Fridays with Friends: Better With Veggies’ Heather Blackmon
After a super fantastic month of recipes during Vegan MoFo, we caught up with Heather Blackmon of Better With Veggies to pick her brain on vegan foods, blogging and a super yumm chia recipe you have to try!
Allison’s Gourmet: Were you always inspired to cook/bake or did that happen after you adopted a vegan diet?
Heather Blackmon: As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed cooking. I remember helping my mom get ready to host a party at our house when I was young, which always included a lot of food. As I got older, I was often the one assigned to cook, while she got the house ready. When I lived by myself for a few months after college, I still cooked full meals for 1 (often with a lot of leftovers!). Moving to a plant-based diet has reignited my passion for cooking – there are so many new things to try and it’s exciting! Although I never stopped cooking, I’m in the kitchen more often now and loving it.
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running a food blog?
HB: The time commitment is the most challenging for me. With a full-time job and an active workout schedule, devoting the time to developing interesting recipes, taking photographs, and sitting down to write daily can be overwhelming. I’m learning better ways to keep myself organized and taking full advantage of my calendar and to-do lists recently!
AG: What do you love most about it?
HB: I really love having an excuse to experiment in the kitchen and to learn more about food photography. My husband and I both really enjoy photography and have a growing collection of travel photography around the house, but food is a different animal. I enjoy the challenge of keeping things interesting and continually learning as I go.
AG: What was your favorite “VeganizeIt!” recipe you made for Vegan MoFo and why?
HB: This is a hard question – there are so many delicious choices to choose from!
The Grilled Tempeh Reuben is at the top of my list, with the flavors and texture I am looking for in a Reuben. The glazed tempeh crumbles nicely, creating the right texture to replace the corned beef. There is so much flavor in this sandwich and it’s the perfect warm meal for this time of year. It is messy, so bring lots of napkins if you pack it for lunch!
AG: What was it like to participate in Vegan MoFo? Do you think you’ll do it again?
HB: Vegan MoFo was a whirlwind month of activity. I had only been blogging for about a month before October started, so I had no idea what I was in for! With every post being food-centric, I really had to get creative to keep things interesting. I followed the RSS feeds and would wake up each morning with over 100 posts in my queue – so many fantastic vegan food blog posts to read! I will absolutely participate again, but next time I’ll be more prepared and have some content ready to go before October even starts.
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
HB: I always have chickpeas, cashews, and salad greens in my kitchen. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and are in so many of my favorite foods: hummus, burritos, Mmmm sauce (from Peas & Thank You), salads, and so many more. Cashews are a close second, with all the cream sauces, cream cheese, heavy cream, and added crunch in salads. Which brings me to salad greens (kale, spinach, chard, arugula, etc.) that I include in everything from smoothies …to kale chips …to dinner salads. The possibilities are endless with these three!
AG: Where do you find inspiration for new meal ideas?
HB: Many of my inspirations come from ethnic foods I’ve enjoyed while traveling or meals I’ve enjoyed (or seen others enjoy) that are not vegan-friendly. It’s fun to find a way to remove the animal products and still enjoy the flavors that everyone is really looking for!
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
HB: I haven’t had an opportunity to try any of the goodies yet, but there are a few that have caught my eye. I LOVE spicy foods (I’m originally from New Orleans), so the Spiced Peanut Brittle & Chipotle Caramels sound really interesting!
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
HB: Recently, I’ve been enjoying chia pudding for breakfast, which you can combine with so many different flavors depending on your mood. I’m still enjoying all the pumpkin recipes, so I added pumpkin to my chia pudding for a quick & easy fall breakfast.
Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding – (serves 1)
Ingredients
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used Sunflower Seed Hemp Milk from Thrive Foods)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 raspberries
Directions
Combine chia seeds and water and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Here’s where I typically take a shower and get ready, while the chia & water soak.
Add non-dairy milk and mix until combined.
Add pumpkin and mix until combined.
Add maple syrup & pumpkin pie spice, mix until all combined.
Top with raspberries and enjoy!
Dad of the Day Giveaway!
Looked at a calendar lately? It’s almost Fathers Day! We love the Day O’ Dads over here at Allison’s and this year we’re looking for the Dad of the Day. Comment here on our blog telling us how you are going to celebrate your dad and what makes him so fantastic and June 19th might get a little sweeter! We’ll pick a winner next week, Monday the 13th, and if you win, we’ll send you or your pops a $30 gift certificate.
This Giveaway is now closed.
If you don’t win, don’t worry, we’ve still got you covered. Here’s a curated selection of products any dad (vegan or otherwise) is sure to love:
The Spice Lover’s Gift Set
For adventurous dads with a (slightly) daring palate! Spiced Peanut Brittle and Chipotle Caramels.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Sweet and salty peanut butter hugged by delectable dark chocolate. Chocolate-loving Dad’s dream come true.
Chocolate Caramels
Buttery caramel. Smooth chocolate. Tootsies just rolled over.
Sweet Desires Gift Basket
For the dad who deserves it all! Peanut butter cups, vegan cookies, two flavors of brownies, four flavors of organic coffee, chocolate peanut brittle, vegan toffee and perfect gift packaging!
Salted Chocolate Brittle
If there was an edible Dad metaphor, this would be it. Classic buttery peanut brittle, rich dark chocolate topped with pink Himalayan salt.
Pecan Brownies
Sumptuous organic brownies fit for a king! Crowned with buttery toasted pecans.
Dad doesn’t have a sweet tooth? Here’s a variety of impeccable organic and fair-trade coffee. Excellent black, iced or otherwise.
Feel great about spoiling the ones you love. All Allison’s products are totally organic, use only the highest quality ingredients, and are cruelty free. And if Daddy loves you, he might share!
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.
Spice It Up!
I don’t usually have much of a taste for spiciness. I buy mild salsa and truthfully I don’t even like onions on my salads. Most Indian food is too spicy for me. 
The reason I’m telling you all of this is because I want to explain the difference between a spicy Indian curry and our spiced peanut brittle, chipotle caramels, and chipotle cinnamon fudge. Not being one for spicy foods I worry that some people may choose not to try our more exotic flavors because of their spicy names. So, let me assure you that even our most “spiced” products are not even close to burn-your-mouth-off hot peppers. In fact, we named our spiced peanut brittle “spiced” instead of “spicy” because we didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea about it. Even my sensitive tastes buds love it’s warm cinnamon notes and little kick of spice at the end. Basically, if you haven’t tried these spiced confections, you’re missing out!
For a perfect pairing, our Spice Lover’s Gift Set offers spiced peanut brittle complimented by the smokier but no less heavenly flavors of our unique chipotle caramels. Some other exotic (but not at all spicy) spice blends we create ourselves include our Rooibos Chai Tisane, and the Apple Pie and Vanilla Chai spices for our vegan fudge.
Green and Compassionate Corporate Gift-Giving
Want to express your company’s gratitude in a green and compassionate way? Give a corporate food gift that aligns with your values! 
Sustainable and animal-free, our organic, vegan and fair-trade gift baskets, samplers and gift sets make elegant corporate food gifts that you and your company can be proud of. Say “Thanks” or “Congratulations!” in a way your green and humane business partners, affiliate and employees will appreciate and enjoy.
Looking for a gift that will be remembered month after month? Monthly clubs give your recipients delicious vegan, organic and fair-trade baked goods delivered fresh to their doors each and every month hassle-free. With a scrumptious array of rotating monthly flavors and servings big enough to share, your monthly club gift is sure to be much anticipated and enjoyed in any business or work place.
Gift Baskets: Super-Deluxe Samplers in Pretty Packaging
Check out the gorgeous new packaging we finally have for our vegan gift baskets! Instead of different flavors of one kind of product, as you get with our Organic Tea or Just Cookies Samplers, our vegan gift baskets offer an elegant sampling of many of our products and are perfect for larger groups or for those who want to try a wide variety of our products. 
We have two gourmet coffee gift baskets which include either a four-flavor organic coffee sampler or a 12 oz bag of our superlative Peruvian Femenino coffee beans, as well as several flavors of cookies, brownies, fudge and confections all in one beautiful basket. These gourmet coffee gift baskets are the ideal way to spice up a social event or get an idea about your family’s favorite delicacies before birthdays and holidays come around.
Tips for Shipping in the Summer Heat
Ordering perishable items in the summer can be a bit of a pain. You either have to order chill packs and faster shipping, which means more money, or you risk receiving melted and/or spoiled products. 
However, you can minimize this hassle for yourself by ordering products that are less perishable and more hearty when it comes to heat exposure. Our Classic and Spiced Peanut Brittle, Classic Almond Toffee, and individually-wrapped Caramels, for example, will ship well without being adversely effected by the summer heat. Our fresh-baked cookies and brownies, are actually surprisingly good at enduring high temperatures as well. Sealed in their plastic bags they won’t go stale or spoil even with our slowest shipping method (which is only 3-4 days). Ordering flavors without chocolate chips also makes your life easier, although the chips and the cookies are no worse for some melted chocolate, just perhaps a bit messier. Coffee, Tea and Drinking Chocolate are other obvious choices for summer shipping, although you may need to remind your recipient that these drinks are as delicious served iced as they are hot.
For heat-friendly gift combos, look no further than our Classic Vanilla Lover’s and Spice Lover’s Gift Sets which include Toffee, Caramels and Peanut Brittle, or our Cookie, Brownie, and Beverage Samplers.
If you do decide to order a more perishable item, especially one containing chocolate, we strongly encourage you to include the recommended chill pack in your order as well as choosing FedEx 2-day air shipping, as our chill packs only remain cold for 2 days.
PS. For those of you wondering about your monthly club orders, today is a shipping holiday, so we will be shipping all the monthly clubs tomorrow, for delivery later in the week. 
