Weekly Wrap-up: Contests Make for a Sweet (and Nerve-Wracking!) Week
Our week has been somewhat single-focused on our first ever Tee and Tote Design contest—can you blame us? Not only are we super excited about seeing all of your great designs, but we’re a little nervous too! The anticipation (deadline is September 15) is enough to make us brew up a nice cup of fair-trade tea and nibble on our favorite vegan cookies to calm the nerves. That always works…
Tessa broke down the benefits of our monthly clubs on Wednesday (they’re also one of the prizes in our design contest!). 
It’s a good read to understand the programs and why your sweet tooth can have its cake (or vegan brownie, as it were) and eat it too—without the guilt. Organic and vegan treats are so much healthier than the conventional, GMO, high fructose corn syrup stuff out there, and it’s nice to have a steady supply to treat yourself, or others, throughout the month.
So hopefully you’ll tell all your artist-minded friends and co-workers about our design contest, and maybe if they win the $500 and monthly membership, they’ll share some of their sweet treats with you!
Perfect Combinations
Ever since we changed our cookie and brownie recipes to use oat flour instead of wheat, Allison has been a little bit obsessed with her own cookies. For a long time it was the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies that were her almost daily habit, but recently, her preference has leaned towards Double Chocolate Chunk. 
Last week I found her enjoying this little snack and we decided that the Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie with a glass of So Delicious Coconut Milk was such a perfect combination we just had to document it! (Allison prefers the Unsweetened flavor, but I usually go for the Original or the Vanilla.)
That little snap shot got me thinking about other perfect dessert combinations and here are some of my favorites (more photos to come, I promise):
• Peppermint Hot Cocoa with a Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie to dip in it.
• Decaf Vanilla Nut organic coffee with So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer and a Pecan Brownie on the side.
• Soft Peanut Butter Cookies warmed in a toaster oven with chocolate chips melted on top.
• Rooibos Earl Grey fair-trade tea made with 4-5 drops of stevia and a splash of rice milk and… never mind… that drink is so delicious it’s its own perfect combination.
What are your ideal dessert combos? We’d love to hear your ideas and see your photos.
Thai Iced Tea Recipe
A delicious meal at our favorite Thai restaurant recently inspired me to create my own recipe for Thai Iced Tea, which I absolutely adore, but haven’t had in years because it’s usually made with condensed milk (yuck!). So, this week I had tons of fun in the kitchen creating this vegan version using So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer and our own fair-trade tea.
As promised, I’m sharing the recipe with you here, but first, let me warn you that this is by no means a “healthy” drink. In fact, I would classify it as more of a dessert than a beverage; it’s rich and sweet, everything a great dessert should be. Have fun, be bold, indulge!
What to use…
4 teaspoons Rooibos Earl Grey
8 ounces boiling water
2 tablespoons sugar (you may try using stevia here instead, however, the amount of stevia required to equal the sweetness of sugar might be too much and turn bitter—not good!)
4-5 ice cubes
1/4 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Creamer
And how…
1. Place a brewing basket in a medium-sized mug and add loose tea. Pour boiling water over tea and let steep for 7 minutes, then remove brewing basket.
2. Add sugar to hot tea and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Place tea in the refrigerator and let cool completely.
4. Add cool tea and ice to a 12-ounce glass then pour creamer on top. Do not stir, serve immediately.
For a fruity caffeine kick try this same recipe with our Mango Ceylon tea. Since ceylon is more bitter than rooibos, I recommend steeping for only 3 minutes and adding more sugar to taste. Enjoy!
If you make this at home we’d love to see pictures! Post photos on our Facebook or Twitter pages along with any changes you made to the recipe.
Warm Weather Treats
I had a sweet treat revelation a few days ago when Allison handed me a frozen Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie to try. Oh my gawd! 
It had been out of the freezer for maybe five or ten minutes, so it was still hard, but not rock solid, and it was absolute cookie perfection. Cold, crunchy and minty, this is the ideal way to enjoy a cookie on a hot day. And, it’s also a perfect way to turn our normally chewy cookies into crunchy ones for those crunchy cookie people out there. 
I think I’m going to start freezing our other cookie flavors and maybe Peppermint Creme Patties too!
Since it’s hot out and I’m on the topic of summer treats already, here are few more recipe ideas for you to try:
Chocolate Milkshakes using your favorite non-dairy milk and/or ice cream, our classic or peppermint drinking chocolate, and optional frozen fruit combined to taste and blended completely smooth.
Iced organic coffee with non-dairy creamer (we like So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer) and sugar (or stevia) to taste.
Your favorite fair-trade tea brewed strong, iced and sweetened with stevia. (Add stevia one drop at a time to avoid over-sweetening.)
If you make any of these recipes we’d love to see photos and get your comments either here or on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Come back next week for my Mango Ceylon Thai Iced Tea recipe inspired by a recent jaunt to our favorite Thai restaurant.
Healthy Dad!
It’s June 1st and there are only two weeks left to order for Father’s Day! Do you know a special Dad who deserves a treat but is trying to stay healthy or get fit? You can support healthy Dad and show him that healthy eating does not have to mean complete deprivation. 
Our vegan baked goods, confections and chocolate gifts contain zero cholesterol and use all organic, superior-quality, real-food ingredients; no animal products, preservatives or artificial anything. Tickle his taste buds with decadent organic brownies, a perfectly picante Spice Lover’s Gift Set, or elegant chocolate caramels. Treats should, of course, be consumed in moderation and a healthy lifestyle should also include several servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as regular exercise. 
For a little of everything, treat Dad to a complete vegan gift basket with plenty of goodies share!
If Dad’s really not eating treats at all, there’s always our elegant fair-trade coffee or tea samplers that ensure guilt-free gift giving for every lifestyle.
