An Easy Dairy Free Appetizer - Great for Seasonal Celebrations!

A reader told me about these little cheesy bites not so long ago and since then I have been on a mission to find them. She gets them in Nourish in Santry but happily, I found mine in Nourish on Liffey St (€3.90 for a pack of 8) so the big trek was avoided! They are a Vegideli product, which is a sister product to Cheezly Dairy Free Cheese.

They are an imitation of deep fried cheese, or something similar and are based with Cheezly cheddar 'cheese' made with Soya. The ‘Cheezly’ taste is still there when eaten cold/room temperature, but the consistency is softer, there is a real peppery hit and they taste significantly better than the original ‘cheezly’ block due to the light breading.

They can be eaten as is, or they can be heated through. The package recommends frying or grilling. I have tried them cold, at room temperature and fried. Room temperature tastes nice but the best, in my opinion, is to fry them with minimal oil and then eat them when they are slightly cooled and can hold their shape. This is when they taste best and are most like the cheesy bites they aspire to.

The bad news is that they contain Wheat, Soya and Potato which limits the food allergy free attributes but if you’re stuck for a quick nibble during the upcoming festive season or are continually searching for a way to include your Dairy Free or Vegan guest in the snacks then I think Vegideli’s Breaded Pepperjack Style Cheezly Bites will pass the test.

- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- No Added Garlic Free
- No Added Onion Free
- No Added Tomato (note: does contain potato)
- No Hydrogenated Fats
- No Artificial Colours or Preservatives
- GMO free

Ingredients: Water, non-hydrogenated vegetable fats & oils, breadcrumbs, tofu, wheat flour, soya protein, potato starch, thickeners: carrageenan phosphate, unrefined sugar, dried red & green peppers, sodium citrate, naural flavouring, lactic acid

Nutritional Information per 100 g:
Energy 334kcal/1400Kj
Protein 5.7g
Carbohydrates 20.9
of which sugars 0.9g
Fat 25.5g
of which saturates 10.4g
of which mono-unsaturates 10.8g
of which polyunsaturates 4.1g
Cholestrol 0.0g
Fibre 1.3g
Sodium 0.9g

Health Matters: The City Centre Stop

It came to my attention earlier this week when I was listing places that stock allergy friendly crackerbread that I haven’t written a word about Health Matters! It’s not one of my regular health food stops but I do pop in up and down, mainly for snacks! In fact, one could hardly resist ‘popping in’ with such a central location! Health Matters health store is located smack dab in the middle of the thoroughfare: 8 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. What a location!? And much to my repeated surprise it is not overflowing with hefty price tags in order to meet its rent, for as we locals know, Grafton Street does not usually come cheap.

As a food allergy shopper the main pull of Health Matters, apart from its location is the snack department. The store is not massive and tries it’s best to pack everything in but supplements and beauty products seem to come before health foods... Snacks, however, are a different story with a good range of ‘healthy’ snacks for it’s size with a nice variety of choices for anybody with food allergies it is a great place if you need a little quick and tasty sustenance that meets your tough dietary needs.

Overall I personally have a mixed opinion of Health Matters. Sometimes I have a wonderful experience and sometimes I have a less than average experience. It seems to me that the staff can sometimes come across as cold and even abrupt (with exception to the superior manager/owner (?), who is always SO friendly, helpful and knowledgable but sadly rarely there!) but I don’t think that this is an accurate portrayal. Things can be a bit stand-offish at the counter but it seems that if you ask for advice then the spell is broken and the staff prove to be very helpful, friendly and knowledgable and best of all, honest! Unfortunately I almost always have to ask to receive this service so please don’t be put off and just jump in!

The other illusion is in the size of the shop. Like I said earlier, Health Matters seem to put their focus on food supplements, beauty products and sports nutrition but again, don’t be put off: the shelves are high and there are health foods and food allergy alternatives hidden away. I have found that here again it is hugely beneficial to ask if you can’t find something because your product of choice can often be tucked away behind another product and the staff are totally on-top of what they have in stock... so again, do ask!

But to draw this confusing review to a close I would like to mention that Health Matters have three locations: Grafton Street (Dublin 2), Bray (co. Wicklow) and Crumlin (Dublin 12) and they also run an online shop which ships free to anywhere in Ireland! (regular postage prices apply elsewhere in Europe and beyond). I actually think that the online store is a wonderful resource. You can search generally by product or brand name but the cream comes in the overall set-up which is divided into topics:

- Beauty (sub-headings: natural deodorants, bodycare, oral health, cosmetics, etc)
- Food Supplements (sub-headings: multi vitamins, anti-aging, superfoods, antioxidants, etc)
- Female Health
- Male Health
- Weight Loss
- Sports Nutrition
- Herbal Remedies (sub-headings: full potency herbs, tinctures, herbal complexes)
- Stress
- Mother & Baby
- Homeopathy
- Sun Protection
- Other (sub-headings: digestion, food, aromatherapy, detox, household, flower remedies, etc)

Although you might find Health Matters lacking in the food allergy friendly products that you dream of, their real draw is in supplements... and if you are shy of staring aimlessly at a wall of bottles then do some home research on their website before heading in! (note: they also welcome emails!)

Health Matters
Web: www.healthmatters.ie

Location:
8 Grafton Street
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 671 0166

25 Main Street
Bray
Co. Wicklow
Tel: 01 276 2669

Unit 14
Ashleaf Shopping Centre
Crumlin Cross
Dublin 12
Tel: 01 455 0323