Sweet Corn Crunch Dried Snack from Sensible Foods

Product Information:

Little crunch dried kernels of corn never tasted so good! The crunch dried process removes water while maintaining the natural flavor of the product. There are no preservatives in the product, and there’s only 2 ingredients! The bag is easy to store and makes for a great salad topping!

I received this snack in my November Love with Food box!

Tea Suggestion:

I chose to sip some iced tea while munching on this Sweet Corn Crunch, and the iced tea that I had chilling in the fridge when I opened this bag was this Vanilla Cola Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas.  I don’t know how “ideal” a pairing this was, but the iced tea was delicious, and the snack was tasty, so I enjoyed it.

What I Think:

Wow!  These are very different from what I was expecting.  I guess I was kind of expecting something more along the lines of HalfPops or CornNuts, but this snack is like neither one.  It’s more like the cut corn you’d serve at dinner, only instead of tender and juicy, this is light and crisp.

It doesn’t have that very toothsome crunch of a CornNut.  This is a very delicate kind of crunch.  Light and crispy, like a chip, only not like a dense corn chip … more like a light potato chip but with the flavor of corn and in the size of a corn kernel.

It’s sweet and has a really enjoyable texture.  It is a very satisfying snack.  It’s deliciously different, but familiar enough that it doesn’t taste “weird.”  A really good snack!

My Final Thoughts:

I’d definitely buy this again if I saw it at the store.  I really liked the texture, and I liked the flavor.  It was a fun and tasty snack.

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.

My November Love with Food Box has arrived!

Yay!  It’s always a happy time when I receive a treasure in mailbox, and this month’s Love with Food box certainly qualifies as a treasure!  This is a seriously awesome box!

This month’s box had NINE treats in it, plus a bunch of coupons, including a coupon for a gift subscription to Love with Food.  I’m thinking I might treat my oldest daughter to a subscription.  In addition, I also received a $1. off coupon toward a Green & Black Organic Chocolate bar (yum, chocolate!) and there’s even a recipe card from Chef Ryan Scott (who curated this box).  The recipe is for green olive tapenade, which I will definitely try.

Anyway … on to the yummy goodies in this month’s box.  There’s a bag of Tuxedo Popcorn from Kukuruza, a bag of Sweet Potato Popchips, a sample of Rosemary and Pink Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies from Dancing Deer Baking Co., an Almond Apricot and Yoghurt bar from Eat Natural, a bag of Sweet Corn Crunch Snack from Sensible Foods, Ginger Twist Tea from Mighty Leaf (Yes TEA!), Maple Fudge from Laura Secord, a small organic dark chocolate bar from Green & Black, and Indian Spices from Arora Creations.

Wow!  This may be the most plentiful box that I’ve received from Love with Food yet!  And what’s more, I haven’t tried any of these things … including the tea!  I’m excited to start digging in!

Cinnamon Crunch Corn Snacks from Cosmos Creations

Product Information:

Cinnamon has long been known for its healing qualities. We can’t think of any better therapy than our unique blend of cinnamon sugar-infused caramel. Craving the perfect recipe? This is sweet relief. Pure, natural ingredients combined to make a snack that’s deliciously addictive.

I received a bag of these yummy corn puffs in my September Love With Food box.

Tea Suggestion:

Since these have a delicious cinnamon-y taste to them, I wanted to go with a pure tea so that i could enjoy the cinnamon notes.  I decided on a tea with some natural cinnamon flavors to it, so I chose this Vietnam Black OP1 from Single Origin Teas.  I loved how well the tea complemented the corn snacks.  The cinnamon notes of the snack brought out the cinnamon-like flavors of the tea.  Really tasty!

What I Think:

Having enjoyed both the caramel and the salted caramel Cosmos Creations, I was fairly certain I’d enjoy the Cinnamon Crunch variety.

Sweet, warm with cinnamon, crunchy … I like that these are slightly less sweet than the caramel version as the cinnamon cuts through some of the sweetness.

As I’m eating these, though, I can’t help but imagining them in a bowl with milk and eating them like a cereal.  This flavor, especially, has a very “cereal-ish” quality to it.  That’s not meant to be a criticism or a praise … just an observation.

My Final Thoughts:

I like these.  I can definitely seeing myself buying more of these and fortunately, I have seen them in stores, so I won’t need to order them.

Cheddar Cheese OrganicaSaurus Baked Organic Corn Snack from Good Boy Organics

Product Information:

Think all good food has gone extinct? Think again!

Thanks to Good Boy Organic’s, lunch has become fun again. No need for a time machine: one bite of the certified organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free cheesy Organicasaurus and you’ll be transported back to the cave man days! Tame your hunger and let your inner dinosaur ROAR! Oh and did we mention it’s also baked and not fried and therefore has 40% less fat than regular corn cheese puffs?

I received a bag of these “cheese puffs” in my September Love With Food box.

Tea Suggestion:

I like iced tea with snacks like this, and in the fridge chilling was a pitcher full of this Secret Garden Tea from Kaleisia Tea.  Refreshing and deliciously fruity … a nice contrast to the slightly salty, crunchy cheese snack.

What I Think:

Taste wise, these are basically “cheese puffs.”  Fluffy, crunchy, corn puffs with cheddar cheese flavor, but shaped into fun dinosaur shapes that would be especially appealing to younger children.  Me, personally, I don’t need my cheese puffs to be dinosaur shaped.  Then again, I don’t really eat a whole lot of cheese puffs.

In comparison to the commercial cheese puff that we are probably all most familiar with, these are less cheesy tasting.  My fingertips don’t turn orange when I eat these.  They also don’t feel greasy after handling them, which is a big bonus in my book.  They do have a slightly different taste to them … which I attribute to the baked and not fried aspect of these.

A quick label comparison told me that these have less fat than the commercial cheese puff, and I like that these are organic.  They taste less cheesy, though, and there is noticeably less cheese flavoring on each puff.  Overall, though, I found these to be an enjoyable snack.

My Final Thoughts:  

They’re alright.  I’m not big on snack chips to begin with, and cheese puffs are not something I eat regularly.  But, for an occasional snack, I think I could see myself preferring these over the commercial, mass-produced cheese puff that is readily available everywhere.  I like that its organic, I like that it’s baked and not fried, and overall, it’s a healthier snack choice than your average cheese puff.

Caramel Corn from Cosmos Creations

Product Information:

The original Creation is our trademark recipe that offers oven-baked corn with just the right amount of simple caramel, made to perfection. Pure, natural ingredients combined to make a snack that’s deliciously addictive.

I received a pouch of this caramel corn in my July Goodies Box.

Tea Suggestion:

I enjoyed a cup of Dorchester Breakfast Black Tea from Harney & Sons with these Caramel Cosmos Creations.  YUM!  The tea has a natural caramel-y undertone to it, and these caramel snacks brought those notes forward.

What I Think:

Having previously tried the Salted Caramel Corn snacks from Cosmos Creations, I was pretty confident that I’d enjoy these too.  The big difference, of course, is that the salty aspect is missing, and if given the choice, I’d choose the salted caramel.

These are similar to caramel corn … but there is a noticeable difference too – no hulls to get stuck in between your teeth.  Nice.  These … basically taste like Corn Puffs cereal that have been coated with caramel!  YUM!  They aren’t so much popped corn as they are a puffed corn that has been baked with caramel-y goodness.

My Final Thoughts:

I like the crunch of these, I like the sweet corn taste, and I love the delicious caramel coating.  I like that I can munch on these and not encounter unpleasant hulls or unpopped corn.  They are different from caramel corn … but with enough similarities to make you think that’s what you’re eating!

Sea Salt and Butter Poplets

Product Information:

You know the crunchy half-popped kernels at the bottom of each popcorn batch? The ones with crisp, concentrated corn flavor and a healthy dose of butter and sea salt? Yeah, here’s a whole bag of those perfect, delicious morsels. You’re welcome.

I received a small bag of Poplets in my August Goodies Box.

Tea Suggestion:

I chose iced tea to drink with these salty Poplets, and I had a frosty pitcher of Root Beer Float Black Tea from 52Teas in the fridge, so I poured a big glass.  The tea was much better than the Poplets, I’m afraid.  (In fact, I absolutely love this tea iced!)

What I Think:

Once upon a time, I received a package of Half Pops in one of my foodie tasting boxes.  I loved the Half Pops, because I love it when I pop a bowl of popcorn and I find those yummy half popped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bowl.  They’re crunchy and delicious.

When I received this package of Poplets, I thought that my experience would be similar to what I experienced with my package of Half Pops.

Not!

These … well, a sizable portion of my package wasn’t even “half popped.”  There were quite a few kernels that were completely UNpopped.  The ones that were at least partially popped … tasted stale.  They tasted like they came out of a bowl of popcorn that had been popped three days ago and left out on the counter, uncovered.

Very disappointing.

My Final Thoughts:

I didn’t even finish the tiny bag of these Poplets.  I was really disappointed by the stale taste of these.  At least the Half Pops … had a very memorable and fresh taste to them.  These Poplets taste like some popcorn company trying to pawn off their waste on me.  No thank you.

My August Knoshbox … Hey … I’m caught up with my boxes!

My August Knoshbox arrived on the 26th of August … which is about the time of the month that I receive the Knoshboxes (sometime between the 20th and the 30th of each month … except for February because … there’s only 28 days in February!)  I was a little concerned when I received it because the box was dented up and there is a sticker on it that says “glass” so … I was a little worried that I’d have something broken in my box.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the case.  The “glass” that the sticker referred to was a jar of honey with the honeycomb.  Mmm!  The “theme” of this box … even though it isn’t really mentioned on the card insert … seems to be items you might find at a County Fair!  Or at least … that’s what the items in the box seem to be saying to me.

There are a couple of familiar items, including Cherry Vanilla flavored Cotton Candy from Spun City and Maple Kettle Korn from Bureau’s Sugarhouse.   I’ve tried and reviewed both of these items previously (to check out the reviews, just click on the item), so I won’t be writing reviews for them again.  But I certainly will be enjoying them again because these are seriously yummy treats!

The item I’m most excited about is the Salt Water Taffy from Salty Road.  You may recall that I previously reviewed the Salty Peanut flavor of Taffy from this company and I absolutely loved it.  The flavor I was absolutely DYING to try from this company is Bergamot … and guess what’s in this month’s Knoshbox!  Yes!  Bergamot Taffy from Salty Road!  Yay!  Just another reason why I love Knoshbox more than all the other boxes out there.

Two other items round out this month’s box:  a package of sundried, sweetened cherries from All Good Provisions and the aforementioned jar of honey from Full Bloom Apiaries.

So, even though this box has a couple of repeats … they are repeats of previously sampled favorites, so I’m not complaining.  I love my Knoshbox this month!

Pico De Gallo Bean & Rice Chips from Beanfield’s

Product Description:

Wake up your taste buds! These zesty chips are great all by themselves or served with your favorite salsa or guacamole.

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

Tea Suggestion:

Because these chips have a little bit of a spicy kick, I’d recommend an iced tea so that you can gulp it down to help cool the palate!  This Cranberry Mango Green Tea from Zen Tea tastes GREAT iced, and I like the way it tastes with these Pico De Gallo chips!  It’s sweet, fruity and refreshing, while the chips have a nice, zesty crunch!  A nice pairing!

What I Think:

These are really different – but also really tasty!  They taste kind of like tortilla chips that have been dipped in bean dip and then taken for a quick dip into a bowl of zesty pico de gallo salsa!  They’re spicy but not super-spicy – they have a nice heat to them without overwhelming the palate with a lot of spice.

I’m really enjoying the texture of these too.  They’re crunchy, but they aren’t “hard-crunchy” like a traditional tortilla chip (or corn chip).  Instead, it’s a light yet hearty crunch.  The rice keeps the texture lighter – its more delicate than the heavier texture of a corn chip.

My Final Thoughts:

I’d definitely pick up a bag of these if I saw them in the supermarket.  And according to the supermarket locator, these can be purchased at my local Whole Foods!  I’ll look for them the next time I’m there!

Ginger Caramel Gourmet Popcorn from Bernod’s PopCity

About Bernod Group:

After a combined 30 years of natural retail and restaurant food experience,
what drives us?

Nothing less than a passion for novelty, and a keen taste for quality.
Our key aim is to research and develop food products and flavor profiles that set new standards for innovation.

Learn more about Bernod Group on their website.

Tea Suggestion:

What a lovely alternative to the traditional tea-time treat this Ginger Caramel Gourmet Popcorn made.  I enjoyed this popcorn with some Fengqing Dragon Black Pearl tea from Teavivre.  The richness of the tea brought out the ginger flavor just a little more, and the caramel notes of the popcorn seemed to bring out more of the sweetness of the tea.

What I Think:

As I mentioned before, after my review of the Organic Cherry Vanilla Cotton Candy from Bernod’s SpinCity, Bernod Group sent me a few of their popcorn selections to try.  This is one of those popcorns, and it is the last popcorn from Bernod’s I have left.  How I managed to keep it this long is surprising to me, I had to keep it well out of sight to keep it out of mind.

I knew I’d love this Ginger Caramel Popcorn … I love caramel corn, and I love ginger, and I figured the addition of ginger to the caramel would amp up the spice level a bit.  And I LOVE the combination of spicy and sweet!

The first couple of kernels that I popped in my mouth tasted very much like the original Caramel Popcorn from Bernod’s.  Sweet and crunchy with just enough chewiness from the caramel to give it an interesting contrast in texture.  The buttery flavor of the caramel.  But … I didn’t taste much from the ginger.  Then, after the third or fourth bite, I noticed a heat starting to develop.  Yeah, that’s the stuff!

It never becomes overwhelmingly spicy, and I don’t think I’d want it to.  I enjoy the level of ginger here.  It adds just enough peppery spice to it to offer contrast and to keep the flavor interesting enough to keep wanting to have another bite … which becomes sad when you reach the bottom of the bag!

My Final Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this Ginger Caramel Popcorn from Bernod’s… it just might be my favorite yet.  When I spoke to Bernod’s about the availability of this product, I was told that it can be found at HomeGoods – and I did find the original Caramel Popcorn at my local HomeGoods.  But I didn’t see any of the other popcorn flavors from Bernod’s there.  I don’t know if that is because they just didn’t have it in stock at the time or if they do not stock any other varieties other than the original Caramel…. if you find this product any where else, be sure to let me know!