Clinton, Michigan – EDEN® Organic Chilies is the selected winner of Grocery Headquarters’ 2010 Selling Wellness Trailblazer Award in the ‘Meal Maker’ category. The January 2010 issue of Grocery Headquarters magazine announces this award.

“Since 2006, Grocery Headquarters’ annual Trailblazer Awards have honored health and wellness companies that dare to stand apart and are true leaders in innovation,” writes Carole Radice, Selling Wellness editor. “This year, the staff judged 19 categories, considering factors such as taste profile, ingredients, packaging, and intrinsic health benefits.” Ms. Radice wrote this of Eden, “Known for its wide array of dry grocery, organic specialty food, Clinton, Michigan-based Eden Foods recently expanded its organic meal options with the addition of four meatless chilies: Black Bean & Quinoa, Great Northern & Barley, Kidney Bean & Kamut and Pinto Bean & Spelt. In addition to the whole grains, the chilies include Maitake and Shiitake mushrooms imported from Japan, 100% organic vegetables and spices.”

Our favorite lactose intolerant blogger, Steve Carper of Planet Lactose, is currently attending the National Institutes of Health state-of-the-science conference sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research. He will be updating Planet Lactose with the play by play and conference outcome, so be sure to check it out! You can also view the conference webcast at http://videocast.nih.gov.

Immediately following the conference, there will be a press telebriefing. Reporters will be welcome to call in for this on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 2:00 pm EST.

A brief summary of the conference scope, which is open to the public to attend, is as follows:

We received an interesting request from a viewer for a "live-out" private vegan chef. The job req is as follows:

"Immediate need for excellent vegan live-out private chef to cook full-time for small family in Baltimore, Maryland.  Must have prior experience cooking a variety of vegan meals.  Must also be vegan/vegetarian!  Must also help administrate the household - including running errands, paying bills, coordinating subcontractors for house maintenance.  Competitive salary!"

If interested, please contact Go Dairy Free with credentials.

I can honestly say that Liz Lovely makes some of the best jumbo cookies I have ever tasted, vegan or not. And last year when we had the opportunity to sample their new gluten-free cookies, it became obvious that special diets were no challenge for the Liz Lovely cookie baking team. I knew the gluten-free line was here to stay, but I certainly didn't expect it to grow in such leaps and bounds. The three cookies we trialed (Molasses Ginger, Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Fudge) are now labeled as the "Old School" collection, with three "Newbies" taking center stage ... Triple Chocolate Mint, Oatmeal Raisin, and Lemon Coconut.

And yes, these are gluten-free cookies made in a dedicated vegan facility; no dairy, eggs, or gluten, and my special diet friends, they are soy-free too (Note: The dark chocolate in the Triple Chocolate Mint does contain that little bit of soy lecithin). Head to the Liz Lovely website for a taste.