Kez's Free and Naked Choc Mud Bars

I came across these snack bars at my local Coles supermarket, in amongst the healthfoods products. I am familiar with this brand, as they do gluten free biscuits and other stuff, but I had not seen these bars before.

They come in a pack of 5 and although each bar is fairly small (25g), I find this to be just the right size, as they are a bit rich. They are gluten free and clearly labelled as being vegan. The bars contain 5 ingredients - dates, cashews, cocoa, sesame seeds and chia seeds. That's it. A simple but pleasing combination.

I keep a pack in my desk drawer at work, for when I am having a craving for something sweet.

Nature's Way Superfood Powders

I have really been getting into smoothies these days. I find they are great for breakfast. I can blend them up and take them with me to work. I recently purchased a copy of the book "365 Vegan Smoothies" by Kathy Patalsky and I love it! It was one of those books that I borrowed from my local library. I started noting which pages I wanted to photocopy, expecting there to be no more than maybe 5....but by the time I got to the end of the book, I had a huge list of pages. Well, I HAD to buy the book! I have been trying out at least 2 new recipes every week and all but one so far has been a winner with me, so far.

Quite a few smoothie recipes call for the use of kale. Now, I love kale but have to admit that it can be a pain to wash and cut up. Plus, my blender does not seem to cope with it very well, and I end up with chewy smoothies - an oxymoron!
So, I was rather pleased to find the Nature's Way  range pop up on the shelves at Woolworths supermarkets. There was quite a few varieties available, including powders of acai, spirulina, maca, super greens blends, etc. I spotted a kale powder and noticed it was vegan and gluten free, so bought it. The costs was around $10 for a 100g bag and it is suggested you pop 2 tsp into your smoothies. I have been using half of that so far.
It tastes fine and is very convenient to use. You can also use it in salads, soups and dips though I have not tried that yet.

Dr. McDougall's Right Foods

I have been trying out quite a few recipes from Dr McDougall's website lately, and have been reading his books (check out his book "The Starch Solution"). There are also quite a few of his food products on the shelves at Coles (in the health foods section) and in health food stores.
Although there is quite a range, I have only seen a handful available here, so I will cover those that I have tried. Note that all of the range is vegan though only some are also gluten free.
These are for light lunches and snacks. I tend to boost the noodle cups by adding some chopped up cooked veggies to them.

In the Noodle Cup range, my fave product, hands down, is the Miso Ramen Noodle Soup. So tasty! Not gluten free, though, so this is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I have found this one to be the easiest to find in Coles. The next more common one is the gluten free Pad Thai, which I also like though not as much as a the Miso Ramen. I have seen in some health food stores, the Tortilla Soup with Baked Chips which I wasn't all that keen on.





There is also an Asian Noodle Cup range. These are 'entree' size which means, even bolstered by cooked chopped vegetables, there really are only snack sized. My two favourites from this range are the Teriyaki Noodle and the Spicy Kung Pao Noodle. These tend to be a little harder to find, but have sometimes found them in Coles.

Apart from the noodle cups, I have also found the Ready To Serve Soups. Some of these come in Low Sodium varieties. I have also found these in Coles, in amongst the health food section. They are just the right amount for a lunch meal and are super tasty. I think my favourite is the Split Pea Soup. Again, there is quite a few varieties in this range but I have only seen a few in the shops - the Lentil Soup and the Minestrone Soup. Both are flavoursome.

It is good to know that a major supermarket stocks some vegan convenience food. Sure, nothing beats home cooked but when you are tired or lacking time, or even travelling, having these kind of products to hand is great!

Alpine Coconut Yoghurt

Well, here it is. A non-dairy, vegan yoghurt that you can buy in one of the biggest supermarket chains in Australia –namely Woolworths. And it is so smooth and creamy too. Granted, it is made from coconut and so has a coconut flavour to it but I find this product to be less coconut in taste than CoYo and much, much smoother – less of a ‘bite’. This product is cultured so does have a tang, but it is not overly sharp. And while it is still a bit pricey, it does cost less than CoYo.

Because of its richness, I tend to only eat, at most, 2 tablespoons at a time. There is suppose to be two varieties available – ‘Natural’ and ‘Passionfruit’ but I have only seen the former in Woolworths so far.

Maybe one day we will have a commercial non-coconut tasting vegan yoghurt available in Australia. Until then, I am happy to indulge in some of this product, from time to time.

Beanfields Bean and Rice Chips

I found these savoury snacks in the health foods section of Woolworths. They are clearly marked as ‘Vegan’ on the front of the pack and after peering at the ingredients list, I found that they were, indeed, vegan.

So far, I have seen three of the varieties in Woolworths – Salsa, Sea salt, and Nacho. The Nacho is my favourite. Very tasty, very cheesy in its flavour. The Salsa has a smoky sort of flavour to it.

There are also 2 other varieties that I have yet to see them in the shops here in Perth. One is Salt N’ Pepper and the other Unsalted.

And new to the range is Barbecue and Ranch. My partner managed to find small packets of these two in the Loving Hut café in Victoria Park.  The Ranch variety tastes a lot like sour cream and chives to me.

All of these products are gluten free, veganand non-GMO. Hopefully, the other varieties will eventually be available in Woolworths. I have noticed that the current ones sell very well at my local supermarket. 

Pana Chocolate

Pana Chocolate has to be one of the very best raw, vegan chocolate I have every tried. It is handmade, organic, contains no dairy or any other animal products and is low GI and gluten free. Oh, and it is DELICIOUS!

There are several varieties available:  Mint, Orange, Rose, Nuts, Cinnamon, Coconut and Goji, Raw Cacao, 80% Cacao and the new Sour Cherry and Vanilla - which I just tried and loved!

If you tend to shy away from dark chocolate because of bitterness, you have nothing to worry about here. This chocolate is neither bitter or sickly sweet. It has just the right balance. Also, it is so very smooth in texture.

The bars are small and quite expensive, so I just treat myself to a square at a time - the way it should be, really. Pop a square into your mouth and savour it!

Pana Chocolate is available in several healthfood shops, cafes and organics stores.
Their website has an extensive list of suppliers in Perth. Just pop in your postcode.

LaZuppa Classic Bowls

I am finding that more and more vegan friendly products are showing up on our supermarkets, which is great. My latest discovery is the LaZuppa Classic Bowls range. These are available in Coles and Woolworths, found in the same section that has the canned and packet soups. Whilst not all the range is vegan, a lot of it is.




The portions sizes are perfect for lunch, as they are the equivalent of a good sized bowl of soup. I have been having one a week for lunch at work, during the cooler months. All you need is microwave oven and about two minutes. Easy.




I have tried all the vegan varieties and they all get the 'thumbs up' from me: Spinach and Chickpea; Pumpkin; Minestrone; Ribbolita Tuscan Vegetables;  and Moroccan Pumpkin with Chickpea. They are as close to home made tasting soup that I found on store shelves, so far.
And they are also gluten free!

Coles Simply Gluten Free Quinoa Range

This is a nice little range that Coles have put out for those who have an allergy or intolerance to gluten.

I was a bit wary at first, however, as to whether these products were suitable for vegans, as there was no indication as to the type of emulsifier used. Some are plant derived, some animal.

I ended up emailing Coles and they stated:

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we were in contact with our National Quality Team. They have advised that this is vegetable based emulsifier. We do not use the animal source in our products.



Great news!
There are three varieties available - the plain quinoa, the Moroccan style brown rice and quinoa , and the Mexican style brown rice and quiona, which is my favourite, as it has quite a bit of 'kick' to it. NOTE: the Moroccan contains milk so avoid that one!

They are easy to use - just heat up in a microwave - so they are good to take to work for lunch. I like to heat and then add to some raw vegetables.
These are also very handy when travelling, as they do not need refrigeration.

You can find them in Coles supermarkets, in their very own 'Simply Gluten Free' section.

Sanitarium Vegie Delights Chilli Non Carne and Chickpea Masala Curry

Naturally, home made curry and chilli tastes the best, but for those days when you come home from work and are too tired to cook, I have found steaming some rice and adding a can of one of these, does the trick. Best if you heat before you add but I have been known to eat them unheated and they taste fine.

Both are vegan and gluten free, and are available from the health foods section of Woolworths supermarkets. My partner likes the Chilli one but I find it a bit too hot and spicy, so I prefer the Curry, which although is spicy, isn't overly strong.

Like I said, it is good of steamed rice, but I have know to throw it on some soft rice noodles. On toast is another good option.

gopicnic Ready-to-eat-meals

These are little boxes of vegan and gluten free yum that my partner and I like to take with us when we are out walking for the day, in a park, the bush, whatever, and don't feel like having to pack a picnic's worth of food AND carry it with us as we walk. With this box of treats, we can just stop every now and then and have a 'course'. Best of all, nothing needs to be refrigerated.

There are usually 5 items in each pack, basically consisting of a type of cracker, dip, trail mix, fruity snack and dessert. One pack per person is the way to go but we share, as these little beauties are a bit pricey.

According to their website, there are several vegan varieties to choose from, however, we have only seen and tried 3 of them: the Sunbutter and crackers, the Hummus and crackers, and the Black bean dip and plantain chips.

The only place we have seen these being sold is the Victoria Park Loving Hut cafe. If you spot these anywhere else in Perth, please let me know!

Bodhis Wheat Free Pizza Bases

I discovered these gluten free pizza bases at the Coles Gluten Free Expo this year and gave them a go, after confirming that they were also vegan.
In the past, I had trouble finding a gluten free base that didn't also have 'milk solids' listed in its ingredients.
The only ones I could find were the Simply Wize ones, which although are good, are rather small in size.
The Bodhis ones are larger, have nicer texture and flavour to them. Hands down the best gluten free vegan pizza bases I have tasted so far.
Good news is, they are not only available in some health food shops, but also in Coles supermarkets, in the bread section. Their shelf life isn't all that long, so make sure that when you buy them, you plan to use them soon.
A pack, which contains 2 bases, costs around $5-6.

Product: So Delicious icecreams

I have blogged about So Delicious before - specifically about their non-dairy milks. This time, it is about their  icecreams - both the tub and 'on-a-stick' varieties.

I didn't think I would see these products in the stores here in Australia. The company is American and I have found that imported refrigerated items tend to be quite limited at times. But to my joy, I started seeing So Delicious icecreams popping up all over the place. It then became my mission to try as many varieties as I could. "Research for my blog" is what I say to my partner, the lady behind the counter, and to my friends. Ha!

First, about the tubs. I tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl. Oh boy. Chocolate coconut icecream, with peanut butter swirled through it, plus choc chips. I am not a big fan of peanut butter but even I loved this. Who knew chocolate and peanut butter tasted so good? Plus, for those that may have an aversion to it, you cannot taste the coconut in this product.

My partner loves the Cookie Dough coconut icecream. You can taste the coconut in this, just a bit, bit it is mostly vanilla with chunks of cookie dough and chocolate flakes. Happy to say that despite the name, it is gluten free. 


I currently have the Turtle Trails variety in my freezer, waiting to be tasted. This one is a vanilla coconut milk icecream with caramel and chocolate covered praline pecans. Sounds so decadent!

I have yet to check out their almond milk based tubs, but am looking forward to it. (Not sure about my waistline, though!)

Now, onto their 'on-a-stick' varieties. I have seen a few of these in the shops - both the coconut milk and almond milk varieties.

I found that their Vanilla Almond Milk Minis to be creamy and delicious, with a crisp, sweet chocolate coating.  The Coconut Milk Mini was lovely, as well, though in this case, the chocolate coating tasted more like dark chocolate.

There are many more varieties in both the tubs and 'on-a-stick' products - some (but not all - yet!) which I have seen on shelves here, so do make an effort to hunt them down. It will be worth it, I promise!

I have found some of these beauties at my local healthfood shop and Fresh Stop in the Dogswamp Shopping Centre, and in  PAWS. If you have spotted them anywhere else in Perth, please comment below. Thanks!

On a final note: these are pricey products, so I approach them as occasional treats, which is really just as well. *peers over her shoulder, at her butt*

Product: Dairy Free Fudge and Coconut Ice by Fabulous Fudge Factory

This is a UK company. I came across these two products in PAWS (the only place I have seen them in Perth, so far) and thought I better try them in the name of "research", tee hee!

First up - the Dairy Free Coconut Ice. Although I have heard of it, I had never had coconut ice before, so I could not compare it to the dairy variety. To me, this was a sweet, coconut tasting treat - minus the cruelty of dairy, of course. My partner, who comes from a British family background, use to love this stuff as a kid, and was very pleased to see a vegan version available. The pink colouring is achieved with the use of raspberries and beetroot and you can taste the raspberry - which I think is delightful.

The Dairy Free Fudge is what is known as 'Devon Set', which means it is soft, creamy and smooth. (As opposed to the Scottish version which is harder and crumbly.) The fudge is made in batches and are hand crafted. I have had dairy fudge so can compare this product. Basically, the flavour and creaminess is all there, minus that animal fat smell that I find so unappealing. Ack!

If you have a sweet tooth, give these two products a go as a treat. I eat these in moderation, as they are very sweet.

Product: Holy Cow Golden Crunch

It's a tough life, being a vegan blogger. So many new and tasty products I *have to* try, all in the name of research for this blog!

I found this product in PAWS and have not seen it elsewhere. It is very sweet and very crunchy. Think of Violet Crumble or Crunchie bars, and you will have an idea as to what this tastes like. (If you are Australian, that sentence will make sense. If not, maybe not so much. Sorry.)

What you get is cinder toffee, covered in dark chocolate. Be warned however, it is NOT gluten free.

So if you have gone vegan but miss the old bit of Violet Crumble or Crunchie, get to PAWS and indulge!

Product: CoYo coconut milk yoghurt

There was much excitement when this product finally hit our shops, here in Perth. Finding a truly vegan suitable yoghurt has always been a challenge due to the source of the cultures used. (This product contains plant based cultures.) It is also lactose free, and gluten free.
The company is from Queensland, I do believe, and this product is an award winner.

I started off by trying the 'natural' variety. It is very rich and creamy and has a sharp bite to it. I then tried the passionfruit variety and really enjoyed it. I would suggest eating it with fresh fruit or cereal, as it is very rich.

The cost of the product is quite high for the amount you get, so I only buy it now and then.
There is a store locator function on the CoYo website, though I have noticed that it is not complete for Perth. This product can be found in some healthfood shops and some IGAs but I have also seen it sold in Manna.

Product: Chocolate Fudge Treats by Tofutti

I have been aware of this Frozen icecream-on-a-stick treat for quite some time but did not think I would ever see it in the shops here in Perth. Tofutti are an American company that make various vegan suitable food stuffs, some of which I have tried and loved. (See my previous post about their Cuties, tubs of icecream and Marry Me bars - Yummo!)

To my surprise and joy, I actually found their Chocolate Fudge Treats in the freezer section of Coles at Dogswamp, Tuart Hill. There were boxes of them in an up right freezer cabinet, along with kosher products. (Yes, some kosher products are also vegan.) I snatched a box and took it home. The box contains 12 of the treats and to my surprise, I have actually managed to make them last!

They are creamy and delicious, tasting a lot like Peter's Billabongs. (Note for the non-Australians reading this: Billabongs are a common chocolatey dairy icecream on a stick. I have never had one in my life (yay!) but a friend has assured me that is what this product by Tofutti tastes like.)

There is a catch to this product, however. It contains Nutrasweet, which I know is a controversial ingredient for some. All I will say is, do some research and draw your own conclusions. Personally, I'd rather have the calories than artificial sweeteners, but then again, I am not adverse to consuming something once in a while that contains it. Like I said, I have one of these once in a while - not everyday, 30 calories each or not.

I have not seen them anywhere else other than my local Coles Supermarket but if anyone else has, please post a comment below and let me know. Thanks!

UPDATE: I have contacted the company in regards to palm oil, as a few people have asked me if this product contains it. Tofutti have assured me that it does not contain palm oil or any other kind of oil.

Product: Redwood 'Wot No Dairy?' Dessert

On my recent visit to PAWS, I came across a shelf full of these little tubs of yum. I grabbed the peach and apricot one to try and my partner opted for the raspberry one.

These are vegan, and do not contain any soy. I find with these sorts of products they can often be too sweet but this one hit the right balance, being sweetened by fruit juices. The texture is creamy and yoghurt like.

These are best served chilled though so long as you haven't opened the seal, can be stored in a cupboard until you are ready to chill and then eat.


The Redwood website indicates there are other flavours available, such as strawberry, black cherry and plain. I did not see these at PAWS but will keep my eyes open in case they come in, as I would like to try them too.

Product: Redwood Gourmet Meat Free Fish Style Fingers

I picked up this product at PAWS recently. I am not big on mock meats, though my partner does like them, so we bought a pack to try out. I haven't eaten fish fingers since I was a child. Even when I ate fish, I was very very picky and only ate certain types, cooked in certain ways. I was certainly not keen on anything that smelled or tasted 'too fishy'. So, I approached this product a little warily.

To my relief, I found it to be not too fishy. As they cooked in the oven, they gave off a fishy aroma but it was not over powering. Also, when eating it, the fishiness was there but not too strongly. The texture had the flakiness of fish fingers and I loved the crunchy coating.

I had mine with a dab or two of tomato sauce. A salad on the side would make it a nice meal.

Be warned however, tasty as they are, they are not gluten free.

Product: Moo Free vegan chocolates

If you don't like dark chocolate, there are other vegan alternatives to dairy milk chocolate. Here is one that I found at PAWS.
Moo Free are a UK company that produces a range of chocolates that are vegan and gluten free. No wheat, no lactose and no cruelty.

I tried their Organic Rice Milk Chocolate Bar which turned out to be very tasty indeed, with a full flavour and just the right amount of sweetness.

Their website lists other products, such as pralines (I LOVE pralines!) and various different fruit and nut bars. I would love to see these on the store shelves here. I guess I will have to keep my eyes peeled.

As just mentioned, this product is available at PAWS, but there are a few other stockists in Perth, as listed on their website.

Oh, and don't you just love their packaging designs? So cute!

Product: Robern Apricot Balls

I think I must have passed this product in the supermarket (Woolworths) about a hundred times and never given them a second glance. Then a vegan co-worker brought them into work and I tried them out. OH, YUM! They taste like white chocolate with apricot and coconut thrown into the mix. I was hooked after my first one.

Like I said, these are available in Woolworths. Just look in the section that sells the dried fruit and nuts. One word of warning, though, these are NOT gluten free so vegan folk like me who have an intolerance, limit your intake. I treat myself to no more than one or two every few days.