Sunday, July 3, 2011

Product Review: Zukay Kvass

"Kvass" means "bread drink," a drink made from fermented rye bread. But Zukay Live Foods makes a raw, live, gluten-free version of kvass made from organic veggies, salt, active cultures, and stevia. They offered to send me a few bottles to review, and of course I agreed!

They sent Raw Carrot Ginger, Raw Beet, and Raw Beet Ginger Kvass:


Now, I'm a huge fan of kombucha tea, but I'll admit that it's an acquired taste. Fermented beverages have a very acidic, vinegar-y taste, and they're not for everybody. The kvass tastes very much like kombucha, but while most kombucha is flavored with fruit, the kvass is flavored with organic veggies.

I tried the Carrot Ginger Kvass with my co-worker Hannah on our Raw Food Thursday a few weeks back:

Hannah said it was a little too salty, but that didn't really bother me. I'm a salt-aholic, so nothing is really too salty for me. I really enjoyed the strong, acidic ginger flavor, and I felt a small burst of energy after drinking this.

The Beet and Beet Ginger flavors were even better than the carrot. The earthy beet flavor was a better complement to the fermented twang. This might be TMI, but all my, um, waste products were dyed pink after drinking this. That might seem weird, but beet juice stains EVERYTHING!

Zukay threw in a live Red Pepper Cilantro Salad Dressing too:

I'd been dying to try their raw dressings! Unlike most oil-based dressings, this one is simply made from red pepper, tomato, cilantro, garlic, salt, and live active cultures. No oil. And that means one tablespoon of dressing is only five calories!

This stuff is amazing! Just look at it on my salad:

Out of all the products Zukay sent, the dressing was my fave. I love a lot of salad dressing on my fresh veggies, and with this low-cal, flavorful dressing, I can really afford to drench my salad. The bottle suggests mixing the dressing with olive oil to create a vinaigrette, and while I'm sure that's tasty, it's not really necessary.

If Zukay is sold in your area, try the dressing and the kvass. It's not sold in Memphis, but it may be available in your area. Click here to find out. If it's not available in stores near you, you can place an order on their website.

10 comments:

foodfeud said...

I've noticed a pink tinge to my pee as well after eating a lot of beets; I just think it's funny. Nice post! I will look for the dressing; it looks nice and thick as well as fresh and raw.

Scissors and Spice said...

My husband loves bread kvass! It's almost like beer. I'll have to look for these to try out and see what he thinks.

The Health Sensei said...

i like the zukay drinks, but those raw salad dressings are awful in my opinion. just terrible. and i've had 3 different kinds.

i love beet juicing season. i've been juicing beets for two weeks now and yes my urine (and the stuff that comes out the other side too) has been pink or red...LOLlerskates!

have a great holiday!!!!

Anonymous said...

Looks good. I bought some natural yeast bread the other day, it had the strong acidic taste you mentioned and took a little getting used to but by the end of the loaf I loved it :)

Liz said...

Kvass! OMG. My grandmother (i'm russian) used to make Kvass when I was little with fruits. It's definitely a bit of an acquired taste.

Jesse @ Happy Go Lucky Vegan said...

I buy the raw beet version at least once a month for a mid-day energy boost - I love them! Great review - I'll have to try the salad dressing next.

VeganLinda said...

We might have to try this! My kids love that everything turns reddish pink after eating beets. It makes them want to eat more. They are easily amused.

Get Skinny, Go Vegan. said...

Love Kombucha!! Haven't had this brand of anything yet, seems great but something to buy on sale in general. Looks yummy.

Prada handbags sale said...

wow.........it looks very delicious snacks, i want wait to have a try.

Emily said...

Pickled beets are my favorite! Or juiced beets.

I've loved all the Zukay products I've tried! Thanks for the giveaway :)