Vegan Pie in the Sky!

The Date: Wednesday, August 31
The Delivery: Five to Thrive by Lise N. Alschuler and Karolyn A. Gazella and a galley of Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romeo
Staff Pick: Vegan Pie in the Sky

The DL: It's finally here! We'll save you the chatter and just share three recipes: Sweet Potato Brazil Nut Crunch Pie, Brownie Bottom Peanut Butter Cheesecake, and Boston Cream Cake Pie. (Psst! The recipe for the Boston Cream Cake Pie is in our September+October issue.) Yeah, we're drooling all over our keyboards too. Are Isa and Terry's cookbooks your veritable vegan cooking bibles? Then vote for the duo as your favorite cookbook authors in The 2011 Veggie Awards, and enter to win a weeklong cruise to boot! Polls close tonight at 11:59pm PT, so vote now!

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust and Books

The Date: Tuesday, August 30
The Delivery: Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier, Extinction by John McCabe, and gluten-free artisan pizza crusts from Toovaloo
Staff Pick: The pizza crusts!

The DL: Ohmygoshwelovepizza. (Sorry about the lack of spaces. We were too excited to talk about pizza to use the spacebar.) We're already imagining what to top this gluten-free crust with: pesto? Marinara? Veggies? Vegan pepperoni? Our minds are reeling. For more pizza (yes please!), check out our brand-new September+October issue, featuring a taste test with five frozen vegan pizzas. Which one was our favorite? You'll have to buy a copy to find out!

Alternative Tootpaste

The Date: Monday, August 29
The Delivery: Toothy Tabs (and some eco-friendly toothbrushes!) from Lush Cosmetics 
Staff Pick: The Toothy Tabs!

The DL: We here at the VNHQ love getting deliveries of chocolate, cookbooks, and chips, but perhaps even more than those three Cs, we love a new vegan product unlike anything we've ever C-een (get it?). Enter: Toothy Tabs. The folks at Lush are aiming to reduce the ecological impact of toothpaste tubes and dispensers with these tabs. Pop in your mouth, brush as normal, and keep some of the one billion toothpaste tubes that end up in landfills annually out. We are so intrigued we might whip some out some of these Toothy Tabs right now. After all, we did just have lunch.

Gourmet Simple Syrup

The Date: Friday, August 26

The Delivery: Four flavors of Royal Rose Simple Syrups—rose, lavender-lemon, raspberry, and tamarind

Staff Pick: The Lavender-Lemon Syrup

The DL: Gourmet flavored syrups from Brooklyn? Count us in! While most of the VegNews staff is in Portland noshing on all of Oregon's delicious veg fare at Vida Vegan Con, the rest of us will be taking our drinks to the next level with these syrups: lavender-lemon soda, raspberry cosmos, and rose gimlets, just to name a few. If we really want to get crazy, we might even make our own custom combos. Raspberry-rose martinis, anyone? After all, it's Friday...

Vegan Snack and New Parma! Flavors

The Date: Wednesday, August 25
The Delivery: New flavors of Parma! in Chipotle Cayenne and Garlicky Green from Sister River Foods and assorted cookies, chocolates, and savory snacks from Derrick Sky
Staff Pick: The Chipotle Cayenne Parma!

The DL: Parma! is sort of like water here at the VNHQ (but really, have you seen the size of the bags sitting in our fridge?), so we are beyond excited to try the new flavors. We're pretty much imagining explosions of tasty happiness with every bite. We're also beyond excited for this weekend's Vida Vegan Blogger Conference in Portland, Ore. We will be there in full force—five of us, to be exact—so make sure to say hi if you're going to be there!

Cookbooks, Protein Powder, and More

The Date: Wednesday, August 24
The Delivery: Chia powder and non-vegan lip balm from Navitas Naturals, plant-based protein powder from Plant Fusion, Naked Wine by Alice Feiring, and Candle 79 Cookbook by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda
Staff Pick: Candle 79 Cookbook

The Delivery: We've been hearing (not to mention dreaming) about this new cookbook for months (months, we tell you!) and when it was delivered, we immediately began flipping through its pages at a frenzied and ravenous pace. At first glance, we're in love with the Nori- and Sesame-Crusted Seitan and Chile-Grilled Tofu with Avocado-Tomatillo Sauce. Want to get a look at the cookbook, our remodeled deck, and Vaute Couture's just-released-today fall collection, all at one time? Sign up for an appointment on September 2 or 3 at Vaute Couture's San Francisco pop-up shop, located right here at the VNHQ!

Non-Vegan Books and a Documentary

The Date: Tuesday, August 23
The Delivery: Copies of the documentary PlanEAT and non-vegan books and cookbooks: Good Better Best by Mitch Plotnick, Salad Daze: The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook by Alex Brown and Evan George, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann, and 175 Best Babycakes Cupcake Maker Recipes by Kathy Moore and Roxanne Wyss
Staff Pick: PlanEAT

The DL: This film, which documents scientists, chefs, and farmers as they search for the best diet for our health, the environment, and the future of the planet, sounds right up our alley. Perhaps we will stage a viewing tonight, after this evening's Twitter Chat, of course. Want to find out how some of the most successful bloggers around made their blogs full-time jobs? Join us tonight at 9pm ET/6pm PT at hashtag #VegNewsChat. Hope to see you there!

Raw Chocolate, Gum, and Energy Bars

The Date: Monday, August 22
The Delivery: Raw, organic chocolate bars from Fearless Chocolate Co., aspartame-free gum from Pur Gum, and vegetarian energy, protein and breakfast nutrition bars from Rise Bar
Staff Pick: The Hibiscus Ginger bar

The DL: We love supporting local businesses and consuming chocolate, so we're getting the best of both worlds with these chocolate bars! We first met Oakland, Calif.-based Fearless Chocolate at Expo West, and enjoyed seeing them again during their recent visit to the VNHQ. Will we enjoy the chocolate even more? Only time (and a taste test) will tell. Your time is almost up to vote in The 2011 Veggie Awards. Polls close August 31, so cast your votes today for a chance to win seriously awesome prizes!

VegNews September+October Issue!

The Date: Friday, August 19
The Delivery: The September+October issue of VegNews Magazine!!
Staff Pick: The mag! Times a million!

The DL: We know you're probably wondering, "Why is today's This Just In posted so early?" Well, dear readers, we just couldn't help but share this beautiful magazine with you as soon as possible. What can we say? That pumpkin carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is just too good to keep to ourselves. Earlier this week, we had you guess the cover in our Cover Crystal Ball, and many of you chose correctly! Now, enjoy pumpkin-inspired recipes, the most mouth-watering vegan s'mores you've ever seen, and pages beyond pages of the nation's top vegan food trucks (see below for a sneak peek)! Oh, and there's a recipe for Isa and Terry's Boston Cream Cake Pie from their new cookbook, Vegan Pie in the Sky. Just sayin'. Congratulations to vegan blogger extraordinaire, Kathy Patalsky, for having her gorgeous photo of Pumpkin Spice Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe in the mag!) grace our cover. Kudos, Kathy!

Raw Snacks and Hemp Seeds

The Date: Thursday, August 18
The Delivery: Tins filled with raw macaroons, granola, and candied pecans from Hail Merry and Hemp Hearts sprouted hemp seeds and a t-shirt from Manitoba Harvest
Staff Pick: The pecans! Lots of 'em!

The DL: We first fell in love with Hail Merry at last year's Expo West, and rekindled our love at 2011's show as well (What can we say? The raw tarts are killer). Well, looks like it happened again. Hail Merry's tin of lemon thyme, orange rosemary, chimayo chili, and chocolate chili pecans look so good, our next taste test might be more of an inhale test. Let us know what you love in The VegNews Veggie Awards!

Queso and Sweets

The Date: Wednesday, August 17
The Delivery: Graham crackers, mini s'mores, and a tote bag from Sweet & Sara and jars of Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso, Fire-Roasted Queso, and Voodoo Queso
Staff Pick: The Voodoo Queso!

The DL: Some days, our deliveries are dry as a bone; other times (such as today), we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Choosing a staff favorite today was like picking your favorite sheep at a farm sanctuary—you truly can't go wrong—but something about Nacho Mom's new black bean queso won us over. Maybe it was the fact that there were six jars of it: It's pretty much begging us to try it at work and then take a jar or two home. If you insist, Voodoo Queso. If you insist.

A Cookbook, Mixes, and Skincare

The Date: Tuesday, August 16
The Delivery: Cake, cookie, pizza crust, and seasoning mixes from Simply Organic; lip balm and body scrub from Zaaina Skincare; and World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan
Staff Pick: World Vegan Feast

The DL: This cookbook contains 200 hundred recipes from more than 50 countries. Our minds are blown. Moroccan? Italian? Balinese? Scottish! Ukranian! South African! Okay, we're not going to name all 50, but we sure do want to taste them. We don't even know what Scandinavian Christmas Bread is, but it looks delicious. Speaking of Christmas, we are hard at work on our November+December issue, which is packed full of holiday cheer and a little thing we like to call The Veggie Awards. Vote for your favorites today!

Cookies and Crumbs

The Date: Monday, August 15
The Delivery: New cookies and crumbs from Mary's Gone Crackers
Staff Pick: The crumbs

The DL: After Friday's lackluster post, we're thrilled to be back in the swing of things here at the VNHQ. Thankfully, we received a huge delivery of goodies from Mary's Gone Crackers. We already love this brand for their namesake crackers, and we're enticed by the idea of breading seitan with the savory crumbs. Or, to be more specific, we're enticed by the idea of someone else breading seitan with the crumbs, then making a marinara, and then serving the dish right now in our office. Just in case anyone was wondering.

Empty Box Report

The Date: Friday, August 12
The Delivery: Straight nothing
Staff Pick: Well, we'd like to make something out of nothing, but it's a bit of a challenge. 

 The DL: You know, it's an odd day when nothing is delivered to the office. We wait. We eagerly anticipate a delicious delivery of new tasty products, or riveting books, or groundbreaking new vegan shoes or something. Today, our waiting was in vain. But, since it's now officially the weekend, we're ok with looking forward to whatever Monday brings, so long as it's something. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, which you are virtually sure to if you vote in the Veggie Awards Poll. (The prizes are amazing! And you could win them! We are just saying!)

Vegan Energy Bars

The Date: Thursday, August 11
The Delivery: Clif Mojo Bars in White Chocolate Macadamia, Dipped S'mores, and Chocolate Almond Coconut, and Clif Crunch Bars in Blueberry and Chocolate Peanut Butter
Staff Pick: Mojo S'mores! 

 The DL: Here at the VNHQ, we are pretty darned obsessed with s'mores. Not to put too fine a point on it, but maybe there's good reason for this, and maybe you'll find said reason in the September+October issue, which will be out in just a few weeks! Until then, we're hoping that these decadent-looking bars help power us through our November+December issue—we're already in the thick of it!

A Cookbook and Vegan Lotion

The Date: Wednesday, August 10
The Delivery: 500 Vegan Dishes by Deborah Gray and lavender shea butter from Från Krämer
Staff Pick: 500 Vegan Dishes

The DL: It's a double-edged sword, vegan cookbooks: On the one hand, you get a whole host of awesome-looking recipes with beautiful photos for almost every one (as is the case with Gray's cookbook), but on the other hand, there's no Baked Rice Pudding or Leek and Potato Soup anywhere (unless, you know, you make it). We guess it's just part of the job. Make it your job to vote in the world's largest survey of vegan people, places, and products, aka The VegNews Veggie Awards!

Protein Powders

The Date: Tuesday, August 9
The Delivery: Protein powder and bean sprout mixes from Sprout Living
Staff Pick: The Epic Protein powder in chocolate maca

The DL: Anything that has the word "epic" in the title is going to be pretty rad (well, we hope at least), and we know things with chocolate in them are rad, so this protein powder seems like it could be a winner! Plus it's raw, organic, and provides 19 grams of protein per ounce. It might even be a bit of an overachiever, if you ask us. VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen is an overachiever too (in the kitchen, that is). A few weeks ago she made 15 of us a three-course meal for $70! Learn how she did it over on Savvy Vegan.

A Cookbook and Skincare

The Date: Monday, August 8
The Delivery: Give Them Something Better by Sarah Frain and Stephanie Howard, and skincare from Sibu Beauty
Staff Pick: The replenishing night cream

The DL: We love all-natural, cruelty- and paraben-free skincare. We like it even more when it's the kind that we only have to wear while we're dreaming. Things don't get much easier than that! Want to take the vegan trip of your dreams? Sign up for one of our VegVacations and make it a reality! Our trips to India are already sold out, but there are still a few spots left for our Mexico, Thailand, and Bali trips. Sign up today!

Superfood Snacks

The Date: Friday, August 5
The Delivery: Power Snacks in Citrus Chia Superfood and Cacao Gogi Superfood from Navitas Naturals
Staff Pick: The Cacao Gogi Superfood snacks

The DL: Sure, we like our chips and burritos as much as the next editorial team, but we don't shy away from a healthy snack, either. These bites, filled with superfoods galore, look tasty as can be and we can't wait to try them. Want your snacks (and meals, for that matter) to help get you into shape? Check out our featurette to see what the glycemic index can do for you. Have a wonderful weekend!

New Book

The Date: Thursday, August 4
The Delivery: Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa
Staff Pick: Lunch Wars

The DL: With the first day of school looming (where did July go?), it's once again time for school lunches to take center stage. Unfortunately for kids all over the country, most cafeteria trays contain less than stellar sustenance. Enter Lunch Wars, a book that tells readers how to bring the good food fight to our schools and transform school lunches. If you're more of a lover than a fighter, head on over to our Facebook page and check out VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen's weekend of shopping, cooking, and eating at San Francisco's Millennium restaurant. You'll love seeing what she whipped up (hello, zucchini cake)!

Beanfields

The Date: Wednesday, August 3
The Delivery: A really, really big box of pico de gallo chips from Beanfields!
Staff Pick: The chips!

The DL: This delivery of one of our favorite brands of chips (it was a VegPick in our July+August issue, after all!) could not have come at a better time—we just sent the September+October issue to press this very morning and now we're famished! It was a long road, and we here at the VN can't wait to celebrate with Beanfields now and a tipple or two this evening. Want to throw your own cocktail party without spending an arm and a leg? Editorial Assistant Hilary tells you just how to do it on Savvy Vegan. Sangria, anyone?

Parma!

The Date: Tuesday, August 2
The Delivery: A ginormous bag of Parma! from Eat in the Raw
Staff Pick: Parma!

The DL: We think it's pretty obvious from the size of this bag that the VN staff doesn't do well when we are out of this delicious condiment. In fact, we threw in the pen just to show you how big the bag actually is. Perspective is everything. While we're on the topic of big things, want to take part in the world's largest survey of vegan people, places, and products? Such a silly question. Of course you do! Vote in The 2011 Veggie Awards, open now through August 31.

A Vegan Cookbook and Nail Polish

The Date: Monday, August 1
The Delivery: Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Robertson and vegan water-based nail polish kits from Acquarella Water Color
Staff Pick: Quick-Fix Vegan

The DL: We know the galley of Quick-Fix Vegan was a staff pick a short while ago, but we can't help it—we're just too excited! Robin Robertson is nothing short of a vegan cooking genius. Our mouths are definitely watering over this new book, in addition to Robin's newest Global Vegan food column in our upcoming September+October issue. Indian-Chinese fusion, yes please! While you're waiting for the new issue to arrive, vote for your favorite vegan restaurant, cheese, chocolate, city, store, cookbook author, blog, website, and more in The 2011 Veggie Awards!