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Friday, February 21, 2014

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise for American Heart Month

As a kid, I ate as little meat as possible, never drank milk, and couldn't figure out what an egg was so I didn't want to eat it.  I did, however, eat more than my fair share of American cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches (cognitive dissonance)- until I saw a show on tv that showed how mayonnaise was made.  The seemingly inexplicable emulsification transformation of the already suspect eggs was both mesmerizing and disgusting, so I switched back to pb&j for good. 


Fast forward to the arrival of Follow Your Heart Vegenaise in the refrigerated section of my local supermarket some years ago.  Even though it's a vegan product, my innate distaste for the original made me cautious.  But once I tried, I was hooked.  Since then, I've gotten more than a few (vegan) friends and (non-vegan) family and co-workers hooked as well.  This is an example of the large jar of original that is consistently in residence in my fridge. 


It's always more empty than full because I will build full meals around the condiment.

 

When Vegenaise expanded their product line to include other gourmet flavors to their existing repertoire of mayo variations, I quickly tried the tartar sauce variety.  I found an excuse to eat it every night in a week and finished the jar before I knew what had happened.


So when I was recently contacted on behalf of Follow Your Heart to sample some of the rest of the product line in honor of American Heart Month, I did not hesitate to participate.  As a vegan, cholesteral-free, egg-free mayo (also low sodium, non-GMO, dairy-free, and gluten-free), Vegenaise is not only better than mayo, it's better for you, and better for animals.  As if all that's not enough, it's also made with solar power!

"With American Heart Month just around the corner, we would like to introduce your readers to Follow Your Heart Vegenaise® - the original cholesterol-free, egg-free mayonnaise with a taste that¹s Better Than Mayo.

Vegenaise makes it possible to enjoy favorite sandwiches, dips, and slaws with the same great mayonnaise taste, but with no cholesterol. Follow Your Heart has been producing this great tasting, low sodium, non-GMO mayonnaise alternative for over 40 years. In addition to being cholesterol free, Vegenaise is made with heart-healthy oils, rich in essential fatty acids such as omega 3s. 

Available in five varieties ­ Original, Reduced Fat, Grapeseed Oil, Organic, and Soy-Free ­ fresh Vegenaise can be found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores across the country."

I received quite a generous package of Vegenaise, as well as Follow Your Heart swag (I really needed that perfect-sized spatula in my life!) and couldn't wait to give these new-to-me varieties a try.


This spatula rules!



So nosy:


I dug into the chipotle Vegenaise gourmet first, which was both good and bad. 


Good because, well, this should be put on everything!  It tastes divine and there are actual, visible chilies in there.  Bad because, well, I did put it on everything and, once again, finished the jar all too quickly.


What can I say?  It tastes incredible and is really versatile; you can use it on sandwiches, of course, but it also makes a great dip for fresh veggies, pretzels...whatever.


It's also pretty fancy, so it makes you do crazy things like putting roasted Brussels' sprouts on your veggie burger.  Sprouts or no, I shall never eat another burger unless I have chipotle Vegenaise on hand to kick it up a few notches.


As soon as I could tear myself away Once the chipotle jar was empty, next up I decided to try the soy-free Vegenaise.


I admit that as a regular consumer of soy I hadn't even realized that the original Vegenaise contained any, but it does.


In my opinion, the soy-free has almost the same flavor as the original: with a lighter, airier texture.  See how it pulls away cleanly from the jar?  I don't know that it means anything in terms of taste, but it's an example of the textural difference from the original.


It's possible that it's slightly less rich, but it tasted just fine on my Tofurky sammie.


Then I tried the grapeseed oil Vegenaise.


I found this version to be a little smoother, a little thinner, and perhaps slightly more decadent than both the soy-free and the original.


In the interest of fairness, I gave it a whirl on the exact same sandwich concoction as I'd tried the soy-free.


The only difference I could discern between this version and the original was that I'd describe the original as creamier, while this one was slightly oilier (in a wholly non-greasy way); it was delish.



For the record, although my taste-test has concluded, there is still Vegenaise left in the fridge.


You'll be impressed no matter which variety of Vegenaise you choose as you're favorite.  And by doing so, you make every month heart-healthy: for everyone involved.

11 comments:

  1. Vegenaise>Nayonaise. I should have heeded all the reviews that said it tasted like Miracle Whip, because it does, indeed, and I never liked it. I am using the jar I have because I hate to waste food/$$, but I will switch back to Veganaise once it's gone.

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  2. I'm not religious, but GOD BLESS VEGENAISE!!!!

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  3. I looove soy-free Vegenaise. I can't eat too much soy due to thyroid issues, but you can't tear me away from tofu and soy milk. It's great and even my omniboyfriend loves it. I have tried saving money with Earth Balance Mindful Mayo and TJ's reduced fat, but nothing holds a candle to soy-free Vegenaise.

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  4. I just bought the Chipotle one and am inspired to try it on everything now. Thanks!

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  5. Did you say chipotle vegenaise? Sounds like a new food group. :)

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  6. I am super obsessed with the chipotle vegenaise! I have the pesto one too, and i love it, but the chiopotle is just from a different world. I want to try the barbecue too. Also, I always say "vedge-uh-nayze" and everyone is always yelling at me that it's "vegan-aze" but I still think its Vedge-uh nayze. What do you think?

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  7. Me either, I don’t eat much ‘meat’ and hated drinking milk when I was a kid - plus I hate boiled eggs and everything related to eggs. But I love FHY vegan mayo, too, they are so yummy in sandwiches esp chikn salad! I haven't tried the grapeseed or the chipotle ones yet, but I prefer the original one for most dishes/sandwiches! Well done with the review! :)

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  8. I looove veganaise, I always bring a jar back from the US!

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  9. Wendy, I haven't even ever tried Nayonaise because it freaks me out that it's not in the refrigerated section!

    The Shenandoah Vegan, PREACH!

    Maddie, sometimes ya just gotta go with the good stuff!

    Vegan Vagina, prepare yourself for greatness.

    Andrea, hahaha

    kzcakes, I never thought of it; I definitely say vegan-aze. BUT, I do always misspell it: vegAnaise. It's like the Daiya debacle. We know it's supposed to be DAY-a, but DIE-a just flows off the tongue.

    veganmiam, thanks! I made some terrific Ethiopian fusion banh mis over the weekend with the original and woo hoo did it kick it up a notch.

    vegan.in.brighton, next time grab an original and a chipotle!

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  10. excellent post! I was never a mayo fan, and I'm still not a huge veganaise fan... but I always have a jar on hand for times when a recipe calls for it. In fact, I'll use some tonight for Isa's Buffalo Tempeh Salad with ranch dressing. I usually use the lower fat Veganaise... though some of their fancy new flavors do sound super good. I also really love the Wildwood garlic aioli. That stuff is super yums

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  11. I've never seen this over here in the UK, but I'm pretty sure if it was, I'd take a bath in the chipotle flavour. That shizz looks good.

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