Mamma Cucino Mango & Passion Fruit Non-Dairy Cheesecake

If I can point my finger at one sin food to shoulder the blame for my weight gain over these past years, it would probably have to be cakes (and anything sweet and indulgent).  When I was a child and my birthday came along, I was most excited about what cake to have and if we were going to my cousin's birthday, I would be first with a plate after we sang 'Happy Birthday to you'.  I'm not the best at making cakes which is a blessing in disguise because if I were really good at it, I'd probably be dead by now.

So as you know I've been venturing into the new world of 'veganism' and when I was faced with the proposition that I would no longer be allowed to eat normal cake again, I have to admit, I was kind of sad.  I've been doing well so far, resisting tiramisu on the left and gateaux on the right.  However, when it comes to that time of the month, cake, is extremely hard to resist.  So why the resistance when I get to eat Non-dairy cheesecake?

Behold, Momma Cucina's Mouth- watering Mango & Passion fruit non-dairy cheesecake!  I picked this up from the frozen section from Holland & Barretts and dug straight into it the next day.  It's got a lot of sugar in it to say the least, let's have a quick nose at the ingredients.

   The only ingredients I am not crazy about is Maltodextrin, Sugar, the many stabilisers and all the other non-natural things.  But what am I really to expect?  It's a non-dairy CHEESE cake!  So as a treat, I shall let it pass and promise to only buy it ONCE a month if that.  So how did it fair in the tasting test?

The tofu-cheese filling did taste fruity and was moist, creamy and satisfying.  I have to say it's a bit too sweet for me.  I am finding that a lot of special diet sweet treats tend to be too sweet.  Next time when you next find a non 'something' dessert remember to look at the ingredients.  Chances are you'll find more than one type of sweetener in there, where as if we were making our own cheese cake, it would be a lot of fruit and one type of raw cane sugar for sweetening.  So it has thumbs down for sweetness however it went down a treat with those who have a sweet tooth at home. 

The base was made of pounded yam and flour which gave it a soft and crumbly texture.  It didn't hold up very well and I tend to prefer less cheese and more base (I think I'm the only one in the world to prefer that).  Overall I have to say I prefer the base over the 'cheese'.

 

So for £3.99 I would probably say I won't be buying it again, not this flavour anyway.  I may try another flavour but until then, I am still looking for a seriously, decadent and wonderful vegan friendly dessert.

Ideas anyone?

 

Helen x

Hale & Hearty Quick and Easy Falafel Mix

  Here is somewhat of a product review!  I've tried and tested my first Hale & Hearty product and I'm pretty impressed.  This falafel mix is not only organic but it is gluten, wheat, soya and GMO free; lucky for me it is also Vegan friendly.  The ingredients are all safe to eat and so it was worth a try.  For those concerned about calories, half of the box mix (about ten balls of falafel) is only 301 calories!  So you can have five with a salad and not worry about weight gain.  They taste lovely and can be done in 25 minutes including frying off.

They can get a little dry so I would recommend some tzatziki with it or a condiment of your own choice.  Overall, a splendid weight loss and health conscious choice.  For me, this is a weekend convenience food that feeds everyone quickly without doing too much damage. 

More mini food product reviews coming soon!

Helen