This is my last giveaway for “12 Days of Giveaways” and I hope you had fun! For my last giveaway I will be giving away Acai Powder from Navitas Naturals. Navitas Naturals carries a number of great products that are especially good for raw recipes. I first came to know about them when I got into raw food and I was looking for cacao nibs and raw cocao powder. Although they can be pricey they are high quality products that I love. I recently special ordered some of the cacao butter which is great! I see they now have cacao lip balm which I might just have to get my hands on.
If you would like to win this please comment by December 12, 2009 at 8am.
Dr. McDougall’s sent me samples of their 7 new Ready to Serve Soups. Over the past few weeks my hubby and I have been trying them out and have really enjoyed most of them. The seven flavors are:
Lentil- I loved this one I thought the flavor was great and it was thick but still brothy
Minestrone- I honestly hated this one. I thought that the flavor was bland and there was way too much basil for my taste
Split Pea- this was okay the flavor was good but it was definitely much thinner than the pea soups that I prefer
Vegetable- this was my husbands favorite- I thought it was pretty good too- lots of nice chunky vegetables
Black Bean- This one was alright not my favorite but it was good
Roasted Red Pepper Tomato- I didn’t get to try this one since my hubz took it to work for his lunch- he says that it was yummy though
Chunky Tomato (not included in the photo above)- this one was great we had it with grilled cheeze and just so yummy
Overall we loved these soups and I would buy them for sure. They are great to have on hand for lunches and are low in calories (most abour 150-200 in the entire box) and are filled with great non-chemical/preservative ingredients. They are also low in sugar and fat which are two additional bonuses!
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.
