Thursday, July 3, 2008

Treats From WF

Now I know that many people have issues with Whole Foods for several different reasons and while I would much rather support smaller, more local businesses, Whole Foods is a great place to go when I need certain things that I can't find at other stores. Also, every once in awhile I just don't feel like cooking or don't have much at home to work with and love heading over to Whole Foods to grab a quick lunch because it is one of the only grocery stores in my area that offers vegan prepared food options. I usually head over to the salad bar right away, but last week I decided to see what else WF had to offer. There were quite a few vegan dishes that looked good (tofu noodles bowls, spring rolls, roasted vegetables), but the Vegan Curry Chicken Salad really caught my eye. I only bought a small container of it since I had never tried it before, but I sure wish I bought more! This salad uses Gardein Chicken, which I had heard of but never tried before, and it was delicious! The texture and taste weren't "real" enough to make me worry or be disgusted, but it was firm enough to hold up in the curry sauce. The raisins and creamy dressing lent a nice sweetness to this dish, but it wasn't at all too sweet. I know that I won't be able to resist buying more of this every time I go to Whole Foods.



It is not secret that I have a (LARGE) sweet tooth, so it should be no surprise that another reason why I like WF is the dessert case. I'm usually pretty good about not buying tons of desserts every time I go there, but this time I couldn't help myself and bought two treats. The first was a parfait with moist vanilla cake crumbs, a silken tofu mixture, and fresh berries. This desserts is actually really special to me because, back when I first became a vegetarian, my dad bought this for my birthday since I didn't want a cake. I was shocked to see that this was vegan back then and this parfait was one of the first things that sparked my interest in veganism. I used to buy it all the time, but haven't been able to find it at WF until recently, so I was so glad that they finally had it! The cake crumbs and berries make up a lot of the sweetness of this parfait because the tofu mixture isn't very sweet and you can definitely tell it's tofu, but I really like that and I'm not sure why (I think I have an issue with overly sweet things and this is a nice change of pace).

The second and more decadent dessert that I found was a Blueberry Cheesecake from the Chicago Diner. As always, the cheesecake mixture and crust were fabulous! The blueberry topping was not quite what I was expecting- the blueberry topping on cheesecakes that I'm used to is more of a loose sauce thickened with cornstarch. The Chicago Diner's topping, however, seemed to be thickened with agar and was more jelly-like. The flavor was still great, though, and it was an excellent summer treat!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Whole Foods. The closest one is in Winter Park, so I don't get there too often. I think their ready-made food is great.

Rural Vegan said...

I didn't know WF had vegan desserts in the cooler too. Why did you have to tell me this? Now I won't be able to resist them either!

Anonymous said...

I've never actually tried any of the desserts from WF; I always get distracted by the Sweet and Sarah marshmallows! These look like good picks though, so maybe I'll keep an eye open for these things next time.

The Voracious Vegan said...

I feel like I'm saying this all the time but: I can't wait to move back to the states so I can get my greedy little hands on all these vegan goodies! Whole Foods must be amazing and I can't wait to shop there. That blueberry cheesecake looks scrumptious!

urban vegan said...

I love Whle Foods, but not their prices and not all of their policies. But they've done more to raise awareness of animals' conditions and environmental issues than any other large box store I know of. Plus, they carry lots of yumminess, like the stuff you've pictured, that I would otherwise not have access to.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Vegan parfait AND cheezecake?! I think it's a good thing my local Whole Foods only sells ONE vegan baked good (a dry-tasting chocolate cake). If they sold all that near me, I think I'd move in permanently!

P.S. I am adding your delicious site to my blogroll.

Erin said...

I haven't had the pleasure of living near a whole foods yet, but soon I will be in the land of many whole foods and I intend on shopping there until A) my money runs out, or B) I get sick of it. I'm betting A will happen first if I can get all this great pre-made stuff!

Vegan_Noodle said...

I just saw a vegan parfait at my whole foods too! I was pretty excited cuz they don't carry many vegan desserts. I too have mixed feelings about them, but they are the lesser of several evils... and their produce is some of the best looking in town.