Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

We went to the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival this weekend, for a herbivore escapade. There was an impressive array of exhibitors in attendance, with a multitude of vegetarian and vegan products, and of course the best part of all - free samples! From vegan cookies to organic tea to vegetarian cookbooks to the Herbivore Clothing Company's eco-friendly clothing and accessories, the festival had a multitude to enjoy. Whether tantalizing the tastebuds or informing the masses about a Green lifestyle, the vendors had a ton of new tastes (and ideas) to try.

After sampling the lot I think it's fair to say I've now tried a considerable variety of vegetarian products. Like all things, they are not made the same. Some of my favorite brands at the festival were:

• Looking for a healthy snack? Try Sarah's Seaweed Salsa: the seaweed salsa is suprisingly delicious - who ever thought algae would taste good on chips? But mixed with spicy green peppers it really works - we had some on scrambled eggs and tofu for brunch the next morning and it was excellent. Now I love seaweed salad, but those who aren't lovers of the marine taste will find this product isn't overwhelmingly "fishy" tasting. This brand was by far my pick of the many seaweed offerings at the festival!
• Missing that meat? Try May Wah Healthy Vegetarian Food: there were many vendors offering imitation meat and "tofurky" samples, but the best by far was May Wah. They cooked the faux-meat on the steaming griddle right in front of you, with an expansive variety of flavors such as chicken nuggets, tuna, salmon, ginger beef and BBQ pork. The most authentic for me was the teryaki beef - it tasted just like meat! If you have a chance to stop by their restaurant in New York City I recommend you stop by.
• Craving something sweet? Go for Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss: this ice cream made from coconut milk is rich, creamy, literally melt-in-your-mouth good and beats the soy ice cream brands I've tried, hands down. With such sexy flavors as Naked Almond Fudge, Dark Chocolate and Cherry Amaretto, how can you not be enticed? I tried Cappuccino and loved it so much I want to taste them all. It's sold at Whole Foods.
• Want something truly out of the ordinary? The most far-out exhibitor at the festival by far was Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus, made right up in New Hampshire. Their wacky flavors do a sweet take on the traditionally savory snack, such as chocolate mousse, peanut butter, and toasted almond; we tried their pumpkin pie and caramel apple - perfect for autumn. It's low fat and high in fiber, and one of the creators Bonnie informed us that they use 95% chickpeas, pretty hard to believe when you taste how smooth and creamy the hummus is - this is a totally unconventional approach but you have to give it a try!