Summer Prize Pack Flash Instagram Giveaway featuring Postum!

InstaFlash #GIVEAWAY! Winner chosen on Tuesday, just Like this post and follow me @theedirtyvegan and @wholesomepostum to #WIN this awesome #Postum #prizepack filled with both flavors, two awesome cold cup tumblers, an inflatable pool lounger and a 3-pack of inflatable beverage boats! Perfect for making the coffeeccino recipe featured on my blog and to enjoy your #iced Postum all #summer long! #vegan #whatveganseat #natural #poolside #poolparty #win #sponsoredpost

A post shared by The Dirty Vegan (@theedirtyvegan) on May 27, 2017 at 5:57pm PDT

Since my last post Postum post where I shared the most refreshingly delicious frozen iced coffee recipe, I have been getting so much positive feedback about it and so many of you are interested in trying it (here is the store locator to find Postum in your area! Or read on for a chance to win some too)! I have decided to do a flash giveaway on my Instagram. 

All the details are above, but basically just follow me and Postum on the gram and give the above post a Like! That's it! Here is the link to the instagram giveaway post in case for any reason the above image is not loading properly on your device. And since this is a flash giveaway, the winner will be chosen and announced in just a couple of days, on Tuesday!

Click here for this amazing summery recipe! And make sure to enter the giveaway, it is so quick to do, and you can score an awesome Postum prize pack (both flavors plus two sweet cold cup tumblers, an inflatable pool lounger and floating drink holders!) that you can enjoy all summer long!

Good luck!

7 Fun Things To Do With Postum!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Postum gives you a lot of "bang for your buck" since it yields 75 servings per container! I have been drinking it regularly because it is delicious, but I wanted to find other uses for it too. So here are some recipe, beauty, and other fun ideas. Enjoy!

1. Postum Granola! Make your usual granola recipe but this time, sprinkle some Postum on it to season it! It gives the granola almost a caramelized flavor, which us vegans always appreciate.

2. Postum Beauty Mask! Mix a little Postum with some apple nectar and apply to face. If you don't mix the Postum in as much and leave some granules, you'll even get some light exfoliating action going on when you wash it off your face.

3. Postum Frosting! Add Postum to your frosting, icings and glazes to make your desserts extra special!

4. Postum Art Projects! Instead of using coffee grounds in your arts and crafts, why not use Postum in your DIY projects? Especially important to keep caffeine from coffee grounds away from children and pets, where Postum is safe for most - it is just wheat and molasses.

5. Postumpourri! Add some Postum to your homemade potpourri satchels; the smell of Postum is devine!

6. Postum Topping! Use Postum as a topping for ice cream or granola by taking a very tiny amount and sprinkling it over top. Yum!

7. Postum Baked Goods! By adding Postum to your baked goods, like muffins, pancakes or breads, you get to enjoy such a beautiful flavor. All of your family and friends will be begging you for the secret to your exciting new recipes!

You must really want to try Postum now, huh? You are in luck! I am hosting a Postum giveaway on twitter where you can win a Postum prize pack! There are still a couple more days to enter! Click here to get to the giveaway tweet, then:

• RT the giveaway tweet
• Follow me on twitter 
• Follow Postum on twitter

That is it! Such an easy giveaway to enter, it literally takes only a few clicks that can be done right from the giveaway tweet! Voila!

Good luck!

This blog post was sponsored by Postum.

Recipe: Iced Postum Whiskey & a Giveaway!

It was only a matter of time before I made a naughty Postum recipe. Oh yes, I created a Postum cocktail and it is absolutely scrumptious. In fact, this iced "coffee" inspired drink is so delicious and fun that it'll make you want to day drink. Responsibly of course, obviously.

You see, Postum is a beverage alternative to coffee but as I have demonstrated with my cookie recipe, it can be used in baking and so many other recipe types, now including cocktails. Welcome to Postum happy hour! At the end of this post I'll give you all the juicy giveaway details so you can enter to win a Postum prize pack too!

Iced Postum Whiskey
makes 1 drink

Ice
2 heaping teaspoons Postum (in Natural Coffee Flavor)
6 ounces hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ounce whiskey
Soy creamer (to taste)
Dollop coconut whipped cream (optional)

Fill a glass with ice and set aside. In a separate mug, mix Postum and hot water (carefully), then dissolve sugar in. Allow to cool. Add whiskey. Pour drink into glass with ice and add creamer to taste. If desired, dollop with coconut or other vegan whipped cream of choice. Enjoy!

What I really love about this coffee-flavored whiskey drink is that you don't get the caffeine side effects that you would if you used coffee. Postum is perfect in coffee-flavored cocktails!

If you'd like to try Postum for yourself, be sure to enter to win a prize pack that will include both flavors and fancy iced cups so you will be prepared to make iced Postum this season! All you have to do to enter to win is RT my giveaway tweet - that's it! To be eligible to win, you must be following both myself and Postum on Twitter. The winner will be randomly chosen on Friday,  April 28th, 2017 and will be announced after that. Good luck!

This blog post was sponsored by Postum.

Meet Zucchi Gourmet Olive Oils and Enter Their Giveaway!

When you get a package like this in the mail, you know it's your lucky day! Read on to find out how you can win all 4 flavors of this amazing olive oil!

Zucchi was so generous to send me all 4 flavors (100% Italiano, Extra Virgin, Sinfonia and Sweet & Fruity) of their gourmet olive oil and their book, The Art of Blending, that unveils the secrets of extra virgin olive oil and the special process of naturally blending and infusing flavors into the oil. At the end of the book there are a few recipes, and unfortunately they aren't all vegan-friendly, but luckily they are easy to veganize if I ever want to try any of them and the rest of the book is pretty much vegan-friendly, otherwise. Definitely an interesting and sophisticated book and a good read.

Zucchi started out as a small family business and grew to become a major oil producer. "Oleificio Zucchi was founded in 1810 in the area near Lodi in northern Italy as a family business that produced seed oils for human consumption." Now large enough to be in their current 86,000 square foot manufacturing facility on the Cremona navigation canal, producing close to 400,000 gallons of packaged oil per day, Zucchi is a leader in all things olive oil, rightfully so. This company really cares about the quality and integrity of their olive oil, which is really important. 

Upon receiving my package, I knew these olive oils were special, it is obvious. The packaging is beautiful and decorative and I'm happy to be able to display them on my spice rack; they are just really pretty. I was immediately drawn to the Sweet & Fruity bottle. Then I thought of the perfect dish to use it in. Here is information from Zucchi and next will be my recommendations for using each flavor.

*correction "fresh white fishless"

I want to start by talking about the Sweet & Fruity. This is the perfect olive oil to drizzle over a light and crisp summery salad, especially one that has strawberries, peaches or apples in it. I am also really excited to use this oil for making homemade salad dressing!

The Italiano flavor is a strong and robust flavor. I would use this for practically anything, but definitely in any Italian dish. I can picture this oil being amazing in vegan lasagna casseroles or drizzled on top of vegan garlic bread. Yum!

Sinfonia is a light and all-purpose, multi-use oil. This is a great everyday oil and a healthier alternative to salad oil.

The Organic olive oil will definitely be my go-to oil. This oil is the perfect dipping oil. To make dipping oil, add some of this oil in a small bowl and mix in some minced garlic, a little onion powder, a bit of Italian seasonings, a few red pepper flakes, and some vegan grated parmesan cheese. A dipping oil is amazing to serve with soft, warm sliced bread, rolls or bread sticks. 

Final thoughts: I use olive oil every single day. I use it in my breakfast most days, and practically every snack or meal thereafter, on a daily basis. Zucchi olive oils are one of the best that I've tasted, and I consider myself a sort of olive oil connoisseur. You can tell a good quality extra-virgin olive oil by smell and taste - these Zucchi olive oils hands down win in both categories. These olive oils smell so good that they just do something to me; they move me. I want to make air fresheners out of them!

Neat little fact: you can scan the QR code on the side of the bottle of olive oil to trace the origin of the olives inside that bottle! Amazing! This is legit olive oil right here!

These olive oils definitely come in handy while preparing recipes from my cookbook, The Dirty Vegan Cookbook, many of which call for extra-virgin olive oil in them. A special thanks again to Zucchi for sending them for me to try. They are fantastic.

Zucchi is giving away 4 flavors of their world famous olive oil - click here to enter their giveaway.

VEGAN Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and GIVEAWAY!

Remember Nutella? That chocolate hazelnut spread that literally every person I have ever met loved and ate like a million jars of in their lifetime? Well, for vegans, we haven't really had anything like that. Justin's brand has a nice chocolate hazelnut spread, but it is their own, does not taste like anything else, and definitely does not taste like Nutella.

Then I was approached by a company named Rigoni di Asiago, and had no idea what they were sending me in the mail until it arrived. See, I get a TON of emails every day from companies asking me to try their products (and if I were to say yes to every single email, all I'd be doing is writing reviews every second of my life), so when they are certified vegan and I'm pressed for time, I'm like sure send it and I kind of half-read the email about Nocciolata...woops! So I thought it was vegan jams (I'm like, oh that's cool - I'll give it a try; something different), then it arrived and I realized what it was and I was like...WHAAAAAT, SAY WHAAAAAT...this is VEGAN NUTELLA right here! Wake up, KATIE, wake up! They sent you the world's only vegan Nutella, to your knowledge, and it is ORGANIC and certified vegan and freaking AMAZING!!! Not only does Nocciolata taste exactly like that other non-vegan stuff that I already mentioned too many time than I should have, but it tastes BETTER! I cannot stress this enough. You all know me, you know when I dig something, when it is just okay, and when I'm like over-the-moon wanting to marry it...So here it is, Nocciolata, will you marry me and make me the happiest woman alive??

Here are the specs on the product, to be technical...

"Made with organic ingredients completely free of GMO's, preservatives, colors, additives, or artificial sweeteners, Rigoni di Asiago's Nocciolata Dairy Free combines hazelnuts, cocoa and cocoa butter, natural vanilla extract, and raw cane sugar for a chocolate-hazelnut spread with undeniably superior flavor. Nocciolata Dairy Free is like a vegan, organic, better-for-you Nutella, made with environmentally-responsible cold-pressed sunflower oil. It also contains far less sugar than other brands and is free from hydrogenated fats"

Rigoni di Asiago also makes amazing fruit spreads called Fiordifrutta. The company has confirmed that they are vegan - pectin is an ingredient, but I'm told it is vegan, so fruit pectin - and they taste fresh and just really delicious. This company has impressed me more than any food products company has, in a long time.

I have been eating copious amounts of this Nocciolata and haven't gained a pound, not one. It is rather amazing, but I know why. This is an organic product made with pure ingredients that my body can recognize...and my body is absorbing this nutrient rich treat and I'm smiling like a nut! I hope you noticed that pun because I work rather arduously trying to be funny.

Here's the fun...oh I'm no rub-it-in-your-face'r...I'm gonna GIVE one LUCKY reader TWO jars of Nocciolata and TWO jars of Fiordifrutta (for the two jars of fruit spreads, you pick the flavors you want - Apricot, Strawberry, Peach, Wild Berries, Wild Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry, Lingonberry, Lemon, Seville Orange, Cherry, Organic Fruit Spread Cherry, Blackberry, Black Currant, Fig, Pomegranate, Pink Grapefruit, or Pear)!

TO WIN the GIVEAWAY: all you have to do is RT my giveaway Tweet on Twitter that has the link to this blog post. You MUST be following me on Twitter. Winner will be chosen and announced on August 10th after Midnight, so RT and Like and Tweet about it until then! Rules: must be U.S. resident, must follow me on Twitter (@theDirtyVegan), must RT my tweet with the link to this blog post in it, to be eligible to win.

Let's tell the world about this amazing vegan Nocciolata!

Are YOU a Green Monster? Giveaway!!!

Hi Folks, it is giveaway time! Here's what we are doing.... One Green Planet has some awesome and green Selfie fun happening right now; let's get in on it! I happen to personally know that my readers are the ultimate Green Monsters! I get countless e-mails, tweets, and messages telling me about all of the cool vegan and environmentally-friendly things you all are doing.

#IMAGREENMONSTER because I eat vegan all day, everyday. What do you do that makes you a Green Monster? Share as many times as you like (I will count each selfie that you use #IMAGREENMONSTER as a giveaway entry! Just make sure to tweet to me and tell me that you shared your selfie!), and don't forget to check out the One Green Planet link first, include that link and @OneGreenPlanet in your tweet! You can check out my #IMAGREENMONSTER tweet on Twitter.

In case you don't already know, One Green Planet is an awesome vegan-friendly organization that has a plethora of online resources for eating healthy, helping the environment, saving the world, and so much more! One Green Planet is really a one-stop-shop for all things green; I absolutely love them and what they are doing for our world! Basically, help spread the word about their bad-ass Green Monster campaign, and you may just be the winner that I choose!

So, let's see how many Dirty Vegan readers can share their Green Monster selfies! The winner will get a box of my favorite vegan and environmentally-friendly goodies! I will collect the coolest vegan menagerie of items and ship them right to your door! I will choose and announce the winner on Monday, June 30th.

Get tweeting for a good cause! Spread the word about being a crusader for the environment, in a fun way! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Plant a tree.

Edward & Sons: Review, Lactation Cookie Recipe, and GIVEAWAY!

I have always been a huge fan of Edward & Sons food company. If you don't already know, they are also the makers of Road's End Organics, Native Forest, Premier Japan Organic, Let's Do Organic, and The Wizards. The quality of their food products is outstanding, and with their slogan, Convenience Without Compromise, you can understand why. Edward & Sons aims at making healthy packaged food products, and it never misses the mark. Here are some of the new or popular products that I wanted to show you today.

Who doesn't love Chreese? What is Chreese, you ask? Well, it is Road's End Organics deliciously healthy, nutritional yeast based cheese, and I love it! Not only do I love it, but my 13 month old kiddo does too! And this is great for me because this stuff is good for her! Each serving of Mac & Chreese contains a whopping 13g of protein and tons of Vitamin B12 (the goodness increases when you mix it with vegan milk and butter)! This is important for vegans, and everyone, to be including B12 in their diets, making this product a slam dunk in the natural community. These are so super easy to make and pack a nutritional punch. My daughter definitely gives these her seal of approval. She especially loves the 123, ABC's & Chreese 4Kidz pasta; these are incredibly easy for older babies and small children to eat because of their tiny shape and size. Love this.

Edward & Sons are like masters in coconut. Their coconut is always amazing tasting. Their Let's Do Organic fine shredded coconut and toasted coconut flakes are so amazing, fresh, and delicious, that they taste like you harvested them right from the island yourself. You rarely come across a shredded coconut product that has that cool coconut taste that is completely saturated in tropical coconut. You can tell it is minimally processed and doing amazing things for your body as you're eating it. This is the only shredded coconut that I buy. And toasted coconut flakes save you time when you are going for that in recipes. Well done.

Speaking of coconut, Native Forest has amazing coconut oil. It is great quality and gets the job done. I can't say enough good things about it. We all have heard of the amazing benefits of coconut oil, and this particular brand has the quality and flavor that a consumer deserves. Love it! I use it for oil pulling, cooking, baking, on my skin, and anything else that I can use it for! 

I also really enjoyed the Native Forest canned okra. They are organic, whole pods, and I must admit that before trying this, I had only used fresh or frozen okra. It is refreshing to have the convenience of a canned product with the organic quality that Edward & Sons continually deliver.

My pals at Edward & Sons also make amazing soupy-type products. I love their bouillon, which makes the best broth around! They come in flavors like "Chicken", "Beef", and Vegetable, but I definitely enjoyed their new Red Curry bouillon. It would be fantastic in any Indian or Thai dish, or just on its own as a cup of yummy broth with a spicy kick. I recently made a great Thai soup and this bouillon perfected it. You know what else I love about these vegan bouillon cubes? Because I'm a freak, I love the packaging so much. The name of the broth flavor is on the side of the box, so I stack them up on top of each other in my pantry, and I can easily grab the flavor I need without sorting through all of them. I know, wicked nerdy... whatever.

I'm also a fan of their Miso-cup. It is not like using fresh refrigerated miso paste, so you're not getting that freshly made taste, I hate to admit, but it is the best in a packaged miso that you can get since it uses a packaged paste that mixes with the water. It is definitely tastier than the powder miso soup pouches, plus you get the convenience of taking this soup with you on the go. If you were to take freshly made miso soup, it would obviously spoil, however it is nice to be able to take this along with you to places like work, travel, camping, etc. Plus, it doesn't taste overly salty and has a really nice, balanced flavor.

Would you like to WIN a box full of Edward & Sons goodies, just like mine? The fabulous folks at Edward & Sons are generously providing two of my readers with their very own package of goodies! Stay tuned after the recipe...

RECIPE TIME!!!

I used Native Forest Coconut Oil and Let's Do Organic Fine Shredded Coconut in this cookie recipe. Technically, they are "Lactation Cookies", but my family has been eating them and they are not producing any breast milk like I am, so it is safe to say that these are also "regular oatmeal cookies". Wink, wink. This is an amazing oatmeal cookie recipe, the ingredients just so happen to be lactogenic and support a nursing mother in making extra milk.

Oatmeal, Coconut, Raisin "Lactation" Cookies

Makes about 56 cookies

What you will need:

2 cups oats

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

2/3 cup Native Forest Coconut Oil, melted

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup oat milk (or vegan milk of your choosing)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup Let's Do Organic Fine Shredded Coconut OR Toasted Coconut Flakes

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease about two baking sheets. In a medium bowl, mix oat milk and flaxseed, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix you melted coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup, yeast, and add in your flax mixture. Now, mix together your wet and dry bowls, then fold in raisins and coconut. Roll into balls about the size of a large tablespoon and bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy these yummy cookies!

Now, I bet you're eager to know more about this giveaway that I mentioned earlier. To enter: 

• Follow me @theDirtyVegan on Twitter and also follow @EdwardAndSons on Twitter. 

• I will tweet a giveaway tweet and all you have to do is retweet that. I will be choosing two winners. Winners will be chosen and announced on Monday morning, 5/19/14. 

Let the tweeting begin!

And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Go coconuts!

Hot Maple! Review, Recipe, & GIVEAWAY!

Hey Ya'll, recently I came across a really great vegan-friendly, made in the USA (based out of Portland), product called Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce from Hot Maple Foods and was lucky enough to get my hands on some. Hot Maple uses maple syrup instead of sugar. What I love about this company is that not only do they use the syrup for flavoring, but also for sustainability. The process of harvesting and refining maple syrup is much more environmentally friendly than other sugars. Also, what I love about maple syrup is that you know it did not go through a bone-char refining process that many white sugars and sweeteners do. With that being said, Hot Maple is a great hot sauce for us vegan folk! And one of you will be winning a bottle...

Hot Maple has a subtle maple flavor but is not overpoweringly maple flavored whatsoever. My husband and I love spicy and I'm somewhat of a hot sauce snob; I must say this is really spicy stuff. I really enjoyed the smokey, spicy, with a hint of sweet flavor.

The texture is really lovely since it is slightly chunky. I love a really delicious, textured hot sauce that is not watery and runny. This hot sauce would be great in any recipe but I think especially great in Mexican dishes like salsa, guacamole, tacos, etc. Here is the first of many recipes I will post using Hot Maple. I made this rustic potatoes and vegan sausage dish that can be served as a hearty side or alone as a meal. I chose to make this dish using Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce because I feel that the ingredients, especially the potatoes, compliment the flavors in the hot sauce, especially the warmness of the habanero and maple.

Rustic Spicy Potatoes and "Sausage"

What you will need:

6 medium potatoes, cleaned, quartered, and boiled

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cups frozen peas

1 14oz package vegan sausage, cut into chunks

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 vegan bouillon cube, any flavor

1/4 cup Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce

Sea salt & black pepper to taste

What you will need to do:

Boil potatoes, drain and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and cook frozen peas until thawed. Then add in sausage and cook for a moment or so. Next, add potatoes and remaining ingredients and cook until thoroughly warmed and combined. Enjoy!

Okay, I know you are all waiting for me to tell you how can win this 5oz bottle of Hot Maple Smokey Habanero sauce, right?! In order to enter my Hot Maple giveaway, all you have to do is:

1. Comment below and tell me what you will make with this Hot Maple if you win! AND
2. Follow me on twitter: @theDirtyVegan and Tweet about the contest (mention @theDirtyVegan to get credit)!

Tweet and comment as much as you'd like! Each additional Comment and Tweet after your initial entry are BONUS entries! 

I will choose the winner this Saturday, February 22nd at 8:00 PM EST, so until then, enter away! Good luck, this is a very spicy prize!

Mister Winky's Sweet Giveaway: Announcing the WINNER!

The last blog post introduced Mister Winky and his super sweet giveaway. I am excited to announce the winner in today's post. We asked you guys to be creative with a photo with Mister Winky for a chance to win $30 worth of Dirty Vegan Foods goodies. This was such a hard decision to make; all of the entries were so good, funny, and imaginative! The chosen winner is the entry we felt to be the most original in use and creativity. Thank you D.J. Hops for this awesome picture and Congratulations! Please e-mail your mailing address and we will send out your prize! info@dirtyveganfoods.com

Again, thank you everyone for your entries; they were so all amazing! And don't worry, there will be more fun and exciting giveaways to come very soon! Don't forget that for the rest of May, if you order $30 or more of product (before tax and shipping) from www.dirtyveganfoods.com/ you will receive $5 off!

And for now, Mister Winky the Dirty Vegan is signing off!

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Mister Winky's Sweet Giveaway!

Introducing Mister Winky! This adorable and creme-filled cartoon wants to make your acquaintance in style - by giving you free dessert! The Dirty Vegan and Dirty Vegan Foods are announcing Mister Winky's Giveaway! Please read on to find out how you can win a box of sweet goodies from www.dirtyveganfoods.com!

Dirty Vegan Foods - Home of the Original Winky!

The Prize: 

Sweet treats from Dirty Vegan Foods!

HOW TO ENTER

Send me a picture of you and Mister Winky (using the above picture) or show me the funniest, coolest, unique Mr. Winky somewhere (click on the picture of Mister Winky to print him out). The chosen winner will be the one with the most creative and original photo. You can send the photo to me:

Via E-mail: thedirtyvegan.blogspot@gmail.com OR info@dirtyveganfoods.com

Via Twitter for ex. by Twitpic: @theDirtyVegan and/or @DirtyVeganFoods (don't forget to follow us!)

Via Facebook wall: The Dirty Vegan Facebook Page OR Dirty Vegan Foods Facebook Page (and don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook!)

DEADLINE TO ENTER: Entries must be received by Thursday, May 19th at 9:00 PM EST.

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED ON Friday, May 20th!

*by entering you are agreeing that we can announce your name and share your photo if you win* the Dirty Vegan reserves the right to change the prize in the unlikely event that the prize is no longer available* - Good luck!

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WholeSoy Giveaway Winner and Daydreamy Tuscan "Sausage" & Mushroom Pasta

The winner of the WholeSoy Giveaway is PurpleLarkspur! Please e-mail me at thedirtyvegan.blogspot@gmail.com with the address that you would like me to mail your prize to. I will get that shipped out right away! Congratulations, PurpleLarkspur and thank you to everyone who entered. There will be more giveaways coming up soon, so please stay tuned for them! Now let us travel off to our Tuscan fantasy... 


Pretend you are in a beautiful villa in Tuscany, overlooking gorgeous green valleys...unless of coarse you are really in Tuscany, then I suppose you would just look outside. Either way, I hope you enjoy this pasta dish that I created. The fresh flavors are pretty amazing combined with Field Roast's pop of flavors (think eggplant and grains, yum!), you will feel like you are doing something very naughty, when in reality, this dish is actually pretty healthy.

Pretend with My 'Tuscan "Sausage" and Mushroom Pasta' Recipe


1 lb wheat pasta (I used rotini here)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 large portobello mushroom caps, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 package Field Roast Italian Sausage (4 links), chopped
2 cups water
1 Edward & Sons Not-chicken bouillon cube
Sprinkle (or two) Italian seasoning
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Vegan Parmesan, to sprinkle before serving (optional)


Boil water and cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in saucepan on medium heat. Sweat garlic until aromas are released. Add mushroom, tomato, and sausage. Stir and let cook for about 3 minutes. Add water, bouillon, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and let simmer until pasta is ready. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Drain pasta and mix together pasta and sauce. Serve with some vegan parm sprinkled on top, if you like. Enjoy!

Buon Appetito!

Here's to daydreaming!

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WholeSoy Giveaway & Tropical Mango Banana Smoothie Recipe!

"Well I hope you understand, I just had to go back to the island." -Jimmy Buffett

Transport to a Tropical Paradise with My 'Mango Banana Smoothie' Recipe

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cubed

1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup WholeSoy yogurt in vanilla (or any flavor you like)

Splash of vegan milk (I used coconut milk)

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

If you guys remember my Key-Lime-Vegan-Yogurt-Off, you know that I am a fan of WholeSoy. There are so many things you can do with this soy yogurt! Smoothies, froyo, yogurt parfaits, you can add fruit to them, really whatever you like. WholeSoy has been generous enough to send me some coupons and I am happy to announce that I have tried probably every single flavor they make. I enjoyed all the flavors like, strawberry banana, apricot mango, and lemon. Actually, the lemon was so good, I couldn't decide whether I liked the lemon or the lime better. The refreshing citrus flavor was very nice.

I decided to have a GIVEAWAY with some of the coupons WholeSoy sent to me! I like to share these things with my readers. I really appreciate all my readers for your support. I believe in sharing good fortune with my friends, so since I'm fortunate enough to sometimes get coupons here and there from companies, I wouldn't feel right not sharing the love. My readers deserve to try this stuff too! So I am giving a 24oz tub of this stuff away, plus some extra bonus coupons to go with it, to one lucky reader!

The Prize: 

WholeSoy Coupon Prize Pack containing: (1) coupon for FREE 24oz tub, (3) coupons for $1.00 off any 24oz tub, and (1) $.25 off coupon on any 6oz cup!

HOW TO ENTER

You can enter the giveaway any of these 3 ways:

You can enter here the Blog-way: by being a
subscriber AND leaving a comment below telling me why you think you should win!

You can enter the Twitter-way: Follow @theDirtyVegan AND mention/ RT about the contest!

You can enter the Facebook-way: "Like" The Dirty Vegan fan-page AND leave a comment on my wall telling me why you think you should win!

BONUS ENTRIES: each "way" you enter, gives you that amount of contest entries per day. Maximum amount of entries is 3 per day, via the Blog-way, Twitter-way, and Facebook-way.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: Entries must be received by Thursday, March 31st at 9:00 PM EST.

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED ON FRIDAY, APRIL 1st!
*by entering you are agreeing that we can announce your name if you win *the Dirty Vegan reserves the right to change the prize in the unlikely event that the prize is no longer available - Good luck!

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Three Cheeze "Bacon" Veggie Pita Pizzas & the GIVEAWAY WINNER!

The winner of the Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss Giveaway is Noelle! Please e-mail me at thedirtyvegan.blogspot@gmail.com with the address that you would like me to mail your prize to. I will get that shipped out right away! Congratulations, Noelle and thank you to everyone who entered. There will be lots more giveaways coming up soon, so please stay tuned for them! Now onto the pizzas...

Three Cheeze "Bacon" Veggie Pita Pizzas 

6 whole wheat pita pockets

1/2 jar of tomato sauce

1 package LightLife Smart Bacon

1/2 cup vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower

2 slices Galaxy Nutritional vegan mozzarella slices

1/2 cup Daiya  Mozzarella cheese shreds

1/4 cup Daiya Cheddar cheese shreds

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with a little non-stick cooking spray. Place the pitas on the sheet. Spread tomato sauce on them. Break up or cup Smart Bacon into small pieces and arrange on the pitas. Then add your vegetable toppings. Now with the mozzarella slices, tear or cut them into chunks and place around on the pizza. Next sprinkle the cheese shreds. Lastly, drizzle olive oil on top of each pizza and bake for about 10 minutes, or until pizzas are melty and slightly brown/ crisp. Enjoy!

I really love Lightlife products and have since I first became veg. You can do so much with the Smart Bacon, I love their Gimme Lean products and I cannot even think of having a barbecue or picnic without their Smart Dogs or Tofu Pups. They were kind enough to send me some coupons so I can try out anything I haven't had or make up some cool recipes using Lightlife. I usually use the Smart Bacon for VBLT sandwiches but really loved using it on this pizza. Also, I will be using their Smart Ground in one of my next posts for lasagna, which has been requested by a lot of readers on my Facebook and Twitter pages; stay tuned for that! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off.

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A Blissful Dessert and a GIVEAWAY!

There are so many ways to describe this vegan dessert, but the name says it best...bliss, Coconut Bliss that is! Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss offers a variety of flavors, some of which include: Cherry Amaretto, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Island, Naked Coconut (ooooh sounds Dirty), and lots of other great flavors (you can get it in pint size or Bliss Bars!). This delightful dessert can be found at Whole Foods and health food stores.


I really am totally hooked on their vegan frozen desserts! Cool, smooth, creamy...oh so enchanting! I happen to love all Coconut Bliss flavors that I have tried, but my favorite is Dark Chocolate. I love the creaminess of the coconut while having the richness of the dark chocolate; its great!

I don't have to be the only one having all the fun here. Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss were cool enough to donate a giveaway prize for one of my lucky readers! Are you excited? I am!

THE PRIZE: One of my lucky readers will receive a Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss prize pack, which includes: 2 FREE pints of Coconut Bliss in any flavor, a groovy Coconut Bliss sticker, tucked inside a colorful Coconut Bliss comic.


HOW TO ENTER
You can enter the giveaway any of these 3 ways:

You can enter here the Blog-way: by being a
subscriber AND leaving a comment below telling me why you think you should win!

You can enter the Twitter-way: Follow @theDirtyVegan AND mention/ RT about the contest!

You can enter the Facebook-way: "Like" The Dirty Vegan fan-page AND leave a comment on my wall telling me why you think you should win!

BONUS ENTRIES: each "way" you enter, gives you that amount of contest entries per day. Maximum amount of entries is 3 per day, via the Blog-way, Twitter-way, and Facebook-way.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: Entries must be received by Monday, March 14th at 9:00 PM EST.

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY, MARCH 15th!
*by entering you are agreeing that we can announce your name if you win - Good luck!

Luna & Larry, a bunch of coconuts. I love it!

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