Product review: Obela Plant Based Hommus Bowls

Obela Plant Based Hommus Bowls are a portable, convenient meal to have on the go. They are vegan, gluten-free, high in fibre and protein.

Obela Plant Based Hommus Bowls

These bowls are new in the line of hommus and dips of the famous manufacturer Obela, makers of the convenient snack Obela Hommus To Go. In my opinion, this is a great way to get switch people’s perception about hommus from just a dip to what it is in the Middle East: a meal.

Obela Plant Based Hommus Bowls come in the following flavours:

• Quinoa Tabouli Salad With Falafels & Lemon Garlic Dressing
• Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables With Falafels & Basil Pesto Dressing
• Roasted Sweet Potato With Falafels & Tahini Maple Dressing

Each bowl contains a single serve of 285g, with more than 15 protein. The bottom of the bowl contains the hummus, vegetables and/or salad, the top contains the falafels in a bag and a sachet with the dressing. There is also a small plastic spork included. The bowls are vegan and gluten-free. The manufacturer recommends adding pita, ham, chicken or meat substitute to make it a meal.

The bowls are currently available in the refrigerated section at some Woolworths supermarkets. You can find exactly where in the company’s website (link at the bottom of this review).

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients lists for all the flavours. Note that the hommus, and this is true for all their other hommus products, contain canola oil, food acid and preservatives. The dressings and falafels also contain the three ingredients, plus thickener(s) in case of the dressings. Is this bad? I would prefer if they used extra virgin olive oil and omitted some or all of the additives but they have to make their product work in regard to cost and expiration date.

These products are not suitable for individuals with sesame allergy. Likewise, be careful if you are intolerant or sensitive to food additives.

• Quinoa Tabouli Salad:
  • Hommus and garnish (79%): cooked chickpeas (47%), quinoa (25%), vegetables (12%) (capsicum, cucumber, onion), tahini (8%), canola oil, salt, garlic, food acid (citric acid), herbs, preservative (202)
  • Dressing (7%): water, canola oil, white wine vinegar, lemon concentrate (3.5%), garlic (0.9%), salt, herbs, flavour, thickener (415), preservative (202)
  • Falafels (14%): chickpeas, carrot, canola oil, spring onion, garlic, herbs, spices, salt, vinegar, food acid (citric acid), preservative (202)
• Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables:
  • Hommus and garnish (79%): cooked chickpeas, capsicum (22%), eggplant (11%), red onion (6%), tahini, canola oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, food acid (citric acid), herbs, preservative (202)
  • Dressing (7%): water, canola oil, basil puree (13.5%), red wine vinegar, pine nuts, garlic, salt, parsley, flavour, thickener (415, 407), preservative (303, 224)
  • Falafels (14%): chickpeas, carrot, canola oil, spring onion, garlic, herbs, spices, salt, vinegar, food acid (citric acid), preservative (202)
• Roasted Sweet Potato:
  • Hommus and garnish (79%): cooked chickpeas (48%), sweet potato (29%), tahini (8%), canola oil, vinegar, maple syrup, sugar, salt, garlic, spices, food acid (citric acid), preservative (202).
  • Dressing (7%): canola oil, water, tahini (14.4%), maple syrup (8.5%), white wine vinegar, salt, flavour, herbs, preservative (202), spices, thickener (415).
  • Falafels (14%): chickpeas, carrot, canola oil, spring onion, garlic, herbs, spices, salt, vinegar, food acid (citric acid), preservative (202).

Nutrition information

Below is the nutrition information for the 3 available flavours per serve. All are high in fibre and protein. Note that they are relatively high in energy, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. Note that these are not issues for everyone, but may be for some.

Nutrient	Quinoa Tabouli Salad Per serve (285g)	Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables Per serve (285g)	Roasted Sweet Potato Per serve (285g)
Energy (kJ)	2240	2770	2620
Energy (kcal)	535	662	626
Protein (g)	16.5	15.5	16.5
Fat, total (g)	35.4	38	39.6
– Saturated (g)	4	4.1	4.4
Carbohydrate, total (g)	33.8	33	46.5
– Sugars (g)	1.7	3.6	11.1
Dietary fibre (g)	8.6	9.3	9.4
Sodium (mg)	1290	1250	1310

Taste test

I tried the Quinoa Tabouli Salad and Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables bowls. I have tried Obela hommus before and can confirm the bowls have the same great taste. The vegetables, salad and dressings are also tasty. I had the bowls with boiled eggs for added protein and a bit more vegetables. The bowls are pretty filling by themselves, making a good lunch to take on the go.

The only thing I didn’t like about the bowls were the falafels. They can be eaten cold or heated up. I liked them better heated up, but they were dry and had a slight rancid taste even though the bowls were way within their best before date.

Summary and recommendations

Obela Plant Based Hommus Bowls are a convenient meal high in dietary fibre and with a good amount of protein per serve. Make sure you add a bit more protein according to your needs. The bowls suit people following a vegan and/or gluten-free diet who allergy to sesame seeds or who are sensitive to some food additives.

More information

To learn more about these and other products head to Obela’s website.

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