Tag Archive for: vegan

Château Les Maubats 2015 Bordeaux Superior is a Vegan Wine that Pleases the Palate

Château Les Maubats 2015 Bordeaux Superior

Vegan wines taste as good as regular wines, that’s our proclamation! If you don’t believe us, then try Château Les Maubats 2015 Bordeaux Superior Rouge.

This wine is bright and refreshing, and fully meets our expectations of a pleasantly drinkable French vintage. The fact that it is vegan is an afterthought, at least from a palate perspective. What does surprise us more than anything is that it is French, because the style is so New World in presentation, almost Californian or Australian.

The winemaker describes Château Les Maubats 2015 Bordeaux Superior Rouge as “Deep ruby core with aromas of red cherries, raspberries, thyme, and earthy notes. Full-bodied on the palate with integrated oak flavors, ripe red fruit, coffee, a hint of tobacco, and a touch of licorice”

Definitely a great drinking or gift wine, and guaranteed to be a conversation starter… or deal closer.

WHAT IS VEGAN WINE?

We are often asked, “Wait, aren’t all wines vegan?” No, mon frere! They are not , just like honey is not vegan, nor is butter, because they both came from animals.

Wine may be made of grapes, but it has to be cleared up and filtered to make it drinkable, otherwise there are a number of unpleasant floating things you might swallow. An agent added to the wine can absorb this debris and when removed, leaves most of the wine a tasty and clear liquid.

As Vegan Wines describes, “traditional wine fining and filtering may involve many animal products, such as isinglass (from fish bladders), gelatin (from animal hooves and sinews), chitosan (from crustaceans), albumin (from eggs), and casein (from milk).” Vegan wines use non-animal derived methods to clarify the wine, including no slaughterhouse byproducts such as animal blood, bone, feathers, or fish waste are used to enrich and fertilize soil.

Vegan Wines is expanding its offerings and wine club, especially for lovers of reds and lower-priced wines. It’s also the the U.S.’s first all-vegan wine club

ABOUT VEGANWINES.COM

Vegan Wines began in 2018 to make buying vegan wines easier, to give boutique vineyards and wineries more exposure, and to raise awareness about the exploitation of animals in winemaking methods. Founded by Frances Gonzalez, a long-time vegan and wine enthusiast, with an assist from in-house sommelier Sunny Gandara, DWS, CWE, Vegan Wines offers unique wines that are animal-friendly ‘from the vine to the glass.’ Vegan Wines visits wineries across the U.S. and the world, touring vineyards and winemaking facilities, talking with owners and winemakers, and of course, tasting wines, to uncover rare and small-scale wines that are guaranteed vegan. Vegan Wines also offers the first online vegan wine club in the U.S., with hand-selected wines, special discounts, recipes, events, and more. For more information visit http://veganwines.com.

Château Les Maubats 2015 Bordeaux Superior Rouge retails for around $30, find it here.

Reveri introduces new Plant-based Frozen Dessert Flavors

 

If you love the taste of ice cream and want to add another plant-based alternative, Reveri has two creamy new flavors: Purple Mint Chip and Vanilla Almond Blossom.

Our tasters were quite pleased with the texture and creaminess of Reveri, which they highly recommend, even if you aren’t avoiding dairy.

 

Reveri‘s Purple Mint Chip is a twist on classic mint chip ice cream, and is a blend of blueberries, nutritious seeds, organic cocoa nibs, and peppermint. Their Vanilla Almond Blossom is rich and delicious, combining a mixture of almonds, almond butter, and creamy rich vanilla.

Reveri also has flavors such as Chocolate Forest and Strawberry Patch. Each ranges from 70 calories to 90 calories per serving.

Other healthy features:

  • No added sugar
  • No sweeteners
  • No dairy
  • No added fats
  • No wheat
  • No corn
  • No soy

Where to Find:

Reveri is located in 12 stores in the Southern California area. You can also find it on online here.

About Reveri:

Reveri is a game-changing alternative to ice cream that ends the trade-off between luscious taste and health.

Reveri is crafted from whole fruits and vegetables. Reveri delivers the sweet taste and rich mouthfeel of super-premium ice cream, yet contains no dairy, added sugar, sweeteners, or fats, and averages only 82 calories for a 4-ounce serving. It is also gluten- and GMO-free.

 

Rice University introduces Plant-based Meals & Cheese for Students

Rice University wants students to know that dorm food doesn’t have to be a culinary and dietary challenge for those trying to avoid the “Freshman 15”.

Rice University has taken a huge step forward in its plant-based journey with the introduction of a meat-and-dairy-free charcuterie program in its student serveries. The menu of from-scratch vegan meats and cheeses is the first of its kind in the nation when it comes to on-campus dining.

Senior executive chef Roger Elkhouri recently debuted a full lineup of plant-based lunch meats that include turkey, corned beef and roast beef and cheeses such as provolone, smoked cheddar and dill havarti. On special days, Elkhouri serves plant-based barbecue brisket or Italian sausage with peppers and onions.

All of it is made on-site using unique, individual recipes created by Elkhouri over the course of a year’s work in the kitchen. Each of the charcuterie items is entirely vegan, although Elkhouri prefers the inclusive term “plant-based” to the “vegan” label, which implies his creations are only meant for a subset of students.

Many industry advocates of a plant-based diet are saying that the term “vegan” carries too much baggage, especially in regions away from the Coasts, and a complete rebranding of the concept is needed.

“A plant-based diet is good for everybody,” Elkhouri said, “and it’s good for the environment too.” In fact, a recent study from the University of Oxford published in Science found that consumers who switch to a plant-based diet drastically reduce their individual carbon footprint.

In addition to turkey and brisket, Elkhouri has also created plant-based versions of pastrami, pepper jack and even a paprika-spiked “cheese ball” with the same spreadable texture and sharp bite of the original. Just like real meats and cheeses, each can be cut thin on a deli slicer; each also has a weeklong shelf life.

The “meats” are made using a proprietary blend of vital wheat gluten, powdered mushrooms, liquid smoke and other ingredients designed to mimic the taste, texture and appearance of deli meats. The cheeses primarily incorporate coconut milk instead of nut milks, more conventional vegan alternatives.

Students have responded enthusiastically to the new offerings, especially those with dietary restrictions. “When I was talking to the students, they were very happy,” Elkhouri said. “I saw a spark in their eyes that somebody was listening to them and hearing their needs.”

“You’re dealing with extremely talented and sophisticated students here,” Elkhouri said. “They’re always asking questions and you have to be on your toes, so what we try to do is get out ahead of them.

“Four or five years down the road you’ll be seeing ‘plant-based’ everywhere. We’re pioneers.”

MORE INFORMATION

For more about Rice’s plant-based foods, follow hashtag #ourplantbasedjourney on Twitter and Instagram.

For more about Rice Housing & Dining, visit http://dining.rice.edu

3 Cravingly Cool Must-Have Vegan & Vegetarian Cookbooks

Not only is vegan and vegetarian food growing in popularity, their cookbooks are as well. We’ve picked three exciting new cookbooks that include great recipes that make you crave a meal, and a coolness factor that makes you feel good.

Read more

TASTEABLE CALIFORNIA Season 3 Episode 12

TASTEABLE: California takes viewers on a weekly tour of California food and wine creators and destinations.

This episode includes a visit to the foodie boutique Vegan Picnic, the Andaz Hollywood and its (RED) Suite, and a recipe for duck breast.

 

Produced by TasteTV, www.TasteTV.com

View the Episode Intro Online on this page
(note: entire episode only airs on television, not online)

For more about this TasteTV television series, visit the TASTEABLE page