Monthly Clubs, Baskets and Samplers, Oh My!
If you’re anything like me, each new month here at Allison’s brings new cravings for all the marvelous new monthly flavors. 
Even if you’re not a monthly club member, there are several ways to get your hands on an awesome selection of our vegan baked goods. Several of our vegan gift baskets include a variety of cookie flavors, and for even more variety our Decadent Bliss and Ultimate Nirvana vegan gift baskets also include a baker’s choice selection of our vegan fudge and heavenly brownies. Our Just Cookies, Baker’s Choice and Baker’s Choice Ultimate Samplers also offer a variety of cookie flavors for your sampling pleasure as well as different sizes of original and pecan brownies to satisfy your chocolate-tooth. So, stop craving and start enjoying all the flavors of these pure, compassionate treats.
Monthly Clubs in the Mail Today
September’s monthly club orders of vegan brownies, cookies and fudge are in the mail today and will be arriving on club members’ doorsteps later in the week. If you’re reading this and wishing that vegan brownies were going to be arriving on your doorstep this week, a monthly club could be in your future. Quick and easy to sign up for, our monthly clubs automatically deliver delicious vegan sweets to you or someone you love, every month, hassle-free. Check it out!
Monthly Clubs Shipping Next Week
It’s the first week of a new month, which means that many of you are probably starting to wonder when your brownie, fudge, and cookie of the month clubs are going to arrive. Because the first of this month fell on Wednesday, and we have a long holiday weekend coming up, your fudge, brownie, and cookie of the month clubs will ship next week, on Tuesday, Sept. 7th for delivery on or around Thursday, Sept. 9th. With delicious flavors like (Wheat-Free) Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and Butterscotch Pecan Fudge, we know they’ll be worth the wait. 
Veggie Awards: Last Day to Vote!
You’ve had a month, and we’ve been blogging about it almost daily, so for all you procrastinators out there, here is your final chance: 
Voting for the 2010 VegNews Veggie Awards ends today. This is your last day to vote, and we’d love it if you would. It’s quick and easy, plus you’re automatically entered to win awesome vegan prizes. Look for Allison’s Gourmet nominated under Favorite Vegan Bakery (Online), Favorite Vegan Cookie Company, Favorite Vegan Chocolate, and Favorite Column – Allison’s own “Veganize It!”
To all our fans who’ve already voted, and to everyone who votes today, “Thank You!” We appreciate your support. Need an extra incentive to vote? All submissions will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing to win insanely fabulous prizes including:
Grand Prize: GLOBAL GETAWAY
Take the trip of a lifetime with a coveted spot on a VegNews Vacation™ of your choosing!
First Prize: YEAR SUPPLY OF DAIYA CHEESE
Melty, delicious Daiya vegan cheese has revolutionized kitchens across the country. Sporting fantastic cheddar and mozzarella flavors, it’s perfect for everything from pizza to the ultimate grilled cheese. (one winner)
Second Prize: VEGAN MARSHMALLOW SMORGASBORD
Revel in the ultimate dessert collection, thanks to the marshmallow masterminds at Sweet & Sara. In addition to all their mouthwatering marshmallow varieties, you’ll also receive Sweet & Sara’s nostalgia-inducing Original S’mores and Peanut Butter S’mores, incredible Rocky Road Bark, cocoa-ready mini marshmallows, and rice crispy treats. (two winners)
Third Prize: VEG COOKBOOK COLLECTION
Stock your recipe arsenal with five of Robin Robertson’s amazing cookbooks, including signed copies of Quick Fix Vegetarian, Vegan Fire and Spice, 1,000 Vegan Recipes, Vegan on the Cheap, and Party Vegan. (three winners)
Plus, Weekly Giveaways! TOFU PRESS KITCHEN TOOL
Be prepared for the TofuXpress to change your life. This easy-to-use, fast-working kitchen tool takes the trouble out of tofu, resulting in a perfectly pressed product that absorbs sauces, seasonings, and marinades with ease. From pesto tofu scramble to sesame-ginger cutlets, you’ll love this simple but life-saving counter-top companion! (five winners)
The Details: Ballots must include identifying information and be at least 50% complete to qualify for prizes. Entries must be received between August 2 and August 31, 2010. Nominees are based on the people, places, and products receiving the most votes in the 2009 Veggie Awards as well as nominations made by VegNews editors, and we encourage you to submit write-in votes. Happy voting!
Favorite Vegan Chocolate!? Who Can Pick Just One?
If you’ve already voted in the 2010 Veggie Awards I’d like to say “Thank You” for participating in the largest survey of vegan products, places and people in the world! 
We’re nominated in several categories, and if you read this blog with any regularity, you’ll know them by heart by now. I know I’ve been writing about this a lot, but since there are only a few more days left to vote, I just want to say a couple of things about our nomination for Favorite Vegan Chocolate.
First, I’d like to giggle at the slightly ridiculous nature of this category. I mean, it’s chocolate, do we really need to pick a favorite? Seriously though, our competition in this category is pretty steep; when you vote you’ll no doubt notice some big-name chocolate companies on the list. 
However, even if picking your favorite chocolate is like picking your favorite child, there are some wonderful reasons to vote for Allison’s Gourmet, not least of which is the wide variety of vegan chocolates we offer. Whether your favorite is our peanut butter cups, peppermint creme patties, cherry almond bark or gift-boxed caramels and truffles, if you’ve tried our vegan chocolates I’m sure you’ll have at least one reason to vote for us. Another good reason is that we’re an all-vegan company (no milk chocolate or other animal products hiding in our inventory). Your vote for us will support small-scale, eco-conscious and animal-friendly business practices and products. So, if you haven’t voted yet, do it now! Voting ends Tuesday.
“Wow, that’s a great cookie…”
Since we’re nominated for Favorite Vegan Cookie Company in the 2010 VegNews Veggie Awards, I thought maybe I’d tell you a little bit about our vegan cookies, the philosophies behind them, and what makes them so special. 
We take great pride in making the best cookies any of us have ever eaten, vegan or otherwise. We’re an all-vegan company with extremely high standards for taste and quality. We don’t settle for “it’s good… for being vegan.” When someone tries our vegan cookies for the first time, we want them to say “Wow, that’s a great cookie, is it really vegan?” And they do say that, all the time. We often get responses from customers telling stories of our vegan cookies being the hit of non-vegan parties. Or, as one of our favorite clients put it, “I don’t know what ‘vegan’ means, but your cookies are better than Mrs. Fields.” So, if you love our cookies and want to support a compassionate green company, give us your votes this week, before the polls close on Tuesday.
Confection Affection: Vegan Toffee and Peanut Brittle
Clients often ask what our most popular product is. We have so many great products for such a wide range of tastes that this question is always hard to answer. 
However, there are some products that do stand out as worthy of special praise. Crunchy and crispy, sweet and salty, our vegan toffee and peanut brittle are two of our best-selling confections. Whether you prefer almonds or peanuts, classic, chocolate covered or spiced, these treats are sure to win your heart are first bite. 
With so many varieties to choose from, sold individually or in sets, our vegan toffee and peanut brittle make excellent gifts, and are especially tolerant of being shipped in the summer heat. Our classic toffee, as well as our classic and spiced peanut brittle, won’t melt or get stale even when shipped over weekends.
As you can probably tell, we’re having quite a love affair with these scrumptious confections and we bet, when you try them, you will too!
Last Chance to Vote in the Veggie Awards!
Don’t miss your chance to vote for all your favorite vegan products, people and places in the 2010 VegNews Veggie Awards! 
Allison’s Gourmet is nominated in four categories: Favorite Vegan Bakery (Online), Favorite Vegan Cookie Company, Favorite Vegan Chocolate, and Favorite Column – Veganize It!
But just because you love us isn’t the only reason to vote now. By voting you’ll be entered to win some amazing vegan prizes, and you’ll get to see if your favorites make the awards list published in the November+December issue of VegNews. Voting closes August 31st, one week from today, so don’t waste another second. Vote today, and if you vote for us, we’ll love you forever. 
Unique and Delicious Fudge Flavors
I’m always a little sad when, around this time of year, I start to feel Autumn in the air. I’m a summertime kind of girl, and the transition to Fall means that cold, dark winter is just around the corner. One of the things that makes the coming change in the seasons bearable, however, is that Butterscotch Pecan fudge is September’s fudge flavor. 
Words don’t really do it justice, but let me just say that creamy, Butterscotch-flavored white fudge, with an intoxicating scent of caramel and vanilla, perfectly paired with toasted pecans is just the thing to make the idea of coming winter seem like not such a bad thing. You may be surprised that my favorite fudge flavor isn’t a chocolate one, but its uniqueness is part of its charm. Our friends at VegNews like it so much that it has become their preferred corporate food gift whenever we have it available.
If you have a monthly club fudge membership, look for this white fudge delicacy in your mailbox around September 10th. Or, for a memorable and inspiring birthday, holiday, or corporate food gift for compassionate, dessert-loving friends and colleagues all year long, consider a monthly club gift membership.
This Ain’t Your Grandpa’s Earl Grey
The first time I had Earl Grey black tea, I was not impressed. The bergamot flavor was flat and obscured by the bitterness of the black tea. It tasted stale, like somebody’s stuffy parlor. So, when Allison first told me that I had to try her Rooibos Earl Grey Tisane, I was skeptical. 
But, because I trust Allison’s good taste, I tried it, and was delighted! Red Rooibos, a caffeine free fair-trade tea alternative from South Africa, has a naturally sweet, nutty flavor that is the perfect compliment to the delicate notes of bergamot citrus. Steeped to perfection, with a few drops of stevia and a splash of rice milk, it has become my favorite fair-trade tea year-round. Hot or cold, this tisane sparkles! It’s wonderful iced with a lemon wedge on these hot summer days, and in the winter, we drink it hot almost daily in the AG office, when it’s warmth and sweet citrus flavors taste equally delicious.