One word sums up how I felt when the beautiful box of Inspired Cookies arrived …

Seriously, I was thoroughly impressed by the delightful packaging, a tall rectangular canister that held over a dozen of these sizable, thick, and soft cookies … each one completely vegan (dairy-free and egg-free) and gluten-free. They also appeared to be free from refined sugars AND soy-free, though the ones with chocolate chunks may house some lecithin (ingredients are viewable on The Inspired Cookie Website).

For years my husband has picked through stir fries leaving a pile of carrots neatly on the side of his plate, which I eventually end up nabbing with my chopsticks to avoid any waste (okay, I love carrots, so I really don't mind). But, when I made the outright statement that he doesn't like carrots, he eminently denied it. He claimed that most carrots just weren't good quality. The ones that we have had in some finer restaurants are much sweeter ... those, he likes.

Perplexed as to what the difference could be (after I had trialed organic, conventional, AND local carrots) I went online and discovered a little secret. Don't ask me where I found it, as I merely committed the idea to memory, but it seems many chefs will sweeten the pot a bit with just a wee bit of sugar to bring out the natural sweetness in carrots without going overboard and creating a glaze. So with this new-to-me concept and a 5-spice craving, I cranked on the oven, and threw together an easy yet flavorful side dish of Sweet Roasted Five-Spice Carrots. Though my husband wasn't elated at first to see a big pile of carrots on his plate, he gladly devoured every last morsel! View the recipe on my personal blog, One Frugal Foodie.

Always on the cutting edge in the hemp world, Manitoba Harvest has released the world’s first 100% water soluble hemp protein concentrate. So what does this mean? You know how hemp powders tend to lend a slightly gritty or sandy taste to smoothies, and how you can’t simply blend them with water for a quick protein boost or recovery drink? Well Hemp Pro 70 is here to solve those issues.

But, that isn’t to say there isn’t a place in this world for all of the hemp protein powders. In fact, I had the opportunity to taste-test and compare the entire Manitoba Harvest hemp protein powder line (ooh, with the exception of the dark chocolate and vanilla flavored ones … must find!), and I was quite surprised at the different tastes and virtues they each possessed. They are all pretty basic, made simply from hemp seeds, but as you can see by looking at the pictures, these are completely different products …

In speaking with Betsy Karetnick of Martha Stewart Living's Everyday Food, the topic of eggs came up. For most dairy-free foodies (aside from vegans or those with an egg allergy), eggs are not a problem, and can add some delicious options to your diet. Personally, I couldn't stomach eggs for many, many years, but lately they have been creeping onto my plate with increasing regularity. Of course, when you end up making a fresh-from-the-oven Dutch Baby with a Warm Blueberry Maple Cinnamon Sauce, you could probably convert almost anyone to an egg fan.

Most of the Dutch Baby recipes I spied were made with white sugar, white flour, and an unnecessary amount of butter. If I ate that way for breakfast, I would fall flat on my face by 9am. So, I reduced the butter significantly, and in fact changed it to coconut oil (though you could use a pat of dairy-free margarine), I subbed the flour with rolled oats (ground in 30 seconds into a flour), and used maple syrup as my choice of sweetener in moderation. Trust me, there was no sacrafice. This is a wonderful brunch-worthy recipe that you can actually feel good about eating. Plus, with the changes, the recipe is dairy-free, soy-free, and wheat-free (optionally gluten-free)!

Haven't you heard? Pizza ovens are out, barbecues are in. Though this may not be a year-round trend, when you need a creative, fun, and "smokey" way to entertain your hungry guests for Labor Day Weekend, consider this delicious pizza recipe (below). It is from the Vegan Culinary Experience, August 2009 issue (which is available for free download on the VCE website), and as you might have guessed, this is a vegan (dairy-free, egg-free, meat-free) recipe.

As a presentation tip, the recipe's creator, Chef Jason Wyrick, suggests the following, "I prefer to let all my guests see the pizza whole before I cut it into slices as I think it looks very nice and appetizing that way. When you cut it, use a wet knife or a pizza roller. This keeps the ingredients from sticking to the blade and dragging the ingredients across the pizza."

This sweet summer dessert may be a bit too perishable to travel to picnics, but it is perfect for wowing friends and family at your next backyard barbecue. Plus, all of your dinner guests should be able to partake, since this delight is dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, optionally soy-free (see the note I have added in the recipe), and of course, vegan.

Chef Jason Wyrick (the recipe creator, and founder of the VCE) says, "You’ll love the cooling refreshment that these super-tangy molds provide after a grilled meal!" He suggests that you garnish the molds with fresh mint and berries, topping them with the berries if the berries are small and light, such as wild blueberries. See the full recipe below ...