Author: Lindsay Ingalls

New Restaurant: Mint

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The hubz took me out for a spontaneous date night to the new vegetarian restaurant and tea lounge Mint in Waitsfield, VT. The small restaurant is all vegetarian and focus primarily on natural, organic whole foods and ingredients. They try to source all of their ingredients locally when possible and are 95% organic. The restaurant is quaint and has a really relaxing atmosphere. The food menu is small but has a number of really tasty sounding dishes. Although their food menu is small their tea list is extensive and is even broken down into types of teas such as dessert and evening teas. We opted for a glass of organic wine instead of tea but I’d like to try one of their teas on our next visit.

After spending awhile looking over the menu hubz and I finally decided on what we would order. I ordered the Sproutada:

Sproutada: toasted corn tortilla with brown rice, black turtle beans, chili sauce, soy mozzarella, topped with tahini dressed greens, snowpea sprouts, shredded carrots, fresh avocado and homemade salsa

and the Hubz ordered the Flavors of Mint Special:

Flavors of Mint Daily Special: roasted tempeh and asparagus over citrus braised greens and a peanut dipping sauce (their description was a little better but I forget what is actually said)

The food was delicious! Although the prices were slightly high you are paying for what you get which is not only delicious organic & local whole foods but a great experience. I also must say that although the plates looked small the food was filling and we left satisfied with our meal. We can’t wait to go back!

Also don’t forget to enter the Bodum French Press giveaway that ends March 5, 2010 at 8am.

Recipe: Kimchi Spring Rolls

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Kimchi Spring Rolls

Makes 10-15 Rolls

  • 1/4 cup vegan kimichi
  • 1 T hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 T soy sauce
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 parsnip, shredded
  • 1/4 cup brown rice
  • spring roll wrappers
  • 2 T oil for frying

Directions:

  1. Fill each spring roll wrapper with 1 tablespoon of filling and tightly roll. Repeat until all the fillings is used.
  2. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium high and fry the spring rolls until they are lightly browned on all sides.
  3. Drain on paper towel.
  4. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Review: Chocolate Inspirations

6 Comments

Chocolate Inspirations sent me a few samples of their toffee and brittles to review. The great thing about Chocolate Inspirations is that a number of their chocolates can be made sugar-free and vegan and they taste amazing.  Among the flavors that I was sent to try were:

Vegan Cashew Brittle- This chocolate was delicious mix of brittle, chocolate and nuts.

Vegan English Toffee- this was my favorite of all the samples and it was great because I haven't had toffee in years (I don't count the xmas I attempted to make my own and set the stove on fire). This was creamy, caramel and delicious.

Vegan Coconut Brittle- this one was really tasty with it's creamy coconut taste and toasted coconut topping

Vegan Coffee Toffee- this was my hubby's favorite - he loves chocolate and coffee together and this was a great combo especially with the chopped pecans.

Overall this chocolate was amazing and my hubby and I can’t wait to order more of it. I think we will definitely be ordering some chocolate from here soon. Did I mention there are vegan caramels cups? I am sure they are to die for.

Disclaimer: Chocolate Inspirations provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Giveaway: Bodum French Press

55 Comments

French Press Winner Announced:

AnAppleADay // February 26, 2010 at 4:50 PM | Reply (edit)

i definitely need this because my bf is COFFEE-lover and i would love to make him smile by giving this to him!!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bodum Brazil 8 Cup French Press

I have an exciting giveaway for you!

CSN Stores has contacted me about doing a giveaway on my blog!

Don’t worry I am not going to offer a giveaway for an item that I don’t already use and love myself. I absolutely love my Bodum Brazil French Press and I think that any coffee lover should invest in their own french press.  Not only is a french press the best way to make a delicious cup of coffee it also works great for making loose tea.


Who wants to go out – pay for overpriced coffee when you can make a delicious cup at home?

I sure don’t!

Enjoy it at home!

Coffee. A Good Book. And Someone to Share It All With.

who could ask for more?

CSN has over 200 stores

where you can find everything you need,

including cookware and maybe even barstools

To enter:

  1. Leave a comment telling me why you need this french press in your life. {1 entry}
  2. You can earn an additional entry by tweeting about this giveaway & mentioning @cookveganlover {1 additional entry}
  3. You can earn a third entry by posting it on your blog & linking back to me {1 additional entry}

Good luck!

I’ll use Random.org to choose a winner on Friday March 5, 2010 at 6am!!

(CSN will only ship to the U.S. & Canada)

Giveaway & Recipe: Coconut Red Curry Peanut Stir Fry

63 Comments

Coconut Red Curry Peanut Stir Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup firm tofu, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 5 cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1.5 cups frozen edamame
  • 1T coconut oil
  • 1T coconut peanut butter (can substitute half coconut butter/half peanut butter or just use peanut butter)- win your own Coconut PB below
  • 1T red curry paste
  • 2T soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
  • 1/2T vegetarian oyster sauce
  • 1T arrowroot powder mixed with 1/4 cup of water
  • 1t garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

  1. In a wok over medium high heat melt the coconut oil and coconut peanut butter together.
  2. Add in the red curry paste and stir fry together for about a minute.
  3. Add in all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the peanuts and cook for 7-10minutes until the vegetables are soft.
  4. Add in the peanuts at the end.  Serve with your favorite rice or noodles.

To make this recipe I used Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil and Coconut Peanut Butter.  The coconut peanut butter is rich and creamy tasting and works really well in this dish.  The peanut butter flavor is not overwhelming but is rather great combined with the coconut.  I found that this is not an easily spreadable butter but is great on warmed foods such as oatmeal, stir fries, noodles, and sweet potatoes.

“Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter is made from organic peanuts and organic coconut. Two ingredients: nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. The peanuts are 100% organic Valencia peanuts grown organically by family farmers in New Mexico and Texas. Grown in the dry climate of the southwestern United States, these peanuts are certified organic and free from aflatoxins. The dried coconut is certified organic coconut meat from the Philippines from coconuts that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, our dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. Together, these premium organic roasted peanuts and the premium organic dried coconut are ground together to make a delicious and nutritious spread!” soucre

Tropical Traditions Giveaway- Please Enter by 8am on February 26, 2010

To win your own jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter visit the Tropical Traditions website and take a look around- leave a comment on my blog telling me something you’ve learned or about a product that interest you.

Additional Chances to Enter

  1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions email Sales Newsletter here:http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/subscribe_for_special_sales.cfm(Leave me a comment saying you did)
  2. Tweet about this giveaway – “I want to win @Troptraditions Coconut Oil from @cookveganlover http://wp.me/ppaTI-vQ
     (Leave me a comment saying you did)
  3. Follow me @cookveganlover on twitter (Leave a comment saying you did)
  4. Visit Tropical Traditions Free Coconut Recipe websitehttp://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ and leave a comment telling me what your favorite recipe is.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Giveaway Winner is:

hihorosie // February 24, 2010 at 6:32 PM | Reply (edit)

How can one ever go wrong when there’s coconut involved? But there are a couple of recipes that catch my eye: coconut ice and Coconut Peanut Butter Cup Hot Cocoa. YUM!

Recipe: Skinny Blood Orange Margarita

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Skinny Blood Orange Margarita

Margaritas are generally filled with sugar and can be anywhere from 250-500 calories.  

This recipe is great and only around 150 calories a serving so you can enjoy your margarita without the calorie guilt.

Ingredients: (makes 4-5 margaritas) 

  • 8oz silver tequila 
  • splash of triple sec
  • 1t agave nectar
  • 3 limes, juice and zest
  • 2 blood oranges, juice and zest
  • 3-4 cups ice

Throw everything into the blender and blend to a slush.  

Silly napkins my mom got us to go with our margarita glasses