A couple of weeks ago I stumbled acrosss a company called Vivapura. I was on the hunt for food grade cacao butter (for experimenting with homemade dairy-free chocolate), but I discovered so many temptations on this superfood site ... rich coconut creme in various flavors (chocolate, vanilla, and even confetti!), assorted superfruits, and of course, wonderfully raw nuts and nut butters.

After emailing them, Erika of Vivapura offered to share one of the recipe from the Vivapura blog that uses some of these delicious nuts, a simple yet luxurious Basil Red Pepper Spread ...

"For ages I have been obsessed with the combination of fresh red peppers and macadamia nuts. The first time I had this combination was in a dehydrated nut cheese from Pure Food & Wine. Since then I have made dips, dehydrated cheeses and crackers featuring these two ingredients ...

Q: Melinda – My son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy, does this mean he also needs to avoid eggs?

A: Alisa – Be sure to have your doctor clarify your son’s allergy. Is he allergic to milk specifically, or is he also allergic to eggs? In most cases, a dairy allergy refers to milk products only, though some doctors may still use prior terminology. Plus, it is not that uncommon to see a milk and egg allergy combination in kids.

Though frequently found in or near the dairy section of grocery stores, eggs are rarely considered a dairy food by modern definitions. In the past, the term “dairy” often encompassed both milk and eggs, but today they are recognized as separate foods. This is important since the nutritional make-up of eggs is very different from milk (including those allergenic proteins). Lumping the two together can cause confusion to both allergic and non-allergic individuals.

To clarify, both eggs and milk are animal byproducts, but when specifically asked, "Are eggs dairy?," my answer is "no." We define dairy more specifically as the byproduct of the mammary glands of mammals like cows or goats; or in other words, milk. Thus dairy would include any  milk or milk-based product (cheese, cream, butter, etc.).

We received an interesting request from a viewer for a "live-out" private vegan chef. The job req is as follows:

"Immediate need for excellent vegan live-out private chef to cook full-time for small family in Baltimore, Maryland.  Must have prior experience cooking a variety of vegan meals.  Must also be vegan/vegetarian!  Must also help administrate the household - including running errands, paying bills, coordinating subcontractors for house maintenance.  Competitive salary!"

If interested, please contact Go Dairy Free with credentials.

For most of my life, I could give or take chocolate. I was simply a vanilla person with little to no cravings for the cacao bean in any form. But when I got my first taste of a truly fudgy brownie, I was hooked and there was no turning back. These days I am still what I would call a chocolate "purist" in the loose sense of the word. Straight chocolate, fudge, and fudgy brownies are the only chocolate I graciously and eagerly accept .... but this acceptance has turned into a daily ritual. Yet, even after years of experimentation, my original Coconut Fudge Brownie recipe is still the favorite in this household. Of course, I welcome variations on this recipe, and was especially smitten by the one created at Altered Plates, which optionally uses one of my other loves, carob ...

“These brownies [recipe below] are inspired by the recipe for Coconut Fudge Brownies from the book by Alisa Marie Fleming, Go Dairy Free. The brownies are indeed fudgy and coconutty. I boosted the coconut factor a bit when I used some coconut flour in combination with whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Per usual, I substituted agave nectar for sugar and carob for chocolate. Overall, a mighty tasty brownie that can easily become a favorite of any coconut fan.”