Valentine’s Day: It’s Closer Than You Think
So I know Valentine’s Day is still over a week away, and most of us are probably just now starting to think about it. But I just have to say, we sure wish that calendar makers would consult with us before placing important holidays on Mondays and Tuesdays! 
Here’s the one challenge to an online business: you have to order early to allow time for shipping, and, since we don’t ship over weekends, getting packages delivered on Mondays is impossible, and deliveries on Tuesdays require Overnight shipping which is expensive. So, this year, ordering early is even more important then usual.
Don’t wait until the last minute and leave finding the right gift for your Valentine to chance or the whim of the grocery store candy isle clerk. Your sweetheart deserve more than that, don’t you think?
How about treating him or her to the compassionate indulgence of some of the very best organic, dairy-free and fair-trade chocolate on the planet. And, although chocolates are customary for this time of year, we have plenty of other options if chocolates aren’t suited to either their taste or your purpose. Maybe a fair-trade tea sampler or something from our vegan bakery will more accurately express your sentiments. We’re here to help, we want to make your Valentine’s Day as delicious and stress-free as possible: just let us know how we can help.
For the Love of Chocolate
You’ve waited patiently all summer while we tested and perfected our new line of vegan fair-trade chocolates. Well, your wait has finally come to an end. This week we’ll be unveiling our completely reformulated and even-more-gourmet vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint creme patties, luscious artisan truffles and caramels and peppermint bark just in time for the holidays! 
But why, you may ask, did we go to all this trouble reformulating chocolates that were already top of their class? The answer is perfection. Here at Allison’s we’re always striving for perfection and we knew that, as good as our chocolates were before, we could do better. As Allison put it a few days ago, “Our chocolates before were great, these are as close to perfection as I’ve ever taste (and I’ve tasted a LOT of chocolates)!” Amidst all the craziness of launching a new product line, I sat down with Allison last week to get the whole chocolate story from her. Here’s what she had to say:
I love chocolate, but until recently my love affair extended only to tasting and enjoying chocolate in its many forms. Over the past 15 years, as Allison’s Gourmet has grown from a simple vegan bakery to a complete confectionary and gift boutique, I have delighted in creating new decadent goodies to add to our repertoire. The only thing that seemed beyond my patience to master was chocolate. Although I am a supertaster and an accomplished chef and baker, when it came to the realm of the chocolatier, I was intimidated. It’s true.
You see, chocolate is complex and temperamental; it needs to be treated with great care and respect to allow for the fullness of its beauty to unfold. Perhaps that’s why women adore chocolate so–it’s our mirror! There are numerous subtleties involved in chocolates and one false move could land one in the dreaded territory of seized chocolate. The exactitude of the craft make it pretty much impossible to create quality vegan chocolates exclusively by trial and error, and in the past I wasn’t prepared to learn everything I needed to know to be a true chocolate expert. So, in 2005, when I decided to add chocolate gifts to our Allison’s Gourmet family of sweets, I turned to a professional chocolatier to create our products.
This worked well for some time, but as the years passed, I continued to dream about offering chocolates of my own creation with varied flavors and ingredients that matched my predilection. I have a well-developed palate and had eaten enough chocolate in my years of business that I could taste something and tell you what I liked about it and what I would change. I had even helped a friend perfect her chocolates, but still, I hadn’t experienced the art of making chocolates myself. So what’s a perfectionist to do in this scenario? Obey the nagging of my palate and take a Chocolatier course, delve into volumes of research, hours of practice, and weeks of recipe testing of course! And like a good palatal (of or relating to the palate) slave, that’s just what I did.
The chocolate course I embarked on proved immeasurably useful, and the sheer scope of information I learned about chocolate was astounding. It’s been months in the making and I’m pleased to announce my new line of vegan chocolates, lovingly handmade with only the highest-quality ingredients in the exact flavor profiles that delight my palate.
Throughout the last couple of years we’ve sampled a lot of vegan chocolates in our quest for chocolate greatness, and in my opinion, the truffles and caramels she’s created are by far the best I’ve ever had. If you loved our chocolates before (or even if you didn’t) you simply must try these new versions of our classic favorites and some exciting new flavors that we’ve had so much fun experimenting with. 
Our abundant 20-piece chocolate assortment includes eight alluring varieties. Four truffle flavors: Coconut Joy, Orange Blossom, Peppermint Snow, Raspberry Blush and four caramel flavors: Pure Vanilla, Salted Chocolate, Butterscotch Pecan, Mocha. We’d love to know what you think of our new formulas for luscious vegan peanut butter cups and peppermint creme patties, too.
Welcome to the AG Chocolate Revolution!
A Little Goes A Long Way
20 years ago, before I began my journey toward healthful, compassionate eating, I ate low-quality food because it was what I had grown up eating and I didn’t know any better. I was unhealthy, 15 pounds overweight and suffered from acne. In 1989, I discovered healthy foods and started experimenting in my own kitchen. Later, I studied at The School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, CO and continued growing my skills throughout the years. What I learned is that good-tasting, nutritious, premium-quality food is worth so much more than the few extra dollars one might pay for it. Take the astounding differences between store-bought tomatoes and home-grown ones, for example, or Wonder Bread compared with a whole-grain artisan loaf.
Inferior-quality food makes for inferior health in the way my body looks and feels as well as my mood, and a less satisfying eating experience. If you haven’t yet experimented with it, maybe it’s time to try. It’s no secret that I love food and I don’t eschew fat, salt or sweet, yet I’m healthier today than ever in my life and I attribute that achievement to my healthy lifestyle and eating habits. For me, an enjoyable and delectable meal is as important as the nutrition found in it.
When I opened my vegan bakery in 1997, I knew from the beginning that I would serve only the kinds of foods I would want to eat myself: real food made from whole, organic ingredients that anyone can easily pronounce and find in her own kitchen. Doing so allows the body and palate to feel satiated with much less. Contrast that with eating fat-free cookies, which attempt to trick the taste buds and brain into thinking they’re getting what they want. But, instead of eating one fat-free cookie, many people end up consuming an entire box in the hopes of achieving the enjoyment they would normally gain from one full-fat cookie.
You see, pure, whole foods like our organic cookies and vegan brownies are satisfying after just a small amount. This saves money, health, and your waistline. Choose top-quality foods and discover for yourself: a little goes a long way.
Nourishing the Body & Soul
I love to eat. Amidst the American food culture of fad diets and weight obsession, that can be a hard thing to admit. But the truth is that, for most people, eating is not just a process to nourish the body. 
Good food nourishes us in many ways, giving us pleasure, security, and a sense of well-being as well as the carbohydrates, fats and protein that we need physically. The best and healthiest foods in my mind are those that fulfill all of our needs, from great taste and good nutritional value to a positive and fulfilled feeling in the body.
At Allison’s we focus on all aspects of making great food, from feeding the physical body to nourishing the soul. Our desserts feed the body with good fats like coconut oil in our vegan fudge and confections and sunflower in our vegan bakery items. 
Fats and oils are often maligned in modern cooking, but the truth is that fats are essential building blocks of life. Good fats, like coconut and sunflower, contain no bad cholesterol, nurture and support your body, lubricate your joints and give you long-lasting energy. Coconut oil is especially nutritious, containing essential vitamins and minerals as well as lauric, capric, and caprylic acids which help maintain heart health and metabolism as well as a host of other health benefits. Good fats make our bodies feel good, and they taste good too, which also makes us feel good.
Chocolate, in any form, whether it’s brownies, vegan peanut butter cups, or hot cocoa, is another one of those feel-good foods, and most women can tell you that it’s a great mood-elevator. 
New research is also coming out that dark chocolate, like ours, is actually physically good for you as well. It contains a treasure-trove of antioxidants (on the same scale as blueberries and green tea) which protect your cells and may help to fight cancer and keep you looking and feeling younger. Recent studies have also shown links between dark chocolate consumption and cardiovascular health.
What you put in your body certainly effects your health and how you feel, but what you don’t put in your body can be just as important. At Allison’s we are committed to using only organic ingredients because we know that petro-chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers are not things we should be putting into the earth or consuming ourselves. We’re also adamant about using 100% fair-trade chocolate to insure fair wages and good working and living conditions for the farmers and their families.
Of course even good-for-you foods are only good in moderation. 
Eating too much of anything (except maybe kale) can be detrimental to your health. Luckily, we’ve found that premium quality super-delicious foods, both sweet and savory, are more satisfying and nurturing to body and soul and therefore can be eaten in moderation while still imparting nourishment and satisfaction. Enjoy savoring every bite.
Summer Travels Food Diary – Seattle and Vida Vegan Con
As the owner of a vegan bakery and confectionary, I seek any opportunity to visit other vegan bakeries, confectioneries and sweet shops to eat exquisite morsels and celebrate the delightful creations whipped up by my colleagues in the compassionate food business. On a recent trip to my old stomping grounds near Seattle, I made a point to stop in to the new, all vegan Bouteloua Bakery for some marvelous baked goods. 
Owner and master baker, Megan Jensen, crafts mouth-watering goodies in the kitchen, from cupcakes, cookies, and cinnamon rolls to pain au chocolat and croissants. Deciding how many of which to buy was my favorite part. If I’m dreaming, do not pinch me!
With its lively vegan community and Nia HQ, Portland, Oregon (PDX) has seen the wheels of my suitcase many times this year. A last-minute schedule change in August allowed me the opportunity to attend the phenomenal Vida Vegan Con. In addition to making new friends and finally getting to meet many gifted and entertaining bloggers and vegan superstars I knew already online, another highlight was the creative vegan food, including labels on the raw and gluten-free offerings. It was a rare pleasure to know that all weekend, I would be eating delectable meals and I didn’t have to cook a single dish! The fabulous organizers, Jess, Janessa, and Michele, took such good care of us that for once, eating at a conference didn’t require finding the only meager vegan option at the buffet or requesting special treatment from the servers. Instead, every one of us got special treatment!
Photo by Ryan Suffern
Dare I neglect to mention the inspiring, intelligent, rejuvenating workshops and extra events like the screening of the impassioned film, Vegucated, tour of Bob’s Red Mill, Galarama, meeting the lovely Carolyn Scott-Hamilton (who happens to share my high school alma mater in Florida!) and my newly discovered soul sister, Kim Garr and her all-things-camera wizard husband, Ryan? No way! I learned some new photography tricks from the ultra-talented Hannah, Isa, and Susan; expert writing tips from Dynise, enjoyed a demo of Fran’s Chocolate Cake to Live for (and it IS!); vegan parenting camaraderie from Ben, Sarah, Sayward, Joanna, and Michelle; uplifting encouragement from Colleen, and mad story writing skills from Terry. Marketing suggestions flowed from Fran, Kyle, Anika, Stephanie, and Jess; plus publishing know-how by prolific authors, Bryanna, Julie, Joni Marie, Ryan, and Isa. (Yes, I am still working on my cookbook!) Finally, blogging motivation gushed from Laura, Ben, Jordan, and Jasmin.
Photo by Gena Hamshaw
For me, relishing uniquely prepared food is one of the best parts of being vegan and getting to do so for my “Veganize It!” column in VegNews Magazine is especially rewarding. Not only do I get to share my savory side, but the VegNews founders take good care of their family of writers. Those of us who happened to attend the conference were treated to multiple foodgasms at Portabello on Friday night. Now, you all know that I’m a food snob, right? Well, this was easily one of the top five meals I’ve savored. It may have even shot to number one. I’m not sure. I was drunk on said ‘gasms, as were my tablemates, Jasmin of Our Hen House, Elizabeth of VegNews, and Gena of Choosing Raw. So entranced was I that my camera didn’t make an appearance. But, who needs to take photos when you’re at a table of bloggers? Luckily Gena took gorgeous photos of each course and chronicled our meal on her blog post, Unsurpassed. Read it. And weep.
PDX isn’t only a vegan mecca, it’s also the national headquarters of Nia, my favorite way to move, that ranks very close to my predilection for fair-trade chocolate. I was on cloud nine when I got to balance all that luscious eating with an invigorating Nia class on Friday morning.
I returned from the conference all-jazzed-up and no time to spare. Drats! Truthfully, I feel thoroughly blessed to have a virtual plate full of all my favorite things and a magnanimous vegan community with whom to share it all. Deep gratitude to all my friends for making this summer’s travels memorable, inspirational and lip-smacking!
Weekly Wrap-up: Birthday Season, Contest Entries and You!
We hope you’ve had as nice a week as we did here at Allison’s! Great contest entries continue to ro
ll in for our first ever Tee and Tote Design Contest. Public voting begins in mid-September and then we’ll have some lovely designs printed (on Tees and Totes!) just in time for the holidays. Yummy…
Seems like there were a million birthdays this week among our Facebook friends, so again, a happy birthday to all of you! Gift baskets sure make a birthday even more special! Whether the person you’re shopping for would just be happy with a monthly subscription or fall in love with a gourmet coffee gift basket that pairs premium-quality fair-trade coffees with cookies, brownies and confections like toffee, caramels and vegan peanut butter cups,
Tessa reviewed our price and size selection that ranges from modest Classic Elegance to superb Ultimate Nirvana decadence in her blog post earlier this week.
And you can still (I know, still?!) vote for us in VegNews, if you haven’t already…we’re so humbled to be nominated for three awards this year: best online vegan bakery, best confection, and Allison herself is nominated for best column in VegNews, Veganize It!
Keep your comments coming in over on Twitter and Facebook–we love hearing from you!
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!
Will Travel for Vegan Food!
Ah…dare to dream. We are so inspired by this story about Kristin Lajeunesse, who is embarking on a bold journey to attempt to dine at every vegan restaurant in the U.S. With more than 500 across the country it’s no easy feat, but certainly it will be a delicious one and a great opportunity to speak up for animals. Way to go Kristin!
Will Travel for Vegan Food!
By Katelynne Shimkus, Albany.com
Kristin Lajeunesse, native of Hoosick Falls, (NY), will set off on August 27th to traverse all 50 states (yep – that means Hawaii and Alaska, too!) with the aim of dining, reviewing and interviewing every vegan establishment she can find.
And how many are out there for her to explore? According to HappyCow.com, a searchable online listing of vegan and vegetarian resources, there are about 500 restaurants in the U.S. that are 100% vegan.
Sounds like a manageable number, but Lajeunesse is hoping to sample fare from over 1,000 vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants that have at least 50% vegan menus.
These places are concentrated largely in New York City, which has the most vegan restaurants in the US and the world, along with San Francisco, Seattle, Portland OR, and even Austin, Texas, which has its own vegan movie theater.
(Of course, Albany has its “fare” share of vegan and vegetarian restaurant menus, including the New World Bistro Bar and the tasty treats of X’s and O’s Vegan Bakery, and I’m hoping Kristin pays a visit!)
Lajeunesse will be starting her official reviews in Maine, though she has been interviewing vegan restaurant owners and reviewing their dishes where she currently resides, in Boston.
Photo by Jennifer Simmons
Springtime Scavenger Hunt!
Last spring, I told you about our vegan Easter egg hunts with our daughter Olivia. This year, I thought it’d be fun to create an Easter hunt for you, right here on our website! To enter, find the Allison’s Gourmet products that match the five visual clues below, write down their names, and send us an email with your answers! If more than one person finds all five products, a winner will be picked at random from among all the correct answers. The winner will receive a tray of our decadent Java Crunch Fudge. Let the games begin!
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. (Congratulations to Jennifer!) Stay tuned for our next giveaway. 
Find the product names that correspond to the following pictures:
#1 Something from our vegan bakery…
#2 Foil-wrapped…
#3 An elegant collection of fair-trade gifts…
#4 Sweet, salty and oh so delicious…
#5 An eye toward sweetness…
We’ll announce the winner next Monday. Happy (vegan) Hunting!
Heavenly Butterscotch Pecan Fudge
Working in a vegan bakery as I do, I get somewhat desensitized to desserts. Yet, even though I’m surrounded by cookies and chocolate every day, a few times a year one product or another reminds me just how amazing decadent vegan desserts can be. On that note, I’d like to dedicate this post to our very elegant and oh-so-delicious Butterscotch Pecan Fudge. 
This tantalizing white fudge tastes like a delightful little slice of heaven, and it’s made by hand in tiny batches in our vegan bakery in Northern California, using only the purest and most compassionate ingredients. That purity and attention to detail are exactly what you can taste, and what makes this remarkable fudge the perfect gift for yourself (and for all those other important people in your life, too). Enjoy!
