product review Archives - Page 2 of 2

Healthy Not-Egg - The VEGG. Gorgeous Frittata Recipe and Review

April 17, 2013 by India Leigh

I am amazed today. I failed to curb my scepticism. And I am amazed. Truly rocked.
I trialed a product today that had been on my radar for a while. The Vegg. A fat free, dairy, soy, gluten, EGG, and animal free substitute. For egg.

What?! I wanted to know more!

What is it made from? Nutritional yeast flakes and a salt, widely used in Indian cooking, named kala namak. It also goes by the name of black salt. It amazingly, mimics eggy flavour with aplomb.

Who masterminded The Vegg?
Was it his background in biology, a love and respect for animals, or an obsession with eggs that drove Rocky Shepheard to spend 6 months, ‘tooling around’ in his kitchen to produce a pretty good and healthy imitation of an egg yolk? Well, I asked him, and it turns out it’s all of the above. Rocky stopped consuming meat in 2003. Seven years ago an ephipany made him switch to a vegan diet. He suddenly came to the full realisation that it was completely unnecessary to harm any living creature, for humans to thrive. He also saw that consuming animal products was actually the main cause of poor health in our society. BUT, some people, though they want to adopt a healthier diet, they sometimes have a sticking point. Rocky’s had been the egg. He loved eggs. Problem - vegans don’t eat eggs. But he concluded he loved chickens more. He began experimenting, for his own uses, but once he’d hit on the answer to perfecting the yolk, he soon realised he could benefit so many, offer a cholesterol- free, and fat-free alternative to the egg, and in doing so help to end animal cruelty.

There are already egg replacers on the market. What is so special about The Vegg?

The Vegg is the only one that is great for those with egg, soy or gluten allergies. Heart-friendly. NO Cholesterol, unlike a real egg. And, to my amazement actually smells and tastes like an egg!

Fat Free.

Cholestorol Free.

Soy Free.

Kind.

I had to try it.

So, what to make? I decided on a frittata. Enlisted a couple of carnivorous taste testers and set about creating my first Vegg recipe. The website has a ton of recipes but I decided I’d tinker with my own. Starting out with following instructions to first hatch The Vegg. Take 4 tsp of product to 1 cup water. Blended in a blender (this is crucial, a fork won’t do the trick). Not got a blender? Want to take The Vegg on a road trip? A Vegg lover suggested using an empty pop bottle to prepare the mix. Just shake it up. Try it. Let me know if it works.

So today, I gathered all the necessary ingredients and set to work in the kitchen. I’ve been travelling a while, far from my home kitchen. It felt so good to actually be making a new recipe!
Verdict? I was seriously impressed. Shocked actually!
This recipe is amazing and you should make it. I served it with a handful of massaged kale to my waiting and hungry non-vegan friends. They were unanimous. It was DELICIOUS! They concurred they’d never know it wasn’t loaded with eggs.

Spinach, Gourmet Mushroom & Lemon Thyme Frittata

Batter
Creating The Vegg is a simple process.
4 tsp The Vegg, blended with 1 cup water.
1 cup gluten free flour - I used a blend of: garbanzo, fava, potato starch, tapioca starch and sorghum flour. Bob’s Red Mill A great flour, with great flavour. (depending on flour mix you use - some absorb more water than others - you may need to add more water at this point to create a batter like consistency. Incorporate gradually)
1/2 lemon’s juice
Blend

Ingredients
3 cups TOTAL of your choice of mushrooms:
King Oyster
Oyster
Crimini

1 cup of fresh organic spinach
1 medium shallot
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
a few sprigs fresh lemon-thyme
olive oil for frying
lashings of freshly cracked black pepper
Himalyan rock salt - to taste

Let’s Cook!
Wipe clean the mushrooms to remove any dirt and fry them in olive oil in a large, oven proof (no plastic handles) fry pan. Do not overload the pan as the mushrooms will kind of boil rather than fry if they don’t get space.
Remove once turning golden and put aside.
To the same pan, add finely chopped shallot, add a little more oil if needed. Saute.
Add the chopped garlic and sauté lightly.
Add the mushroom back to the pan and add the thyme.
Fry gently for a minute.
Saute the spinach briefly in a separate pan to wilt. If you use frozen (don’t use frozen but if you have to then, ok. gone on) then ensure you squeeze out all the excess water.
Mix spinach with the mushroom ingredients and then pour the The Vegg and flour mix on top.
Cook until you can push the sides from the pan easily with a spatula. The pop the pan under the broiler/grill until it is golden on top and cooked through.

Watching the broiler/grill. Waiting for the top to turn golden.

Rocky. What plans do you have for future products?
In July, Bang Publishing are to launch a cookbook of recipes from The Vegg fans from all over the world, together with recipes cooked up in Rocky’s kitchen. Due to be released via Amazon. Stayed tuned. I’ll be reviewing the book, once it is launched and in my hot little hands. Exciting news too, The Vegg is poised to release handy cartons of Scrambled Vegg, once they can find appropriate investors get on board. Vegg mixed with tofu and tasting just like your favourite breakfast food. Eventually a soy free version will also be available. They hope for this to be a reality in a year or so.

Where can I purchase it?

The Vegg is currently sold in 13 countries. Germany Rocky’s number one export, with Australia coming a close second. In the last year sales have risen by 20%!

If you want to get hold of The Vegg for yourself you can order it online. or via the stores listed here.

It is already in 40 stores in the US, mainly focussed on the East & West Coast. I want to get it in Whole Foods, New Leaf and Trader Joes in the US. Contact them. Tell them you want it. Stores to listen to you. Do you want to see it on the shelves in your country? Contact your local grocer and say you want to give the product a go. If the grocer then contacts The Vegg, they will sell the store a dozen packs (with no shipping costs) so they can try it out on their customers (you!). That way you can get to try it without having to pay the shipping costs and hopefully get your store to stock it.

Lots of recipes on the Website. Some include: chocolate fudge cake, custard, ice-cream, fresh pasta, French toast, egg-based sauces, for example hollandaise & sabayon, scramble and binder for ‘breaded’ recipes. The mixed product will store for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

The Science.
Fascinating use of molecular gastronomy can be used to form an acutal yolk that would fool a hen! Trust me, I only bring you the best products.

A final tip from Rocky. The Vegg is great used as a FAT FREE melted butter substitute. Try it warm, poured over a baked potato.

Have you tried The Vegg? What did you make? Did you like it as much as I did? Let us know. Leave a comment below.

be well. eat well. live well.

India leigh xx

Keen-Wah Decadence - Snack Bar. Product Review

April 15, 2013 by India Leigh

Gluten Free. Vegan. Non-GMO. Kosher. Organic. Complete Protein. Omega 3’s.

When I am in California, most of my time is spent sourcing vegan products to review for you. Healthier and tastier the better, right?!

I have been using quinoa for a few years now. I love its perky bite and its nutty flavour. So when I saw Keen-Wah I just had to try them.

The ‘Decadence’ bars come in 3 flavours, all are coated in chocolate:
Coconut Almond - Almond butter and coconut chunks. So coconutty. LOVE!
Cayenne Cinnamon - A gentle kick. Nice, but the other two trump it by a way.
Chocolate Chia - Loved this. Dark and slightly bitter. The flavour is well defined and satisfying.

Almonds and quinoa offer a fine crunch running through all the bars. Think like a chocolate encased firm and nutty brownie.

Calories: 198, Carbs: 17g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g

Unfortunately, the chocolate coating contains small amounts of soy lecithin and cane sugar. I called the company and spoke with Dan Ductor and asked if they have any plans for omitting these and swapping in with stevia or coconut sugar in the future. He said that the nature of the company is one of community. The bars themselves are the product of members (yoga community) and friends putting forward suggestions for ingredients. Perhaps as people become more conscious of glycemic levels and optimum nutrition they will naturally switch to healthier ingredients. Whilst not TOTALLY healthy as say a raw, fruit sweetened bar. That said, they are meant to combine decadence AND health, and are certainly miles better than a Snickers bar!

Daniel Cook founded the company back in 2008. An entrepreneur, he took up yoga and experienced a lightbulb moment that he wanted to start an ethical company and offer nutritionally balanced products to the market, whilst also helping the growers and producers. Keen-Wah donates 1% of its profits to Kiva in the countries, like Peru, where they source their key ingredients. Kiva is non-profit that allows people to loan money in developing countries by providing them with micro-loans.

Not sure about quinoa? Here’s a quinoa fact from the folk at Keen-Wah, so you can get quinoa clever!

The Andean supercrop was domesticated in the Andean region of South America over 3,000 years ago, and is today classified as nature’s highest quality source of protein. Quinoa nourishes with all nine essential amino acids, and a dense composition of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc and fiber. Endorsements by The National Academy of Science, The United Nations, and NASA highlight the nutritional density of quinoa in 2013, ‘The International Year of Quinoa.’
We source our 100% organic, heirloom quinoa responsibly from small farmers. Keen-Wah products reinvest in source countries by supporting initiatives to improve micro-loans, health care, dietary education and sustainable farming in the Andean region.
The quinoa seed features a naturally occurring spaponin shell, which protects against pests and obviates the need for pesticides. Independent, small farmers still lead most global quinoa sourcing, and the supercrop has to date resisted genetic engineering. Peru’s Congress has even recently banned all GMO crops in this Andean country for the next decade.

They bars are stocked in various Whole Food Stores and independent health/whole food stores. Currently in the USA only. However, you can order online and they ship to many international destinations.

UK VegFest News 2012 - Part One

March 17, 2012 by India Leigh

How wacky does that look?! Chipstix

I’ve eaten WAY too much food today. A shocking amount. My mind is feeling a bit ‘removed’. You know when you eat ridiculous quantities of food and then your body is so busy trying to digest it all that it hasn’t got time for thought…academia..or practically any meaningful conversation? Like, a game of scrabble or discussing politics would be way out of your reach?..well, this is how I am after a marathon gorging session. I called it ‘research’ but I was being a glutton and now I have ‘food fog’ in my brain. A temporary condition, thankfully.
It was Day One of Brighton VegFest today! I braved the seaside drizzle, rain mingled with sea mist, and cycled along the promenade with much excitement and enthusiasm for meeting some friends from the Meet UP group and seeing what is new and happening in the UK vegan scene.
I was not disappointed. I came away pretty excited about how the vegan scene is progressing in the UK. I encountered many new products and lots of developments within long established vegan friendly companies too. My current state of ‘food fatigue’ may not render this the best run down of the day. I put my hands up and admit I didn’t try everything. Many of the products weren’t gluten free and after my lapse in Berkeley, California recently when I chanced a cinnamon bun, which was admittedly surreal in it’s level of deliciousness, but has punished me for three weeks hence, I’m steering clear of gluten. No more lapses, in the vain hope I might have miraculously recovered from my intolerance. See!…I am rambling. TODAY..get on with it!
These are all the stalls I lingered at.

GREAT NEWS! Goodlife are re-launching several of their products in a few weeks and they are going to be GLUTEN FREE!!!! This is fabulous news. Keep following me as I will be posting a review of their new GF range very soon. THANK YOU GOOD LIFE, on behalf of all gluten-free citizens of the UK! Also, they are currently hosting ’70 days of summer’ - 10 weeks of prize givings on their website. Go look.

My lunch from Aunty Jee (though the terms of it being ‘lunch’ is a bit sketchy as I ate at ten minute intervals for much of the day….ooh my belly!) This was v.good. A chickpea flour battered and stuffed pepper. Perfectly spicy with a gentle heat. The pepper was beautifully al dente, sandwiched between the crispy coating, and the ‘dosa’ type filling within. Nice, though not the prettiest pepper on the podium.

I LOVE Kara. They’ve just launched a chocolate version of their coconut milk. I am a sucker for the plain, unadorned variety. So versatile and I use it in lots of my cooking.

Beet It make a really zingy and healthful beet and apple juice that is a perky pick me up that, according to studies, is great for purifying your blood.

Lunch take 2. I couldn’t resist. It was plantain. I’ve just spent weeks in California cooking up the stuff. It was a happy trip down memory lane. Tasty. Thanks Titbit’s

For those with a penchant for sweeter than sweet. Sweetcheeks VEGAN & gluten free

The Brighton Superfood Co. Really nice people, just starting out. They’ve been scouring the world for organic superfood berries. They’ve got some exciting concepts for herbal infused smoothies in the pipeline too, so they are ones to watch.

There was so much going on. I didn’t manage to get to see Vegucated which was showing or any of the cooking demo’s. They have a full schedule tomorrow too, with sausage eating competitions, music and more.

Cheezly from Redwoods - now in Parmesan flavour

more feasties from Titbit’s

That is it for VegFest 2012 Part One. - Honestly, I cannot think about food for another second…Tomorrow, as they say, is another day. I’ve lots more to show you from Brighton VegFest Please come back and visit my biog tomorrow and see what other delights I discovered in the four hours I spent on my vegan food crawl!

House Kombucha - Yelp Field Trip

March 13, 2012 by India Leigh

As the sun was saying cheerio to the skies in Oakland, California. A gaggle of eager Yelpers gathered outside a small factory on a dead end street in the industrial quarter of the city.

We were greeted by a blond dude in designer shades. Ruggy. Then came a bright welcome from Rana, the owner of House Kombucha and Aaron her right hand man. Finally Walt, the BrewMaster. He was as effervescent about his craft as the bubbles being kicked off by trillions of bacteria, feasting on their favourite treat….sugar.

Yelp.com San Francisco had just launched their new Yelp’s Field Trips, and I’d signed up to get a chance to peek inside the House Kombucha kitchen. For those not acquainted with Kombucha, it is a fermented tea that has copious amounts of reported health benefits (apparently very alkalising and a good digestion aid to name just two) and is fizzy, slightly tart and delicious. Many flavours are lined up in bright rows on supermarket shelves and health food stores in the USA. I am hooked on the stuff.

The team were so welcoming! They showed us around and handed out samples of their 7 flavours. Their passion for the ‘bucha was as clear as their sterilised bottles.
They showed us the kombucha mold, or scoby/mother/bucha baby as it is known. Some of the more seasoned ones where huge…and it has to be said a bit ugly!

Rana and the Brew master

Rows of kombucha being born!

Rana Chang, upon graduating in Law and deciding it was a career not for her. She was hooked on Kombucha and times where hard. The industrious Rana started tinkering with making the beverage she had memories of her mother making. The stores had rows of Kombucha in the chiller, but the high cost made it an expensive tipple. Rana started out with no ideas for big business but to satisfy her need for the fizzy drink. But news of her Kombucha making grew as steadily as her ‘bucha babies’ and House Kombucha was born. She started out at a farmers market. Now HK has it’s own brewing factory and a team of 5. Harking back to a bygone age, House Kombucha re-use all of their bottles and give a monetary incentive on every single empty bottle returned to the store. House Kombucha is unique as it is the lowest in calories on the market (10 calories per 8oz), they add no additional sugar or flavours to their finished brews, it’s probiotic and you can get it ‘to go’, on tap or delivered to you in your CSA Box.

I learned so much in such a short time. What a fun trip! I got back on my bicycle to peddle to the Bart, my carriage back to San Francisco, with a zippy buzz and a heart full of Kombucha love.

Thank you Yelp. Thank you Rana, Ruggy, Aaron, and Walt the BrewMaster.

Last word from House Kombucha - ‘Make House Kombucha a healthy and delicious part of your day’!

The new (not) Coffee

March 6, 2012 by India Leigh

Hello my lovelies! Sorry I’ve not written in so long, but I’m still running around San Francisco, shopping, tasting, visiting, studying and restaurant hopping. All in my quest to unearth all (actually just some…there’s so much!) that is vegan. I’ve a list as long as a strip of ‘bacon’ tempeh for posts to blog. To lay at your feet (or on your table…that would be easier) and probably more hygienic) a whole platter of reviews, new products, new recipes and food porn. Stay tuned, as they say, for that.

I’ve been washing it all down and keeping myself fit and watered, with copious cups of green tea. I was sloshing around in the stuff. I fancied a change. Rainbow Grocery is my daily stop (so many hours have I clocked up there now that I think I could probably get a job there. Scouring every shelf and nook, I now have a pretty good idea of where everything is!) and they often have little morsels of new products for the shopper (me) to try. The smell of coffee, to me is delightful, however, the taste and that weird aftertaste isn’t. So I don’t partake. As I wandered happily marvelling at a row of various forms of fungi my nose alerted me to the smell of brewing coffee. Trusting my olfactory face gadgetry as I do, I set out to seek its source. Upon which we alighted upon a woman brewing a hot beverage, and saw that it wasn’t coffee, but a caffeine free, herbal drink. Words like full-bodied, rich and non-acidic grabbed my attention. I accepted a tiny cup of the Vanilla Nut flavour and was amazed. It was perfectly balanced, bitter, deeply aromatic and with a tiny nudge towards sweetness. Oh my God…HOOKED. It so was complex and heady.

Teeccino is made from a melange of roasty goodness - carob, dates, chicory, almonds and figs. The chicory makes it prebiotic and it is gluten free. Whoops of pure joy. I declare it delicious, grounding and happy making. The website shows they sell it in convenient T-bags too. I’ve not managed to find any in stores yet. Hopefully I will before I return to the UK. Try it. It looks like the coffee substitute has grown up. Hey coffee…start shaking in your boots you have a serious contender!

Teeccino

Good Greens

February 9, 2012 by India Leigh

I recently heard about these new kids on the block - www.goodgreensbars.com and after looking at the bars impressive list of ingredients decided to try ALL four of their flavours - 3 were covered in chocolate

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER, CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY, CHOCOLATE COCONUT

1 sans chocolate is their WILD BERRY flavour.

The bars are ALL vegan and GLUTEN FREE. They do contain evaporated cane juice and soy lecithin, so avoiders take note.

They call themselves ‘one of the healthiest bars on the planet’. I am not sure about that, but the ingredients list does read like a superfood party. Blended in the bars are metabolic herbs, greens - spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass etc. 9 super veggies, digestive enzymes, probiotics, super fruits and berries, and last but certainly not least - 7 detoxifying ingredients. Wow!

I enjoyed all of them. Some of the flavours a little subtle, for my tastes. I found them best if refrigerated and eaten chilled. It gave them more ‘bite’. The peanut butter and the wild berry are the best in my opinion. I love what this company, founded by a wellness physician, are doing by packing some many super foods into one convenient bar. Nice move.

Exciting VEGAN snacks 100 calories or less!

February 4, 2012 by India Leigh

I like to have my cake and eat it. That being, I like to have a snack that tastes like junk food AND is healthy..ish, AND low calorie. This is a morsel of my recent discoveries.

Chocolate with reishi mushroom powder, reputed to be fantastic for boosting the immune system.I certainly felt a little perky after savouring every snappy, bitter sweet morsel of it. Shame it has sugar in though…

Popchips ‘not baked, not fried but popped’. Not all are vegan (the BBQ one has milk) so do check, but the Jalapeno & my favourite SWEET POTATO! a sweet, delicate disc of orange coloured crunchiness are vegan. I think they are only available in the US at the moment (so I’m going to enjoy them whilst I’m here).

I am going crazy for these right now. Crunchfuls are made out of lentils and beans and ‘ contains complex carbohydrates, natural prebiotic fiber, and complete vegetable protein’, brown & white rice and herbs. They have a great texture. They are quite dense and the herby, tomato and basil are my current new best friend and we are spending quite a lot of time together. I”d love to know how they make them. The also make breakfast cereal from beans and lentils too. They have sugar in though. Not the best way to begin the day.

Going Coco loco for Coconut Secret

January 26, 2012 by India Leigh

I just have to tell you about a new discovery (new for me). I am always on the hunt to find delicious food that is actually GOOD for you and me (and Ms Earth), along with new flavours and vegan alchemy that has sprung since my last visit to the US. So what does one do immediately when they touch down into San Francisco? They dump their bags, swipe over some fresh lippy and then hot foot it to Rainbow Grocery (I LOVE this place…it is a treasure trove, a co-op, a launch pad for all things ethical, foodie and good) of course. I was champing at the bit to spend more time than probably is normal, walking up and down the rows of products and sumptuous veggies, throwing new, wrapped goodies into my basket to await me then finding somewhere quiet, tear open an all new wrapping, and excitedly take a mindful bite of a flavour my tastebuds have yet to be aquainted with.

When I spotted, alongside the familiar Tamari (wheat free soy sauce) a new, blue baby on the block, I just had to know what taste was locked up inside that bottle. Coconut oil is a current love of mine, and coconut flour, so I thought lets have a coconut moment and give it all a try. At home, I Googled Coconut Secret and clicked around their website. The story goes that they stumbled across coconut sap as a form of truly diabetic friendly sweetner, upon their shocking discovery that the agave supplier they had been using was putting corn syrup in their product to water it down! Fate manouvered them in the direction of a Philipeno company who were producing a sap, derived from the process of tapping the coconut blossoms and a prelimary product of coconut sugar. They use the pre-evaporated product to maximise its health giving properties. I’m not an expert, nor and I advocating its reported weight lost and nutrient benefits but, right now, coconut seems to ‘agree’ with me. Siblings, Randy and Leslie were so excited about this product that they built up a range of coconut products that surprisingly don’t taste like coconut (unless they are meant to). Their products are all organic, raw, gluten free and vegan.

I got the nectar/sweetener, coconut vinegar, aminos and an almond coconut bar. The bar…oh my Dear God, it is toe curlingly good. The outer chocolate coating is crisp and wonderfully bitter, the inside is a coconut paradise. It almost melts on your tongue. Really…as I bit into it, and let all the soft, rich, sweet flavours unfold in my mouth, I was rolling my eyes heavenwards and humming like a kid does when they eat something good. I stopped at swinging my legs back and forth under my chair.. You have to try this. If this bar was thrown down a bowling lane towards ten shapely pins of satisfaction…It’d be a STRIKE!

I was fired up to test them all. I gathered some groceries. Considered a menu. Then I got cooking…

called up a friend and said ‘come on over, I’m making a feast’

I used the coconut vinegar, cocnnut nectar, cocnut aminos with tomato paste, garlic, onions, cumin, carob, chipotle powder, black pepper and pretty pink salt to make my version of mole BBQ tempeh steaks

the coconut vinegar, cocnut nectar, seasoning and olive oil played nicely alongside lime, onions and heirloom tomatoes in my citrus salsa

I’d never seen WHITE yams before so I baked them in the oven with slices of garlic and seasoning and them splashed them with coconut vinegar to make fries. Perfect accompaniment to the fried garlic plantains. I wouldn’t usually have fries AND plantains but…I couldn’t resist.

finally, I made the ‘old favourite’ ‘bet you can’t guess the ingredient, yes it is avocado’ mousse to impress my friend, who is toying with the idea of becoming vegan. What a delectable treat - carob, hibiscus, orange and chili infused mousse. Oh my Lord. it was good. The coconut nectar has a bizarre consistency, it is like spun sugar and it is sweet, but it somehow doesn’t turn you into a sweet-hungry pac-man monster type, plague of hungry locust type creature, like some syrups can. (the technical term for this is Low Glycemic)

The aminos would be a great swap for tamari for those who are soy sensitive. It doesn’t have the deep saltiness of tamari but then again it has a fraction of the sodium (65% less). I think it would be wonderful in a raw mushroom soup. I wish it had a pouring spout/gadgety, sproggit thing to slow down the ‘pour’.

The vinegar is reported to be even more nutritionally beneficial than apple cider vinegar (I wonder if it cleans the windows as well as ACV?!…). I put a tablespoon of it in a tall glass of cold bubbly water with some lime and it was so refreshing. I also now use a spoon of it in my morning protein bowl. And of course, I loved it in my salad dressing. Surprisingly, it doesn’t taste coconutty at all. None of the products do (apart from my new love…the almond coconut bar). The aminos is faintly sweet, but definitely no hint of the tropical, wonder nut…seed, fruit..plant.

I got this from Wiki - The term is derived from 16th century Portuguese and Spanish cocos, meaning “grinning face”, from the three small holes on the coconut shell that resemble human facial features. I hope it is true. I like the frivolity of the naming of it.

They don’t supply outside of the USA yet (I know, fingers crossed they will soon. www.iherb.com does ship internationally though, and they stock Coconut Secret…use the button on the top right of my website to get a money off coupon if you have not ordered from iHerb previously). You can buy the products in many health food stores nationally Listings are here

I will be posting more food finds in the coming days/weeks, so be sure to follow… If you have any products you have unearthed and think I must try then please let me know!

Winners announced for the iHerb.com shopping spree!

January 7, 2012 by India Leigh

2 WINNERS!

The very lovely (they really are) people from iherb have generously donated 2 lucky people $25 to have a shopping spree at their online store.

You posted, retweeted and commented on Facebook and now www.random.org has chosen the 2 lucky winners (am so happy for you!). Enjoy your goodies!!! (remember if you didn’t win this time , first-time customers can receive $5 off your first order with this coupon code COF924. iHerb do ship outside of the US but please be aware you may have to pay additional customs taxes.)

Eileen Burton

Claire Smith

Woohoo! Congratulations…..

Here’s a reminder of the entry/winners blurb…

Two winners will be randomly selected (using random.org) from the entries/comments received. The winner will be announced on 7th January 2012 in a new blog post. If you are one of the lucky ones. Please notify me your address at info@aveganobsession.com. The Winners will have 24 hours to respond or new winners will be randomly chosen. PLEASE READ OFFICIAL RULES BELOW BEFORE ENTERING…

Official Rules:

Open only to those age 18 and over. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
Winners MUST REGISTER to iHerb to claim your prize.

*If you are outside of the US, by claiming your prize you accept that you are to be responsible for any additional customs taxes and/or duties. IHERB DO NOT SHIP TO ALL COUNTRIES and you may have to pay customs taxes and/or duties - PLEASE CHECK BEFORE ENTERING THAT YOUR COUNTRY IS LISTED: go to iherb.com, add a product to the shopping cart and click the “Country” drop down menu to see if YOUR country is listed. If YOU are an international winner, your prize will be shipped via International Airmail.

NEW YEAR GIVEAWAY! - I have two $25 vouchers to help you start your year off right!

December 30, 2011 by India Leigh

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Hannah Kaminsky - My Sweet Vegan

Happy Wishes for 2012

So, you may have noticed I am digging you quite a lot, and LOVE to give you stuff to help you eat well. Something you don’t know about me is I love to tell people how wonderful you are….when I do, well…they start loving you too. To prove it, I have not one but two $25 vouchers to give away.

The very lovely (they really are) people from iherb have generously donated 2 lucky people $25 to have a shopping spree at their online store.

iherb have been an online source of vegan goodies both in the US and the UK for a couple of years. I get ridiculously excited, waiting for my package to arrive with treasures from America I might not be able to hunt out in the UK…

Everyone LOVES a bargain and iHerb offer great discounts on supplements, wholefoods, grocery and toiletries. I was so excited to see that have begun to add books to their product list. I place two I’d wanted to get my mitts on for a while into my virtual cart. Both from Hannah Kaminsky. I was not disappointed. She is one creative girl. More than one original creation amused me….Ant Hill Cake, Wasabi cupcakes, she’s cooking up some crazy ideas! Both her books are crammed with tarts, pies, pops, caramels, cupcakes, tray bakes….the list is endless (well, not literally). Her book Vegan Desserts is sectioned into the four seasons which I’ve never seen done with desserts before in a cookbook. Her recipes are easy to follow and could be picked up well by a beginner or experienced cook. It’s my new BFF.

I used some products I’d ordered to test out some of Hannah’s recipes. I have never made things like caramel or honeycomb (using the coconut sugar and brown rice syrup) and I felt it a triumph to discover I can make something I’d gone wide eyed for as a child and thought only magicians and dinner ladies could make. Lots of new recipes to look forward to trialling. Is it wrong that food can make you so happy?!!

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Coconut sugar made from coconut palm nectar. Reportedly lower in carbs and GI then processed cane sugar. It has rich, caramely flavours and its high burn point makes it great for candy makers.

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I made vegan sponge sugar/(not)honeycomb…call it what you will. I coated it in chocolate and it tasted like a Crunchie bar. My thrill at this achievement burst through my limbs and I was dancing around the kitchen like Queen of the Zumba dance!

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molten sweetness. Careful that stuff gets seriously hot!

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Tip* use a candy thermometer and your honeycomb will always turn out right. Though happy accidents that occur…. because I get all scaredy that it ‘gone burn’ and take it off the heat too soon…. make caramel. I used one of Hannah’s coconut ice cream recipes to make ‘salted caramel’ ice cream, using my failed second batch of (not)honeycomb. Verdict? Hands down the best ice cream I’ve EVER had! My friend, who usually only has two descriptive words for food in his vocabulary became very animated about it.

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salted caramel coconut ice cream. Made without an ice cream maker….Yes, it is possible AND marvellous.

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I also ordered Lydia’s Kale-Krunchies-Mega-Green flavour - crispy - good for you - snacks (totally hooked on them!) and SEASONING: contains a whole manner of crushed seeds and sprouted stuff, carrots, arugula (rocket leaves), dulse to name but a few, that taste so good I am just eating it off a spoon!. I scrunched up some kale chips, added a few spoons of seasoning and vegan Parmesan and a little water to mix, then stuffed a generously sized Portabello mushroom with the mix. Let me tell you, they made for harmonious and happy bedfellows….

Peanut Flour - only 12% fat. With all the festivities and Xmas baking I have, so far, only used the flour to whip up some ‘Chili Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate’ which was comforting, malty, chocolate, peanutty goodness in a cup..with a kick. Wonderful to make whilst thawing out from after a walk in the English drizzle. It replaces the smile winter ran off with. When I get chance I will be knocking up a batch of muffins with part peanut flour part gluten free sorghum flour…with some berry of some sort and I’m also thinking gado gado (peanut sauce) stir fry….

If you are interested in trying the products I have reviewed in this post, please use Coupon Code COF924 to receive $5 off your first order. But only if you are a first-time iHerb customer. iHerb do ship outside of the US but please be aware you may have to pay additional customs taxes.

To enter the giveaway, to get your hands on a $25 shopping spree:

The more times/ways you enter the better chance you have of winning. Here’s how;

Please leave a comment in this post telling me your favourite A VEGAN OBSESSION recipe

LIKE me on my Facebook page AND leave a comment on my WALL telling me why you to want to win.

Post a TWEET mentioning this GIVEAWAY and @aveganobsession. You could say something like ‘I so want to win $25 vouchers’ from @aveganobsession & @iherb

Comment/entries must be made by 8pm GMT on , Friday January 5th 2012 .

Two winners will be randomly selected (using random.org) from the entries/comments received. The winner will be announced on 6th January 2012 in a new blog post. If you are one of the lucky ones. Please email me your address. The Winners will have 24 hours to respond or new winners will be randomly chosen. PLEASE READ OFFICIAL RULES BELOW BEFORE ENTERING…

Good luck and wishing you a year of fulfilment, happiness, friendship and great health in 2012

Official Rules:

Open only to those age 18 and over. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
Winners MUST REGISTER to iHerb to claim your prize.

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