Since turning vegetarian in 2014, I have had to consciously adjust to include more protein with tofu, legumes, mushrooms, etc. I haven't felt really constrained or weakened in anyway, but swearing off meat has allowed me to be more creative in the kitchen, and more resourceful. So when it comes to crickets, once I hopped on the bandwagon, I was all in (and yes, while bugs are technically considered meat, many non-meat eaters, like myself, have made exceptions). And so, here is a review of my FOUR FAVORITE CRICKET PRODUCTS!! :)
Bitty
 |
| Bitty Flour in pretty packaging! |
My experience with Aketta powder was somewhat serendipitous. I got my hands on a bag of their cricket powder by winning a radio contest (yes, the aforementioned Gastropod contest). In comparison to Bitty flour, Aketta powder was more gritty and nutty, most likely because it is a powder of 100% milled crickets, and not a fine four. Even still, it worked great in chocolate chip cookies and pancakes!
 |
| Chirps in 3 flavors: Sea Salt, Cheddar, and BBQ |
deliciously regular when dipped in guacamole, salsa, hummus, etc. But don't be confused by their snack nature, these chips supply a serious dose of protein. As Chirp's tagline says, "one cricket per chip!" What's more, Chirps are made by company Six Foods, which was started by three female Harvard grads right out of school! Girl power!
I had been wanting to taste cricket protein bars for a long time, so when I started to run cross country and had an excuse to eat protein bars, I bought a box of 12 "Chaco" Chapul bars. Wow these were good. Very dense and rich, but chocolatey and sweetened by dates. I appreciated the volume of choppend peanuts and the protein-per-serving (eight grams!).
Then, I went to my local Stop & Shop, and by happenstance discovered they carried cricket products and Chapul bars were one of them (Bitty flour was the other)!! I was so excited to see them, because this means that these snacks have become national conventional merchandise! While my call-to-action still stands, I was so excited to see this progress already! And since this discovery, I have also tried the "Aztec" chocolate, caffeine, and cayenne flavor, and it was so good! I ate it in the last period of school and was energized enough to run four miles 30 minutes later!
Then, I went to my local Stop & Shop, and by happenstance discovered they carried cricket products and Chapul bars were one of them (Bitty flour was the other)!! I was so excited to see them, because this means that these snacks have become national conventional merchandise! While my call-to-action still stands, I was so excited to see this progress already! And since this discovery, I have also tried the "Aztec" chocolate, caffeine, and cayenne flavor, and it was so good! I ate it in the last period of school and was energized enough to run four miles 30 minutes later!
I realized that insects in snack form have the amazing potential to, not only provide more protein to flexible vegetarians and vegans, but also to the malnourished and starving children and families of the world!
Have you ever eaten a bug before? If not, now is the time to try!! You can find all these awesome products online, and Chapul and Bitty products in your local Stop & Shop! If you try them, let me know what you think in the comments!!
More,
Gourmanda
Have you ever eaten a bug before? If not, now is the time to try!! You can find all these awesome products online, and Chapul and Bitty products in your local Stop & Shop! If you try them, let me know what you think in the comments!!
More,
Gourmanda