We constantly receive alerts of new books hitting the shelves in the special diet arena … dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, raw, food allergy-friendly … you name it we have our eye on it. Here is an update of the top book finds we spotted in the new releases for January through March of 2010 (book summaries and information provided by corresponding authors and publishers):

Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook (Paperback) – As the head baker for a food-allergic family, food writer Cybele Pascal shares her most in-demand treats and how to make them work without allergenic ingredients. Her collection includes a delightfully familiar array of sweet and savory goodies that are no longer off-limits, from Glazed Vanilla Scones, Cinnamon Rolls, and Lemon-Lime Squares to Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Red Velvet Cake, and every kid’s favorite: Pizza. This cookbook features 100 tried-and-true recipes that are completely free of gluten, wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame. [Review coming soon on Go Dairy Free – check our Book Reviews]

March 2010 - The newest do-good gourmet chocolate company, Rescue Chocolate, recently launched two boundary-breaking sweets for the spring holidays. Candy Easter eggs are a dime a dozen, sometimes literally. The Good Egg from Rescue Chocolate changes that notion. This is a dairy-free "cream"- filled chocolate egg perfect for the Easter basket or Passover table. It breaks bounds in the dairy-free confection world in that it's the country's only vegan chocolate egg actually made with a creamy filling.

Those who no longer eat a diet with milk or egg products can now relive that traditional holiday treat from Easters past. This writer was able to try a taste, and the egg did not disappoint. The chocolate cream filling tasted sweet, airy and light; while the chocolate egg shell was dark and smooth as can be.

To even attempt to identify ALL of the new products unveiled at Expo West 2010 would be futile. Even so, we have gathered together as many relevant new product announcements as we could unearth from this mega natural food show, in addition to some new products we have recently received announcements about via email.

Please note that I am simply reporting about these new finds - I haven't sampled any of the following as of yet, nor are we affiliated with any of these companies. The links will take you to the corresponding company websites for more information. Now, read, enjoy, and perhaps discover a new food or two to add your next online or in-store grocery list ...

So Delicious Coconut Water Sorbet - As mentioned last week, this one was given a VegNews "Best of Show" award, so I am sure it is quite tasty. It is fat-free, made with organic coconut water, sweetened with fruit juice, and pictured above.

Though I could easily complain that Pacific Foods, maker of various milk alternatives, isn't exclusively dairy-free ... I will instead be grateful that they are one of the few companies that makes some rich and creamy soups sans dairy. In fact, they have four varieties to choose from (each in those generously sized 32oz containers) ... three of which I won't hesitate to buy again. The fourth ... well, it wasn't a fit for my family. Read on for my brief reviews on these four meal-worthy soups:

Pacific Foods Natural Spicy Black Bean Soup - This soup came in quite handy on a busy day when preparing lunch hadn’t even occurred to me. Fortunately, heat and serve is right up my husband’s alley when he is reaching that grumpy hunger stage, so he managed to prepare a bowl for himself in an instant. As for the taste, he certainly approved, and was in a much better mood following a nice bowl of this.

I took a little more time to prep my bowl, since I wasn’t quite as ravenous. This is a purely smooth and silky soup, not a bean or veggie chunk to be found. I loved the consistency actually; it was like a light cream rather than a starchy thick soup. But, I can never leave well enough alone. I sautéed three sweet carrots in 1 teaspoon of oil, then added the soup to heat, and served it up with some chopped avocado. The combination was delightful ...