White Bean with Sea Salt Chips from Beanitos

Photo from Beanitos. Click on the pic to go there.

Ingredients:

Whole Navy Beans, Whole Grain Long Brown Rice and/or Long Grain White Rice, Pure Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil, Guar Bean Gum, Sea Salt.

I received a bag of these chips in my February Love with Food Box.

Tea Suggestion:

As with most salty snacks like this, I went with a glass of refreshing iced tea, and the tea that I had chilling in my fridge when I opened this bag of chips was this Very Big Hill Dew Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas.  I liked the sweet-tart contrast that the drink brought to this salty, savory snack.

What I Think:

Having previously tasted another Beanitos product, I was fairly sure I’d enjoy these too.  And I did enjoy them.

What I like best about them is the texture of the chip – crisp, but not dense like a typical corn chip.

I also appreciate that they’re not too salty.  I can taste the bean.  I can taste what seems like a hint of lime to these too … and I found myself wanting a little more of that acidic flavor.  I think that maybe just a little bit more lime would really brighten up the flavor a bit.

My Final Thoughts:

A tasty snack.  As I said above, I found myself wanting a little bit more of that lime note.  It would be really tasty with a guacamole with an extra squeeze of lime, I think.

Vampire Killer Kale Chips from Brad’s Raw Foods

Photo from Knoshy.
Click on the pic to go there.

Product Information:

There is no better way to start the new year with a healthy snacking plan! Our favorite kale snack is hands-down these organic kale chips from Brad’s Raw Foods. The ‘vampire killer’ is crispy, nutty and has a great garlic flavor. Organic, kosher, and vegan.

I received a package of these kale chips in my January box from Knoshy.

Tea Suggestion:

When I eat chips, I usually like a glass of iced tea to go with it … and kale chips are no exception.  The iced tea I had chilling in my ice box when I snacked on these kale chips was this Cherry Limeade Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas.

What I Think:

I really like kale chips.  I’ve had a few different kinds in the past, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tried.  My family has been less receptive to the idea of kale chips.  Which is both a blessing and a curse:  when I do happen to buy (or receive as part of one of my monthly subscriptions) a package of Kale Chips, I get to enjoy them for myself and not have to worry about them disappearing before I have a chance to taste them.  That’s a blessing.  But on the curse side, because I’m the only one who likes them … I don’t buy them often because I don’t like buying things just for me.

I like the flavor of these Kale Chips … I love the garlic-y taste!  The cheesy flavor is there too, but it is less apparent … or perhaps I should say that it doesn’t stand out quite the same way as it does in some of the “cheesy” flavored kale chips that I’ve tried in the past.

But the garlic-y notes are delicious.  Not too sharp on the garlic, just enough to let you know that what you’re tasting is garlic … it’s an easily identifiable flavor but it doesn’t go overboard and make your mouth feel like its in desperate need of a thorough brushing, flossing and a handful of breath mints before anyone’s gonna kiss you.

On the downside, I didn’t like that most of the kale pieces were small “crumb-ish” size.  It was a bit more like eating a handful of peanuts than it was like eating chips, you know?  I also didn’t like that I came across a couple of large stems in my package.

My Final Thoughts:

I loved the flavor of these, I just wish that there was a bit more attention paid to the details of the chips.  Less large stems in the package and more large, leafy crisps.  I have seen this product in Chuck’s Produce, and have been tempted to purchase because I did enjoy the flavor … but I’ve found myself looking for another brand that carries a similar garlic-y flavored kale chip because I didn’t like having a package that was mostly crumbs.

My January Box from Knoshy is Here!

The box actually arrived a few days ago … they aren’t running late, I am!  I know that every month I write out my gushing praise of this company, but, trust me, the gushing praise is well deserved.  I love Knoshy!

This month’s box was crafted with health in mind – starting the new year off right with healthy snacks!

This month’s box included:  Apple-2-the-core dried apple snacks from Peeled Snacks, an 11 ounce container of Zico Coconut Water, TWO energy bars from Off The Farm (I love Off The Farm bars!), a package of Vampire Killer Kale Chips from Brad’s Raw Foods, a pouch of granola from Purely Elizabeth, and a chocolate bar from Theo Chocolate.  (YES!  Chocolate!)

It would seem that “healthy snacks” seems to be a similar theme with my two boxes that I received this month, but, that’s OK.  However, I would have probably been more thrilled with a tea time box (January IS hot tea month, you know!)  Then again … I’d be thrilled with a tea time box any time.  Ha!

I can’t wait to start knoshing on these boxes!

Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips from Food Should Taste Good

Photo from Love With Food.
Click on the pic to go there.

Product Information:

A hint of cane sugar enhances the natural nuttiness of the sweet potato in a chip that is a riff on a classic baked sweet potato. Try the chips with a fresh fruit salsa or garlic dip.

I received a bag of these chips in my December Love with Food box.

What I Think:

Over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve been introduced to some snack chip products that are providing some really delicious and seemingly more healthy options to tortilla chips.

Now, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, I’m not a nutritionist, nor do I pretend to be.  I don’t always eat as healthy as I could or should.  Flavor to me is just as important – even more important! – than nutritional value.  If something doesn’t taste good, I’m not going to eat it just because it’s good for me.

I’m liking these Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips.  According to the list of ingredients, corn is still a primary ingredient in these chips.  But what I like about this list of ingredients is the shortness of it:

Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil, Sweet Potato, Corn Bran, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt

There’s not a lot of stuff there that I can’t pronounce.  There’s not a lot of stuff there at all.  Sure, it might be healthier if the oils weren’t there, and the cane juice wasn’t there.  But, there aren’t a whole lot of chips out on the market that don’t have some oil in them.  That said, these don’t feel or taste oily or greasy.

Instead, they taste light and they offer a satisfying cruch.  They’re lightly salted, with a delicious sweet potato and corn taste.  The product description above suggests serving them with a dip or salsa, but, I like them straight out of the bag too.

My Final Thoughts:

These are definitely tasty.  A product I could see myself buying when I’m in the supermarket now that I’ve tried them.

Sweet Potato Pop Chips

Product Information:

sweet, crispy and a lot of delicious.

I received a .8 ounce bag of Sweet Potato Pop Chips in my November Love with Food box.

Tea Suggestion:

When I munch on salty snacks like these, I like to drink iced tea because they just seem to go well together.  I brewed up a pitcher of this OYGFIB? blend from 52Teas last night, and I enjoyed a tall glass of it with these Sweet Potato Pop Chips.  A really tasty snack.

What I Think:

Wow!

When I first saw “Pop Chips” on the grocery store shelves, I didn’t really think much about them.  Something about them sounded “off” to me … was it like a thin rice cake that is made to taste like potato chips or what?

But it turns out, they’re nothing like what I thought they’d be.  These are actual sweet potatoes (and rice flour) that are air popped to create a crispy, tasty snack that is (in my opinion) just as tasty as a fried potato chip, but without the fried thing going on, because, you know, fried is not only not the healthy way to go, but, it also is greasy and after a couple of potato chips, I tend to find this greasiness rather unpleasant.

These aren’t greasy at all.  I taste the sweet potato, and it tastes the way I expect a sweet potato to taste:  Sweet and savory and delicious.  I think that this has been “seasoned” with a touch of sugar and I can taste a hint of salt too.  That’s it.  I taste a lot of sweet potato flavor, and a little bit of sugar and a little bit of salt.  And a whole lot of YUM!

My Final Thoughts:

These are the new must have as far as I’m concerned.  I’ll be buying more of these.  Fortunately, they have acquired a certain amount of popularity, as I have seen these in my local Whole Foods.  I’ll start checking the other grocery stores as well.  I can’t wait to try some other flavors, when I do, I’ll be sure to update my blog with those taste discoveries.

Rosemary & Olive Oil Kettle Cooked Potato Chips from Deep River Snacks

Photo from Knoshbox.
Click on the pic to go there.

Product Description:

These Deep River Snacks Rosemary & Olive Oil chips are delicious with various Belgian and German premium beers.

I received a bag of these potato chips in my September Knoshbox.

Tea Suggestion:

Because this month’s Knoshbox is all about “Perfect Pairings” I read the product card before tasting these chips and tried to choose a tea according to what the curators of the Knoshbox recommended.  For these chips, Knoshbox recommended Allagash White wheat beer from Maine because it has “balanced notes of coriander, orange peel and clove” … which does sound rather intriguing but, I’ve found even with the most intriguing sounding beer, when it comes right down to it, I’m often disappointed with a beer.  So, instead, I did a little investigation into my tea collection, and came up with this Market Chai African Redbush Tea from MarketSpice, and I brewed some of it to enjoy with these chips.  Nice!  There are delightful citrus notes, and warm notes from the cinnamon and ginger, and a pleasant nutty flavor from the nutmeg … and all the delicious flavors of the chai melded quite nicely with the flavors of potato, olive oil and rosemary.  A really delightful, spicy-sweet, savory treat!

What I Think:

These are really tasty … so tasty in fact, I found it difficult to stop munching on them long enough to start typing out my thoughts about them.  The bag is nearly gone now!

The potatoes have been slightly thick cut – these aren’t the thickest cut potato chips I’ve seen, but, they’re thicker than your average potato chip.  And they’ve been kettle cooked to give them that hearty crunch.

After they were cooked, they were flavored with rosemary and olive oil.  I like how these are flavored … nothing overwhelming.  I like the combination of the olive oil and rosemary.

Rosemary can be a very aggressive herb and take over the dish that it flavors, and because the description on Knoshbox’s website suggests a robust rosemary flavor, I thought that the herb might overpower the chip, but it is balanced nicely here.  I taste resin notes and notes of pine.  It’s a very pleasant flavor and I like the way the rosemary is presented here.

My Final Thoughts:

A delicious, savory chip, and even though I didn’t pair it with the beer they suggested, I found that the flavor profiles they described helped me immensely with the choosing of the tea suggestion for this snack.  I don’t usually choose a chai to drink with potato chips, but I’m glad I did today!

Feta Herb Hummus Popped Chips from Smartfood Selects

Product Information:

Herbs are a perfect accompaniment to cheese. This delicious recipe combines feta cheese with rosemary, basil, and black pepper for a flavor that perfectly complements our hummus popped chip.

Learn more about this product here.

Tea Suggestion:

These make a great snack with any kind of tea, really, but I chose this First Flush Black Tea from Teatulia.  It’s a flavorful tea, and I liked the way the sweetness of the tea brought out some of the savory qualities of the cheese and herbs.  A really tasty combination.

What I Think:

I found these popped hummus chips in single sized serving bags at my local Subway.  Just about everything about this product enticed me:  popped hummus chips … yum!  Feta and herb … YUM!  I also liked that there are no artificial flavors or colors, and because they’re popped chips instead of fried … that means less fat too.

These are really tasty!  They have a zesty flavor to them.  I can taste the tangy feta cheese and I can taste notes of rosemary, pepper and basil, as well as a hint of onion and possibly garlic.  They are very flavorful.  And they have a very satisfying crunch too.  They are a delicious, salty snack chip that doesn’t taste or feel greasy, and that’s a plus.

My Final Thoughts:

Two thumbs up for these.  I like that they aren’t greasy like a potato chip, but they have all the other qualities of a snack chip that I look for.  They’re crunchy and salty and have a really tasty, savory flavor.

Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips from North Fork

Product Description:

The ever popular blend of a tangy pure vinegar and  raw all natural salt complement each other perfectly and give  your taste buds a real punch.

I received a bag of these chips in my July Knoshbox!

Tea Suggestion:

When I eat salty snacks like potato chips, I really want iced tea.  I want something that’s easy to guzzle down to quench the thirst fast.  This Strawberry Mint Julep White Tea from 52Teas makes a really refreshing iced tea, and the sweet berry notes and crisp minty notes offered an enjoyable contrast to the tangy vinegar and salty chips.

What I Think:  

Salt & Vinegar chips are one of my favorite flavors, I love the contrast between the salty, the tangy and the hint of sweet that I get from these chips.  So, I didn’t mind a bit when these chips were featured in my July Knoshbox.

These are “Kettle” style chips, which means that they are thicker than your average potato chip.  They are crunchy … but what I’m liking is that even though they’re very crunchy … there is something different about this crunch.  You know how sometimes you get some of those other kettle-style chips out there, and there’s more crunch than substance?  The chip seems to be so crunchy that it’s difficult to bite into it.  These are crunchy … but they’re not “hard as a rock” crunchy.  They’re crunchy with that light “crispness” that a thinner potato chip has.

I can taste the potato here.  On North Fork’s “Our Story” page on their website, it says that the reason why the potato flavor shines through is because these are fried in 100% Sunflower Oil.  As someone who has not fried a whole lot of potato chips, I’m going to believe what they say based on two things:  1) I don’t fry a lot of potato chips so I really don’t know if there is a difference in oils or not, and 2) as I’m munching and crunching my way through this bag of chips, I can TASTE that there is definitely something different about these chips.

I also like that the salt and vinegar has not been overdone here.  They’re salty … sure.  They’re tangy and vinegar-y … yep.  But the flavor is not so overpowering that I’m not tasting the potato goodness that these chips have.  In some of the salt and vinegar chips that I’ve tasted, there is so much flavoring that is all I taste.  I like that I’m tasting the potato.

My Final Thoughts:  

These are really good.  I’d love to try some of their other flavors.  I find myself intrigued by their Sweet Potato flavor as well as their rosemary and garlic flavor.  I’d definitely consider ordering more of these!  They are definitely YUMMY!

Cheddar Jalapeño Pasta Chips from Pastitas

Product Information:

Crunchy wagon wheel pasta flavored with cheddar cheese and a hint of jalapeño heat. These unique pasta chips combine the look and taste of pasta with the delightful crunch of a chip. With 50% less fat than regular potato chips, it’s okay to indulge.

I received a bag of these pasta chips in my June Goodies Box!

Tea Suggestion:

With these zesty chips, I wanted something that I could guzzle when I needed to help quench the jalapeño heat that builds on the palate, so I turned to iced tea.  The iced tea that I had chilling in the fridge when I opened this pouch of chips was this Lime Cola Flavored Black Tea from 52Teas.  YUM!  I really like the way the tangy flavor of the lime contrasts with the warm spice of the jalapeño.

What I Think:

I didn’t know what to expect when I opened this package … pasta chips?  Weird!  And they are indeed weird!  These are the most unusual “chips” I’ve encountered in some time.

The size and shape is reminiscent of “Honeycombs” cereal.  The texture is crunchy, I was almost expecting them to have the texture of uncooked pasta, although I’m not entirely sure why.  They have a texture that resembles a dense corn chip, but without the grain-y mouthfeel.  Very different, but not at all unpleasant.  On the contrary, I’m actually enjoying these quite a bit.

The chip itself is very “different.”  It doesn’t taste potato-y or corn-y or like any other type of chip that I’ve ever tasted.  I like that these don’t taste or feel greasy like a potato chip usually does, I like that these have a good, crisp texture, and a really hearty taste that is quite satisfying.

There is a good balance of cheddar and Jalapeño pepper flavor.  These aren’t super hot as I thought they might be given the fact that they’re called “Cheddar Jalapeño” … this is more like a nacho cheese sauce kind of heat … you know the kind of cheese sauce that has some diced jalapeño peppers already in it?  It’s a lively amount of heat, but not so much that I have to extinguish a fire on my tongue after each chip.  The warmth builds gradually in a very agreeable way.

My Final Thoughts: 

I would definitely buy these pasta chips again.  I really liked them.  I visited the Pastitas website and found that they have six different flavors and I’m definitely intrigued!  I’d love to try them all!

July’s Knoshbox

Almost caught up … I can feel myself reaching the finish line… well … I’m almost caught up with the box reviews … as for the individual reviews … that almost seems like a losing battle.  ha!

July’s Knoshbox was just a wee bit disappointing for my adventurous side, because there were a couple of products in this box that I’ve already sampled and reviewed.  (To read my reviews of these products, just click on the name of the product.)

There are two samples of Sir Kensington’s Ketchup:  Original Gourmet Scooping Ketchup and the Spiced Gourmet Scooping Ketchup.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be getting more of this ketchup because I love the stuff … but, I’m already a customer of Sir Kensington’s and have been ordering directly from them for a while now.

Then there are the Elephant Ear Marshmallows from 240Sweet.  Again … happy to be able to consume these again, but, I’ve already tried this flavor!  I would have loved to get a flavor I haven’t tried from them yet.

Oh well, the box isn’t a total loss … because there are some worthy products that I look forward to trying, including the Toasted Sesame Seed crackers from Castleton Crackers.  These are graham crackers!  Having tried Castleton Crackers previously, I’m thrilled to be able to try another variety from this company.

Also in this box there is a bag of Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips from North Fork and a huge S’more cookie from S’more Bakery.  Unfortunately, my cookie got smashed in transit.  Hopefully it will still taste yummy!

I’ll be sure to post reviews of the three items I’ve not yet tried from this box soon!