GIVEAWAY! Win a free, signed copy of Quick & Easy Vegan Celebrations

Wowzers. Vegan Mofo went by so quickly this year! I didn't get in half  or even a fourth of the blogging I planned to and now the Vegan Month of Food is almost over and I have yet to have one giveaway! Well that's all about to change. With a new baby on the way and my latest cookbook Quick & Easy Low-Cal Vegan Comfort Food off to the publisher I have a lot to celebrate and want to share my joy with all of you so what better way to do that than to have a giveaway of my sophomore book Quick and Easy Vegan Celebrations.  This giveaway is running not only on the Vegan Guinea Pig blog but also on my new blog The Lady and Seitan and if you win and you happen to be a newsletter subscriber then you get a special bonus gift as well (more information to come in today's upcoming newsletter). The rules are simple. Just post, in the comments section, on either blog or both blogs your favorite celebration of the past, present or one you're planning for the future and I'll randomly select a winner from the bunch! If you post on both blogs you double your chances! Contest ends 10/31/11 the last day of Vegan Mofo and my last official day of blogging for the rest of the year (but rest assured I've stock-piled some great reviews and recipes that are scheduled to post throughout the rest of the year). Good Luck!

Royal Harvest Flavored Flax Oils

A little over a year ago, by happenstance, I found myself having lunch with a man that had been vegan for 30 years. I picked his brain about the evolution of the vegan diet from the whole foods diet (which was all that was available when he went vegan) to the tower of processed foods that are now staples in many diets. The conversation was absolutely fascinating and as he got up to leave he turned and gave me one word of caution "don't forget your fatty acids or you will pay the consequences to your heart health later. I wish I had know that decades ago." As a masters of nutrition student I already know of the countless benefits of essential fatty acids but something about this real life example of how important they are turned a light on for me. Ever since that moment I've been obsessed with making sure I get my essential fatty acids in everyday and now as a pregnant vegan growing my own little one I find it even important and don't go a day without incorporating several types of essential fatty acids into my daily routine.

You might have heard about the omega 3's, 6's, ALA's and GLA's that seem to be the buzz words of the moment? Those are all essential fatty acids or EFAs and can be found in nuts, seeds, blue green algae and variety of other oils and fats. One of my favorite ways to get these EFAs is through ground flax seed and flax oil. Royal Harvest has just come out with a new line of flavored flax oils and super fine ground flax to help fill this need. And when I say super fine this ground flax is feather light and practically dissolves into smoothies, over cereal or into baked goods. It comes in chocolate, which I like to stir into almond milk for a healthy chocolate milk. Coconut flavor, which I put in smoothies and make one mean virgin pina colada with. Caramel, which I drizzle over vanilla ice cream (vegan of course). And lastly, Banana which I either blend into a smoothie with frozen strawberries or drizzle over ice cream to make a healthy version of a banana split. Stay tuned for my virgin pina colada recipe and a giveaway!

Currently, Royal Harvest products are sold online and at select natural food and grocery stores including Hannaford, Shaws, Earth Fare, Mom’s Organic Market, Roots Market, Dave’s Marketplace, Feel Rite Fresh Markets, Mrs. Green’s Natural Market, Wild by Nature Market, and Whole Foods Markets in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Florida. Made by Shape Foods, Inc., headquartered in the heart of North American flax country, Royal Harvest Flax Oils and Flax Meal are gluten-free, vegan friendly and Kosher certified.  Suggested retail price is $9.99 per bottle and $3.99 per bag.

Vegan Snack Bar Alert! - New Orchard Bars

I can't tell you how many food and energy bars I receive to taste and review for this blog. Typically they're all seeds, twigs and berries and not worth mentioning and nearly always they are so packed with calories that they could almost be considered a meal and definitely not something I would recommend as a snack. Orchard Bards kin of fall outside of the realm of a snack bar or a meal replacement bar and remind me more of a dessert bar of treat. I don't think this was the intention of the company but, for me, the sweet fruity taste of these bars are the perfect treat at the end of the day and a much healthier alternative to my new favorite candy bar - Jokerz (but by no means am I giving my Jokerz up!)

Every Orchard Bar is 100% true to the taste of the flavor on the package. The pineapple macadamia nuts has candied bits of real pineapple pressed with generous slices of macadamia nuts. It's so sugary sweet I could only eat half the bar at a time. Even though it taste like sugar dipped in sugar there are only 18 grams of sugar per bar which is half that of an average 12 ounce can of soda. Plus the Orchard Bar is packed with natural vitamins and minerals and made of real food products, no mystery ingredients on the label. The strawberry raspberry walnut flavor taste exactly like strawberry fruit roll up and the blueberry pomegranate almond taste like a you dipped yourself head first in a blueberry orchard.

My parents were it own when these arrived at my doorstep and became completely obsessed with them. They would ask me everyday where they could buy them but unfortunately the current distribution is quite limited to just a few retailers in the west - check to see if you're near one of the lucky locations here http://orchardbar.com/buy.html Thankfully they are available online - and my parents took full advantage of this stocking up on cases of the bars. Hopefully this great brand will expand to more retailers nationwide soon.

Currently, Liberty Foods (the makers of Orchard Bars) are selling a sample pack of 3 bars for only $2.50 on their website with free shipping so even if they aren't available at a store near you give them a try! http://orchardbar.com/buy.html

Hazelnut Hot Cocoa

Wondering what that chocolatey beverage is steaming in the mug behind my Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pancakes. It's Hazelnut Hot Cocoa and here's the quick and easy recipe.

2 tablespoon Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1 cup plain almond milk

Whisk hazelnut butter with 1/4 cup almond milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining milk and continue to whisk until warm. And there you go!

Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pancakes

Once I started experimenting with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter I just couldn't stop. Pancakes, cookies, hot cocoa. I've been eating this stuff everyday since I bought it! Here's my recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pancakes.

Makes 11-12 Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup plain almond milk

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Warm  a griddle or large skillet over medium heat.

Add flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and slowly stir in almond milk, canola oil, pumpkin and hazelnut butter until smooth (I did all this in a standing mixer  with the whisk attachment to cut down on time).

Brush warmed skillet or griddle lightly with oil and pour a about 1/4 cup worth of batter for each pancake. Once edges dry and bubbles start to form lightly check the underside to ensure it is golden brown then flip and cook the other side. Serve immediately with a little maple syrup or powdered sugar.

As an added bonus here's the nutrition information per pancake:

124 Cal (38% from Fat, 7% from Protein, 55% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 3 g Sugar; 91 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 248 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol