Product Reviews

Rice Dream
www.imaginefoods.com
Review by Doh Driver

Oh, for an ocean of Vanilla Enriched Rice Dream. Since it's packaged in handy aseptic boxes, I buy it by the case and use it up within a month. I freely admit to an addiction. It's light, smooth consistency works perfectly with cold cereal and makes a wonderful bowl of farina (cream of wheat). It can be used in place of milk in baking recipes and pancake mix. It makes fruit smoothies that are, well, Dream-y. My son and I can easily go through a box in a day. I've even used the Vanilla Rice Dream in mashed potatoes surprisingly well, although I usually try to have to Original flavor on-hand for that and other savory dishes.

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I generally get the Enriched versions as a quick and easy way to get a few extra vitamins. The Enriched versions have a nutrient profile better than milk, with an equal amount of calcium plus vitamins A, B12, and D, and phosphorus. Naturally, it lacks lactose and cholesterol. It falls short, however, as a coffee creamer and won't do the trick for a frothy cappuccino. One friend of mine said that this pure carbohydrate beverage goes straight to her bloodstream and makes her sugar-crazed. Another acquaintance complained that the Vanilla is too sweet, so for her there's the Original flavored, which is also light and smooth and has a pleasant taste. It is, as with all cow milk substitutes, not suitable as infant formula, and even as a drink for toddlers should be used in moderation; it has virtually no fat (2 g unsaturated) and is little more than white-colored rice carbs (28 g, 12 of which are sugar). But, oh, how divine it is.

Doh Driver is the full-time single parent of Griffin, her 3-year-old healthy, breastfeeding, joyous little vegan. She is also a part-time yoga instructor in Florida, and became completely vegan as of New Year's Day, after 12 years of saying, as a vegetarian, she could never be vegan. By making peaceful and compassionate choices in her life, she hopes to provide her son with a model of mindful, gentle living.

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