VeganMoFo

Hey Mofos!  Here is a giveaway to tempt your palate.  The kind folks over at Upton’s Naturals are handing out free seitan up in here!  Hells yeah!

The first time I ever tasted this delicious morsel of goodness was at Vida Vegan Con 2011.  The scene: late night Portland.  Random ice cream truck rolls up with vegan ice cream samples.  Two food-drunk women walk into a grocery store and order sammiches.  One woman dies of foodgasm.  That woman was me.  Rest in peace, homie.

Soon, we’re all going to die when this hickory smoked variety is released! Thanks for killing all of the vegans, Upton’s.

Seriously folks!  This is such a great giveaway.  2 lucky winners will get 4 free product coupons, so you can try every single flavor of goodness! Trust the mustache, for it doesn’t lie. A winner will be picked tomorrow, October 31st, at 3 pm CST. US residents only.

To enter, simply tell us which delightful flavor you would like to try first.  Contest open to US residents only!

Our winner is moonsword, who appreciates a good Buffy quote:

Giles: Well, we listened to aggressively cheerful music sung by people chosen for their ability to dance, and we ate cookie dough and talked about boys.
Buffy: [laughs] Oh, I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry, but if it makes you feel any better, my fun-time Buffy party night involved watching a robot throw Spike through a window. So if you wanna trade… No wait, I wouldn’t give that memory up for anything.
Neither would I…I’d share with my sis and we’d talk about our current crushes. 🙂

When I was a wee vegan, the first thing I truly wanted to master was the art of making good cookies.  Don’t get me wrong.  Whole wheat, health food store, carob chip things are all good and well, but how I longed for a really good cookie.

Well, the world of vegan cookies has changed a lot since I first went vegan in 2001.  Now there are really good packaged cookies, an internet full of recipes, and Eat Pastry Cookie Dough.  Get right the heck outta town!  Vegan cookie dough!  Yessir/ma’am!

When I found out this was vegan, I was shocked!  I had walked by the cookie dough everyday at my job and had no idea.  Let me tell you…this stuff is great!  I would eat this from a spoon.  I would eat this on the moon.  This is so good straight out of the oven.  The perfect combination of crispy and chewy.

Now for the fun.  1 lucky winner will receive a t-shirt, Five $1 coupons, and cash monies for 2 tubs of Eat Pastry Cookie Dough.  All you have to do is comment below with how you plan to use the dough.  Any and all Buffy references will be appreciated!  Contest open to US residents only! A winner will be picked randomly tomorrow, October 30th, at 11 am CST.

We have a winner! Shannon! “I love Equal Exchange coffees. They have a roast called Love Buzz that’s outta this world!” An email is on the way.

October is Fair Trade Month and the good folks at Fair Trade USA sent out a sample bag for us to review at MoFo headquarters. I received a box chock full o’ fair trade goods that include teas, coffee and ice cream. I’ll take you through an unpacking of the box so you can see all the goods.

Fair Trade USA is the leading independent, third party verifier of fair trade products in the US. From their mission statement: “We seek to empower family farmers and workers around the world, while enriching the lives of those struggling in poverty. Rather than creating dependency on aid, we use a market-based approach that empowers farmers to get a fair price for their harvest, helps workers create safe working conditions, provides a decent living wage and guarantees the right to organize. Through direct, equitable trade, farming and working families are able to eat better, keep their kids in school, improve health and housing, and invest in the future.”

Their website has an excellent list of products and partnerships they have and you can read more about who benefits when you buy fair trade products.

Now, on to the fair trade goods! Everything is nicely packed into a reusable tote within the shipping box

If you know me, you know I’m a tea fiend. On the top of the package was a sampler box from Numi Tea with 8 different types of tea. I went right for the breakfast blend since I’m a fan of hearty black teas. I also tried the Rooibos Chai and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the spice in it. Numi uses biodegradable filter papers which makes me feel better about using an already bagged tea and they have a wide range of teas to choose from.

Also at the top was a box of Stash Guayusa which is an Amazonian tree leaf. I already enjoy Stash teas so I was excited to be able to try something new.  It reminds me a bit of mate and is described as having an earthy undertone. Not technically a tea but something that is a nice change of pace.

Coconut Bliss had included a Walnut Brownie pint in the box that has a coupon inside for a free pint along with a Coconut Bliss sticker and pamphlet telling their business story. I am a fan of Coconut Bliss, especially the new flavours they debuted last year, and suspect this coupon will go toward a pint of their ginger cookie caramel. Some of the best vegan ice cream, hands down.

Also included in a Hae Now organic cotton t-shirt with the Fair Trade Certified logo. Super soft and comfortable.

Madhava agave nectar had a bottle of their raw organic agave nectar toward the bottom of the box. I’m a straight up tea drinker, no sugar or milk, so most of my agave consumption goes into my baked goods.  My super special agave spice cookies obviously feature agave as a main ingredient and the Madhava worked perfectly in the baking.

Nestled further down was a bag of Just Love coffee Peruvian blend. I am not a coffee drinker and have no apparatus for making it so I passed this along to a friend for review who said he quite enjoyed it.

Rishi Tea sent a tin of their pu-erh ginger tea which I have already put into my cabinet to use this winter. I love a good ginger tea when it’s cold outside and I may have a hint of a sore throat. This one has a nice flavour without being too strong.

Everything was packed into a Fair Trade USA tote bag (also produced to fair trade standards) which has been great for carrying boxes to the post and stuffing with groceries and big bunches of kale from my local farmers market. I love that this is much sturdier than some you find at grocery stores and is cotton instead of a plastic.

We are super pleased that Fair Trade USA has offered a delightful sample box to one of our Vegan MoFo readers and will ship to either the United States or Canada. All the products in the sample bags were kindly donated by the companies to help Fair Trade USA spread the word this month about the importance and range of fair trade products.

To enter our contest simply leave a comment stating what your favourite fair trade product is or which product pictured above you would most like to try. I will pick a winner on Tuesday, October 23 at 3 pm EST so please make sure we can contact you and check back to see if you win! The sample box your receive may include some different products than the ones pictured above.

Winners, all of you! I will pass on your emails. Thanks for all of the fun answers!

Sammy: Almonds fill me full of nutty love you can have them in so many different ways, nori coated almonds, smoked paprika nut dust, ground almonds in delicious gluten free vegan cheesecakes, blanched, chopped fried roasted the worlds your almond and more! X 🙂 they are super delish sweet or savoury
Tia: Hazelnuts! Why?
1. they can be used in cocktails, salads, cookies or just nibbling
2. it’s such a great word that reflects what it IS
3. it’s so fun to say, I named my lil’brown dog, Hazelnut
4. they can be served naked or with skin ;0
Natasha: I love cashews! You can use them to make a variety of tasty homemade cashew cheese, cashew milk, creamy sauces, and delicious cashew cream.
Jacki: Pistachios are my favorite because my husband uses them to make the BEST vegan ice cream. In addition to eating a vegan diet I’m sensitive to wheat. I’m excited about the simple, gluten-free recipes in Eat Awesome!
Veggie Sara: Yaaay! Happy to see an international give-away 🙂
It’s so hard to pick a favorite nut. Must go for cashews because you can do so many awesome things with them like make sauce, cheeze, …
Mimi: Hmmm.. I love walnuts, because I love cooking with them. Yummy! 🙂
Rasmus: Hazelnut is my favorite!
Jordyn: My favorite everyday nut is almond. I eat them pre and post run. They are nutritious and delicious! My favorite “fancy” run is pecan.
Crystal: Cashew. I can feel the lovely oils penetrating my mind and skin. I would love to win this! Although vegan, I believe whole is the way to go and I need help with the transition.
JustBloggs, who would get three e-books if I had any say or that even made sense as a prize:

P ecans are the best
E asy on the almonds
C ashews beat the rest
A lmonds are to die for
N uts to you and me!
S’ all I can say

When Paul contacted me about giving away some copies of his e-book, I was a little nervous. I never want to give away something to you guys that I wouldn’t be 100% excited to get myself, and self-published e-books can be…not good. Luckily for me and you, all you have to do is go over to the site and you will see a clean, fancy layout with beautiful photos, humor, and links to many positive reviews. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot of vegan cookbooks and i’m not shy about saying what I do and don’t like the books I buy to have.

Eat Awesome is more of a really nice zine that a book (and ya’ll know I love zines so I mean that positively), there are only about 20 recipes and the recipes are loose with the directions and measurements (which is fine by me since I will do anything to avoid washing a measuring spoon, that’s what I have eyeballs for). There’s also a decent-sized FAQ in the front, along with some pantry staple suggestions. At the end of the book there are over a dozen meal suggestions, or really short recipes (this is in addition to the other twenty). There’s also a zombie reference and a picture of a nut sack (for soaking nuts, you pervs), what more could you want? If you want some super-fancy-pants photos, you also get those. Win/win/win! If you want to check out some of the photos and one of the recipes, they’re right on the front page.

Overall, you can tell that a lot of effort and love went into making this book. It’s focused on using whole foods and is gluten-free, so if that sounds like a good deal to you, keep reading!

Today’s giveaway will please a lot of people because it’s international! If you can download and open a .pdf file, you can win. Woo! We have ten copies of Eat Awesome to give away. Simply comment here, telling me what your favorite nut is (keep it clean, kids) and I will pick ten winners tomorrow at 5 pm.

Winners!

coldandsleepy, soap: I love anything that smells like incense, as long as patchouli isn’t involved. Patchouli makes me want to die. I love Patchouli but I won’t hold that against you.
Monica, deodorant: I’ve been wanting to give this brand a try since seeing it on VBR! I think my favorite scents usually come from nature like jasmine or anything fresh and floral. Even my husband wishes for cologne that smells like dirt…he’s a little weird 🙂 You can totally get dirt scented essential oils, I have a perfume with dirt notes!

After the news broke that Urban Decay would be selling in China, which requires animal testing (but we got them to change their minds, woo!), I learned that a lot of vegans have no idea about what they are putting in their showers, medicine cabinets, and so forth. A lot of them are confused by animal testing, third party testing, parent companies, it makes you dizzy! A lot of people just give up on trying to navigate cruelty-free bath and beauty. If you are one of those people who doesn’t know where to start, let me give you a tip: shop with all-vegan, indie companies as much as possible! Yes, you will spend a little more money than at the drugstore, but what you put on your body matters just as much as what you put in it.

One of the companies you should definitely start with is Strawberry Hedgehog. Not just for the reasons mentioned above, but because Tracy makes beautiful, delicious smelling soaps (and a large variety to boot), scrubs, moisturizers, and now deodorant! Finding vegan, natural deodorant that works worth anything is definitely a challenge. Since I haven’t tried the deodorant, I went over to the most trusted source for Strawberry Hedgehog product reviews, Vegan Beauty Review. This is what Sunny had to say:

Why I love this deodorant above all others:

It comes in a jar—SO much easier to apply (compared to similar-ingredient “stick” versions which are crazy crumbly)
I tried the Peaceful Person deodoro (thanks, Tracy), and the beautiful and relaxing lavender-scented concoction seriously worked like nothing I’ve ever tried before (and I’m a stinky beast). It even out-performed Lavanila as far as its long lastingness goes. I was skeptical, too (the ingredients seemed too simple)… but it turned out to be simply amazing! My arm pits and I are in awe. And I wanna say, that granted Tracy of Strawberry Hedgehog is my homegirl, I am 100% keeping s–t real with y’all. You will NOT stink if you rock this stuff. If I’m wrong, you can b—h-slap me over the internet. 😉
You’ll never have to worry about pit stains on your clothing, clogged pores, toxic ingredients seeping into your skin, etc. when you make the switch to natural deodorant. Whatever you do, ditch the conventional name brands you’ve been buying at the store. They are all evil.

Tracy has offered up two prizes today for two lucky winners: one jar of the deodorant (your choice of either Femme Fatale, Strong Man, or Peaceful Person), and any three bars from her top 10 scents (pictured above). To enter, simply comment here and tell me what your favorite scent is (it can be food!), and which prize you would want. US only, a winner will be picked tomorrow (the 17th) at 4 pm CST.