Alisa Fleming ~ Several weeks ago, I received an email from the people at Manna Organics Bakery asking if I wanted to trial some of their Manna Sprouted Breads. Curious, I headed to their site to find out what exactly Manna bread is. They state that, “It is a cake-like, sprouted bread, yeast free bread, organic bread, free of salt, no oils, no sweeteners, no leavening agents. Manna is a moist and delicious, high in protein and fiber.” Intrigued, I agreed, with one stipulation, no rye varieties. We aren’t rye fans here. Hearty yes, rye no.

They listened, and what I received was four very, very dense loaves of rustic bread that included: Banana Walnut Hemp, Carrot Raisin, Fig Fennel, and Millet Rice. First, my initial sum-it-up review: I love it. This is a fantastic line of breads that takes wholesome to a new level.

Now, let’s get into the details …

Hannah Kaminsky ~ Cooking seasonally keeps things exciting; New produce to utilize and different flavors to play with. It gives the changing atmosphere much more purpose in my eyes, as every cold snap means another day to make a big pot of soup, and the fierce winds have me turning towards hot chocolate and chai.

The downside, of course, is the need to let go of those beloved warm-weather dishes that were like close friends only a few short weeks ago. For some people, this means that the ice cream maker will be evicted from its spot in the freezer for another half year, sentenced to defrost in the darkness of a kitchen cabinet. Well, if you ask me, that sort of behavior is just plain crazy, as I’m a firm believer in year-round ice cream enjoyment!

Besides, if you put away that machine now, you’ll miss out on some of the best flavors that this season has to offer: eggnog, candy cane, gingerbread, pumpkin spice… Put on a sweater and crank up the heat, because there’s no way the ice cream will stop churning out of my kitchen!

What do restaurants like Legal Sea Foods, P.F. Chang’s, Not Your Average Joe’s and Blue Ginger have in common? These chain and independent restaurants take great pride in accommodating diners with food allergies and intolerances by carefully implementing food allergy protocols and procedures.

“Dining out with food allergies can be frustrating and scary, but a growing number of restaurants are doing a terrific job of accommodating food-allergic guests, making the experience of dining out more comfortable and enjoyable,” said Paul Antico, founder of AllergyEats, an online source for finding allergy-friendly restaurants. “Restaurants like Legal Sea Foods and Clyde’s have high AllergyEats allergy-friendliness ratings because they’ve implemented a variety of safety procedures and policies around serving food-allergic guests. I applaud them for being so accommodating and progressive about this issue.”

While actual policies vary among restaurants, there are certain steps that the most allergy-friendly restaurants take to ensure they’re accommodating guests with dietary restrictions, including:

November 2011 - As a leader in the non-dairy beverage category, Pacific Natural Foods is responding to continued consumer demand for whole grains and Omega 3s as a way to improve their diets by adding a new, USDA organic, 7 Grain blend to its extensive line of non-dairy beverages.

Available in Original and Vanilla flavors, this combination of seven whole grains – oats, brown rice, triticale, wheat, barley, spelt and millet – truly exemplifies what nature has to offer by showcasing naturally occurring flavor, sweetness and nutrition from wholesome ingredients. The beverages are naturally sweetened from the grains and feature calcium, B vitamins and 500mg Omega 3 ALA from flax oil. Great for pouring over cereal, mixing into a smoothie or baking into recipes, 7 Grain is a delicious, nutrient-packed dairy alternative.

November 2011 - Good Karma Foods, creators of the first organic rice based ice cream, Organic Rice Divine, has introduced a breakthrough new line of completely dairy and lactose-free creamers offering delicious, nutritious and all-natural alternatives for those either following a restricted diet or simply yearning to embrace a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing the tastes they love.

In addition to being dairy and lactose free, Good Karma’s new creamers are vegan and are free of trans-fat and gluten.

A fresh new take on creamers, Good Karma’s new “first in industry” line includes three irresistible flavors: Original, French Vanilla and Hazelnut. Every bit as creamily delectable as they are beneficial, Good Karma’s new creamers offer exceptional taste, quality ingredients and a complete uniqueness in the marketplace today.

It is month two of the Attune Cooking Challenges Recipe Contest, and savory is the theme. My job was to come up with a savory recipe using one or more of the Attune line-up of organic and all natural cereal. At first, all I could think of were sweets! It is the holiday season after all. But once I switched my mind over to savories, the ideas started to flow. What I eventually ended up with was these delicious Curry Potato & Carrot Croquettes.

Post-Thanksgiving, recipes start floating around for mashed potato cakes. But why wait until after the holidays, and why not include some other flavorful vegetables? Pairing potatoes, carrots, and curry seemed like the ideal match, so I went with it. The result was beyond scrumptious - full of flavor, light sweetness from the carrots, crispy exterior, soft interior - perfect!

I created the recipe (which is of course dairy-free, but also egg-free, vegan, soy-free, and optionally gluten-free!) specifically for Attune (though it does use "everyday" ingredients - I promise!), so you can view it this month here on their blog. Click on over and tell me what you think!