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!
We’ve Been “Nom”inated!
We heart VegNews Magazine and we’re so thrilled to be nominated, once again, for three VegNews Veggie Awards this year. 
As you may know, in 2004 we won a Veggie Award for Best Brownie and in 2006 we won again as the Favorite Bakery (Online). This year we’re up for:
1. Favorite Bakery (Online)
2. Favorite Vegan Candy (our Chocolate Almond Toffee)
3. Favorite VegNews Column (Veganize It! by our founder and mastermind Allison Rivers Samson)
In recent years the proliferation of vegan food options, especially vegan baked goods, has really skyrocketed, and we’re so pleased about that. More options mean more people exposed to the vegan lifestyle in a positive way and more possibilities for omnivores to experience how excellent vegan food can be. But, all those options do make it harder for a small company like ours to get recognized, even if our products are premium-quality and better than anything else on the market. So, we hope you’ll vote for us in all three categories of the 2011 Veggie Awards and give some love to the little guy (or gal as it may be)!
Just in case you need an extra incentive, voting gets you automatically entered to win some really awesome prizes including a vegan vacation and a year’s supply of vegan ice cream! Hurry, polls close August 31st!
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!
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. 
From Allison’s Kitchen
There’s a reason Allison owns a vegan bakery. Her magic and creativity in the kitchen are always in motion, creating yum-mazing desserts like this weekend’s Strawberry Ice Cream (made with coconut milk) and Blackberry Betty.
Yum Yum! The blackberries were picked by Olivia, David, Grandma and Pops at a local farm, then topped with a crumbly oat flour crust and baked to perfection. The ice cream was homemade too, and sweetened with agave!
Allison’s quest to always make more and more delicious and healthful vegan desserts to share with the world is just one of many reasons to vote for Allison’s Gourmet in the 2010 VegNews Magazine Veggie Awards. We’re nominated for Favorite Vegan Bakery (Online), Favorite Vegan Cookie Company, and Favorite Vegan Chocolate. Allison’s column “Veganize It!” is also nominated for Favorite Column. Vote now!
Next Month’s Wheat-Free Cookies: Oatmeal Raisin
Yesterday, we made test batches of September’s gourmet cookies: (Wheat-Free) Oatmeal Raisin. 
This is our fourth Wheat-Free cookie flavor, and they are amazing (I’m eating some right now)! Allison’s constant quest for more and more innovative and delicious gourmet cookies, brownies and confections is part of the reason we’ve been nominated for Favorite Vegan Bakery (Online), Favorite Vegan Cookie Company, and Favorite Vegan Chocolate in the 2010 VegNews Veggie Awards. Allison’s column “Veganize It!” is also nominated for Favorite Column. 
Vote today, and if you’d like to try all our new wheat-free cookie and brownie flavors, consider joining one of our monthly clubs.
