Tiny Tempeh Pieces (Curry Flavoured) and spicy Piri Piri grains (@NLi10)

We love a good evening of vegan food in this house - so my partner picked up a box of Tempeh and I added a sachet of grain!

These are pre-flavoured and essentially ready-to-eat once heated for palatableness.

 

And they already look quite awesome - even in the box!

I forgot to take a picture of the grain before I ripped and heated it.

This one is basically barley and is really nice.

It smells so great and I loved it.

Unfortunately I forgot to take the plate picture again (argh) but I do remember that the tempeh was a really good texture - different to the tofu we usually have and a little tougher.  The curry flavour was reasonably authentic too.  The spicy grain went surprisingly well - it's so filling and great.  I need to remember to stock up on these bags when they are on special offer again.

The Curators Pork Puffs Sweet Chilli BBQ (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I probably do way too much exercise. I have done so since my last knee operation. Over the last two and a half years I've built up an exercise programme that virtually covers my whole body each day. I've lost plenty of weight over that time. I've rehabilitated the muscles around my knee and also around my shoulder after a previous major operation there some years before. I'm probably fitter and healthier than I have been for much of my adult life, but I'm not stronger, as the operations only take me so far and the muscles take me some ways further, so I'm not like a person without injuries. However my real strength comes from within. I'm not sure from where. There's no doubt that there is a warrior spirit deep within me driving my determination, perseverance, and discipline, as well as some sensitivity to my mind and heart's well being and those around me.

I've been very lucky to be supported during this time by those closest to me. I try to keep a balanced diet, which is slightly high in protein and fairly low in calories. Keeping my low calorie diet in check, Cinabar has been looking for high protein snacks to fix my muscles after a workout with not too many calories to damage my waist size. The Curators Pork Puffs Sweet Chilli BBQ have 13g of protein and 113 calories. Perfect for a high protein snack with my lunch. So let's hope they're tasty… 

The Curators Pork Puffs Sweet Chilli BBQ are made from pork rind, which is hot flashed to make their light fluffy texture. They are full of natural protein, and are seasoned with habanero chillies, ginger and sugar for a "sweet & spicy kick". On opening the packet there was a good strong smell of pork rind from the red coloured pork puffs inside. On taste these fluffy light puffs have quite a hot kick of habanero chilli, with a slightly salty pork rind flavour into the aftertaste. The chilli heat just keeps on giving after eating them too. There is also a sweetness and slight smokiness in the flavour leaning towards barbecue just before the chillies caught hold of my palate and started to burn. The Curators Pork Puffs Sweet Chilli BBQ are very flavoursome indeed and I'd definitely have them again.

Information on the packet;
The 22g packet has 112.9 calories, with 6.2g of fat, 2.2g of sugar, 13.3g of protein, and 0.03g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Aero Dark & Milk (Tesco) By @cinabar

At some point we have decided we want a new chocolate type on the shelves. I don’t mean the short lived novelty of ‘ruby chocolate’ that was everywhere for a while and then seemed to make its retreat I mean the idea that there is a chocolate half way between milk chocolate and dark chocolate, this Dark & Milk bar is the new bubbly version from Aero.

I took the wrapper off and found quite a dark looking bar, the chocolate looked like it had a high cocoa content, the ingredients revealed it to be 48%. I gave it a taste test and can I just say I do like aerated chocolate, it some how feels firm and yet gives way, I like interesting texture. The flavour of the chocolate was initially quite dark, the cocoa is rich and has a nice flavour. The flavour then mellows a little and has an element of being creamy, not in a milk chocolate way as the cocoa remains strong, but just a little smooth. I liked it a lot and I liked the texture so this bar was a win. I’m honestly not sure if the milk-dark chocolate is a flash in the pan like ruby chocolate seemed to be, so lets enjoy Aero Dark & Milk while it is here.

Orange Smarties Chocolate Bar (Tesco) By @cinabar

Everyone knows orange Smarties are the best so it seems fitting they made it into their own chocolate, this Orange Smarties Bar. Not only that the wrapper is made of paper so it is more environmentally friendly which is nice. I need to remember to pop in the recycling though, I’m so use to binning chocolate bar wrappers which isn’t ok. The Orange Smarties Bar still had a decent sell by date too so the paper doesn’t seem to be effecting the chocolate so here is hoping more brands will switch to this.

 

Inside the wrapper is a fun looking slab of chocolate, but one that is difficult to share because the break lines are in odd places. These always look nice but if I’m honest I do like symmetry too, it just works! The chocolate is a nice milk chocolate which has orange Smarties dotted within it, the orange flavour is a little subdues because the milk chocolate isn’t orange flavoured but it is still there and tastes good. The crunch was nice but again more Smarties would have helped here too. I could alway buy one of those tubes of Smarties which are just Orange flavoured - they are card too so also recycle.