Hello (Vegan) Jello

VM was never a fan of Jello; so, as the cook of the house, she did not make it readily available as I was growing up.  This was fine by me- for a few reasons.  One, I didn't care for Jello myself.  If it didn't come in chocolate, I wasn't interested.  Two, Jello is undeniably weird.  Three, she made a mean chocolate pudding pie that was exactly my style; who needed Jello?

Fast forward to when I recently received a gift of vegan jello!

I fully intended to make it for my dad, the only person I know who likes Jello, for Father's day...and then I forgot.  So, a bit late, I gave it a try- even pulling out the old jello mold for the occasion.

It was extremely easy to prepare (I know jello isn't rocket science, but this was even easier than regular jello). 

While I was combining the mix with the water the orange smell was extremely strong.

The jello set very quickly; in no time the old-school jello ring was complete!

For some reason (probably human error), some of the granules did not dissolve and settled in the bottom (then top) of the mold.  This did not seem to affect the taste at all.  And the pungent orange smell was not at all indicative of the flavor, which was actually very pleasant and extremely refreshing.

It held it's shape well, even lending itself to being cut into the requisite jello cubes.

It wasn't very firm, though; and it all fit into a relatively small container.  This might also be because it seemed to be sweating water; I emptied a good amount from the container each time I opened it to take a piece.  On a friend's suggestion, I'll try decreasing the water next time to see if that makes a difference.

One box made about 1/3 of the mold, so I'd recommend 3 boxes for a full mold (assuming this size is standard; I'm not a jello mold aficionado).  And, perhaps figure out whether it's my refrigerator that's slanted, or my house.  No one likes a cockeyed jello ring!

Overall, it was surprisingly enjoyable.  I'm still a chocolate girl, but I'd definitely make this again.  Rest assured, though: there will never be fruit suspended in my jello mold!