This Review article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I love a good TikTok hack and have even adopted a few of them into my daily life. So, when I found out there was a viral video going around showing how to make "healthy coke" I knew it was something I needed to try.
I won't lie, the ingredients in this had me shook. Apparently, to achieve the Coca-Cola dupe, all you do is mix a splash of balsamic vinegar with soda water, give it a stir, add in some ice and you're good to go.
The first time I watched the video, I was like, "Wait, this woman wants me to drink cold bubbly vinegar water?"
I truly couldn't fathom how the combo of ingredients would taste like soda, but I gathered up my ingredients and gave it a go.
In the video, she uses a guava-flavoured La Croix but says you can use any sparkling water, so I opted for my Soda Stream. I also didn't have regular balsamic vinegar — but I received a fancy fig-flavour balsamic vinegar as a present a few months ago and decided to use that.
So, I grabbed a wine glass, loaded it up with ice, popped in a splash of my balsamic and filled the rest of it up with fizzy water.
Soda water in a Soda Stream, a wine glass with ice and balsamic vinegar. Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
Right away it looked identical to a coke in terms of colour and effervescence.
I braced myself for what I was about to do and hesitantly took a sip of the concoction.
It's good. Like, I'd-drink-this-everyday kind of good.
I thought the balsamic flavour would be overwhelming and make me shudder, but either the carbonation or just the dilution of the soda water makes it more of a pleasant addition rather than an aggressively forward note.
That being said, it doesn't taste like Coca-Cola. It does sort of taste like those natural colas you can get at fancy stores, but this costs a fraction of the price.
I can't attest to whether or not this is "healthier" than the popular canned drink, but regardless, it's something I'm going to add to my summer drink rotation!
Health Canada has just issued a bunch of food recalls on a variety of grocery items, so you should consider double-checking your pantry, fridge and freezer ASAP to make sure you don't have any of these products around.
Canadians are being advised to stop using these products immediately and to either safely dispose of them, return them to the place where they were purchased or contact the company for a refund.
On February 3, Loblaw Companies Ltd. issued a recall for PC brand Lemon & Ginger Sicilian Soda due to the possible presence of glass.
The affected product was sold nationally and has a UPC of 0 60383 02157 3.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the recall was triggered due to a customer complaint.
Cashews
On February 2, President's Choice brand Roasted Cashews with Sea Salt were recalled due to off odour and off taste.
The recalled products were sold nationally and in two sizes: 200 grams and 1.13 kilograms. They have best before dates of October 4, December 9, and December 12, 2022.
"Do not use, sell, serve or distribute the affected products," warns the government agency.
Frozen shrimp
Also on February 2, JLF Foods Ltd. brand frozen white shrimp were recalled due to nitrofurans which is a chemical, according to the CFIA.
The affected product was sold in 24-pound bags and its primary intended audience is hotels, restaurants and institutions.
And on February 1, Two Bears recalled various Two Bears brand oat milk products from the marketplace because they contain milk that is not declared on the label. It could cause a serious or life-threatening reaction to those who have a dairy allergy, warns the CFIA.
The recalled products have been sold nationally and online and here are the affected items:
Unsweetened Oat M*lk Barista Friendly
Vanilla Coffee Frothed Latte with Oat M*lk
Frothed Chocolate Oat M*lk
Salted Caramel Coffee Frothed Latte with Oat M*lk
Black Coffee Frothed Latte with Oat Milk
Frothed Matcha Tea Latte with Oat M*lk
Frothed Chai Tea Latte with Oat M*lk
Stay safe, everyone!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Whether they've been vegan for years or have just begun to dip their toes into this exciting culinary realm, many Canadians are increasingly looking for simple and delicious plant-based alternatives to add to their diet. As a fun, tasty, and versatile way to eat, it's also way more accessible than you might think. And when it comes to taste, there's zero need to sacrifice.
With products like plant-based proteins and Hellmann's Vegan, adjusting to a vegan lifestyle can be pretty straightforward.
There are countless ways to get creative in the kitchen and make vegan versions of your favourite meals. Plus, most require items that are probably in your household right now. Here are some plant-based hacks to help step up your cooking skills.
If you haven't heard of the #tortillatrend, you need to get on Tiktok more often. This wrap is super convenient and will make your meals much more interesting. People have been filling them with tons of different ingredients.
How to make it vegan? Easy. Take a tortilla, slice it halfway down the centre, and place your ingredients on each quarter of the tortilla. How about some grilled mushrooms, pesto, Hellmann's Vegan, and avocado? Or perhaps some teriyaki sauce, onion, and Asian-spiced tofu?
There's nothing like thick, creamy alfredo sauce to top off your pasta. When discovering plant-based nutrition, you'll find there are lots of ways to mimic your favourite delicacies. Not only does this hack taste great, but it's as quick as can be. All you need are three main ingredients to get this meal going.
Grab your pasta, hummus of choice, and make sure to reserve some pasta water during the process. Cook pasta until al dente, mix an equal ratio of hummus and pasta water until a sauce is formed, and feel free to add any extra seasoning. For added flavour, you can also saute some onions and garlic beforehand.
Pour the mixture onto your pasta and discover your new guilt-free go-to that you can enjoy without any of the heaviness of actual alfredo sauce.
Some things just aren't complete without sour cream. If you're a big Mexican-food lover, you're going to go nuts for this substitute!
All you're going to need is five simple ingredients: raw cashews, water, lemon, mineral salt, and apple cider vinegar.
Be sure to soak your cashews for a few hours prior (or boil them to speed up the process). Once they're soaked, place them in a high-speed blender along with the other ingredients. Blend until creamy smooth and enjoy with some plant-based tacos.
As an easy pantry-grab plus a great source of protein, chickpeas are the ideal replacement for fish-free tuna. If made accordingly, you might not even be able to tell the difference.
You'll need to throw some chickpeas, dill pickles, red onions, almonds, celery, dill, mustard, and Hellmann's Vegan into a blender.
Pulse until the ingredients are combined well and scoop some onto some bread. These essential ingredients make it taste like the real deal.
It's the small everyday ingredients that make altering your lifestyle seem tougher than it has to be. Thankfully, there's no challenge too great for you to overcome with the help of this hack. Turning corn into butter is smoother than you'd think.
You'll need to add some water to a cup of corn and blend them together. From there, sieve until everything is evenly mixed and then whisk it in a pot over the stove.
Get your toast, bagel, or whatever else you'd like, and get your butter on! Store it in the fridge afterwards.
Bake A Cake With A Can Of Coke
No, seriously, who thought of this masterpiece? If you want to whip up a vegan-friendly cake in less than 30 minutes, keep reading.
This two-ingredient soda cake is what dreams are made of. You don't even need to be good at baking for this. All you need is a box of vegan cake mix and 10 ounces of cola. Combine your ingredients and toss the mixture into a greased pan. Follow the baking directions on the box and, before you know it, you'll be digging in.
Quick tip: For chocolate cake, use dark soda like Coca-Cola. For a light cake, use a light soda such as Sprite.
You won't be missing real cheese ever again with this simple recipe.
Tofu is a great source of protein and can easily take on the texture of good old ricotta. Once you add it to lasagna, let's say, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Chop up your tofu, throw it in a blender, add some lemon juice, spices of choice, lots of nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavour), and blend until smooth.
Try "Fish" 'N Chips With Celery Root
Fish 'n chips is a popular comfort meal for many, so why not recreate it with plant-based ingredients? You can keep your chips the same, but to swap out the fish you'll need some celery root.
To spice things up, make a vegan tartar sauce with Hellmann's Vegan, lemon juice, dill, and relish. Mix until the consistency is creamy and voilà!
This recipe takes a bit longer than most of the ones mentioned, but it's worth trying. You can find the full tutorial here:
You don't have to miss out on the convenient nutrition of an omelette; opt for a savoury pumpkin seed alternative instead. The key to a fluffy omelette isn't limited to eggs — just see for yourself!
Blend together pumpkin seeds, water, turmeric, garlic, salt, and almond milk. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add baking powder, while mixing quickly. Pour it into your pan and cook covered on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Feel free to add different spices and vegetables to personalize your omelette.
Yes, it's still possible to enjoy the crispy crunch of bacon minus the meat. If you have your doubts, that's understandable, but don't knock it 'til you try it.
For this hack, you're going to peel some raw carrots nice and thin. You'll then mix Liquid Smoke, maple syrup, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder together. Place the carrot peels in the mixture and marinate them for about two minutes. Place them in your air fryer (or oven) at 380°F for five minutes.
And there you have it, bacon without the bacon! This is a perfect addition to any vegan "BLT," topped with a nice dollop of vegan, of course.
Use Mushrooms To Make Baby Back Ribs
Whether it's a craving for ribs, steak or a burger, a hankering for meat can still be satisfied with certain substitutes. If you're longing for the smokey taste of barbeque, this one's for you.
All you need are some king oyster mushrooms and a whole lot of spices. With a texture that mimics ribs and the familiar spices to accompany it, you won't believe you're eating a mushroom.
You can find the full detailed recipe here:
The key to making plant-based hacks accessible is to have the right things on hand. Hellmann's Vegan is a tasty, simple way to incorporate plant-based options into your diet. Condiments like these help transform your favourite sandwiches, salads, and snacks into vegan goodness.
Hellmann’s Vegan has an amazingly rich and creamy taste, exactly like regular mayo, except plant-based of course! Innovative products like these help make better-for-you choices easier than ever.
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Without a doubt, these simple hacks will help you add variety to your diet in a healthy way. The hardest part will most likely be picking the recipe to start with, since they're all so yummy. That's the part you'll have to do on your own, along with the cooking.
But here's one last, extra tip: once you've made your way through these scrumptious dishes — which will likely happen sooner than you imagine — you can find many more recipes to try out on Hellmann's Vegan and Vegetarian Recipe Site.
Bon appétit!
To learn more about plant-based hacks and recipes, check out Hellman's website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube.
Pepsi has been known to come out with new flavors every so often but this one is sure to catch your curiosity.
In celebration of the holidays, the soda company is putting out an extremely limited apple pie flavored Pepsi, which will celebrate those who don't exactly have a strong presence in the kitchen.
The bottles will only be given to winners of the #PepsiApplePieChallenge, which asks soda drinkers to post pics of their baking fails on social media in order to enter the contest.
En 2015, Suki Waterhouse, particulièrement connue pour son apparition dans le film Divergence, a dévoilé son secret pour des jolies beach waves volumineuses sans effort: le Coca-Cola.
Oui, deux canettes de Coke sur la tête, un rinçage à l'eau et la célèbre actrice promettait de parfaits cheveux. Une idée assez farfelue qui n'a pas retenu mon attention plus qu'il faut. On va se le dire, même si l'idée est intrigante, ça me prenait un peu plus qu'une promesse de cheveux ondulés pour me convaincre à me vider un soda (que je ne mets même pas dans ma bouche ) sur la tête.
J'ai toujours été fascinée par les utilités inusitées de cette boisson gazeuse. Cette chose qu'on devrait boire sert aussi à décaper une cuvette de toilette, nettoyer les taches de graisse sur l'asphalte et faire briller les métaux...WTF?
Je suis tombée sur plusieurs Youtubeuses et blogueuses ayant essayé le fameux lavage de cheveux au Coca, et toutes promettaient des résultats différents: ondulations, brillance, douceur... Jusqu'à ce que je vois cette vidéo: Une femme qui avait supposément pâli ses cheveux grâce au Coke.
ÇA, ça m'intriguait pour vrai. J'ai donc décidé de me lancer à l'eau sous la canette pour essayer.
Mes cheveux avant l'expérience: ombrés blond-gold, n'ondulent pas au naturel et sont assez secs.
Première observation: Combien de temps je dois laisser mes cheveux tremper? C'est comme pas écrit sur la bouteille... J'ai opté pour un petit cinq minutes.
Deuxième observation: Du Coke qui dégouline le long de mon corps, c'est nasty... JE.NE.TRIPPE.PAS.
Bon, j'ai rincé le tout, et je constate que mes cheveux sont vraiment mêlés. Moi qui aie l'habitude de me verser une bouteille de revitalisant sur la tête, j'appréhende le démêlage et je fais de mon mieux à l'aide de mes doigts sous la douche.
Après la douche:
Finalement, c'est pas si pire à démêler. Après avoir essoré mes cheveux à la serviette, je réalise que mes cheveux ont en effet beaucoup plus de texture que j'aurais pensé: j'arrive facilement à les onduler avec mes doigts et ils sèchent super rapidement.
Le verdict, après une nuit de sommeil:
Les vagues ont tombées un peu, je ne sais pas si je dois blâmer ma taie d'oreiller.
Mes cheveux sont effectivement plus blonds, mais rien de frappant comme changement, et mes cheveux naturels sont restés identiques.
Mes cheveux sont définitivement plus doux qu'à l'habitude et effectivement brillants.
J'ai les beach waves promises, mais surtout beaucoup de texture: j'ai réussi à me faire un messy bun potable pour la première fois, chose jamais réussie avec mes cheveux trop lisses.
Mes cheveux ne sont pas gras ou collants, contrairement à ce que je pensais. Ils ne sentent pas le Coke non plus.
Et si c'était à refaire?
Je dois avouer avoir eu une belle surprise avec cette expérience. Je ne coiffe jamais mes cheveux sans les passer au fer rapidement et j'ai pu le faire ce matin. Toutefois, me verser le Coca sur la tête m'écoeure vraiment beaucoup. Je suis encore en train d'évaluer si ça vaut la peine.
En continuant mes recherches post-expériences, j'ai découvert qu'apparemment le Coke Diet flat blondirait plus facilement les cheveux. J'hésite à l'essayer ( si tu veux que je le fasse, gêne-toi pas pour commenter ).
J'ai aussi découvert que laisser le Coke plus longtemps pourrait s'avérer plus efficace pour le blond...mais du Coca qui me dégouline le long du dos pendant 5 minutes, c'était assez pour moi.
PS. Si ça t'intéresse, j'ai vidé le reste de la bouteille dans ma toilette pour la nettoyer. D'une pierre deux coups, qu'on dit?
Soda water in a Soda Stream, a wine glass with ice and balsamic vinegar. Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
The "Coke" in a wine glass. Sarah Rohoman | Narcity
