Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
Happy Monday everyone! Here are the winners of last week’s giveaways:
The That’s It giveaway goes to Janet Wei.
And Linda Watson’s book, Wildly Affordable Organic, goes to Wendy of Healthy Girl’s Kitchen.
Have a great day! More recipes and reviews are coming soon.
It’s still early in the new year and I think that you, like me, are still working on eating better and adding even more fruit and veggies into your daily routine. Here’s an easy way to get 2 servings of fruit with nothing added. It’s like 2 pieces of fruit only you can keep these in your desk drawer or even in your pocket.
When the people at That’s It asked me to try these I didn’t have high expectations. Most bars that I try – even the ones I consider to be my favorites – let me down when it comes to flavor or texture.
But I have to say I really like these. It’s like a juicier fruit leather, which at the same time makes it not like fruit leather at all because it’s not hard and chewy. The flavor of the non-apple fruit really pops and makes it pretty darn delicious.
Each bar has 1 apple and a serving portion of the “flavor” fruit like cherry, pear, or apricot. Those 2 fruits are the only ingredients in the bar. They also talk about it being Diabetic friendly since they use low glycemic index fruit.
They are 100 calories each and have 3 grams of fiber. Vegan, gluten-free, and kosher all the while giving you vitamins a and c. Not bad for something that feels like a treat.
Enter this giveaway and you may just win your own That’s It Fruit Snack Bars to try!
There are a few rules to this giveaway – the winner must be at least 18 years of age and that the winning address is within the U.S. The winner will receive a variety pack of That’s It bars (12 bars – $21.18 value - http://www.thatsitfruit.com/shopbuy-our-products)
You will get one entry for each task you do as long as you enter a new comment for each one on this blog post. I’ll announce the winner this Friday.
Happy New Year! What are your plans for 2012? Do you have some goals or resolutions?
I always start the year with lots of good intentions and too many resolutions. This year I have a list of projects instead and hopefully I’ll have the time to pull them all off. In fact, you could say my real goal this year is to manage my time better.
So for the winners…you guys are going to be as happy as Cheryl was to get her picture taken with the Grinch on our vacation!
Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites will be sent out to Lizzie (or wickedliz at her email address).
The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions is going to Karen Beth of http://zazazu.wordpress.com.
And now for the biggest prize – a copy of The Vegan Slow Cooker and a brand new slow cooker! (Try to hear that in Bob Barker’s voice…) goes to Amy of Miami-Dade Public Library. Amy I do not have your email address so you can send me your mailing address through the contact form.
If I don’t hear from Amy by the end of the week I will have to pick another winner, but hopefully that’s not necessary
I’m so excited that so many of you have already bought my book and that it’s still the most wished for vegetarian book on amazon!
(Pictured above is the book on my iPad. The photos look awesome on it.)
One of the things I would like this Holiday season is that people who can’t afford to get a copy would have access to it at their local library. Many of the meals are budget-conscious and it’s much cheaper to make bouillon and seitan from scratch. Also just cooking in a slow cooker helps me spend less money by making it easier to have dinner ready everyday.
You’ll enter this giveaway by requesting my book at your local library. The details are below. It shouldn’t take long to do and you may be able to do it from your computer depending on how plugged-in your library is.
This giveaway will last for the rest of December, so the winner will be chosen on January 1, 2012.
To enter the contest:
A signed copy of The Vegan Slow Cooker and a brand new slow cooker (I will post a pic later) will mailed directly to you if you win the giveaway. If you already have a copy of my book I will send it to your library instead at your request! (If you and your library already have it I can send it to a library that does not have a copy.) It’s a win-win for everyone.
12/6/2011 – You can also get extra entries by doing one or more of the following. You must add an additional comment for each one you do to get an additional entry!
Update: If your library rocks (as so many do) and already has the book and/or e-book on order, still leave me the name city/state of your library and you will still be entered. I’d love it if you would tell me how many copies are there or on order too and how many holds/reserves are already in for the book.
Good luck!
Not only is the chocolate amazing, but you are helping animal rescues by buying it. 100% of net profits goes to animal groups. You can take a look at their list of organizations and see where your money is going.
From their Peanut Butter Pit Bull to Feral (cat) Fig you really can’t make a bad choice. Some of the flavors will sell out, but keep going down the list and just try another delicious flavor. All their flavors are tasty and 100% vegan too!
Rancho Gordo Beans
A great company that has a huge selection of heirloom beans. They also share their seeds with the Seed Savers Exchange. My most wanted gift is their Year of Beans. 6 bags of beans four times a year, it also includes a cookbook and some heirloom beans that will be only available in this package.
Nacheez
This is a great vegan cheezy dip that you don’t have to feel guilty about. It’s only 140 calories for the whole jar and perfect for a healthy after the holidays snack. You can choose from mild or spicy. It’s great with chips but you need to try it on pasta for a Mexi-twist on mac and not-cheese.
TofuXpress
If you eat tofu in your household you really need one of these. Instead of piling up cast iron pans on top of tofu wrapped in paper towels to squeeze all the water out, you just put it in here and let the press do all the work. I use mine all the time and swear by it. I promise the veg in your life will love this.
Great Gift Cookbooks for Veggie Lovers:
Also make sure to check out the LightLife Blog to enter to win a copy of my book, The Vegan Slow Cooker! And sign up for my Lightlife giveaway here.
You know I love Gimme Lean Sausage by Lightlife. They also have tons of other vegan products like a chick’n and “steak” strips that are great to use in a quick weeknight dinner. Not all of their products are vegan, so make sure to check the ingredients or use this list.
Rachael is the blogger for Lightlife’s blog, Blogatarian, and right now she’s giving away a copy of The Vegan Slow Cooker, so make sure to enter her giveaway as well as mine!
Lightlife has recipes on their site in case you need some inspiration.
Enter this giveaway and you may just win your 3 Lightlife Items of your choice!
You will get one entry for each task you do as long as you enter a new comment for each one on this blog post. I’ll announce the winner next Friday (12/9/2011).
The TofuXpress is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I just added it to my arsenal this year, but it’s up there with my immersion blender! I was skeptical at first, but now that I use it all the time I wouldn’t want to be without it.
I don’t know about you, but here’s how I was pressing tofu: a cast iron pan on top of a cutting board with something else added in for weight. Then I would stand there to make sure nothing was going to fall on my dog.
(Somehow Brenna, my dog, senses the danger and makes sure to lay up against a counter next to where I place my tower of tofu pressing.) So it wasn’t pleasant, though I’ve gotten really good at catching pans as they get unbalanced and fall off. But it that really anyway to live when you can just put it in this device?
It’s unbelievably easy to use. There is a super-strong spring that puts the pressure on the tofu to express the liquid. It also does it in half the time.
The TofuXpress is a little expensive at $39.95, but it very well made. I don’t expect to have to buy another one for myself, but I will be getting a few as gifts. And if you put it on your Holiday gift list it won’t cost you a dime ; )
They also have tofu recipes on their site if you need some inspiration.
Enter this giveaway and you may just win your own TofuXpress!
You will get one entry for each task you do as long as you enter a new comment for each one on this blog post. I’ll announce the winner Friday.
There are “those days” – the kind where you come home and plop in a chair and wish that dinner could magically appear. Those are the days that I take a jar of Nacheez from my pantry and find my secret stash of baked blue corn chips. It’s an instant cheater dinner! I don’t eat like that often, but when I need something impossibly easy it’s a lifesaver.
Of course, it’s great for a quick Mexi-man and cheez even if you come home tired. It’s the perfect topping for steamed veggies if you have haters in your house. They won’t even notice that “green stuff” underneath it because it’s so tasty.
You can also use it in casseroles, burritos and anywhere else you might want some vegan cheese. They even have mild or spicy depending on your preference. The spicy is not fiery hot, so it can be used in recipes too.
If I were you, I’d get a few of these in my pantry for the holidays!
Enter this giveaway and you may just win your own Nacheez to try!
You will get one entry for each task you do as long as you enter a new comment for each one on this blog post. I’ll announce the winner Friday.
I have some housekeeping to get done before the end of the year. What’s weird is that it’s good for all you readers! I am backed up on reviews and giveaways so I will be posting more the next month and will have giveaways all the way up through the holidays.
Today’s giveaway is one of my goodie bags from my Going Vegan class at The Creative Connection earlier this year. There are vegan samples and tons of coupons. Some of the coupons expire 12/31 but not before you use them to stretch your holiday food budget!
To enter the giveaway leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to use leftover veggies.
You can get an additional entry by signing up for a free account at Key Ingredient and adding me as a favorite or friend. (The link will take you to my profile.) Then come back here and leave a second comment.
There may be more than one winner and I’ll announce them by Wednesday. So leave a comment and spread the word to all your friends!
Butternut Squash Frijoles
Makes about 6 servings
soy-free, gluten-free
This recipe uses a 1½ to 2 quart slow cooker
The night before: Combine the dried beans and water in the slow cooker and cook on low overnight.
In the morning: Add the butternut squash, garlic, tomatoes, marjoram, and chili powder.
Before serving: Taste and adjust seasonings. Add salt, hot pepper, and lime juice.
You can also make a quick mexi-pizza if you spread the frijoles on a tortilla thinly and top with some vegan chorizo and a little Daiya vegan cheese. Plus it cooks in minutes!
You probably have some Winter squash on your t-day menu. If you make an extra cup and purée it, you are ready to make these beans.
If you don’t have time to make the beans now, go ahead and freeze the extra squash in 1 cup portions so it will be ready to go when you want to make them.
You can use pumpkin, acorn, or kuri in place of the butternut. But think about doing something different and use butternut where you usually use pumpkin or sweet potato. After all, Winter squash need some love around the holidays too.
I use a variety of things as sweeteners, from sugar (though I always use less than called for), maple syrup, molasses, and occasionally honey. I don’t like things baked with Splenda because it tastes odd to me. I look forward to trying NuStevia, though!
Heather please email your mailing address to kathyhester at gmail dot com so I can send your book out to you. You are going to love it!
Congratulations!!
Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
