Ring in the first official day of summer with a festival celebrating the best produce season of the year!  Sure to offer many vegan (dairy / egg-free) foods, these are some fun outdoor events that almost anyone can enjoy ...

• June 18-22, Vegetarian Summerfest, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
• June 21, MAC Vegetarian Food Festival, Portland, Maine
• June 21, Richmond Vegetarian Festival, Richmond, Virginia
• June 21, Green Foods Festival, NYC, New York
• June 21, Cupcakefest, Rutherford, New Jersey

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ Just in case I wasn’t sure if summer had yet arrived, our thermometer hit triple digits this past weekend to provide a solid confirmation.  The warm (or should I say scorching) weather is here, meaning more time outside enjoying the sun.  Since this is a food focused blog, I feel no need to lecture on sunscreen and hats, I am sure you have been inundated with this topic elsewhere.  But when I found myself buzzing around town the other day, and the hunger bug hit, I reached in to discover a LUNA bar that had sadly become a melty mess.  The last thing I want to do is succumb to the junk food sold at pools, malls, and near the beaches simply because I am unprepared.  So, when I returned home I revamped my snack bowl for some quick items on the go. The following list offers some shelf-stable foods that promise to hold their shape and ward off heat-induced bacteria, you know, the ones that love that picnic potato salad!

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ For years I have repeatedly fielded the same question about dairy-free yogurt, "Is there a dairy-free, soy-free yogurt on the market?"  I have heard this inquiry so many times that I am sure my husband has heard me utter the response in my sleep, "Not to the best of my knowledge, but hopefully one will arrive soon!"  Well soon has arrived, and at last I can offer a suggestion or two that I am sure will please many.  Those wonderful people at Turtle Mountain ... you know them, the ones who have created dozens of delicious dairy-free frozen desserts, including a new coconut "ice cream" line ... are following up the release of their new line of soy-based yogurt with a line of coconut milk based yogurt.  That is correct, a dairy-free, soy-free yogurt available in six flavors.  More details can be read in the press release below ....

Gina Clowes, AllergyMoms ~ Disney has a well-earned reputation for accommodating special dietary needs. But there is still a little extra leg work needed on the part of Disney and the guests themselves. So we asked Joel Schaefer, Disney's Special Dietary Needs Manager, how to plan to dine safely at Walt Disney world. Here's what Joel shared with us this month ...

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ This recipe was a feature from Debra's Natural Gourmet newsletter.  Did I mention that Debra Stark makes and sells fabulous granola?  I digress.  Next to pizza, I think good old mac 'n cheese has to be the most missed food when following a dairy-free and gluten-free diet.  Yet this recipe gets Adam Stark's seal of approval, "Adam says that Anne has created a creamy, dairy- and gluten-free mac'n'cheese worthy of the original.  And the vegetables sneak in right under the radar.  A culinary feat!  Anne says she wings it with the veggies.  All quantities are approximate, and you should always use whatever's fresh and fun." ...