Recipe contest season is upon us, and I am happy to report that there are some wonderful opportunities for dairy-free and vegan amateur chefs and bakers alike. From tempeh to dark chocolate, the following recipe contests are sure to inspire some deliciously creative ideas:

Turtle Island Fooods is hosting a Tempeh Recipe Contest.  Use any of their tempeh products in a vegan or vegetarian recipe and enter to win an  8 GB iPod® Nano.  Deadline: December 28, 2007

How could anyone resist The Chocolate Adventure Contest? The winner of this little Scharffen Berger® competition will receive a $5000 award!  Not too shabby.  Just use one of their dark chocolates in combination with an "adventure ingredient" from their list, and take a shot at the grand prize.  Scharffen Berger® dark chocolate bars are made without dairy, and it has been reported that their 9.7oz Home Baking Bars and 2kg ProPacks are even made in a dedicated dairy-free facility (please verify with the manufacturer if this is a concern.  Deadline: December 1, 2007

The Most Remarkable Vegan Recipe Contest in History is offering an all expense paid trip to the Island of Kaua'i, Hawaii for the grand prize winner. Fifty runners-up will also be chosen for inclusion in their e-book series.   Deadline: February 1, 2008