Alisa Fleming ~ Vegan cookbooks have gained significant popularity over the years, enticing many major publishers to snatch up a few titles for their “special diet” collections. But for one premier publisher, plant-based books are the entire focus. Vegan Heritage Press is an independent book publishing company that was founded by Jon Robertson in 2007 to discover and publish quality vegan cookbooks and guides. Jon and staff are vegan themselves, all working to “change the world one cookbook at a time.”

Even before launching this all-vegan publishing company, Jon was no stranger to the world of vegan cookbooks. His wife, Robin Robertson, is a well-known vegan author and recipe creator with approximately 20 published cookbooks under her belt. Together, they bring decades of expertise to this growing niche.

I’ve been a fan of Vegan Heritage Press since its inception, and was pleased when Jon agreed to an informative Q&A session about VHP:

Alisa Fleming ~ Hain Celestial may not have been the first to market with almond milk, but they are leading the pack with other almond-based dairy alternatives. Thanks to the success of their recently released Almond Dream ice cream, Hain Celestial is set to launch a new almond milk-based yogurt.

Hain Celestial president Irwin Simon sees a "big growth opportunity" for dairy-free products (woohoo!). While speaking at the Barclays Back to School Consumer conference in Boston last week, Simon proclaimed their Almond Dream frozen desserts to be a "big winner," and said that their dairy-free Coconut Dream line was also a runaway success.

The new almond milk-based yogurt will fall under the Almond Dream brand, and will be marketed to those who are lactose intolerant, seeking non-dairy options, or looking to consume less dairy. Simon said that they will launch the new yogurt "very shortly," and to expect more non-dairy alternatives in the almond, rice, and coconut categories in the near future.

Clif Bar sent me a beautiful variety package of bars out of the blue. Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to be able to sample them in a timely manner (while still fresh!), so I sent the gift to my wonderful, bar-loving friend, Lori to review for all of you …

Lori Thomas ~ Clif bar has been around for a while, and during that time they have ventured from their simple line of energy bars to energy gels, electrolyte drinks, a woman’s bar, a kid’s bar, and even wine (?!). But through the twists and turns, they continue make a variety of foods that are free of trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup. Thank you. Thank you.

The various faces of Clif bar are targeted toward people with active lifestyles. Their Food Philosophy touched me deeply, as it summed up my very being of existence (not really but close!): “We’re a company that loves food. We love learning about food, cooking food, talking about food, and especially eating and sharing food.” Words to warm my heart. Anyway, Alisa sent me some lovely samples to try, eat, and review … so try, eat, and review is what I'm doing ...

There's a special deal on Living Social today. I just ordered one myself. For just $10 you will receive $20 worth of Groceries!!

Click the following link to order: $20 for $10 at Whole Foods Market