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 …

Eugene, OR ~ Purely Decadent® Brings New Level of Taste to Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts ~ Turtle Mountain, makers of America's most popular dairy-free ice creams and frozen desserts, has again brought delicious innovation to consumers with its new line of Purely Decadent®; Ice Cream made with coconut milk. It features five flavors including classic favorites Vanilla Bean and Chocolate and truly decadent Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip and Coconut. All are made with organic coconut milk instead of dairy or soy milk and contain fewer calories, less sugar and less fat than most super-premium ice creams. All five flavors are also 100% gluten-free ... 

Alisa Fleming, www.GoDairyFree.org ~ Last week I set out on a mission to find the perfect scrambled tofu recipe, one worthy of stuffing in a delicious breakfast burrito (like the one I had tried from Amy's), but all seemed to call for an ingredient or two that I didn't have on hand or just didn't sound appealing.  Just when I had given up the search, Meatout Mondays emailed their recipe of the week ... Scrambled Tofu!  The recipe looked just right ... easy, using everyday pantry ingredients, an enticing flavor combination, and it was from .... Oprah?  Who knew that Oprah would be the best source for a dairy-free and vegan recipe?  Thanks to our good friends at Meatout Mondays for unearthing this fabulous recipe, which was presented on Oprah by Dr. Andrew Weil several years ago in a show featuring Recipes for Your Heart ...