Ever since brewing up my very first cup of mud so many years ago as a wee preteen, using my little pink Hello Kitty coffee maker and all, I’ve been a strictly black coffee kind of gal. No sugar, no cream, thank you very much. Simply a means of getting a quick caffeine pick me up, it’s always been a no-frills affair. However, you’ll rarely be able to poke around in my fridge without finding at least one pint of creamer chilling out. An incredibly useful ingredient, it often finds its way into baked goods and desserts of all varieties, adding richness and sweetness like no other vegan alternative. Up until recently though, that creamer was always soy-based, as there were simply no other options out there.

You’ve probably already guessed it, but this looks like another job for coconut! Matching the standard trio of flavored soy creamers, Turtle Mountain has now leveled the field with another reason for soy-avoiding vegans to be delighted.

Trying for get a basic understanding of the product to begin with, I naturally chose the Original (plain) variety to sample first. Surprisingly less sweet than expected, and very neutral in flavor, it would make for a completely inoffensive addition to coffee indeed. Agreeable enough to pair well with any flavored coffee, it would also happily blend into the background of any baked good, just as you might hope for from standard dairy cream. In fact, I’m willing to bet that dairy-drinkers would welcome this creamer in their cup of joe, too. Despite its subtlety, there’s not a hint of coconut flavor- A truly impressive feat in my book.

Stepping it up a notch with the French Vanilla, it’s immediately apparent that this one is sweeter. In fact, it was sweet enough that when sampled with coffee, it would be overkill to add in any sugar along with it. Perfectly suited for making fancy lattes if one so desired, its light, floral vanilla essence adds volumes of flavor. Easily my top pick of the group, this one convinced me that there may be merit in coffees lightened with creamer yet.

Now fighting a mean coffee buzz, it seemed time to put away the brew and pull out the ice cream machine instead. By far my favorite use for creamer, it was only a matter of minutes before the Hazelnut coconut creamer was whipped into an ice cream base with a touch of vanilla bean paste, and then was churning away. Anxious to have a taste right away, I served it straight out of the machine like soft serve, and oh, what a treat it was. Ultra smooth and creamy, it was unbelievable that such a simple concoction could be so good. Though it has the vague aroma of almond extract, it is easily distinguishable on the tongue, with more complex nuances than almond. Happily, it’s not the least bit bitter, as some hazelnut-infused foods can be.

Score yet another one for the mighty coconut! I for one can’t even imagine what it may turn up in next.

[Written for Go Dairy Free]

Glancing down supermarket aisles piled high with colorful bags, boxes, and even buckets of candy, each one adorned with both cute and creepy graphics, the temptation of Halloween treats looms large on my mind as we count down the days until All Hallows’ eve. Without some tried and true recipes to tide over my sweet tooth, this would be an incredibly morose time of year, tortured over treats filled with nasty animal products. But for all the fantastic homemade candy in the world, there’s still something to be said of the convenience factor when simply purchasing a special confection… And now, you don’t need to sacrifice your ideals to indulge your inner child this Halloween.

Sweet and Sara, one of my all-time favorite vegan companies (true fact: I have their logo tattooed on my wrist), has made this year’s Halloween about one hundred times happier, thanks to their introduction of large ghost-shaped mallows, using their signature vanilla marshmallow formula.

Slightly larger than your average peep, there’s absolutely no comparison between the two when it comes to quality. This giant pillow of fluffy sweetness is both impossibly light and dense at the same time, creating an almost creamy interior texture. Although I was certain it would be difficult to consume such a large quality of almost pure sugar at once, it was alarmingly easy to wolf down in one sitting, and still leave me craving more.

Sold individually online, each with a unique expression painted in bitter dark chocolate, these are by far my top pick for a purchased Halloween treat this year.

It’s official- I do hereby declare 2009 the year of the coconut! This tropical trend has swept vegans everywhere off their feet, eliciting a near fanatical response every time it pops up somewhere new. Of course, it seems to be making cameo appearances in cutting-edge products on a practically daily basis, making up the base for everything from ice cream to yogurt… And now, to kefir.

Those crazy scientists at Turtle Mountain are on a roll, unveiling delight after delight- And all with coconut milk as the star. This particular beverage was something completely new to me, but in fact, it’s been around for centuries as a dairy product. Essentially a fermented milk drink, Kefir is generally described as a tangy milkshake. Supposedly very beneficial to digestion, it also comes with a whole laundry list of theoretical health benefits as well. What I wanted to know, however, was how it tastes! Happily, those same crazy scientists are also very generous, and sent me a few samples so that I could find out.

Hoping to get a baseline for what this drink would be like, I opted to try the Original flavor first. Casually taking a quick sip, I stopped short once the kefir hit my taste buds- Man, is this stuff tart! Much more “tangy” than I had expected and in fact downright sour, I would not recommend drinking this plain. That’s not to say that it’s bad, though, as I found that it made a fantastic “buttermilk” substitute in baking, and a wonderful addition to fruit smoothies. Only faintly coconut-y, the flavor is not too intrusive here, and just a pleasant undertone.

Taking a more cautious sip of the Vanilla kefir, I was happy to find that this perfectly smooth and white beverage was quite drinkable indeed. Just barely sweetened, it’s enough to take that “bite” out of this flavor. Very similar to a thin, drinkable yogurt, it’s a great drink to have as part of a meal on the go, or a nice, light snack.

Finally, the one I was most curious about: Strawberry. This pale, pastel-pink liquid, flecked with real strawberry seeds, smelled strongly of fresh berries from the moment I popped off the lid. Although the flavor is actually much more mild that the scent might suggest, it’s also far tangier than your typical berry-based drink. Hardly sweet at all, this is no kid’s juice box affair in the least. Although I wasn’t crazy about it initially, the flavor did grow on me, and it became even more tasty when blended with more whole strawberries.

Kefir itself is a very unique sort of beverage, as I’ve come to learn, and while I’ve never had the “real” thing, I think that this coconut version is very true to that original model.

[Written for Go Dairy Free]

Quick, name one dessert accompaniment that goes well with absolutely every sweet dish imaginable. How could any single thing go well with such infinite flavor and textural possibilities? Easy- Just reach for the whipped cream. Lightly sweetened and enhanced with just a drop of vanilla extract, this classic confection accompaniment is almost universally loved by both young and old, serious sweets lovers and occasional enthusiasts, often piled on in voluminous mountains of fluffy white cream. However, for those who seek dairy-free options, the alternatives are still rather dismal. If I had a dime for every “tofu whipped cream” recipe I saw authors trying to fob off as an appropriate substitute, well… You know how it goes. It’s just a shame that those approaches almost always result in a heavy glob that merely tastes like sweetened bean curd.

Before you start bemoaning the lack of a vegan version, fear not, as this field is rapidly expanding! Now, not too long after the heaven-sent Soyatoo whipped topping hit US shelves and offered the first viable taste of luscious, vegan cream, there’s something new to get excited about: Rice Whip. Yes, you heard me right, a rice-based, aerosol whipped cream, completely vegan and soy-free!

Perfectly light and fluffy, the texture is everything you could ask for- Plus, the aerosol container makes dispensing each serving fun and easy. Clearly created to provide contrast to even the heaviest dessert, this pillowy fluff isn’t the least bit sweet by itself, but picks up just enough sweetness when eaten together with a more sugary main dish. For those seeking a vegan, soy-alternative to whipped cream, run, don’t walk to your nearest health food store, and stock up on this unique new product!

For those with no trouble digesting soy, however, I will admit that I still prefer the standard Soy Whip over this one. It’s a very faint aftertaste, but if you look for it, there’s just a hint of starchy rice flavor that I detect in the Rice Whip which detracts from the overall experience.  Such an offense is very minor, of course, and choosing this creamy topping over anything else would certainly be no sacrifice!