The Impulsive Buy

LATE TO THE PARTY: Just Egg

Marvo / June 7, 2021 / Late to the Party / 19 Comments

Late to the Party posts are about first time experiences with products or brands that have been around for a while.

Just Egg, a plant-based egg substitute, is made from mung bean. If this is the first time you’ve ever heard of mung bean, I want to let you know that I was in your shoes back in 2018 when I first read about this product. If you’d like to take up some space in your brain to learn about it, here’s the Wikipedia link.

While I’ve known about Just Egg for years and have wanted to try it for the same amount of time, I just never came across it. That ended while pushing my virtual cart through the aisles of my local Whole Foods via the Amazon website to find out what kinds of dairy-free milk alternatives it offers. (Side note: It’s A LOT.)

Why would I want to try not-eggs? While some people are fascinated with Star Wars, I’m that way with products that attempt to recreate meat and animal products using plants. Yes, you’ll regret asking me what my hobbies are at a party.

While an egg is just, well, an egg, Just Egg has (takes a deep breath) water, mung bean protein isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, dehydrated onion, gellan gum, natural carrot extractives (for color), natural flavors, natural turmeric extractives (for color), potassium citrate, salt, soy lecithin, sugar, tapioca syrup, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, transglutaminase, and nisin (a preservative).

All those ingredients create something that looks and feels like scrambled eggs. You might notice that I didn’t include “tastes” in the previous sentence. I’ll get to that later.

When it’s poured out of its bottle, it looks like an Egg Beaters product, but grainer. But the magic begins when the product starts to curdle in the pan. The liquid’s pastel yellow color turns into a vibrant yellow, it looks like scrambled eggs, and it has a soft scrambled eggs-like texture.

While Just Egg can fool my eyes, it cannot fool my taste buds. The instant they got to experience the plant-based egg product, they knew something was up. Its flavor is like vegetables, although seasoned vegetables. But I think the way it looks and feels has my brain thinking it’s an omelet with A LOT of vegetables.

I’m fine with the way it tastes. So much so that if chickens went extinct for some reason, like bird flu or way too many foxes protecting all the chicken coops, I’d be okay with eating Just Egg for the rest of my life.

Non-Dairy

SPOTTED (FROZEN FOOD EDITION) – 6/7/2021

Marvo / June 7, 2021 / Spotted on Shelves / 7 Comments

Here are some interesting new frozen foods found by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

*Pillsbury French Toast Bacon Toaster Scrambles*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

Alexia Roasted Ready Baby Heirloom Potatoes with Steak Seasoning — *Alexia Roasted & Ready Baby Heirloom Potatoes with Steak Seasoning*

Alexia Roasted Ready Baby Golden Potatoes with Himalayan Salt — *Alexia Roasted & Ready Baby Golden Potatoes with Himalayan Salt*

Alexia Roasted Ready Baby Sunrise Potatoes with Rosemary Garlic — *Alexia Roasted & Ready Baby Sunrise Potatoes with Rosemary & Garlic*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

Sweet Earth Pesto Chik n Lasagna — *Sweet Earth Pesto Chik’n Lasagna*

Sweet Earth Protein Lover s Breakfast — *Sweet Earth Protein Lover’s Breakfast*

*Sweet Earth Southwest Veggie Breakfast*

Sweet Earth Veggie Lover s Single Serve PIzza — *Sweet Earth Veggie Lover’s Single Serve PIzza*

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

REVIEW: Lemon Creme Pie Pop-Tarts

Julie / June 7, 2021 / Reviews / 9 Comments

What are Lemon Crème Pie Pop-Tarts?

Pop-Tarts has experimented with inventive flavors like sodas, cupcakes, and even Jolly Ranchers, but this time the brand is keeping it classic with a toaster pastry inspired by the summertime favorite, lemon cream pie.

Lemon Crème Pie Pop-Tarts join a lineup of new flavors hitting shelves, including Peach Cobbler, Banana Crème Pie, Tropical Mango, and the limited edition Mister E Flavor.

How are they?

Although lemon is a simple (and, to me, underrated) flavor, Lemon Crème Pie Pop-Tarts dressed up for their debut. Each tart features a swipe of pastel icing and crunchy golden sprinkles that lend extra sweetness and flair.

The pastry carries a subtle lemon taste, like a flavored shortbread. Thinking about the inspiration dessert, I expected the filling to be lighter and creamier, the sort of texture found in a Strawberry Milkshake variety. Instead, the filling is that of a standard fruit Pop-Tart: concentrated and a little jam-like.

The lemon flavor is sharp and citrusy but artificial, with a hint of vanilla mixed in. The filling tastes good, but the vanilla flavor doesn’t represent a cream element that well. A streak of vanilla or even marshmallow cream filling would have helped to recreate the experience of enjoying a fluffy, creamy pie.

While I have bigger dreams for the filling than Pop-Tarts realized, I still wish there were more of it. The thin layer sits in the center of the tart, as the thick edges protect all of the lemony goodness. More filling, please, Pop-Tarts! This is how the “Is a Pop-Tart a ravioli?” debate got started!

Anything else you need to know?

Fresh from the toaster, these are still enjoyable, but I found the pastry lost its lemon-tinged flavor when heated. (I tend to prefer my Pop-Tarts untoasted, an opinion that others react to as though I’ve just spit on the graves of their ancestors, so I was surprised to see that the box suggests serving them frozen. Does eating frozen Pop-Tarts classify as deviant behavior?)

Conclusion:

Lemon Crème Pie Pop-Tarts deliver scant filling and simpler flavor than their name suggests. They won’t replace your favorite variety but are tasty enough to satisfy a citrus craving.

Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 13.5 oz box / 8 pastries
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 2 pastries) 380 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Kellogg's Pop-Tarts

REVIEW: Mexican Street Corn Cheetos

Sean / June 4, 2021 / Reviews / 20 Comments

Mexican Street Corn, often referred to by its proper street name, elote, which roughly means “corn cob” in Spanish, is grilled corn covered in mayonnaise or sour cream, topped with chili powder, Cotija cheese, and lime.

Growing up in California’s Bay Area, I came across this savory delight every week, oftentimes from street vendors also peddling Chicharones de Harina, fried orange wheel chips soaked in lemon juice and Valentina hot sauce, and on a lucky day, mango adorned with a generous sprinkling of Tajín. Needless to say, these are good eats.

I’ve also come across a more modern trend where the traditional Cotija cheese that cakes the outside of the grilled corn is replaced with crunched up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, which brings me to the natural progression and potential dream creation of Mexican Street Corn Cheetos.

The bag boldly states “TANGY – SPICY – CHEESY” on both the front and back, so before digging in, even though I’ve had actual elote, I know exactly what I’m expecting. The aroma from the slightly slime-colored but eye-catching green bag nails those three elements. I get a citrusy tang flirting with spice and a general fried smell wafting up from the uniquely yellow-tinted crunchy Cheetos.

The first thing I notice in the flavor is the cheese, but it’s not the typical cheddar-meets-nacho kind of artificial cheese that defines Cheetle seasoning. It’s sharper with a touch of that umami quality you get from parmesan with its earthiness and slight funk. Not only is it cheesy, but it’s also creamy, with the distinct tang of sour cream that really stands out with a hint of buttery richness as well. Cotija cheese is really similar to parmesan when dried and aged, and I’m impressed with the depth and uniqueness of this cheesy flavor that is truly as luscious as something that’s crunchy can be.

The cheesiness is followed quickly by the taste of lime and rounded out by spice, but it’s far from the type of spicy usually associated with the brand. It’s a much more of an ancho chili powder taste than heat, and the flavor does a pretty good job of emulating the balance of an elote experience, which isn’t particularly hot. There are also notes of garlic and onion floating in the background.

Since the first ingredient in Cheetos is enriched corn meal, it goes without saying that the corn-flavored chips have an inherent corniness to them that permeates every bite. The only thing absent from the profile of an actual elote stick is the sweetness of fresh corn, which Trader Joe’s added to its sensational Elote Organic Corn Chip Dippers (my favorite chip of all time). But I don’t really mind that missing element here. The cheesiness’s depth and tang are impressive, and they make these Cheetos unlike any that I’ve had before.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 3.25 oz bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (21 pieces – 28 grams) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

Cheetos Chips Frito-Lay

SPOTTED – 6/4/2021

Marvo / June 4, 2021 / Spotted on Shelves / 1 Comment

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.