Gourmet Gift Baskets: What’s in a Name?
Today I’ve been thinking about words, more precisely, the words we used to name our gift baskets when we were designing our new website around this time last year. The question back then was, how do we convey the essence of a complex item like a gourmet coffee gift baskets in one or two words? 
What follows here are the names of our five gift baskets along with my own personal description of each one. I think we did a pretty good job.
The smallest of our gift basket we named Classic Elegance. With an elegant selection of a few classic products, it says “Thank You” or “Congratulations” without breaking the bank. The Sweet Desires and the Office Party baskets were next. I imagine the Sweet Desires basket as being just right for a romantic weekend. A sweet selection of our premium treats, it’s the perfect way to say “I love you.” 
The Office Party was the most fun to name. We designed this gourmet coffee gift basket with an office holiday party in mind. It includes larger portions of several of our classic products, and a 12oz bag of our organic, fair-trade coffee, or course. The Decadent Bliss Gift Basket is a truly decadent selection of basically all our favorite things in the world, while the Ultimate Nirvana is an absolute cascade of amazing deliciousness that will send its recipient straight to chocolate-lover’s heaven.
If you’ve received any of these baskets, or even if you’ve just looked at the pictures, we’d love to know how you would name them. 
Chocolate + Cinnamon + Coffee = Brownie Heaven
When I was a kid, my favorite treat at our local coffee shop was their delicious Mexican hot chocolate. Although they long ago stopped serving it, I can still remember the deliciously rich combination of chocolate, cinnamon and mysterious other spices. 
Thanks to Allison, I’ve finally found that perfect flavor combination once again in her (Wheat-Free) Mexican Chocolate Brownies available starting next week. Allison uses the most amazing ceylon cinnamon I’ve ever experienced plus premium, organic fair-trade coffee to give these luscious wheat-free brownies an exciting south-of-the-border flair.
Other highlights in October include our divine Walnut Fudge and sensational (Wheat-Free) Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.
Gift Sets: Perfect Treats, All Wrapped Up
Our gourmet gift sets have been gaining popularity recently, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Deliciously decadent without being junk food, and elegant but not overwhelming, these Gift Sets make excellent fair-trade gifts to express your love and appreciation for friends, loved ones and colleagues. 
Besides the obvious Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set, we also offer a Classic Vanilla Lover’s Gift Set for those with more traditional tastes. For the more adventurous types, try the exciting Spice Lover’s Gift Set.
Other luscious fair-trade gifts for you to choose from include Organic Tea, Coffee and Drinking Chocolate Samplers.
Monday Yumday: Meatloaf Remixed
I was never a big fan of meatloaf growing up, but I decided to give it a second chance with this meat-free recipe. I used crimini mushrooms and store bought breadcrumbs, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. The end result was a hearty, filling meatloaf that I would definitely make again. With gravy on top, this meatloaf would be a wonderful option for Thanksgiving dinner. I’m sure the leftovers are even better!
Meatloaf Remixed
from ‘Veganize It!’ in VegNews Magazine
by Allison Rivers Samson
Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons tamari, divided
1 tablespoon dark agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons garlic, minced and divided
1/4 cup vegan margarine, divided
1 cup onion, chopped and divided
1 cup portobello mushrooms, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked French lentils
1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small loaf pan with paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of tamari, agave, liquid smoke, and 1 tablespoon garlic. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons margarine and 1/2 cup onions. Saute 5 minutes. Add the portobello mushrooms, and saute for 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons margarine to the skillet and saute the celery, carrot, remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, salt, and pepper over low heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. In a food processor, pulse the rice and lentils 10 times, then transfer to a large bowl. In the food processor, pulse cooked vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, remaining tablespoons tamari, mustard, parsley, arrowroot, and 1/3 cup of tomato topping 10 times, then add vegetable mixture to rice and lentils. Fold in reserved sauteed onions and mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and the 1/2 cup chopped onion.
4. Press half of the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread the top with half of the tomato topping. Then, press the rest of the mixture into the pan, and coat with the reaming tomato topping. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes until top is browned. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Check out more of Allison’s recipes on our website, here. If you make any of Allison’s recipes we’d love to see some pics, so feel free to post them to our Facebook or Twitter pages!
You Don’t Have to Take Our Word For It…
We know our treats are out-of-this-world amazing, but it would be easy for you to think that we’re a little bit biased on that point. So, if you’re looking for some outside opinions, here’s a re-cap of some of the activity in the blogging world over the past couple of weeks. Our vegan gift basket was the talk of the staff in VegNews Magazine‘s blog This Just In. In fact, the VegNews editors liked our (Wheat-Free) Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies so much that they were featured on the VegNews homepage as This Week’s Must-Have. Thanks to everyone at our favorite magazine for all you do to make the veg lifestyle fun, easy and accessible.
Elsewhere, our Butterscotch Pecan Cookies were highlighted as part of the Ultimate College Care Package in the blog Bohemian Vegan, and our friend and guest-blogger Jessica from Bites and Pieces tried her hand at Allison’s “Veganize It!” recipe for Mac ‘n’ Cheese. To see the tantalizing results check out last week’s Monday Yumday post.
Are you making Allison’s recipes or devouring our delectable goodies? We’d love to hear about it. Post your reviews and photos to our Facebook or Twitter pages and share the love!
Flavors Come and Flavors Go…
We’ve had several requests lately from clients wishing to order product that no longer appear on our website. To clarify this confusion I’ll explain. Each month we feature a new monthly flavor of vegan brownies, cookies and fudge. These monthly flavors are shipped automatically to our monthly club members, and available on our website through their month and for some period of time beyond. 
Eventually, however, these flavors will become unavailable, as we fill the bakery schedule with making the next months’ flavors.
You may also notice that included in the monthly flavors rotation are several classic flavors of vegan fudge, cookies and brownies that we do keep available year-round like Walnut Fudge, (Wheat-Free) Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, and (Wheat-Free) Half Original/Half Pecan Brownies.
So, if you missed a monthly flavor you were excited about, don’t fret. Each new month brings more exciting flavors to our website and your doorstep. October, for example, will be ushering in (Wheat-Free) Mexican Chocolate Brownies. Plus, our monthly flavors stay the same each year, so if you missed it this year, mark your calendar and order it in 2011.
Heavenly Peanut Butter Cups
With all the excitement of monthly clubs and new flavors becoming available each month, I spend a lot of time here talking about our artisan bakery products. 
One could almost forget that some of our most delectable and popular products are actually chocolates and confections like our vegan peanut butter cups. Now, if you haven’t experienced these chocolates yet, order some and you’ll be in for a treat. The luscious, salty-sweet peanut butter center is perfectly enveloped in rich organic dark chocolate. A completely decadent, ultimately satisfying treat that is best enjoyed slowly, with attention to all the sweet details. If bakery items aren’t your thing, our vegan peanut butter cups are calling your name.
Cocoa Love
I was in the bakery yesterday while Jada was making a batch of our Classic Drinking Chocolate mix. The smell of organic, fair-trade chocolate blended with just the right amount of vanilla was positively heavenly. 
Although the cocoa powder in the air did make me want to sneeze, it also made we want to go right home, make a cup of rich hot cocoa, curl up with a book and wait for the first snow. I know it’s early, but that’s what cocoa always makes me think of. But, if it’s still warm in your part of the country, try our drinking chocolate in an iced mocha or as cold chocolate milk. For an extra-special treat, get a taste of our Peppermint Drinking Chocolate and prepare to fall in love.
Monday Yumday: Za Za Ziti
I have always loved baked ziti, but for some reason I have never thought to make a vegan version of it. When I tried this recipe, I was completely blown away by the rich creaminess of two “cheeses” and the flavorful tomato sauce.
I followed the recipe almost exactly, but ended up using whole wheat rotini instead of ziti. I also used fresh rosemary instead of dried, since I had an abundance of it from my garden. Even with my minor substitutions, this is a delicious baked ziti dish that will be sure to impress. Give it a try!
Za Za Ziti
from ‘Veganize It!’ in VegNews Magazine
by Allison Rivers Samson
Ingredients:
For the pasta:
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
12 ounces ziti
For the tomato sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
For the ricotta:
1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked in water for a minimum of four hours
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the cashew cream:
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced and divided
Method:
1. To prepare the pasta, in a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add ziti and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. To prepare the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and onion, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic, oregano, basil, and rosemary. Reduce heat to low. Add tomatoes and cover loosely. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and cook for another 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, add soaked macadamia nuts, water, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Puree for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and puree another minute. Repeat until ricotta is light and fluffy. Set aside.
4. To prepare cashew cream, in a blender, add cashews and grind into a fine powder. Add dill, salt, lemon juice, water, and rice vinegar, and process until completely smooth.
5. In a large bowl, toss ziti with marinara sauce and 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley. Gently stir in ricotta, leaving small chunks. Swirl in cashew cream and pour into a deep 9×13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley.
Check out more of Allison’s recipes on our website, here. If you make any of Allison’s recipes we’d love to see some pics, so feel free to post them to our Facebook or Twitter pages!
