The flavors hubz and I tried were:

• lemongrass mint vanilla
  • My husband described this perfectly “it taste like your drinking a fresh roll” and it did – the flavor was fresh and cooling and we both loved it.
• lavender mint
  • at first I didn’t know what to expect with this considering lavender is not something I generally eat or drink but the flavor with the mint was really nice
• ginger lemon peel
  • this was one of my favorites it almost reminded me of a iced ginger tea it was delicious
• cinnamon orange peel
  • another favorite of mine (who am I kidding I pretty much loved all of them) this one was different than the other because the cinnamon actually had more of a savory warming taste
• cloves cardamom cinnamon
  • this was similar to the cinnamon orange peel in that the flavors were warming and reminded me of the fall
• lemon verbena geranium
  • I liked this one but it was the only one that I didn’t love. I think it was the geranium flavor it was a bit too much floral tasting for me.

Overall these were a hit at my house.  After one bottle my husband was asking where we could buy more because he loved it.  This is my new favorite go to drink when I’m looking for something refreshing that isn’t just plain water.

All of the flavors are now available in my OpenSky shop hope you enjoy them!

“At Herbal Water™, we make our beverages by infusing organic culinary herbs in pure water. We use no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, and no additives of any kind. Culinary herbs have been prized for centuries, for their calming, stimulating and aphrodisiac qualities, and are the natural way to flavor and enhance any food or drink. You’ll find Ayala’s Herbal Water a delightfully refreshing, mellow yet complex aromatic drink that’s 100% good for you!™. Enjoy our taste of the garden, with fresh spring breezes in every sip.”source

Disclaimer: Alaya’s Herbal Water 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.

]]> http://cookingforaveganlover.com/2010/08/19/ayalas-herbal-water/feed/ 5 http://cookingforaveganlover.com/2010/04/15/on-the-rise-and-an-earthlust-giveaway/ http://cookingforaveganlover.com/2010/04/15/on-the-rise-and-an-earthlust-giveaway/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:08:29 +0000 cookingforaveganlover http://cookingforaveganlover.com/?p=2549 Hubby was running late at work tonight and since we were starving we decided to go to On The Rise in Richmond VT (finally).  We have wanted to try it forever but have never seemed to be able to make it there.  The menu is so vegan friendly there is even a vegan pizza! We ordered a small vegan pizza, a deluxe salad with marinated tofu, and a chocolate macaroon.  The food was delicious, fresh and amazing.

Now onto the giveaway: Earthlust sent me one of their stainless steel water bottles and guess what the sent me an extra one just for one of you lucky readers. EarthLust bottles are hand made from high quality #304 (18/8) food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe unlined. They use non-toxic paints and BPA-free safe polypropylene #5 caps. I received one of the 13oz bottles and it is the perfect size to take every where with me.  I am thinking about investing in a 1L bottle for trips and such but the smaller bottle is great for everyday use.  I also love that they are unlined, unlike Sigg bottles which have a weird lining and make your water taste funny. Additionally, their bottles have some really great designs. So now it’s your chance to win this bottle (see below) isn’t it so cute?

How to Enter: Please leave individual comments for each entry. Entries will be accepted until April 17th at 8am.

1. Visit the Earthlust website and tell which bottle is your favorite. (Leave me a comment)
2. Follow me on Twitter (Leave me a comment)
3. Tweet about this giveaway (Leave me a comment)
4. Become a fan on Facebook (Leave me a comment)
5. Follow my blog in a reader (Leave me a comment)
6. Blog about this giveaway (Leave me a comment)

Ahoy! As as kid I remember I always wanted those electric orange cheese puffs, you know the ones that were horrible and looked radioactive? Well as an adult I have come to realize that things that are florescent colors are probably not that great for you, okay they are horrible for you. No don’t fret there is an alternative to those nasty finger staining “cheese” puffs because Pirates Brand has come out with a variety of yummy snacks that are all-natural and low calorie.

Pirates Brand sent me a bunch of their Booty and some Tings to try and I was pumped when I saw the Barbeque however to my disappointment I read the ingredients and saw that honey was listed, boo! They also sent me some of the Aged White Cheddar Pirate’s Booty, which I can tell you was  a favorite of mine when I was a vegetarian but of course they are not vegan so I gave them to my parents who loved them.  As for the other two flavors that were vegan:  Pirate’s Booty Veggie and Original Tings I loved them both.   Now with the veggie booty how can you NOT love it? It’s green which is fun and is crafted from puffed rice, corn and a medley of veggies including spinach, kale, carrots and parsley.   Lastly there are the Tings which are crunchy, salty and the perfect snack to munch on.

Now for those of you who didn’t know Pirates Brand has a bunch of new flavors (since I last checked there site like a year ago) which I am really excited about. As for vegan treats they have:

• Pirate’s Booty- Veggie
• Potato Flyers- Original
• Potato Flyers- Homestyle Barbeque (I wish they had sent these I heart BBQ)
• Original Tings

What is your favorite product from Pirates Brand?

Disclaimer: Pirates Brand 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.

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Namaste Foods small manufacturer of fine foods that contain no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein or nuts. Most gluten free products can be pretty expensive however Namaste Foods has created a number of meals and mixes that are GF and inexpensive.  Their products include mixes for muffins, waffles & pancakes, flour mixes, cookies, cakes & desserts, pastas, bread & pizzas.  As you can see there are a number of great products for anyone who is looking for GF products.

Namaste Foods sent me a sample package of their Pasta Pisavera Pasta Meal to try. This product is easy to make in ready in about 15 minutes. Just boil this veggie brown rice pasta, drain, and add the delicious Italian Seasoning packet to make 4 side portions.  I decided that I wanted to make 4 entree portions from this so that we could have dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  I added steamed cauliflower, black beans, onions, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts to make it a hearty meal.

Namaste Foods has decided to give you all a chance to try their products.  You can enter to win a “Namaste Tote with perhaps a pasta mix and a Pizza crust which may be better for the vegan diet, along with a Living Without magazine, recipe cards, coupons and assorted goodies!”  If you would like to enter please visit the Namaste Foods Website and let me know which product you are interested in trying. Please enter by March 22nd at 8am.  (Sorry this is open to US residence only.)

For Additional Chances to win:

1. Follow me on twitter @cookveganlover (come back and leave a separate comment)

2. Tweet “I want to win the Namaste Foods Giveaway @cookveganlover http://wp.me/pFVWo-zk” (come back and leave a separate comment)

Disclaimer: Namaste Foods 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.

Click to View Source

I recently posted a review for Crazy Rumors vegan lip balm.  I have found another great vegan lip balm, HURRAW! a great all natural, vegan  and made from premium raw and fair trade ingredients.  One thing that I love about this lip balm is the shape, it’s oval versus round which helps to coat the lips better.  I loved the Cinnamon Tinted Lip Balm; it was a great flavor and gave my lips a nice pink tint. My hubby loved the Vanilla Bean Lip Balm and he was also a big fan of this stuff. It’s great to find not only a vegan but also raw lip balm. I would definitely recommend these to any raw foodist or vegan looking for a new lip balm.

Disclaimer: HURRAW! 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.

Jessie: “Yum, the Cajun flavor sounds awesome!”

Gina- “YUM! The Sweet BBQ sounds so good “

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"Perfected Foods strives not only to improve the quality of food, but improve the quality of life. Our Soy Jerky is all natural, cholesterol free, vegan, packed with protein and made right here in the United States." Source

Perfected Foods sent me a few samples of their vegan jerky to try. They sent me one of each of their flavors Mesquite, Hot Wing, Cajun, or Sweet Barbecue flavors. Although these products are all natural, cholesterol free and vegan I didn’t find them to be my favorite vegan jerky. They were really dry and tough to chew. I have to say I really like the creative flavors that they have. Now I am not a huge fan of jerky myself so others might like these more than I did. I am going to give 2 of you a chance to try Perfected Foods vegan jerky out for yourself.  This giveaway will end March 9, 2010 at 8am.

To Enter:

1. Visit the Perfected Foods website and let me know which flavor you’d like to try.

Additional Entries:

1. Follow Cooking For A Vegan Lover on Facebook (leave a comment)
2. Follow cookveganlover on twitter (leave a comment)
3. Tweet “I want to win @cookveganlover Perfected Foods Vegan Jerky http://wp.me/ppaTI-ug” (leave a comment)

You can also send a photo of yourself with a pack of Perfected Foods to info@perfectedfoods.com and they will post it on our site. ONE LUCKY PERSON A MONTH WILL WIN A FREE CASE OF SOY JERKY!!!!!

Disclaimer: Perfected Foods 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.

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.

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.

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)

Click to Visit Caffe Ibis Website

Caffe Ibis, located in Logan Utah, was great and sent me four samples of their organic coffees. The four coffees I tried were:
1. Organic Mayan Sunrise Blend- I really loved this coffee it was a great morning coffee that is a blend of dark and light roasts.
2. Organic Aztec Blend- what I loved about this coffee was that it is smooth, sweet and spicy.
3. Organic French Roast Blend- this coffee is rich caramelly, and smooth.
4. Organic Highland Sumatra Dark- This is my absolute favorite of the 4- it is a light french roast that is full bodied and has light acidity.

I drink a lot of coffee and I loved these coffees. The other thing that influences my coffee purchases are the companies ethical practices. Caffee Ibis has great ethical practices that are both socially and environmentally responsible:

Caffe Ibis Mission

“Our mission for thirty years has been to be “unbeatable for quality and freshness, while supporting social and environmental responsibility.” Caffe Ibis endeavors to:

1. Provide customers with mountain grown and mountain roasted specialty arabica coffee with unbeatable quality and freshness.
2. Provide due respect and fair compensation for the people whose labor brings us our exceptional organic coffees.
3. Respect and safeguard the environment that provides the extraordinary growing conditions true specialty organic coffee requires
4. Utilize buying practices that support shade grown and organic coffee, a sustainable coffee future, and social and environmental responsibility.
5. Honor and respect our partners in this endeavor, and the employees and customers of Caffe Ibis Coffee.

We believe that by adhering to the above principles that we will show returns that justify the costs incurred in presenting our goods and services along with the additional costs of future growth.” Source

To find out where you can get yourself Caffe Ibis Coffee you can visit their website or you can order direct from their website. 

Disclaimer: Caffe Ibis 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 in return for the free product.

 The winner is Averie from Love Veggies and Yoga!  

Congrats! 

Tropical Traditions sent me a jar of their Virgin Coconut Oil to sample- it is also organic.  What is great about the gold label brand is that it is made by hand unlike other coconut oils. I love coconut oil and this stuff is great.  I use coconut oil to make a number of raw dishes – my favorite way to use it is in raw macaroons.  I also love to use it in stir fries instead of peanut or canola oil because it gives the stir fry a really great flavor.  Yesterday I actually heated it up and sprinkled it on my kabocha squash before I roasted it and it was delicious.  

Tropical Traditions Giveaway- Please Enter by 8am on January 31, 2010

To win your own jar of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil 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-sA” (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 website http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ and leave a comment telling me what your favorite recipe is.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h6eycjf29M&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Referral Program:

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.

p.s. i used random.org to pick my winner

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 I know I have been M.I.A. for the past few days with my blogging and I apologize. I spent all yesterday afternoon working on soup recipes for my upcoming interview at the Cafe at my husbands work. I am lucky that my husband has the weekly menus for the cafe so I can see what sorts of things they make- mostly soups, salads, sandwiches and then “entree” sort of dish. Anyways I have been super busy with that- but now back to what this post is all about and that is CHOCOLATE!

Theo Chocolate sent me some of their bars a little while back and I have slowly been trying all of them (except one). They make really great dark chocolate bars and my hubby and I like treating ourselves once and awhile with a small piece (or 2) of dark chocolate and this hits the spot. Theo’s entire “Classic Combination Bars” (with the exception of one) are all VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE (except for the milk chocolate bar) AND SOY-FREE.

Click to View Theo Chocolate Website

Now I know how much you all like chocolate and so I saved my last bar to share with you. If you would like a chance to win this bar then please leave a comment by January 25th at 8am. 

For a second chance to win tweet about this giveaway directing it @cookveganlover AND remember to post another comment letting me know you tweeted.

Blogger Disclosure:  Cooking For A Vegan Lover received these products at no cost from the company for review.

Click to View the Oogave Website

I recently was able to try all the flavors of Oogave – agave sweetened soda.  I love that these soda’s are sweetened with agave and only have around 5 ingredients! There are 6 flavors- Esteban’s Cola, Mandarin-Key-Lime, Watermelon Cream, Grapefruit, Esteban’s Rootbeer and Ginger Ale.  My favorites were the rootbeer and the grapefruit; I expected the grapefruit to be much more tart but it was a good balance of sweet and tart and was refreshing.  My husband really like the cola it had great flavor with out the HFCS that normal colas have.  The Mandarin Key Lime and Gingerale were pretty good not our favorites but still good.  I really didn’t care for the watermelon cream it tasted like well bubble gum- I’d like to note that I am not a bubble gum or watermelon flavor fan so others might enjoy it. 

Overall loved this product and wish I could get my hands on some more of the grapefruit and root beer however these aren’t available in Vermont yet- but I am going to ask my Co-op to try and carry it. 

Blogger Disclosure:  Cooking For A Vegan Lover received this product at no cost from the company for review.

Click to Visit Website

My first introduction to Himalayan salt was when I started making raw food recipes many of which call for pink Himalayan salt. During my research I came across HimalaSalt which is ” the only Ethically Sourced, Artisan Made Pink Himalayan Sea Salt that is Kosher Certified, Green-e Certified (made by 100% renewable wind and solar energy), sustainably packaged, with 5% of profits going to the environment and back to the source community (source).”   

HimalaSalt sent me a great package of their products which included a shaker of the HimalaSalt, salt grinder, garlic salt, salt and pepper (great travel size ones) and my favorite the HimalaSalt Zen Cube.  You’re probably wondering ‘what do you do with this giant cube of salt?’; I wondered the same thing and HimalaSalt has a page on their website devoted just to answering this:

“What I’ve Used It For… 

Grating finely over edamame, ice cream, caramel, salads, finishing off grilled fish, watermelon, chocolate ganache, grilled vegetables, rice, beans, cucumbers and raw veggies with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, it’s like a meditation or a moment to pause and be grateful for the abundance and blessings I have, to be able to eat the best organic natural foods available, and especially to be able to feed those to my children and friends. (source)“

I haven’t yet tried the Zen Cube but I am looking forward to trying it on my next batch of edamame that I steam up.  

I honestly can’t say enough how much I love this salt and since trying it there is no way I am going back to any other salt.  The flavor is so distinct and tasty as well the product is eco-friendly.

Blogger Disclosure:  Cooking For A Vegan Lover received these products at no cost from the company for review.

ChocAlive! chocolate truffles are one of the best chocolates I have ever had and they are raw vegan which makes them even more exciting.  I tired the Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Crunch and Coconut Truffles which were all delicious but I think my favorite was the Dark Chocolate Crunch, the crunch was a great addition.  The truffles are creamy and delicious just like the non-vegan ones I remember.  My husband was surprised that these creamy truffles could be raw, he didn’t believe me until I showed him the packaging.

Julie Glick the owner/president of ChocAlive! says it best “ChocAlive! Truffles make people so happy.  They are so undeniably healthy and incredibly delicious too.  That’s why I say that they are too good AND they’re true!  ChocAlive! Truffles were even featured on Colin Cowie’s website as one of his “Fantastic Finds!”  Quite an honor coming from Oprah’s Party and Event Planner… Here’s the link: http://colincowie.com/products/chocalive I don’t even know if he knew how super-food good for you they are!”

You can check out the ChocAlive! website to find out where you can find these yummy chocolates. *If you’d like to purchase ChocAlive! Truffles you can also do so at www.naturalzing.com and www.sunfood.com

Blogger Disclosure: Cooking For a Vegan Lover received this product free from ChocAlive!

Congrats! Everyone make sure to stop by later tonight to check out the next giveaway! This one is going to be edible!

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Today marks the first day of “12 Days of Giveaways” and my first giveaway will be one of my favorite Raw books Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney.  I have been making a lot of recipes from this book lately and they are great.  Just this weekend I made Vanilla-Almond Macaroons which are so delicious.

I have also made some other great items from here such as the Eggplant Bacon, Sweet Green Juice, Baked Macaroni and Cheese and the Sweet Miso Dressing.  All of these dishes are easy and delicious and I can’t wait to try more.  This book is great but you will need a blender or food processor to make some of the more interesting dishes, a dehydrator is nice if you have one otherwise you will miss out on some of the recipes.

You can try some of Matthew Kenney’s recipes from his newest book Entertaining in the Raw on GLiving.com.

To learn more about Matthew Kenney you can visit his site here and you can also read his interview on Crazy Sexy Life.

If you would like to win your own copy of this great book leave a comment by December 2nd at 8am. Don’t forget to check back daily to see what the 11 other giveaways are.  You could also follow me on twitter @cookveganlover to find out when I post a new giveaway.

First we tried the Pain 100%  (categorized as “Melt Down” on Original Juan’s website) both of our mouths were on fire, 2nd was the Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce  (“Zesty” category) which was actually really good and I would cook with it next time.  Our third try was the Garlic Style Hot Sauce (“Firey” category) this was really spicy, but not too bad, however a little too vinergary for me.  Lastly we tried Da’Bomb Beyond Insanity  Hot Sauce which is categorized as “Melt Down” hot on the website. 

After all of these tastings my entire mouth was on fire I practically could breathe fire.  My husband was also in pain but he tried much smaller samples of all of the hot sauces.  We only tired hot sauces up to the “Melt Down” category, I can’t even imagine what the ones in the “Off the Chart” catagory taste like.

You can also check out Original Juan on Facebook.

I was given the opportunity to try Vega’s Complete Whole Food Health Optimizers and Vega’s new Whole Food Vibrancy Bars.  The Complete Whole Food Health Optimizers are great in smoothies- I like the chocolate with 1 sliced frozen banana and 1 cup of nondairy milk (usually almond).  

The Whole Food Vibrancy Bars are great I loved Green Synergy.  I enjoyed it at the end of my work day when I need a pick me up before I went home to use the elliptical and it was great and kept me energized and satisfied through my workout until dinner.

There are a number of other products by vega that I have not tried yet but hear great things about; these include:

• Whole Food Smoothie Fusion
• Vega Antioxidant EFA Oil Blend
• Vega Sport Performance Optimizer
• Vega Energy Bars

“Doi Chaang Coffee produced by the hillside Akha tribe of Northern Thailand in Doi Chaang is Certified Organic, high altitude and shade grown, hand picked, fresh-water washed, sun dried and in all aspects cultivated with the sustainable farming practices of the 900 family co-operative that owns the coffee growing and processing operations. It is we believe, the only coffee (from anywhere) that from grower to seller is the same entity.”

This coffee has received great reviews and on the 100-point review (much like those in the wine and beer industry) conducted by Kenneth Davids it received 90 points on the Medium roast and 93 points on the Peaberry roast. 

I received the Single-Origin Signature and the Single-Origin Peaberry roasts.  I have at this time only tried the Peaberry roast and I found that it was amazing.  I was really impressed with the earthy flavor.  I am looking forward to sampling the Signature roast as well. 

Currently the best way to get your hands on this great coffee is to purchase directly through the Doi Chaang website.  However you can find it in select shops in LA & Ojai CA, as well as in various provinces in Canada.  Where to Buy & Online Shop

There are four types of cookies that you can try: Oatmeal, Almond, Flaxseed and Pecan.  I tired the Oatmeal and Almond both of which were delicious.  They are thin crispy cookies with a light sweetness. I really enjoyed both of the cookies but the oatmeal was both my and my husbands favorite. 

You can check out the website for retail locations near you or order online.

The Jewel Collection  includes 5 non-dairy, gluten free caramels and are delicious. The flavors include Coconut Pecan Caramel, Espresso Almond, Butterscotch Caramel, Ancho Chili Caramel and Chocolate Caramel; all of which are delicious. I have to say my favorite was the Anch Chili Caramel though it has as nice spice that hits the back of your throat.

The Saintly Sin Collection  are chocolates that have only 29 calories, 1 gram of fat and 5 grams of carbohydrates per piece and are diabetic friendly, gluten free and vegan friendly. How can you not love a piece of chocolate that is only 29 calories and comes in Raspberry Sin, Strawberry Sin and Pineapple sin? I have to strawberry was my favorite and my husband and I didn’t feel bad about sharing all 3 of them in one sitting.

Now you can just jump online and order these delicious treats and don’t forget to check out their Ladybug Truffles, Signature Collection and BigMouth Collections as well. Oh yeah and if you are lucky enough to live in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Michigan or Nevada check out the Xan Confections  site for the retail locations near you.

This sparkling hibiscus drink is full of vitamin c and has a great sweet flavor – not flowery like you’d expect from hibiscus.  There are 6 different flavors of Ooba: Hibiscus and Hibiscus with the following- Lime, Orange, Vanilla, Pineapple and Blackberry.  I tired the original, lime and orange.  Although they are all great, I really enjoyed the lime.  The flavor was sweet but not too sweet like sugary fruit juices (also there is not high fructose corn-syrup or artificial sweeteners).  This drink is actually very refreshing and although I wouldn’t have it every day it was a great replacement for my normal afternoon coffee and actually gave me a lot more energy and didn’t have the 5pm caffeine crash.  

I’d really like to try the other flavors, especially the vanilla it sounds very intriguing.  So check out the Ooba sight for more info and check out their adult beverage recipes (I think I might have to try the Ooba Margarita sounds so good.)

Great Pairings:

Mutligran and The Works! go great with savory salsas 

Potato & Chive is yummy with a nice french onion or ranch dip 

Cinnamon would go great with a fruit salsa 

Lastly the Sweet Potato is my favorite and goes amazing with chili, it is a great balance of sweet with a spicy chili.  My favorite chili recipe to go with these chips is:

Ingredients:

• 1T canola oil
• 1 Large yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T of ground cumin
• 1 T paprika
• 1 T Chipotle Chili Powder 
• 1T Goya Adobo
• 1T nutritional yeast
• 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1T Pure VT Maple Syrup (inspired by Happy Herbivore)
• 1T Chalulua Hot Sauce
• 1/2 cup frozen organic sweet corn
• salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy bottom pot heat the canola oil on high and add the onions and garlic, sautee for a minute, then turn down to med high and sautee until onions are translucent.  Add the spices (cumin-nutritional yeast) and stir together and cook for 1 min.  Add the tomatoes, beans and lentils and maple syrup.  Stir well and cook on medium for 10 minutes.  Add the hot sauce and corn and cook until heated through.  

This makes a very thick chili so if you like yours thinner then add a little vegetable broth.

Also checkout this great Zen Soy giveaway contest here http://luckytastebuds.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/soy-i-giveaway-magical-froyo-biscotti/

Organic Smooshed Fruit

First off, I will introduce myself to those who may not be familiar with me.  I am the “lover” from “Cooking for a Vegan Lover, often referred to as the hubby or hubz.  I’ve decided to help by lending a hand in writing reviews for products or restaurants for the blog.  I may even write a summary of what we’ve cooked for the night on those rare occasions that I am the one cooking dinner.

I was always a huge fan of fruit roll ups, fruit by the foot and that “fruit leather” when I was younger.  So, it’s fitting that my first post to this incarnation of Cooking for a Vegan Lover is a review of FruitaBu’s Organic Smooshed Fruit Fruit Twirls.

Fruitabu was kind enough to send us coupons for two free boxes of their products.  I decided to go with the Strawberry fruit twirls to pack in my lunch or bring on our trips with us as snacks.  The fruit twirls had a great taste.  They weren’t too sweet and tasted like real fruit.  The consistency was just what you’d expect for a “smooshed fruit” snack.  It was soft and chewy and did not stick to your teeth like those chewy, plasticy “fruit flavoured” snacks that I enjoyed as a kid.

I am also still a kid at heart, so I definitely enjoyed eating the snack bite by bite as I unrolled it.

Having never had these before, I can definitely say that I will be buying them in the future to bring on my lunches or for hikes.  These are a much healthier alternative as they have no added sugar, contain 1 whole serving of fruit and have just 80 calories.

Check our their website for more information on their products including nutriotional information and information on the company.

http://fruitabu.com/

I tried Gnu Bars for the first time and they are good.  Now you can’t go in expecting your standard granola or cereal bar but rather it is a heath bar.  It is filled with fiber which we all know is great for us and is what I like most about these bars.  There are so many different flavors for anyone to enjoy such as peanut butter, espresso chip, cinnamon raisin, lemon ginger, orange cranberry, banana walnut and chocolate brownie.  My favorite is the peanut butter because well it taste the best.

Calling all you raw foodist (and all the other foodies) out there if you haven’t tried this yet you must! These salad dressing is delicious, raw, no added sugars and only 5 calories a serving! There are 6 flavors for you to try (I was lucky enough to try the Carrot Ginger, Tomato Provencal, Cucumber Mint and Sweet Onion Basil which were all delicious- here is a little bit about each as state on the Zukay site:

Carrot Ginger – Like the famous Japanese dressing!

Tomato Provencal – A wonderful Mediterranean mix of tomatoes, kalamata olives and herbs de Provence!

Cucumber Mint – The fresh taste of summer!

Tomato Pepper Pesto – The classic taste of fresh basil, pine nuts and tomatoes!

Sweet Onion Basil – A savory and smoky addition to any salad or marinade!

Red Pepper Cilantro – The fresh and zesty taste of red bell peppers

They are so versitle as well- you can put them on greens or use them as dressing on sandwich and they go great on zucchini noodles. Also make sure to try their delcious salsas.  Zukay also makes relish as well however I have yet to find it in stores in my area but hope to try it soon.

Although they do have some products that include gelatin they have a great variety of vegetarian gummies such as Gummy Swirls, Fruity Bears, Sour Worms and Sour Berry Bears.  All of these are delicious, however my favourite are the sour worms!  Another great feature to these gummy candies are that they are organically sweetened and are free of artificial colors and sweeteners- which can give all you parents out there a piece of mind when you kids are eating them.  What’s not to love about a product that is free of corn syrup and GMOs, has natural colors and flavors, is 100% of your daily vitamin c and TASTE GREAT?

Kim Christensen

I’ve become addicted to Guayaki Yerba Mate Tea  in the past few days (now that I can have caffeine again- because of unfortunate circumstances).  Before leaving on vacation to my surprise and delight I received a large box of samples of Guayaki Yerba Mate tea bags, loose tea and bottled ice tea.  My husband and I are now addicted to the light crisp taste of the tea.  The bottled cold tea is great with just a little sweetness.  In just a few days I have come to love this tea and can’t get enough of it. I still have to try the hot tea but I am sure that it is great, and once I try it I will post more. 

My love of this tea has inspired me to do a giveaway- the lucky winner will receive 2 boxes of Guayaki Yerba Mate tea bags. If you would like a chance to win some of this yummy tea then leave a comment- if you post this to twitter @cookveganlover or link on your blog you will get an extra chance to win this great prize by Saturday 9/19/09.  I will choose a winner on Sunday 9/20/09.  Also don’t forget to check out my post about a Vegan Care Package Swap.

Who doesn’t love cookies? Especially when they are vegan, I know I do.  I was sent a few samples of ABC cookies which I love but decided that hubby and I really shouldn’t eat all three of them so we kept the oatmeal raisin for ourselves and it was delicious!  Nice and fresh and hearty how can you not love it?  My husband is also a big fan of the Snickerdoodle which is another great flavor, I love the sweet and cinnamon flavor of it.

So anyways I am doing a giveaway for an ABC Cookies and there will be 2 lucky winners of this price.  To enter to win one of these cookies leave a comment answering: What is your favorite baking memory? Winner will be picked on 8/30/09

The first pizza we made was a vegan chicken parm pizza on the sourdough and it was delicious! The crust is great and easy and fresh- all you have to do is brush with olive oil, top it and place in a 450F oven for 10 minutes and dinner is served!

Our second pizza that we made was a caramelized onion with tomatoes and mushrooms and it was by far one of the best pizza’s.  We used the Thin Crust which is definitely my favorite; it get’s nice and crispy and is just a great crust.

Another pizza we made (my favorite) was  the Mexican pizza on Pizza Originale Crust.  We topped it with refried black beans, sautéed onions and mushrooms and fresh salsa.  This was great and the crust was nice and crispy and was overall the best pizza that we made. 

The three other crusts we had my parents and my aunt and her family test out as we had our fill of pizza for a while (as much as I love pizza 3 in one week was enough).  They loved the crusts and the pizza sauces. 

Overall these are great crusts and are fresh and yummy.  Any time you need a quick go to dinner grab one of these crusts, there are tons of different flavors and even personal sized ones!

Lemon lime is my favourite and is so refreshing I just love it.  If I could drink gin right now it would go very nice with it. Lastly the Ginger- this was nice a refreshing, not to over powering but had a good real ginger flavour unlike those other ginger flavoured pops.

Overall I love Zevia and think it’s a great alternative to diet pop.

I received a jar of Justin’s Maple Almond Butter along with a few small packages of various flavours of almond butter and peanut butter. I immediately cracked the jar open and had a big scoop with an apple.  This almond butter is one of the best I have ever had.  You’d think with the maple it might be too sweet like I find the PB&Co. Mighty Maple Peanut Butter but it was a perfect balance of sweet and nutty. I have now had it on apples, toast and a big scoop on a spoon and it sure is good I’m looking forward to trying the other flavour samples that I received – but I am saving them for our cruise so I have a little stash of yummy nut butter to have instead of the sweet sugary preservative filled peanut butter I imagine will be on the cruise.

My husband and I haven’t made it through the entire box yet but what we have tried has been delicious our favorite is the mint one it taste just like a peppermint patty but 10 times better.

I received the following cookies:

Warmth- Mayan Hot Chocolate

Tranquility- Lemon Lavender

Rejuvenation- Chai Ginger Chunk

Clarity- Peppermint Chocolate Chunk

Abundance- Double Chocolate Ginger Chunk

So far I have only tried the Mayan Hot Chocolate but let me tell you this cookie is to die for. It has a great deep chocolate flavour and a hint of spice in the background it was delicious.

I will post more once I try the other cookies but if they are anything like the Mayan Hot Chocolate I am sure they are amazing as well.

The Skinny Bitch series has been either loved or hated but you have to admit the name just draws you to read their books and although they are harsh and a bit much at times the message is practical.  Now after a number of books the Skinny Bitch girls have come out with a few workout videos, one of which is Skinny Bitch Boot Camp.  I was curious to find out what it was like as well as in need of getting into a more active routine so I said what the heck I will buy and and give it a try.

Now this isn’t your traditional workout video: 1. Rory and Kim are not always on the same page- one seems to keep going and the other is ready to move on which is distracting and a little irritating. 2. the jargon used is not that of a traditional workout video and is a little much at times discussing using vibrators as weights and slapping each others asses. 3. lastly I would like to note my irritation on how there is little direction as to how to do the boot camp routine and that at times the camera doesn’t even focus on what they are doing instead it is showing their heads rather than the entire body so you have to guess at what they are doing.

Okay- so overall the video just sucks based on it’s professionalism (for a lack of a better word) as well as the basic organization and filming was awful. However- with all that said my legs are killing me and my ass is getting tighter so even though the video is at best mediocre the work out is great.