Sunspire Coconut Bars
Sunspire is one of the few companies with a reputation for making rich and delicious chocolate products that contain no refined sugars or artificial additives of any kind. A collection of chocolate confections – chips, powders, chocolate covered fruit and nuts, and bars – are organic, free-trade certified, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and/or vegan. Two of my favorite products are the Coconut Bar and the Coconut Almond Bar – the health conscious consumer’s answer to the Mounds and Almond Joy bars – only better. Read more 
Sprouted Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad
Sprouted Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad is a hearty dish full of vegetables, beans, and a trio of rice: wild and germinated red and brown rice. The nutty flavor of the rice combined with the slightly sweet red Adzuki beans and the earthy vegetables – mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini – and fresh chopped cilantro along with Zatar (a popular middle eastern spice) – makes for a flavorful salad that is both filling and nutritious. Easy and quick to make, the Sprouted Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad is a terrific alternative to traditional rice or bean salad. Read more
Purely Elizabeth Granola
This past week while grocery shopping, my vegan daughter convinced me to try a new brand of granola made by a company called Purely Elizabeth. She didn’t have to twist my arm even though we have at least a half-dozen bags of granola in our cereal cabinet, each one lovely in its own special way.
In our house, granola has a special importance and is given the status of both diamonds and water. Valued for its clarity in ingredients and adaptability (almost everything tastes better with granola just as diamonds look great with nearly anything), granola is the one food that tastes heavenly in its many variations and is a source of sustenance, just like water. Read more
Rainbow Quinoa and English Pea Salad
For decades, my husband has been bringing me home recipes (from Outdoor Alpha Male, Men’s Protein World or some similar sounding magazine) that invariably include quinoa which was hard to find years ago. Back then, I could only find quinoa in a health food store or on-line but with its recent surge in popularity – due in part to its high protein and iron content – nearly every supermarket now carries various types of quinoa. My family prefers the Rainbow Quinoa which contains three types of quinoa: white, royal red, and royal black because they enjoy the slight difference in flavors and the various colors certainly make a dish look appetizing. Read more
Pulse: Organic Roasted Chickpeas
Pulse is a new brand of organic roasted chickpeas that are low in fat, gluten-free and high in fiber, protein, and flavor. Super crunchy and flavorful, Pulse Organic Roasted Chickpeas make a great snack and are particularly delicious in a salad (instead of croutons). Made by Pulse Foods out of the Bronx in New York City, Pulse Organic Roasted Chick Peas come in four flavors: Read more
Brownies (Vegan)
Brownies made without pure creamy unsalted butter and fresh eggs seemed impossible to imagine until recently. These were the ingredients – along with cocoa – that made brownies taste so decadent. But, when my daughter decided to lead a vegan life, I started to re-think several recipes because I wanted to make food that all of us would eat; otherwise, I would be chained to the kitchen making separate meals for everyone. Read more
Cinnamon Sugar Sprouted Lentils
The Perfect Snaque makes a product called Cinnamon Sugar Sprouted Lentils that is deliciously crunchy, high in protein, and low in fat and sugar, despite the use of the word “sugar” in the product name. Whenever I see the word “sugar,” my first response is to move on but as the company truly states, these snacks are “insanely delicious and ridiculously nutritious.” Read more
Vegan Carrot Cake
For years, I relied on a carrot cake recipe from the The Silver Palate Cookbook, which was THE cookbook of the 1980’s. Full of carrots, pineapple, coconut, and walnuts, the Silver Palate carrot cake was my ideal of what a carrot cake should be: moist, sweet, rich, and mile-high. But, as I’ve gotten older, I’m less inclined to put 3 cups of sugar and a cup and a half of corn oil in a cake recipe; and with a vegan daughter, dairy and eggs are not optional ingredients. Read more
Kopali Organic Chocolates
Kopali Organic Chocolates are 100% organic with no refined sugars or animal products. Gluten-free, vegan, and fair trade certified, Kopali Organic Chocolates are pure, energy-packed, and nutrient-dense with an intense deep dark chocolate flavor in every bite-sized piece. Winner of the Socially Responsible Business Award, Kopali Organics supports sustainable farming in making five products that are “so much more than super delicious.”
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Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad
Cucumber, Tomato and Avocado Salad is a bright, colorful salad that takes less than 10 minutes to make and tastes fresh and delicious. Filled with a diced seedless cucumber, chopped sweet grape tomatoes, a minced sweet orange pepper, chopped Haas avocado, cilantro, and a dash of Pink Himalayan salt, this salad goes with nearly any main dish. The Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad is light and refreshing with ingredients that are readily available this time of year. When time is limited, this is a great salad to pull together in minutes. Read more
Paddock Post 