VegNews Magazine has announced the opening of the polls for their 2009 Veggie Awards™, the largest survey of its kind in the world. The awards allow you to be a part in choosing the hottest vegetarian (or more specifically, vegan) people, products, and places. Categories for voting range from favorite cookbook author, to favorite vegan "cheese," to best vegan store. The winners will be announced in the November+December "Best of Vegetarian" holiday edition of VegNews. But, if general curiosity and being a part of the voting process just isn't enough to warrant your time, VegNews has some extra incentive. All submissions will be entered into their Grand Prize Drawing, for eligibility to win one of the following prizes:

We are constantly adding new content to Go Dairy Free, and don't want you to miss a beat. With our new Product Profiles post, you can see all of the product reviews we have posted for the month at a glance. June 2009 brought 21 tasty full-lengthreviews:

Sweet Treats:

• Go Max Go Candy Bars II (Vegan)
• Nasoya Silken Creations Dessert Starter - Vanilla (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• Smooze Fruit Ice (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free)

Cruzer Pizza Sees Overall Sales Soar 63 Percent within First Month of Introducing Vegan Pies with Daiya Cheese Alternative - For years, food manufacturers have searched far and wide for the Holy Grail of mainstream vegan cuisine: a non-dairy cheese substitute which stretches, melts and tastes so much like the real thing even cheese lovers can’t tell the difference. Even though a variety of “cheeses” made from soy, nuts, rice, and other plant-based ingredients have made inroads into the lucrative vegan market in the last decade, none has excelled enough at the all-important flavor equivalency test to convince even the choosiest of cheese devotees — until now ...

We are constantly adding new content to Go Dairy Free, and don't want you to miss a beat. With our new monthly Recipe Round-Up, you can see all of the recipes we have posted for the month at a glance. June 2009 brought tipped our total recipe count over 700 with the following enticing (and milk-free) recipes:

Baked Goods & Breakfast:

• Moist Pineapple Muffins (Nut-Free, Soy-Free)
• Carrot "Milk" for Cereal (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free)

I have been a big fan of the magazine Today's Diet & Nutrition for years. In fact, I may have been one of their first subscribers. Focused on healthy living, the magazine frequently offers articles and recipes for special dieters. So I was thrilled and honored when they requested to interview me for a feature article they were doing on lactose intolerance. That full length article can now be viewed in the July / August 2009 issue of Today's Diet & Nutrition.

Written by Carol M. Bareuther, RD, the article focuses on defining lactose intolerance, offers information for diagnosis, and shares tips on cutting back on lactose, getting proper nutrition, shopping, and cooking. Within the article you will find bites of information from my years of dairy-free experience as well as several excerpts from Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. The magazine is available in stores throughout the U.S., so pick up a copy if you don't already have a subscription (which I highly recommend)! ...

Eugene, OR - Probiotic Beverage a Tasty Way to Maintain Healthy Immune and Digestive Systems - From the maker of America’s most popular dairy-free foods comes the world’s first kefir made with coconut milk.  In June 2009, Turtle Mountain launched So Delicious® Coconut Milk Kefir - a unique probiotic beverage designed to give consumers the health benefits of coconut milk and kefir all in one. Kefir is typically made from cow’s milk that is fermented with kefir cultures.  It is similar in taste and texture to drinkable yogurt. Originating over 2000 years ago, kefir has established a long list of health benefits, such as:

June 23, 2009 – La Mexicana, Inc., of Seattle, Washington, is recalling Solena Tortilla Chips with a June 03, 2009 code date, because they may contain undeclared milk and milk products. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk or milk products run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. The Solena Tortilla Chips were distributed through retail stores and food service outlets in Washington and Oregon. Solena Tortilla Chips are sold in clear, 16oz. bags that have the red, white, and green Solena label affixed to the front of the package.  A code date of JUN 03 09 appears in the top right corner on the front of the bag ...

Multiple food allergies? Gluten-Free / Casein-Free? Vegan? Living without cookies? Not a chance! Cookies for Everyone! the cookbook has arrived and it is quickly living up to its name. To introduce it to you, we are giving away a copy of this new gem along with 4 Enjoy Life Free Product Coupons and an Enjoy Life Grocery Tote (to carry all of those wonderful ingredient) to TWO Lucky Winners! Simply head over to the Giveaway Post on One Frugal Foodie and comment for your chance to win. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

Created by authors Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laakso (Director of Research & Development at Enjoy Life Foods), Cookies for Everyone! is filled with fun and easy recipes for cookies, bars, and various types of bites (from healthy to downright indulgent). Plus, every recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, and tree nut-free to address most food sensitivites and alllergies while still being delicious. I can vouce, I have trialed several of the recipes, and we enjoyed them all, even though we aren't gluten-free on a daily basis ...