingredients included Almond milk, cream, chia seeds, yoghurt, carrot, pecans, ginger powder and nutmeg.
• Creamy broccoli salad (lunch) - Key ingredients were broccoli, cheddar cheese, tomato, sunflower seeds, sour cream, seasonings.
• Avocado fries with mayo (snack) - Made with almond flour, almond milk, avocado and mayonnaise.
• Egg fried 'rice' - Key ingredients included eggs, bell peppers, spring onion, cauliflower, tamari (fermented soy beans sauce), coconut oil, sesame oil, garlic and seasonings.

Other than the breakfast meal (I have never been a fan of chia seeds in puddings), I enjoyed all the other meals. The Avocado fries were fantastic as was the egg fried 'rice'. I liked the salad as well and managed to replicate it at home.

If you are looking for a vegetarian keto diet that is freshly made and delivered to your home daily, you could give this a try.

You can check out the postcodes they deliver to and order Love Yourself's calorie controlled gourmet diets from www.loveyourself.co.uk


Let me know via the comments section below which foodie find catches your interest? And don't forget to check out this month's second foodie find post here.