Can you believe it? The day is finally here … “Cheeses” that are not only dairy-free and vegan, but soy-free too! These food pioneers never cease to amaze me with their ever-increasing innovation. Yet, the most interesting part is that the products are improving as companies actually move backward in the evolutionary scale of production.

Take Ste. Martaen for example. Their new “cheeses” contain just purified water, agar (from algae), organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, spices, and citric acid. There aren’t any manufactured or overly-processed ingredients to attempt to mimic the taste and texture of cheese. But rather, they use whole food ingredients to simply create a good tasting, top quality product.

I had the opportunity to taste each of the five flavors from this up and coming vegan “cheese” maker, and it really was a delight. This is a solid cheese that shreds and slices beautifully. It is softer than a cheddar, and perhaps most comparable in thickness to fresh mozzarella ...

Chef Julie Morris of Navitas Naturals seems to have boundless ideas for incorporating superfoods into everyday recipes, and she is always happy to share them. Most recently, she was on a chia seed kick, creating an entire series of chia seed recipes. From this collection, I latched onto two of her jam (or "un-jam") recipes that contain not an ounce of added sugars and are super easy!

The first recipe is for a sweet Acai Berry Jam (pictured at left). Julie states, "This jam acts just like boysenberry preserves, yet is dense with nutrition, low in sugar, full of whole superfoods, and completely unprocessed. Featuring two all-star superfoods – acai and chia – it’s a fantastic way to sneak extra antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vital micronutrients into any diet." For some extra motivation, Julie created a demo video for this recipe. 

The second recipe is even simpler and quite versatile, as it can be mixed and matched with whatever fruits are in season! Both recipes are free of the top eight allergens plus they are gluten-free and vegan. If you are sensitive to coconut oil, feel free to substitute palm oil in the second recipe.

As mentioned last Friday, I have found a new love in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. But beyond the obviously wholesome collard greens recipe and balsamic roasted beets that I first trialed, there are some "healthified" dessert recipes in that book, which should not be ignored. I started with the Coconut Cashew Cookies, but since my husband is not a huge coconut fan and he likes his dessert on the sweeter side, I made a few modifications.

The resultant Maple Cashew Chocolate Chip Cookies have a unique but addictive flavor that is maple-rich. Once allowed too cool, they are very cohesive, particularly for gluten-free AND egg-free gems, yet they still have a nice thick, cookie dough-esque texture (not cake-like in the least bit!) that I simply adored. Like all recipes in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, these cookies are free from refined sugars, and made with "whole food" ingredients. Perhaps these might be a good gluten-free option for the Global Vegan Bake Sale. See the Recipe on One Frugal Foodie.

April 3, 2010 – New Organic Hempmilk is Creamier and has Milder Flavor, Added Calcium & More Culinary Versatility - Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils™ is proud to launch the new & improved Hemp Bliss Organic Hempmilk. The only organic hempmilk on the market, Hemp Bliss has a new milder and creamier taste, 25% calcium, and more culinary versatility.  Still free from common allergens, Hemp Bliss Organic Hempmilk is packed with nutrients like Omega-3 and Omega-6.
 
“The new Hemp Bliss is designed to appeal to a broader palate and to be a healthy alternative to dairy milk,” says President and co-founder Mike Fata.  “We added more calcium (25% of the daily recommended intake) and created a creamy, smooth, allergen-free alternative that has a mouth-feel similar to dairy milk,” notes Fata. “We also added organic hemp oil which provides Hemp Bliss with even more healthy Omega-3 and a creamier texture.” 
 
Consumer demand for non-dairy milk alternatives has been growing for many years due to concerns about dietary sensitivities as well as vegetarian preferences.  Hemp Bliss stands out from the herd of other non-dairy alternatives including soy, rice and almond because it has a strong nutrition profile, and it does not raise concerns regarding food sensitivities.