Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Upton's Naturals Jackfruit and Califia Farms Coffee Creamer

So last night I got around to dinner later than usual, so easy was the plan. Lucky for me I had the Upton's Naturals BBQ jackfruit in y fridge begging to be used! I still have some jalapeno hamburger buns in my freezer so I made BBQ sandwiches.
The first thing I noticed was it was a little chunkier, less shredded than I expected. The sauce smelled AMAZING and it made my mouth water. I put the jackfruit in my little saucepan, and slowly heated it up. As it was warming I took my wooden spoon and kind of broke the chunks more into shreds. It was pretty easy. I'm sure it would have been even easier with a fork, but I was too hungry to be bothered.
Getting warm!
The jackfruit kind of reminds me of hearts of palm in both texture and the mild flavor. The texture is not meaty in any kind of dense, toothsome way. It's not crunchy, but it has the toothsome bite of a vegetable. Flavor wise it's very mild, and it let the sauce be the star. Lucky for it, Upton's knows what they're doing in the sauce department! It's tangy, and most important not too sweet. I would buy the sauce if they bottled it for sure! I really like that my sandwich was hearty and filling, but you don't feel weighed down. And get this, each package has four servings, which I find a little questionable, I would say two servings, but anyway each serving has only 45 calories! The whole dang package only has 180 calories! And it's super satisfying! It looks creepily like shredded meat once the chunks are broken down, so I know this would look appealing to non-vegans. I am so glad I found this. Now, my goal is to find the unripe jackfruit in cans so I can experiment and try to make my own. This is a little on the pricier side, I paid around six dollars or so, and if you had a family or you were making this for more than one or two people, you would need more than one package for sure.
All snug in it's bun!
I'm really glad I got to try it, and I would definitely recommend this! It's so exciting to just have almost every kind of food available as a vegan!
In the winter i drink a lot of Chai tea, and so I've been experimenting with all the different vegan creamers. I saw this the other day, and it was on sale so I decided to try it. It is so delicious! Just wow. I like this better than the Trader Joe's coconut creamer. It is thick, and the hazelnut flavor is the strongest, and most authentic of any flavored creamers. It's like they used real hazelnuts instead of almonds. Really tasty, and if you haven't tried hazelnut and chai, you should!!
Happy Tuesday!


3 comments:

  1. I really like Califia, though they are pretty pricey! I try and stay away from the brand for just plain milk, but look at it more for treats, like the Almond Nog and espresso drinks. I haven't tried their creamer but I just take my coffee black.

    I also have to agree that the price for the jackfruit pre-packaged is steep. Jackfruit isn't cheap, but I think I might of paid that same price for two cans which gives you a lot more for your buck. But to me it how I always wanted a pulled pork sandwich to be- a bun, chewy stuff, and lots and lots of BBQ sauce.

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  2. I've never had their regular almond milk because like you said, they are definitely on the pricier side. The creamer was on sale and I kind of wish i wouldn't have tried it, the sale won't last forever, and now I'm spoiled!
    I need to go to an Asian market and find some jackfruit. I really liked the taste and texture, and if I can find a cheaper way to make it, it can be in my life more often!

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  3. I wish there was jackfruit readily available here...sigh...

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