Alisa Fleming ~ If you frequent food blogs, then there is no doubt that you have seen the kale chip trend. Drizzle pieces of kale with oil, sprinkle with salt, then roast until crispy … surprisingly the result is not unlike potato chips! Of course, it is only a matter of time before food manufacturers pick up on a good idea, and this trend caught the eye of Blue Mountain Organics. They recently released their new line of Earth Chips (aka kale chips) in three super-powered flavors.

1. While I usually promote homemade as more nutritious than store-bought, Earth Chips could be an exception. Here are a few advantages they may have over homemade kale chips (besides not having to make them yourself!):
2. The people at Blue Mountain Organics are experts at creating “raw” snacks. Their Earth Chips are actually low-temperature dehydrated to preserve much of the nutrition (vitamins A, C, and K and minerals iron, manganese, and calcium … for example) that can be lost in higher temperature oven roasting. If you are like me, and do not own a dehydrator, then the Earth Chips win this round.
3. Earth Chips are made without added oils. I’m not that skilled as of yet … my homemade chippies do use some oil. Once again, I am impressed.

Earth Chips come in three scrumptious flavors, packing in even more nutrition from the rather virtuous added ingredients …

November, 2010 - So Nice, Canada's largest organic soy beverage brand, is pleased to announce the six independent judges of the So Nice "A Better Organic World" contest running on Facebook from August 16 to December 31, 2010.

Eligible entrants from Canada and the US are invited to answer in 300 words or less how they would spend $5,000 toward a better organic world. Throughout the Contest, members of the general public will be able to visit the Site and vote for their favorite sustainability ideas. Additionally, $1 savings offers are available to all participants.

On January 18, 2011, the 10 entries with the most votes, along with 10 entries selected by the Contest Sponsor Soyaworld, will be reviewed by the 6-person judging panel, who will award the Grand Prize of $5,000 to the selected entrant.

And in alphabetical order, the judges are …

Blogger conferences have become all the rage, and for good reason – it gives all of us the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals in real life (or IRL, according to the urban dictionary). And now, I have the pleasure of announcing the very first vegan bloggers annual conference to be held August 26-28th, 2011, Vida Vegan. 

The Vida Vegan conference will include an action-packed two and a half days of vegan food, workshops, discussion panels, speakers, special events, and of course, the opportunity to meet other vegan bloggers.

The early bird rate of $180 is available up until March (after March 1, 2011 the price will go up to $250), if the tickets last that long. As someone who has attended blog conferences of this length, I can say that this is a great price, so take advantage. Also, the conference is limited in the number of attendees, and they do tend to sell out!

For a taste of what’s in store …

Robin Robertson ~ Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can be stressful, but if you’re inviting relatives or friends to a meatless and dairy-free Thanksgiving, the stress can grow exponentially.  After 25 years of serving a vegan Thanksgiving dinner to non-vegan guests, I’ve learned a few things to appease extended family members who may be accustomed to a turkey on the table. 

In my experience, I’ve found that as long as the menu includes at least some familiar dishes, such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, it helps to quell the anxiety of relatives who may think they’ll starve if they can’t eat meat or dairy.  If you have some favorite family side dishes, you might want to include them in your menu to provide a familiar touchstone.  For example, stuffing and gravy are simple to make with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and mashed potatoes are just as delicious when made with Earth Balance instead of butter.

This year, my Thanksgiving menu comes from the pages of my new book, Party Vegan. We’ll begin with a rich and velvety Chestnut Bisque. The flavor of this satisfying soup says “Thanksgiving” almost as much as pumpkin pie.  For a main dish, there’s Buttercup Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Shiitakes, and Caramelized Leeks.  The buttercup squash has a deep orange-colored flesh and is especially sweet.  It also has a nice sized cavity in which to bake the stuffing.  Served with Pan Gravy, Roasted Autumn Vegetables, and Cranberry Chutney, it is a seasonal feast for all the senses.  For dessert, we’re having Pecan-Pumpkin Pie — it has all the goodness of pumpkin pie and pecan pie in one dessert to keep everyone happy.