Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ National Waffle Day may fall in August, but a new special event has emerged to celebrate waffles that are free from dairy and eggs.  Whether you like them savory or sweet, this waffle celebration is open to you. The event founder, Dave Wheitner, had this to share, “We’re hosting Waffle Party 10 here in Pittsburgh on the afternoon/evening of May 24, 2008. We think it would be great if adventurous people in several other cities around the globe also threw vegan waffle parties on 5/24. This would promote more sustainable, healthier, compassionate eating in a fun way!” …

Hannah Kaminsky, Bittersweet ~ Scrambling to whip up a dessert for the Passover Seder tonight, there was barely enough time to figure out what to make, let alone actually make it. The solution came to me in the form of a gussied-up, single serve, plated version of my Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake, which can be found in my book, My Sweet Vegan. In this variation, I used a pan that would give me individual little squares to make each serving a bit more special, and I put the “topping” on the plate to act as a sauce. Still wanting to keep the same sort of pattern on top, I made little domes out of caramelized sugar to finish them off instead ...

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ The Fair Trade, Organic Chocolatier otherwise known as Sjaak’s, released a whole slue of wonderful new chocolates at Expo West.  The new range seems to capitalize on this year’s superfood and antioxidant theme with ingredients such as acai, ginger, almonds, and of course, the best “new” superfood of them all, dark chocolate.  Sjaak’s new products come in (almost) guilt-free, bite-sized portions, with the following varieties adding to their already extensive vegan (yep, no dairy) line-up:

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ Sitting right up in the number one spot of Dr. Perricone’s top 10 superfoods is a relative newcomer to the U.S. market, the açaí berry.  Harvested in Brazil, açaí pulp is rich in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), antioxidants, and fiber … and (I quote) “studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world!” Unfortunately, last time I checked, I couldn’t pick up a pint of these little wonder fruits at my local supermarket.  Luckily, companies like Bossa Nova are bottling açaí in the form of delicious juices for some energy on the go.  Unlike its juice competitors, Bossa Nova’s juices are ranked very high in antioxidants (tops on the ORAC scale), yet relatively low in sugars ...

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ As Passover quickly approaches the net is abuzz with kosher recipes, both innovative and traditional.  Yet none have been able to catch my eye as much as the ones from Levana Kirschenbaum.  Levana is the author of several cookbooks, including Levana Cooks Dairy-Free and Levana's Table: Kosher Cooking for Everyone, and she is a well-known chef in the NYC area, offering very popular cooking classes.  While I was inspired by Levana’s Sweet Potato Kugel recipe (sent out in her regular newsletter), I have latched onto a luscious recipe featured in one of her recent classes.  The class theme was “A Seder Feast,” and my recipe of choice (among the six incredible dishes) is the Chocolate Pecan Torte with Chocolate Glaze, which just happens to be gluten-free and dairy-free too! No more needs to be said, but the recipe of course …