Over a month ago, Chris and I attended Expo West, a natural products convention that lasts for about 4 days in Anaheim. We only went for 1 1/2 days but we walked away having got to try some really amazing stuff (and to be honest, some not so amazing stuff). I was amazed at the number of vegan products there! It was very encouraging to see the vegan movement growing. We brought home a ton of samples.
I'm sure you all have seen reviews of the expo and have probably already heard about all of the new products I'm about to mention but I figured it would be fun to share it anyway. Here are our top 12 vegan finds at Expo West this year.
12. Neat- I've seen plenty of blogger reviews of this product recently and the reviews are totally right: This stuff is legit. If you can get your hands on some of this vegan ground meat, I suggest you do so.
11. Beyond Meat Beef-Free Crumbles- I've mentioned before that I am a fan of Beyond Meat and their Taco Beyond marketing strategy was the definitely the best at the Expo, hands down. They served their new beef crumbles up in soft tacos and vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike were going crazy for it!
10. Love & Hummus- Homemade hummus is the best hummus, in my opinion, but this jarred variety comes pretty dang close. I love that it is in glass jars rather than plastic tubs (because it's greener and I love reusing cute little jars). The hummus itself is really, really good, has no weird stuff like citric acid, and comes in several wonderful flavors like Roasted Lemon & Thyme (my favorite) and Spicy Harissa (my second favorite).
9. Love Bean Superfood Fudge Spreads- You guys. This stuff. I wish there was a way to eat an entire jar and retain my dignity. These extra virgin coconut oil-based fudge spreads are magical. At room temperature, you can spread them like peanut butter. Or you can heat them up and use them like a fudge sauce on your ice cream (and rumor has it that it will turn into a crisp chocolate shell).
8. DF Mavens Dairy Free Frozen Desserts- I love a good vegan ice cream as much as the next gal, but holy sweet delicious frozen desserts! They come in soy, coconut, and almond milk-based varieties and some are sugar-free! And with flavors like Peanut Butter Fudge Mash, New Orleans Salted Praline, Sicilian Hazelnut Truffle, how can they not be the best?
7. New Chocolate-Covered Cocomels- Chris and I sometimes buy the 5-pack of Cocomels caramels to share and we always fight over the 5th one (or just cut it in half). Now that these are in the picture, things are about to get pretty sticky (pun intended). Seriously, I want Santa to fill my stocking with these come Christmas time.
6. Live Love Snack Kale & Sea Salt Popped Multigrain Chips- Kale seems to be the new "It" flavor these days. We tasted kale-flavored popcorn, muffins, and energy bars but these kale and sea salt flavored popped chips made from sprouted quinoa and chia seeds were my favorite. I love popped chips anyway, but I have a feeling these are about to be my new favorite.
5. Phoney Baloney's New Coconut Bacon Flavors- You guys know how much I love Phoney Baloney's coconut bacon. I use it all the time to make my Cheddar Bacon Dip, Maple Bacon Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Bacon Bark. Now they have new flavors like Chipotle BBQ, Soy Free Reduced Sodium, Apple Fennel, and Candied Coconut Bacon (Our favorites were the Apple Fennel and Candied). They'll be available in May.
4. Gardein's New Fishless Filets- Before going vegetarian, seafood was never my thing, but since going vegan, seafood-inspired dishes are slowly becoming a favorite (I may or may not have a few recipes in my upcoming book). These fish fillets were completely unexpected and they were ridiculously good! We almost never buy gardein, but I would definitely buy these for a quick dinner.
3. Field Roast Burger- You all know that Chris swears like a sailor when he tastes things that he really likes, but when I bit into a sample of this burger, a flood of expletives poured from my mouth (okay, maybe just one or two). This is the best vegan, pre-made (store-bought) burger I've ever tasted. No competition. THE best.
2. Parmela Cream Cheese- I thought I'd found the best vegan cream cheese when I found Daiya's new(ish) version but when I tasted Parmela's new cultured cashew cream cheese, all bets were off. It's so tangy and rich and creamy and doesn't have a weird jello(ish) texture. I liked the plain flavor the best, but the kalamata olive and black pepper flavors were pretty awesome too.
1. The Piping Gourmets' Whoopie Pies- Vegan and Gluten-Free and I ate a ridiculous amount of samples at their booth. And they gave Chris and I each a whole box of them. That's 2 boxes with 4 each. I'm not even embarrassed to say that we ate all of them already. They are so amazing and by far the best thing we found at the Expo. Keep an eye out for these in your grocery store's freezer dessert section.
Michelle
We only went on Sunday and I agree with your picks, in fact I bought the two flavors last night of Parmela... we agreed best cheese ever. Those whoopie pies are the best but are only available back east... =( I was never a seafood eater either but these fillets were pretty tasty. Neat is also great. We didn't see the cocomels but I love them and now with chocolate thats a whole new level....
Shannon
A lot of awesome stuff! Not to sound dramatic but I think cocomels may be my favorite thing in the entire world, so I'm excited to hear they have some new products coming out. The Gardein fake fish is very intriguing as well!
tamara
Man, this all looks sooooooooo good. I have been weirdly missing fried fish lately, so I can't wait to try the Gardein. And those cocomels look awesome! Thanks for sharing.
The only time I've been to an expo is when I worked at Whole Foods during college. They had a big vendor expo for us and it was so fun to try all the vegan stuff. I would love to go to an Expo where everything is vegan!!
Bobbie {the vegan crew}
I've never been to an event like this, but it sounds like pure heaven. So much goodness! And what I wouldn't give to try a jar of that fudge spread! 🙂
Katie @ Produce on Parade
Very cool! The Whoopie Pies look awesome and I seriously cannot wait to try the Field Roast Burger. The only vegan cream cheese we get up in Alaska is Tofutti!
AutumnTao
Thanks for this great post! I hadn't heard about the expo at all, even following many vegan bloggers. Great little synopses, and I appreciate all the links. I love hearing about new products. 🙂
Jenni
Wow, I definitely need to try that Field Roast burger after your review. How are the ingredients? That's usually what deters me from certain brands. Also, I need that fudge. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I want to dip frozen bananas in it. Like, now. Your blog is great, by the way! I recently starting following you and I love it. I'm Jenni. 🙂
Robyn B | Modern Day Missus
Wooowwww, I'm always in awe of all the different products you guys have over there in the US. I want to visit again, just to visit the supermarket! lol
Cadry
Wow, so much good looking stuff! I'm most excited to try the Field Roast burgers (because everything they make is amazing), the new flavors of Phoney Baloney's (because their original is one of my current addictions), and the Gardein filets (because absolutely everyone has raved about them). Of course, I imagine it will take a looooooooooong time for any of those things to get to Iowa, but a girl can dream, right?
Emma
Woah! I always marvel at the amazing vegan products you guys have stateside. Just when I think the UK is catching up it seems we're eons behind. The caramels and fudge spread look insane!
Emily @ It Comes Naturally Blog
Wow - that all looks amazing. I am really interested in the fish - what's it made of? Just recently dipping my toe in the vegan water and I miss my Fish Fridays!
Amy @ parsley in my teeth
Thanks for sharing all of this great info. It can get expensive trying every new vegan product that comes on the market, so getting some first-hand feedback is great. I'm really looking forward to trying Phoney Baloney's new Coconut Bacon flavors!
Katie P
Wow! I had never heard of Phoney Baloney, but you better believe I'm hitting up our Fresh Market ASAP to find and buy. Thanks for sharing this list! It is fun to learn more about what is out there worthy of purchasing. Out of curiosity, what were some of the items that you were less impressed by?
keepinitkind
You will love Phoney Baloney- I don't even like coconut that much but that coconut bacon is one of my favorite things.
I honestly don't remember the ones I didn't care for. They didn't make that big of an impression on me and that's why they're not on the list. 😉 I remember there was a vegan cookie dough and some kale chips that left a terrible taste in my mouth, but other than that, I don't remember.
Caitlin
Those chocolate-covered cocomels look so amazing! Wish I could get them here in the UK. I've tried the cocomels and those were delicious, can't imagine how good they would be with chocolate too.