We Have a Winner for Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s Books!
Wow! You all shared beautiful stories of spreading compassion, so it truly was a tough decision. We did the hard work though, and selected our winner, Kathie, who said that she’d keep Vegan’s Daily Companion and share The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. “I would not actually give the book away. I would rotate it around and let people borrow it and when they are done give it back to me so I could pass it on.” 
Kathie came up with this idea to share the book with many people because “some friends and some family think that vegan food cannot taste good and it would be too hard, yet all are to an extent, animal lovers (except eating them!).” Thanks, Kathie, we love your idea to pass around the compassionate wisdom.
We enjoyed reading all your sweet and inspirational stories of family and friends moving towards veganism with your help and support. Many of you seem to agree that the best way to nudge someone along their path to healthier eating is to share excellent vegan goodies.
In case you don’t have time or inclination to make your own vegan Valentine’s Day sweets, let us support you. Like many holidays, Valentine’s Day has a tendency to creep up on us. Believe it or not, the time is now to order vegan Valentine’s Day chocolate gifts for delivery in time for February 14th. We’re ready to help you grant all your sweethearts’ sweet desires!
Giveaway Winner for: Hannah Kaminsky’s Book, “Vegan Desserts!”
We had a lively discussion and tantalizing meringue dessert ideas entered in the contest to win Hannah Kaminsky’s new book, “Vegan Desserts.” Thank you to everyone who entered!
Congratulations to Esther of the blog, A, B, C, Vegan, who was randomly selected as the lucky winner of this Giveaway! We hope she’ll enjoy making those meringue cookies she mentioned and maybe some of Hannah’s other recipes too. When you do, Esther, please share some photos with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
Visit us tomorrow for another Fridays with Friends interview. Happy holiday baking!
On Winning, Winners and Monster Candy
It’s always refreshing to know that you’re appreciated. Allison felt a big rush of that this week as she learned that her 
“Veganize It!” column was the winner of the VegNews award for best column! If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a deliciously fun way to learn how to turn non-veg recipes into scrumptious vegan meals. And, the recipes are so easy and malleable that our two Vegan MoFo bloggers are tweaking them all month long. You can read the latest from Julia and Heather on Mondays and throughout the week on Facebook and Twitter.
This week we also announced the winners to our first-ever Tee and Tote Design Contest! Congratulations to our Grand Prize 
winner Erika Themaras, our 2nd prize winner Jonathan Day and our third place winners—it was a tie—Karen Rosenstein and Devin St. Clair! All the entries were inspired and creative and we loved getting to know all of the artists. We hope you love the designs as much as we do, and we look forward to more contests in the future.
Speaking of the future, Halloween is right around the corner, and we’ve got a special batch of hard caramels that just melt in your mouth in four yumtastic 
flavors: vanilla, mocha, chocolate and butterscotch pecan. The creamy organic vegan goo is perfect for any ghouls, goblins and monsters who prefer healthy treats in a scary world. Until next time!
And the Winners Are…
Our Tee and Tote Design Contest was a great success with the entry of many beautiful and creative designs. 
In the end the final challenging decision was left to our judges and myself, and after painstaking deliberations, I am very excited to announce these winners…
It was a tie for third place among all the judges, so instead of having to choose between these two elegant designs, I decided to award two third-place prizes:
Karen Rosenstein (above) and Devin St Clair (right) will each receive a 3-month brownie, fudge or cookie of the month club membership from AG, plus a year’s subscription to VegNews Magazine so they can stay current on affairs of the veg world and always have access to my latest VeganizeIt! recipe.
The second place prize goes to Jonathan Day. 
We especially love his “A” inspired logo design (left). He will enjoy a 6-month monthly club membership, 6 containers of his favorite So Delicious Dairy Free ice cream, and an autographed copy of Kathy Freston‘s new book “Veganist.”
And finally, the grand prize of $500 cash and a 3-month Allison’s Gourmet monthly club membership goes to Erika Themaras for her gorgeous logo design. I especially love her “Sustainably Sweet” tag line.
Congratulations to Erika, Jonathan, Devin and Karen!
Congratulations are also in order for Jessica Campbell, Heather Cox, Adam Youngers, Ashley Blodgett, Colin Redmon, and Brooke Parker whose designs made the final 10 after public voting. You will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Allison’s Gourmet as my way of saying thank you for submitting your work.
A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this contest such a success!
BREAKING NEWS: “VeganizeIt!” Wins 2011 Veggie Award!
Some very exciting news has just come our way from VegNews: Allison’s “VeganizeIt!” column has won the 2011 Veggie Award for Favorite Column! 
We’re so thrilled and excited. Allison sends a great big “thank you!” to all our fans who love her recipes and voted for her column.
If you haven’t yet experienced one of Allison’s super-delish vegan versions of traditional comfort foods, you’re in for a treat. We’re heading into winter, when most people tend to crave those rich, warming foods most, so this is the perfect time of year to try her classics 
like creamy vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese and hearty Shepherd’s Pie.
It just so happens that two wonderful bloggers are in the process of cooking their way through the complete collection of “VeganizeIt!” recipes this month as part of Vegan MoFo. So, you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out Better with Veggies and Snarky Vegan for their spins on Allison’s recipes including time-saving tips and alternative substitutions.
If you make any of Allison’s savory recipes yourself, we’d love to see pictures and hear about your experience here or on Facebook or Twitter.
Thanks again for making “VeganizeIt!” your Favorite VegNews Column. We all love Allison’s sweets, but she also has a savory side and one of her great joys is getting to share her love of vegan comfort food with the VegNews audience. Yippee!
4 Reasons This Week Made Us Extra Proud to Be Vegan
If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been asking some questions over on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to all who answer—it’s so great to 
get to know you better! And the verdicts are in—you all definitely love pancakes and French toast pretty much evenly across the board as long as they’re vegan. The same goes for chai and hot chocolate, too. Good choices indeed!
Thanks for the nice shout out from Shae Thompson on Facebook who enjoyed our fudge. Feedback keeps us pressing on to bring you the best products and service!
We were moved to tears by the story that broke last week about the chimps at Chimpanzee Sanctuary NorthWest in Cle Elum, WA, who had spent their entire lives in laboratories and finally got to experience some increased freedom. It’s a reminder of why we do what we do and that there’s no reason to ever give up hope that all animals will someday enjoy happy endings like this one.
Public voting ends today for our first-ever Tee and Tote Design Contest! Thanks to all the contestants and voters! Next phase is the ten designs that received the most votes go to our incredible panel of judges who will select the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners, which we’ll announce next week! Good luck to all the contestants and thanks to everyone for supporting us.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Tee and Tote Design Contest Public Voting Starts Today!
Congratulations to all of you who submitted your designs to Allison’s first-ever Tee and Tote Design Contest! It has been an exciting process for us here to watch the sweet creativity flow in over the last six weeks!
Now the time has come for Phase One of the voting process. Beginning today, you can vote for your favorite designs once every 24 hours until September 30th. Your votes are so important! They will help us narrow down the entries to the top ten designs that will then be voted on by Allison and our dream team panel of judges to determine the winners.
The Grand Prize winner receives $500 cash and a 3-month membership of Allison’s Gourmet goodies; the Second Prize winner will receive a 6-month membership of Allison’s Gourmet treats, 6 containers of So Delicious Dairy Free Ice Cream and an autographed copy of Kathy Freston’s book, Veganist; and the 3rd Prize winner will receive a 3-month membership of Allison’s Gourmet goodies plus a 1-year subscription to VegNews Magazine!
Good luck to our entrants and a BIG thanks to our panel of judges: Gene Baur from Farm Sanctuary, Nathan Runkle from Mercy for Animals, Colleen Holland from VegNews, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart from Vaute Couture, Troy Farmer and Katie Frichtel from Raven + Crow Studio and Chloé Jo Davis from GirlieGirl Army.
So whether you submitted a design or just have a great eye for aesthetics, we hope you’ll get clicking, spread the word on Facebook and Twitter, and help us determine this contest’s winners!
Exciting New Improvements
Every spring I get this mental image of summer in my mind: the long, lazy days, swimming and tanning and backyard barbecues… Truth be told, I haven’t had one of those stereotypical summers since junior high, ah nostalgia. But, here at Allison’s, I’ve been enjoying my busier-than-planned summer none the less. The deadline for submissions to our Tee and Tote Design Contest is drawing near and it’s fascinating to watch all the wonderful designs rolling in! Meanwhile, in the kitchen, we’ve acquired some new equipment, we’re testing some new recipes, and, believe it or not, we’re already gearing up for the holidays!
In case you’re wondering where most of our vegan chocolates have disappeared to this summer, we took a break from some of our chocolate production (while it’s really too hot to ship chocolate gifts safely anyway) and we’ve been using the time to test a few new chocolate recipes. We recently acquired a new tempering machine for our chocolate production that has helped to stoke Allison’s creative fire. Last week we even did a test of something very special, which isn’t quite right yet so I can’t say much, but was pretty exhilarating anyway.
Our vegan fudge has been the “hot” seller for the last couple of weeks, especially in the form of Fudge of the Month Clubs. Our clubs keep your sweets pantry stocked, make gift-giving easy, plus they have the added bonus of giving you a discount on everything you order as long as your membership is active. With amazing flavors like Apple Pie and Peppermint Velvet, what’s not to love?
While doing some “summer cleaning” we also discovered that we had a backlog of your love letters that we’re finally getting around to publishing in the form of product reviews on our website. Have you tried our goodies recently? You, too, could be among our famous fans. Tell us what you think below, or on our Contact Us, Facebook or Twitter pages. We’d love to hear from you (and if you include a picture of yourself, we’ll be especially grateful)! 
Friday with Friends: Chloé Jo Davis
Beyond being named one of the “Hottest Jews in the World,” by HEEB Magazine, Chloé Jo Davis is a bona fide green, vegan vixen. The editor-in-chief of The GirlieGirl Army, a green guide to glamazon living that boasts 12 years of archives and a fan base that includes major celebrities and many thousands of readers, you may also have seen Chloé as celebrity dirt’s host on RiverWired and in an Errol Morris-directed national commercial for Silk Soy Milk. An activist, writer, green expert, animal rescue warrior, radio host, online personality and ethical fashion expert, she’s also one of the celebrity judges for our Tee and Tote Design Contest happening right now. Chloé told all about motherhood (her son, Panther Britain, was born April 15th, 2010), glamazon living and her favorite vegan foods in a recent interview with Allison’s Gourmet.
Allison’s Gourmet: What items are always on your grocery shopping list aka the foods you could NEVER live without? And has anything food-wise changed since the birth of your vegan son, Panther?
Chloé Jo Davis: I was mainly raw prior to having Panther. Post birthing (and attachment parenting parents who breastfeed will totally get this) we still haven’t slept, so carbs are how I get through the day. I wish I could say I was exclusively green juice and kale chips… but I’m more like green juice, kale chips, roasted potatoes, corn, fresh coconut waters, kombuchas, 
Israeli pickles, cous cous, vegan jerky, vegan sushi, guac, roasted chestnuts, really well marinated tempeh or tofu, white sweet potatoes, avocados, hummus (homemade, of course! hint: a spice called za’atar changes the game), and obsessed with all fresh fruits and veggies, particularly those on the more exotic side. I live on jicama, and I’m mainly a salty gal. I love crackers and a good pretzel! I just love food. I could (and often do) eat 24 hours a day. Plus I cook a lot and I live in NYC, home to a billion vegan restaurants! I don’t stop with the eating. Goddess bless my appetite (shouldn’t we all applaud women who can EAT more? I’m so done applauding women who are proud to have eaten nothing but a side salad all day!)
AG: Your web site, www.GirlieGirlArmy.com spans the gamut with content, covering everything from travel to shopping. Which veg-friendly city is next on your list? What would you pack for the trip?
CJD: We just missed a family gathering in Israel, which I’m bummed about because the produce in Israel is next level, just the best. Between that and the falafel, do you really need anything else?! But Panther is too wild for long plane rides right now. The kid is a daredevil… he never ever stop! We’re planning on visiting our friends at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and Farm Sanctuary in September… but those aren’t exactly in large cities!
So, next real trip will be in October to the World Peace Yoga Jubilee which I have to say, is one of the most special, wonderful events I’ve ever been to. It’s held outside of Cincinnati and it’s the only all-vegan yoga conference that I’ve ever heard of… but it’s so beyond that. The food is sensational, the people beautiful (in and out) and the energy just quite magical. I highly recommend it! Oh, and me and my gf Alex Jamieson will be speaking again on a panel with some genius ethical icons. Lucky us! What will I pack? Probably a bunch of yoga clothes and a few good outfits that I’ll end up getting from one of my legendary clothing swaps. And I never leave home without a pair of OlsenHaus and Cri de Coeur heels.
AG: What’s your favorite summer recipe to share?
CJD: I don’t think you can beat a massive summer salad with fresh corn, chickpeas, berries, dandelion and spinach greens and tons of good olives and a really fresh crusty ciabatta (clearly, I’m not gluten-free though I find it an interesting next potential step!) and then a homemade sorbet (two minutes to make!) in your blender. 
I also grill tons of vegan sausages and make big stir fries with whatever is fresh and organic. You can’t beat Bragg Liquid Aminos, nutritional yeast, and some cracked pepper with ANY veg.
AG: What other vegan sites do you visit on a regular basis?
CJD: Yours, because it’s beautiful and I heart you. I have too many favorites to list, but the gist is – if I write about them on GGA, I mostly likely regularly visit them!
AG: You’ve been featured as an eco-beauty expert. What are some of your favorite finds?
CJD: Oy vey… too much pressure! It’s my job to discover the green and fabulous, so I’m up to my shnozz in favorites. But here are a few:
- Soy nail polish remover
– non toxic, vegan – and perfect to byor (bring your own remover) when hitting up the mani-pedi spot. - Heart of Darkness Shoes – love that my girls at Cri De Coeur launched a sub line which is more affordable for those of us on a budget, but still kept the amazingly cool and gorgeous design that we go to them for.
- Sugar-based Hairspray – it’s a revolution. It works and it doesn’t stink or give you cancer. Halle-fricking-lullah!
- Dalia Gowns – it’s not easy to find black tie worthy gowns that aren’t made from silk. Dalia MacPhee designs gorgeous and vegan gowns for us silk-free ladies.
- Tata Harper skin care line – the face oils are special. You notice a difference in your skin immediately.
AG: What’s your favorite Allison’s Gourmet product? Any product suggestions?
CJD: I’m not a big chocolate gal, though my husband Jeremy is. I tend to buy him your organic brownies, while your vegan toffee and peanut brittle blow me away. Seriously, how dare you. Generally though, I’m more of a tart tartin kinda gal, what about some more fruity confections – maybe with less white sugars and more dates for sweetness? Dare to dream! 
I’m loving baking with puréed dates lately!
Want to hear more from Chloé Jo? Check her out on Twitter and Facebook and at her blog: GirlieGirlArmy.com.
Weekly Wrap-up: Living La Vida Vegan Con, Prizes, Contests and the Party of the Summer!
And so another perfect August winds itself down to memories and photographs…but we’re actually really looking forward to the September just ahead. While Allison is up in Portland getting super inspired at the first Vida Vegan Conference, we’re holding it down here, with lots going on!
There’s still a week to vote in the VegNews Veggie Awards. You can qualify to win lots of great prizes by voting for your favorite brands. We’re nominated in three awesome categories: Best online bakery, best candy, and best column (Allison’s awesome “Veganize It!”).
You also still have plenty of time to get your Tee and Tote Design Contest entry submissions in before the first round of voting begins on September 16th. We are amazed at what’s already been submitted and can’t wait to receive your entries! Winner gets $500 and lots of sweet treats. Feel free to spread the word and join in the sweet talk on our Facebook page and on Twitter.
And if you’ve got Labor Day parties planned, now is a great time to order to 
have enough cookies, fudge or brownies on hand to make just one more special summer memory that lasts.
