Five years ago when I mentioned the word "vegan," I inevitably got the response, "What's that?" My how times have changed. Last week, I reported on roughly 20 new vegan books/cookbooks in the second quarter (that's April through June) of 2010 alone. The question is, how to choose? With so many vegan cookbooks out there, I make it my duty to do a trial run on as many of them as possible and report back to you ... hopefully with a sample recipe for you to trial.

Fortunately, with American Vegan Kitchen, all looks positive and tastes delicious. You can read my full review here, where I share photos and feedback on the Fettuccine Alfredo (so creamy!) and the Coconut 'Bacon' Bits (sheer genius!). And, when I asked if I could share a recipe with you, Vegan Heritage Press (the publisher) said, "Take your pick!" So generous. As I mentioned in my review, this cookbook is nouveau bistro meets greasy spoon diner. The classics with a twist, international influences, cravings satisfied, healthy options, indulgent splurge ... serious variety to choose from. Since it is summer, I went with a near classic recipe, Smokin’ BBQ Portobello Sandwiches ...

Here we are in week two of the summer reading series and I have two awesome vegan full-color dessert cookbooks to giveaway. Even if you already have one of these gems, they make beautiful full-color gifts for the holidays (is it ever to early to plan ahead?) …

Sweet Utopia: Simply Stunning Vegan Desserts
This full color cookbook from Sharon Valencik won over a foodie friend and avid vegan baker who writes reviews for Go Dairy Free. She was immediately pleased with the beautiful photography and the easy-to-follow recipes, but hooked after sampling some of the near perfect cookie recipes. Of course, this cookbook doesn’t stop with cookies … cakes, pies, muffins, cobblers, bread pudding, and more can all be found within.

Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook is still available in paperback from various online retailers, but we have turned our attentions to the digital world for some much needed upgrades. The Kindle edition of Go Dairy Free has received a formatting makeover to make it more compatible with the Kindle reader. Plus, thanks to some changes with Amazon, we have been able to reduce the price to make it an incredible value. The Kindle edition of Go Dairy Free is now available for just $9.99!

To match this for PC users, we are also lowering the price on our PDF eBook to $9.99. Yes, all current electronic versions of Go Dairy Free are now just $9.99 and can be downloaded and viewed anywhere in the world instantly. For those who do not have a Kindle, the Go Dairy Free PDF eBook is fully formatted and virtually identical to the printed version. It also includes active links to useful websites and information within the text, and can be downloaded to your desktop within seconds of purchase for immediate use. The eBook can be purchased via credit card or Paypal account.

How much calcium we really need is a topic for another day. The fact of the matter is, many people are in hot pursuit of calcium, and they fear that a milk-free diet will leave them void. A recent article from Care2Health proclaimed that in terms of calcium, “Collard Greens Have More than Milk.” So is this true? Could greens actually be a good bone-building source? Yes and no, and yes. Let me explain.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 1 cup of collard greens contains 357 mg of calcium versus 306 mg of calcium in dairy milk. But the article fails to mention that this is 1 cup of cooked collards (nor do they mention the weight of their 1 cup). That is a lot of green for anyone to choke down, considering an entire bunch of collard green leaves can widdle down to 1/2 cup once cooked. So it may not be realistic for many people to expect to consume that much calcium from collard greens. Also the reports of “how much” calcium seem to vary widely. The USDA nutrition database states that 1 cup of cooked collards (weighing in at 190 grams or 6.7 ounces) contains 266mg of calcium, while 1 cup of raw collards (weighing in at 36 grams or 1.3 ounces) contains 52mg of calcium.