Result:2 The Winner is birdfeed– I love nustevia and that cocoa bean looks awesome!
NuNaturals sent me a number of great items two of which are NuStevia No Carbs Blend and Cocao Bean Extract. I have used the NuStevia sweetner packets in my coffee and it’s good – much better then regular stevia packets as it does not have such a bitter taste if you use to much. I also used the NuStevia Baking Blend when my girlfriends and I were baking up a storm (click to see post).
If you are intersted in trying these products please leave a comment by December 11, 2009 at 8pm. Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover received this product free from NuNaturals
Last night after weeks of debating what I would make I finally cooked up a recipe from Great Chefs Cook Vegan. This cookbook is filled with great recipes from some of the top chefs such as Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert and Jose Andres, among many others. It was great to see what these amazing chefs had come up with for their vegan dishes.
All of the dishes were really intriguing however definitely not for the amateur cook. Most of the recipes required expensive ingredients or ingredients that are not readily available at your local supermarket, co-op or famers market. This was one of the biggest challenges I came across when trying to decide which dish I would try out. I would have loved to have made Potato Leek “Risotto” with Chanterelles and Spinach, but Chanterelles are not easy to come by and cost more than my budget would allow.
I settled on making the Grilled Polenta with Fresh Shell Bean Ragout by Suzanne Goin. I had to adapt it a bit using what I could find; I used frozen beans for the fresh and green beans for haricots vert. I also didn’t grill my polenta since the foot of snow outside did not make easy access to our grill so I popped it under the broiler instead. This dish turned out great and the flavor was amazing! It was light, fresh and the polenta was nice and creamy- a great contrast to the crisp green beans.
Slightly adapted Grilled Polenta with Fresh Shell Bean Ragout
Overall this is an interesting cookbook and a great resource for making more sophisticated vegan dishes, however it is definitely not one I will be using regularly. The dishes are more complex and expensive to make than what I do in my everyday life but I will be sure to pick it up to make great “WOW” dishes for friends and family.
If you’d like to pick up your own copy or take a peak into the book check out Amazon.com Here.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover received this product free from Gibbs Smith Publisher.
I love to add Vega to smoothies and when I am at work I shake up some Amazing Grass with water to enjoy when I’m feeling tired or hungry. Both of these are great and it’s your chance to win them. Two lucky winners will win a packet of Vega and Amazing Grass (see below). To win please comment below by December 11, 2009 at 8am. Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover purchased these items for this giveaway.
One of the fondest memories of my childhood was making fluffernutter sandwiches with my dad. Once I went vegetarian this was all crushed because of the gelatin used in marshmellows to make the fluff. I was pleasntly surprised to find Suzanne’s RiceMellow in a local natural food store a few years ago. I have been a big fan ever since (and can enjoy fluffernutter sandwiches again). Now it’s your chance to win your own container of Ricemellow. Leave a comment by 8pm tonight December 10, 2009 for your chance to win. Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover purchased these items for this giveaway.
“Rolled Oats have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce blood-sugar spikes and promote general health. Raisins are known for their unique phenol content, which has antioxidant activity. Raisins are thought to promote better bone health and may protect against macular degeneration.Peanuts are thought to promote healthy cholesterol levels, are a good source of essential fats and minerals and are rich in antioxidants.”
2. Amazing Grass Green Superfood– this great bar is Raw, Cold Processed, Alkaline, Gluten Free, Fair Trade, Dairy Free andVegan – oh and did I mention it taste great!
3. MacroBar these bars are delicious and honestly one of my favorites ever.
“MacroBars are macrobiotic, vegan, energy and protein bars that are made fresh daily on a rural farm in S.W. Wisconsin. Minimally processed and certified organic, the bars utilize simple healthy ingredients to boost your immune system and help provide your body with essential nutrients.”
4. Prana Bar I have pretty much tried every flavor of these bars and loved them all. However apple pie is my favorite so that is why I am including it in this giveaway. All Prana Bars are vegan and almost raw.
5. Lastly is Vega Vibrancy Bar which is delicious and I have review for you back a few weeks ago- check it here.
So now that you know more about the goods here is your chance to win some by answering this question: If you could make your own energy bar what would be included in it? Please enter by December 10 at 8pm. Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover purchased these items for this giveaway.
I was recently asked by a reader about strategies for eating vegan but staying away from high processed foods. I find that one of the biggest issues that face vegans (especially new vegans) is changing eating habits from a meat based to a plant based diets. Many times it is easier to turn to meat analogues, faux cheeses, and other processed vegan or by chance vegan products that are familiar.
I know from my own experience of going vegetarian at a young age that many times I turned to veggie burgers as my protein or main dish and ate the vegetable or starch sides my mom made. As I grew up and became more aware of nutrition and what is good and bad for you body I began to change my diet. My husband is a good example of change from junk food vegan to healthy vegan. When we first started dating his daily food intake was that of pop, chips and veggie burgers, all vegan and all highly processed junk foods. Today my husband’s usual day is oatmeal, a variety of fruits, steamed veggies, whole grain and tofu or beans. This is not to say that he and I are perfect and only eat a high whole foods diet but at home we try to 75% of the time.
For us 75% of our food intake is fresh fruits and veggies, beans and brown rice. About 10% of our diet consist of lightly processed foods such as sprouted grain bread, sprouted tofu, and tempeh. I classify foods with 5 or less ingredients as lightly processed and the ingredients have to be recognizable I shouldn’t have to turn to my dictionary to find out what it is. The last 5% of our diet is alcohol (mostly red wine, gin and beer), and highly processed foods such as faux cheese, meat analogues, crackers and fried foods.
I think it is important to recognize what you are putting in your body. Go take a look at those yummy veggie burgers you have stashed in your freezer- do they contain for than 5-7 ingredients? Can you recognize them all without having to pull out the dictionary? If you answered yes then great they are an okay choice. However know that the better choice might be to grab some beans, spices, diced up veggies and bread crumbs and make your own yummy veggie burgers.
A good starting point when shopping is to avoid the inside aisle of your market- you know the ones with all the processed foods like chips and pop. Fill your at least 2/3 of your basket with fruits and veggies, the remaining 1/3 should be filled with beans, lightly processed foods, whole grains and a few more highly processed (but only a few). Make sure to check labels- if you don’t recognize an ingredient put it down it’s not for you (I would like to note some healthy ingredients may be new to you so focus more on chemical sounding ingredients and artificial colours to start).
Here are some great resources for living a more whole food vegan lifestyle:
Who knew? Newman’s Own Organics also makes organic mints! They come in Cinnamon, Ginger, Peppermint and Wintergreen. I haven’t yet tried any of these mints but have the cinnamon stashed in my purse and am planning to take the ginger on my upcoming trip to Florida- ginger is great for upset tummies and to aid in digestion. If you’d like your own chance to try Newman’s Own Organics Peppermint mints then please leave a comment telling me about what your holiday plans are — if you don’t celebrate a holiday leave a comment telling me your favorite winter activity.Please leave your comment by 8pm December 9, 2009. Sorry this giveaway is only open to US residence.
Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover received this product free from Newman’s Own Organics
