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!
Allison’s Gourmet Tee and Tote Design Contest!
Hi, I’m Allison. 15 years ago, in Seattle, WA, I founded this premier online vegan bakery and confectionary, Allison’s Gourmet. We’ve grown and changed a lot since then, including moving to Northern California and greatly expanding our product line, but one of the dreams I’ve held on to is to someday offer Allison’s Gourmet branded t-shirts and tote bags to our devoted fans. That someday has finally come, and since my talents live more in the kitchen, than in the design studio, I thought it would be fun to enlist your help! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be accepting submissions in our first ever design contest.
Here’s what you do: Create a design that includes a graphic, slogan/catchphrase and optional logo re-design for Allison’s Gourmet to be used on t-shirts, tote bags, etc. and you could win one of these delectable prizes:
Grand prize: $500 cash, plus one 3-month Allison’s Gourmet membership ($596 total value)
2nd prize: One 6-month Allison’s Gourmet membership, plus 6 containers of your choice of So Delicious Dairy Free Ice Cream, and an autographed copy of Veganist by Kathy Freston ($247 value)
3rd prize: One 3-month Allison’s Gourmet membership, plus a 1-year subscription to VegNews Magazine ($117 value)
Who we are: Allison’s Gourmet is an upscale, premium brand of pure, handcrafted, artisan baked goods and confections. With our unadulterated sweets we celebrate the joys of being vegan and we hope your design(s) will help communicate our message of compassionate indulgence!
How it works: If you live in the U.S. and are 18 or older, we welcome you to submit up to three designs by September 15th. After we receive all the designs, invite your friends and family to join the fun for the first round of voting September 16th – 30th. This will help us select the top 10 finalists, after which our all-star judges and the AG Team will choose the winners!
Click here to submit your artwork. Good luck!
Providing the “How” in Living Vegan
You may have noticed that we stay mostly on the positive side of veganism around here. You don’t hear much from us about the torture and abuse of farm animals or the horrors of the dairy, leather and fur industries. 
We’re not, however, trying to gloss-over or ignore these issues. We care very deeply about animal welfare and a compassionate lifestyle, which is why we put most of our time and energy into providing the “how” to being vegan.
There are many amazing resources out there providing the “why” of vegan living from VegNews and Mercy for Animals, to PETA, The Humane Society of the United States and Farm Animal Sanctuaries around the country. They give you the reasons and facts behind veganism, from ending factory farming to the health benefits of animal-free eating. Then, when you’ve decided that you want to live an animal-free lifestyle but don’t feel like baking, or think that veganism means complete deprivation from all the foods you love, that’s where we come in. 
We’re here to offer you solutions, the answers to all your cravings from vegan toffee and gourmet cookies to veganized comfort food recipes. We’re also a great gift-giving resource for vegans and non-vegans alike. Families and friends of vegan enjoy giving delicious, high-quality desserts to their plant-eating loved ones and vegans themselves give Allison’s Gourmet treats when they want delectable, compassionate and fair-trade gifts that even a carnivore will love.
We love providing vegan lifestyle answers to everyday dilemmas, and, although we’re all about the food, we’re happy to be able to connect our customers to other vegan choices too, like donating and volunteering at animal shelters, purchasing animal-friendly attire, and reading the latest vegan books and blogs. We’re here to help. Have a vegan lifestyle question? Looking for vegan inspiration in some area of your life? Ask your questions here and we’ll see if we can dig up the answers.
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.
Monday Yumday: Granola Bars
These sweet, chewy granola bars make a delicious snack or dessert for any time of day. They are perfect for travel, school lunches, or snacks on the go. I added coconut shavings and chocolate chips to mine for an extra treat. They are so versatile that you can practically use whatever add-ins you like. Try these today and you will never go back to store-bought granola bars!
Note: This recipe was inspired by famous TV chef, Alton Brown. It is written primarily in ounces, so use a digital kitchen scale to get the most accurate results.
Granola Bars
By Allison Rivers Samson
Dry Ingredients
8 ounces regular rolled oats
1.5 ounces pumpkin seeds, raw and shelled
3 ounces almonds, chopped
1.5 ounces oat bran
1 ounce flax seeds, ground
Wet Ingredients
6 ounces agave nectar
1.75 ounces dark brown sugar
1 ounce vegan non-hydrogenated margarine or coconut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional Ingredients
6.5 ounces chopped dried fruit (cranberries, currants, apricots, or any fruit you like)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper. Toast the dry ingredients (except the flax seeds) on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes.
2. Measure wet ingredients into a medium saucepan and heat over medium, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add dry ingredients to saucepan and mix completely.
3. Place mixture into the prepared pan, and spread the mixture around. Place another sheet of parchment on top of the mixture and press down firmly and evenly with the bottom of another pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and place pan in oven.
4. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely and lift the parchment paper and baked bars from the pan. Cut into 12 pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Check out more of Allison’s recipes on our website, here. If you make any of Allison’s recipes we’d love to see some pics, so feel free to post them to our Facebook or Twitter pages!
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.
Now Offering Free Local Pick-Up
As we continue to improve and expand our website, we’re striving to make it more and more user friendly. Our latest improvement is to offer free local pick-up for anyone living in our area who would rather pick up their vegan baked goods or confections in person than have them shipped across town. 
This service is meant for people living in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area, however, we’re leaving it up to you to decide whether you’d rather drive to meet us or have your package shipped.
To use this new service, simply place your order on our website, choose the “Local Pick-up” shipping option, and then meet us on the next Thursday at 4pm outside the Nevada City Post Office (200 Coyote Street, Nevada City, CA). To make it as simple as possible, local pick-ups will only be available at 4pm every Thursday at the above location. Orders placed on Thursdays will be available for pick-up the following Thursday. Cheers!
