Vermont Smoke & Cure Meat Sticks

Vermont Smoke & Cure is ... well, a meat snack producer, based in Vermont.  As you may guess from the name.

They feature vegetarian fed meats, no antibiotics, no added hormones, yadda yadda.  The products have no sodium nitrate, no preservatives, are gluten-free, all of that.

I'm a snacker, no question, but, meat sticks are just never what I seek out (although I have reviewed a few in the past, like Organic Prairie meat sticks, or the super fascinating Meat & Veggie Bars, from Wild Zora, which blend meat and veggies into jerky style sticks).  Yet when my partner's company sent him a snack box and it had meat sticks in it ... you know I had to try them.

Vermont Smoke & Cure makes three different product lines: Classic Meat Sticks (1 ounce), mini sticks (.5 ounce), and sliced sausage and pepperoni.  The classic size has more available variety than the minis, including grass fed options.

Mini Meat Sticks

"Vermont Smoke & Cure mini meat sticks pack a lot of protein for a little snack. These minis are a perfect snack for kids and are individually wrapped to go anywhere in a lunchbox or backpack."

The product line I tried was the mini meat sticks, little .5 ounce snack size sticks.  They are available in 3 flavors: Original Beef & Pork, BBQ Beef, and Uncured Pepperoni Turkey.  I tried the first two.

BBQ Seasoned Beef Stick.

"Deep, medium spicy taste of true BBQ. Crafted with lean beef, peppers for nourishing real meat protein."

I didn't quite get the BBQ element I was expecting, perhaps thinking it might be a bit sweeter?  And differently spiced.   It did have molasses powder and cane sugar in it, but it wasn't sweet.  The spices included paprika, celery juice powder, cherry juice powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, not really what scream out BBQ to me.  But the blend was good, it was quite flavorful.

It also didn't taste particularly beefy.  That said, it had a great chew, no odd bits, quality meat clearly.

It reminded me of ... pepperoni.  Good pepperoni, but, pepperoni no less.  I think my beef stick palette is not refined enough to appreciate this truly.

Each stick is 45 calories, 3g fat, and 3.5g protein, but recommended portion is 2.

Original Beef & Pork Stick

"Just a bit of peppery kick. Crafted with lean beef and pork raised free of antibiotics or added hormones, cracked pepper and a classic mix of spices for nourishing real meat protein that you can now enjoy on the go."

Next I went for the "original", a blend of pork and beef. 

I actually really liked it.  Nice savory, smoky flavor.  Good texture like the all beef one. 

The flavor was more complex than I expected, using that same blend of celery juice, cherry juice, and garlic (in powdered form?!), and somehow that all works nicely.  I liked it better without the additional "bbq" ingredients I guess.  It seemed more smoky.

I liked this best actually slicing it and using it in Vietnamese, Korean, or Thai style stir fry, which I know sounds odd, but it really worked.

Each mini stick has 40 calories per stick, 3 grams protein, 3 grams fat.  Serving size recommended is two, but they come as singles.

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So Delicious

So Delicious is one of the most popular, and widely known, makers of non-dairy products: milks, ice creams, yogurts, etc.

"So Delicious has been bringing you dairy-free deliciousness—decadent frozen desserts, melty shreds, creamy yogurt alternatives, and smooth plant-based beverages and creamers—for over 30 years. We began with a desire to take dairy-free options beyond the milk aisle, and we’ve evolved into a brand that strives to do what’s good for people and the planet."

If you like soy, cashew, coconut, almond, or alternative milks, they certainly have a large lineup.  As someone who doesn't need to be dairy free, I never seek these out intentionally, but I've tried many things.    Some ... are better than others lets just say. 

Frozen Desserts

I have little reason to really care about non-dairy ice cream.  I always have a freezer full of regular ice cream, and I like what I have.  But ... whenever I get a sore throat, dairy aggravates my throat, and makes me more phlegmy.  I can't possibly go a day or two without ice cream, so I sought out non-dairy alternatives to try to tide me over during these sad occasions.

So Delicious makes frozen non-dairy desserts (I'm not calling them "ice cream"!) with coconut, almond, cashew, and soy milk as the base.  They make mostly pints, but also some frozen novelties like ice cream bars and sandwiches.  I was able to try all but soy milk based, as no where in San Francisco seemed to carry the soy ones, which made me sad, since, I do genuinely like soy milk products.

Comparing the nutritional values of the assorted types of dairy dessert was less interesting than I expected, as I thought I would see more difference, particularly in the amount of protein.  The only real surprise was that the soy milk versions had half as much fat as the others, which I guess makes sense since beans have less fat that nuts.  These stats are all for the vanilla flavor, so I could most directly compare:

• Coconut Milk: 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 13 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.  The no sugar added version has a mere 100 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.
• Almond Milk: 120 calories, 7 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.
• Cashew Milk: 150 calories, 7 grams fat, 18 g sugar, and 2 grams protein.
• Soy Milk:120 calories, 3 grams of fat, 14 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.

Coconut Milk

"Our Coconutmilk frozen desserts are now more indulgent, with dairy-free taste that’s even better. Bite after bite, you’ll fall deeper in love. Made with Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified coconuts and blended with only the highest quality ingredients, our Coconutmilk frozen desserts taste incredible, whether they’re scooped up with toppings or devoured straight from the carton."

I started with a coconut milk flavor, since it is clearly the flagship product line, with 16 pint varieties (including some low-sugar) and 9 different types of frozen novelties.

I also had some hope for this, because I do like coconut, and I knew that flavor could come through in a nice way in the ice cream.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't creamy enough

Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert.

"Vanilla coconut milk based, dairy-free frozen dessert packed with scrumptious cookie dough chunks and crispy chocolate flakes."

I went for cookie dough, hoping that having some mix-ins would increase the chances that I could tolerate it, even if the base ice cream wasn't great.

But I really didn't like it.  The ice cream itself wasn't creamy.  It was grainy.  I really did like the flavor though.

The chunks of cookie dough where huge, and there was a generous number of them, which I appreciated, but they weren't really buttery or tasty.

I didn't even bother finishing the pint, even when I had a sore throat again.

No Sugar Added Mint Chip.

I have no idea how I wound up with another pint of the coconut milk based dessert, after disliking the first one so much.  And, a no sugar added variety?  No idea what I was thinking.

It was just as bad.  It was really hard to scoop, rock solid, and flaky.  It did not get creamy as it melted, it just ... melted.  I did not like this at all.

The mint flavor was negligible, and the chips were fine.  The no sugar added element comes from monk fruit, but I don't think that was responsible for any of my problems with this flavor.

Coconut Milk Minis Vanilla Bars.

Next I tried the coconut milk ice cream turned into an ice cream bar.

It was better than the regular ice cream non-dairy frozen dessert, but only because of the chocolate shell.  The shell was actually really quality dark chocolate, shiny, flavorful.  It had a good snap to it when I bit into it.  But the frozen stuff inside was still coconut milk ice cream, which just wasn't creamy.  It had a nice coconut flavor to it, but it still just seemed icy to me.

Dipped Coconut Almond.

"Smooth, creamy coconutmilk dipped in crunchy, chocolatey deliciousness. Get ready to dream in dairy-free."

Next up, a more exciting style of bar.

Well, I liked the coating on this at least.  Milk chocolate with a nice snap to the shell, lots of crunchy almonds and toasted coconut.  That part I really did enjoy.

But I still just don't care for the coconut forward, not very creamy, frozen dessert.  It isn't ice cream to me ...

Almond Milk

"So Delicious Dairy Free almondmilk frozen desserts are so smooth and creamy, you'll never miss dairy ice cream or all those extra calories and fat again. What's more, all of our almondmilk products are soy-free, gluten-free, and Non-GMO Project Verified."

Since I wasn't thrilled with the coconut milk ice cream, I decided to try one of their almond milk offerings instead.  I love regular ice cream, and I'm not generally looking for an alternative, except every time I get a sore throat, I still want to satisfy my ice cream needs ...

Almond milk frozen desserts are available in only 5 pint flavors, plus one type of ice cream bar and one type of ice cream sandwich.  It was equally lackluster to the coconut milk versions.

Butter Pecan Almond Milk Frozen Dessert.

I selected the flavor with the most interesting mix-ins, butter pecan (this flavor is no longer carried).

But ... just like the coconut milk frozen dessert, it wasn't creamy.  It really just isn't ice cream.  I did not like the texture.

The flavor was good, strong maple flavor, lots of chunks of pecans.

Since I liked the flavor, I kept trying to use it alongside other desserts, thinking that if paired with a warm bread pudding perhaps I wouldn't notice the texture, but, alas, it just didn't work for me ever.  Too bad, because the flavor was quite nice.

Cashew Milk

"Our Cashewmilk frozen desserts deliver dairy-free decadence with amazing flavor and over-the-top creaminess. Every scrumptious spoonful is 100% plant-based. We created 8 flavors with outstanding taste and texture, made with simple ingredients that are Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Vegan."

The coconut milk and almond milk based ice creams were not nearly creamy enough, but I decided to give So Delicious one last try and went for a cashew milk flavor.  I didn't really want cashew flavored ice cream, but I figured for completeness sake, I should try one flavor, and see if the texture was any better.  

Cashew Milk dairy-free frozen dessert is available in 8 pint flavors, such as basic "very vanilla", "creamy cashew", chocolate, cappuccino, and more interesting flavors with mix-ins like chocolate cookies n' cream, dark chocolate truffle, salted caramel cluster, and snickerdoodle.

Frozen novelties are now available with cashew milk base too, the most recent products added to the line.

Snickerdoodle.

"A cinnamon delight loaded with chunks of gluten-free snickerdoodle cookie dough!"

This one was ... actually creamy.  I don't think I would have known it was non-dairy, from the texture anyway.

It did have subtle cashew flavor though, as you would expect.  In some bites it distracted me, but in others it was able to blend in with the cinnamon flavors and not be noticeable.  The cinnamon was quite strong, but not in an overpowering way.

Like the Cookie Dough Coconut Milk flavor, it had well-sized chunks of cookie dough (snickerdoodle this time) and there were plenty of them.  I can't say the cookie dough was particularly good, I wanted it more buttery, more sweet, but, it wasn't bad, and it gave me something to dig for.

Overall, this really was fine, and I was happy to eat a pint when I had a sore throat.

Panini Pressed Cinnamon Roll Donut + Snickerdoodle Cashewmilk Frozen Dessert.

I really enjoy transforming leftover donuts by warming them either in a waffle iron or panini press, and one day, I had a cinnamon roll donut.  I pressed it, and decided it would be even better when topped with additional cinnamon-y goodness, in the form of the snickerdoodle frozen dessert. I was right!

I really didn't notice that it was non-dairy in this usage, it melted just right, was creamy, and the cinnamon flavor was perfect with the cinnamon roll donut base.

Very Vanilla.

"Rich, creamy & totally indulgent!"

Since the Snickerdoodle was successful, I next went simple: "Very Vanilla", to see what I could pair it with.

The texture of this was not as creamy, more icy, and it definitely took some time to soften, more than standard ice cream.  I helped it along by mushing it up a bit when I got impatient.

The flavor was certainly cashew, although mild, and sweet.  It was fine actually, and I think would be great blended into acai milkshakes.

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Salted Caramel Cluster

"A sweet and salty delight featuring chocolate covered cashews and a ribbon of salted caramel."

I know I wrote this review, but, alas, it is missing.

I remember quasi-liking this one, at least appreciating the generous mix-ins, including gooey salted caramel and chocolate covered nuts.  But alas, no further details.

Dipped Salted Caramel.

"The new Dipped Salted Caramel bar has the same smooth and creamy taste you love with a ribbon of rich caramel dunked into dark chocolate."

This was less successful than the pint of frozen dessert.

The chocolate coating was actually pretty good, dark chocolate, snappy shell.  But I didn't like the frozen cashew milk ice cream inside.  It was actually very creamy, and remarkably regular ice cream-like in consistency.  But the flavor was intensely cashew.  Too much cashew for me.

The salted caramel ribbon wasn't really a ribbon.  There was a very sweet area, but, certainly not a ribbon, and certainly not what I associate with caramel inside ice cream bars.

Not a winner.

Dairy Free Beverages

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Chocolate Coconut Milk.

"Slide over Soymilk and move over milk, So Delicious Chocolate Coconutmilk Beverage is here! This delicious beverage goes great in any chocolatey recipes or just poured into a tall glass."

I've also received several boxes of individual chocolate coconut milks over the years.  The first time, I promptly put them in the pantry and forgot about them, until one day when I had a cold, and I wanted something soothing.  I wanted liquid, since my throat was so scratchy.  But all dairy products just made my throat even more phlegmy (TMI?  Sorry).  Chocolate coconut milk sounded perfect.

And it was.  It was creamy, a bit thick, almost like a milkshake.  The chocolate flavor was rich.  It had a slight coconut thing going on.  Really, really good.  I sucked down my individual box in seconds.

I hadn't had chocolate milk of any sort in a long time, but I used to love chocolate milk (usually with some protein blended in) as a post-workout snack.  It turns out, chocolate coconut milk is even better, as the chocolate and coconut flavors combine really well.

I loved these, and wish I'd tried the boxes long before I squandered my other coupons on the frozen products that I didn't like.  Highly recommend, and I'll certainly be getting more of these!

Update: I got another case of these, and this time, I wasn't a fan.  All I could taste was fake sweetener, and the chocolate separated from the milk, even though I shook it well.  I kinda think something was actually wrong with this batch.

Another update: I think I must have just not shaken the previous one well enough.  I tried another from that batch, shook it up REALLY well, and it was better.  It still tasted a bit too fake, but I ended up mixing it with some vanilla soy milk and peppermint syrup, and made a really, really delicious creation.  I love the flavor of soy milk, and the chocolate peppermint flavor was awesome.  I have one more case of these, and now I can't wait to use them!

Mint Chocolate Coconutmilk (Seasonal).

"All of the benefits of our Coconutmilk Beverage coupled with the incredibly delicious flavor of Mint Chocolate."

For the winter holidays, So Delicious introduced a special chocolate version of coconutmilk: mint chocolate!  Exactly what I had crafted on my own with the chocolate milk before.  I couldn't wait to try it.

The aroma was amazing.  Chocolately.  Minty.  I couldn't wait to drink a glass.  I took a big swig.  It was slightly thick, not in a bad way, more in a milkshake sense than a glass of regular milk.  I tasted mint.  I tasted chocolate.  It was amazing ... until it wasn't.  I was hit hard with a medicinal, fake, strange sweet taste.  And it lingered.  It intensified.  It ruined the entire experience.

I tried again the next day.  Again, amazing aroma.  Again, amazing initial taste.  And then ... the badness.  I could not just drink this, which was sad, as it was like the chocolate version, just, better.

Unwilling to toss the quart, I got creative.  I added some to a cup of coffee that I wasn't enjoying.  I figured it was worth the experiment, as the coffee was just not very good and it clearly needed milk/creamer, sugar/syrups, or something to make it drinkable.  And ... it worked!  It turned my lackluster coffee into a peppermint mocha, chocolately, minty, creamy, sweet.  I quickly vowed to use the rest of the quart this way.

Coconut Milk Nog (Seasonal).

"All of the benefits of our Coconutmilk Beverage coupled with the incredibly delicious flavor of nutmeg."

The nog was ... ok.  Thick, almost too thick, but not quite creamy.  And it did taste like coconut, which I like, but is a bit strange for nog.  Spicing was mild.

I wanted to like this, since I like egg nog, horchata, and other similar spiced creamy beverages.  And I do like coconut milk.  But ... it just didn't do it for me.

I ended up using it as creamer in my coffee, and that worked well, since it added some spicing too.

Cococcino Latte (Discontinued).

"Our new Cococcino Latte single-serve beverages are 11oz. of  organic, Fair Trade, absurdly tasty coffee  and coconut concoction. These babies have all the  get-up-and-go  you need in the morning or for an afternoon pick-me-up, all in a convenient, resealable, recyclable, on-the-go package. ."

Given the explosion of coffee based packaged beverages, of course they got on board with this trend too.

I really, really did not like this.  The taste was incredibly bitter, but not just in a coffee-is-bitter way.  In a ... this-tastes-bad way.  There was a fair amount of sugar in it (22g in the single serve pack), so it wasn't that it wasn't sweetened either.  I gave it a few sips, but I really hated it.  Clearly I don't dislike all of their coconut milk products though, since I loved the chocolate coconut milk ...

Another taster described it as like coffee that had been over-steeped.  We were clearly not alone, as this product has been discontinued.

Vanilla Almond Plus 5x (Discontinued).

"Almond Plus™ 5X almond milk delivers the full spectrum of 9 essential amino acids that your body needs, and five times the protein of most other almond milks"

How do they deliver 5X the regular protein?  By adding pea and rice protein, since almond milk usually doesn't have much protein.

The milk was a bit chalky, although it did have a nice vanilla flavor.  Still, not something I'd really just like to drink, and others seem to agree, as this has been discontinued.

Whipped Topping

"Top desserts, beverages and more with fluffy, oh-so-creamy Cocowhip. Crafted for smooth deliciousness. Dairy-free and delicious."

And the winner is ... yes, the whipped topping!

Sorry, I couldn't wait to get to that part.  I loved this, um, mostly as a ice cream replacement.  Keep reading.

Whipped topping comes only in a coconut milk base (CocoWhip), and is packaged like Cool Whip - in a tub, in the freezer, rather than a spray can.  Much like Cool Whip, you are instructed to remove it from the freezer in advance, waiting 4 hours (!) before using it.  I ... rarely did that.

Available in two varieties only, regular and lite.  And both are amazing.  Sorry, I can't help but keep mentioning that part.  

Regular CocoWhip!

"Our new coconut milk CocoWhip adds great flavor to top desserts, beverages and works great in recipes too!"

I had no patience for the whole "wait 4 hours" instructions.  When I want whipped topping, I want it NOW!

So I tried a scoop right from the freezer.  It was perfectly soft, not hard like ice cream.  It was crazy fluffy.  They certainly nailed the "whip" part of the product.

As for the taste, it was nothing like whipped cream.  It tasted like ... coconut.  I suppose not a surprise.  I'm sure there are applications where it can work well, like when you have something that coconut flavor would compliment, but it is certainly not a drop in replacement for whipped cream.

The texture was also not really like whipped cream, while it was fluffy, it was more like Cool Whip when you take it out of the freezer.

While I never took it out and let it defrost for a full 4 hours, I did let it defrost a little several times, and found that it did get more melty, still not like whipped cream, but again like Cool Whip.

Really, just think of this as coconut flavored Cool Whip.  Which, is not necessary a bad thing.

I never quite found what it made sense to top with this, but that didn't matter, as honestly, I found it quiet delicious straight from the container, straight from the freezer.  It was like coconut fluffy ice cream, albeit a bit too rich, as it started to build up a film in your mouth if you ate too much in one sitting ...

Light CocoWhip!

Next I tried the light version.

It tasted pretty much the same, although the texture was a bit different.  It seemed to separate a bit more, so some bites were a bit icier than the regular, and others more fatty.

It also melted differently, as it melted much faster, and into this amazing soft, marshmallow like texture.  So soft, so fluffy.  Totally amazing.

Also, because of the slightly lower fat content, it was even easier to eat straight from the container, as it didn't build up a strange mouthfeel from the coconut fats.  I mean, if you were the sort of person who would do such a thing.  Yes, it can be just as addicting as a pint of Ben & Jerry's {LINK}.  They clearly want to discourage such behavior, listing the serving size as only 2 tablespoons, and claiming that there are 22 (!) servings in a tub.  22?  Ha.

Yogurt

"Indulge in our coconutmilk- and oatmilk-based yogurt alternatives. They are rich, creamy, gluten and dairy-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegan and delicious."

And lastly, yogurt, er, yogurt alternatives.  Oat and coconut versions, a large lineup, including the ever so trendy style that has a "pairing" in a separate little compartment that you flip in.  

I know I've tried a few, but wasn't ever into them

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Plain coconut milk yogurt.

The mouth feel of this was totally bizarre.  It wasn't smooth or creamy, it reminded me more of jelly.  The coconut flavor was nice, but it was very clear that this was not a dairy product.  I really didn't care for it.

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