Vegan Cookies, Baby Clothes, a Cookbook, and Soy Sauce

The Delivery: Baby Clothes from Rock 'n' Roll Babies, Little Soya soy sauce (not vegan), cookies from Mama Micki's All Natural Bakery, and Vegetarian by Alice Hart (not vegan).
Staff Pick: The cookies!

The DL: Cookies, we meet again. But this time, it's different: Instead of taste-testing classic chocolate chip or simple snickerdoodle, we've been presented with creative concoctions such as Chocolate Orange with Walnuts and Oatmeal Raisin Sunflower Seed. And to them we say, welcome. Oh, and we're excited to eat you. While we're gobbling these sweets, check out 10 must-visit best spring break destinations for foodies (cookies included) in our new travel feature.

Cookbooks, Vegan Pasta Sauce, and Eco-Friendly Beverage Accessories

The Delivery: Cooking Vegan by Vesanto Melina and Joseph Forest, Victoria Vegan Pasta Sauces from  Victoria Fine Foods, reusable beverage accessories from Green Paxx, and Fresh and Green by Aldo Zilli (not vegan)
Staff Pick: Cooking Vegan

The DL: We're back from Expo West, and boy was it a doozy. After tons of excitement, a few bad stomachaches, and more food samples than we can count, we're glad to be sitting at our desks in the VNHQ. And after all that eating, we're more than happy to flip through pages of "healthful, delicious, and easy" recipes. Bring on the green smoothies! Want to see what went down at Expo West? Head on over to our Facebook page and check out our photos!

Sprouted Burgers? Yes Please!

The Delivery: Heart Healthy Pizza by Mark Sutton, a galley of The Easy Vegan by Janet Hudson, Sprout Burgers from Health Is Wealth, and Spa Ritual's spring/summer 2012 nail polish collection
Staff Pick: The burgers!

The DL: The next time we head to a barbecue—which, if this beautiful weather is any indication, may be sooner than expected—we'll definitely arrive with these sprouted burgers from Health Is Wealth in tow. With flavors such as Chipotle Bean and Mushroom and Onion, we're betting these grain-based grillers would be great topped with thin slices of the new Daiya cheese wedges, then slathered in chipotle, barbecue, and horseradish Vegenaise (no such thing as too many condiments!). Speaking of Daiya and Vegenaise, tomorrow we're heading to Natural Products Expo West, a trade show featuring the nation's best and brightest natural product companies. This Just In will be on hiatus until we get back on Tuesday, but you can follow our dispatches from Expo West on Facebook, Twitter, or our brand new Instagram account. See you soon, Anaheim!

Bars, Books, and Putty

The Delivery: Two Degrees food bars with quinoa, chia, and millet, Locavore Adventures by Jim Weaver (not vegan), Vegans Are Cool compiled by Kathy Divine, The Little Lotus Learns About Wellness by Maryellen Murphy Ruggiero, and Putty for Your Hands from Lush
Staff Pick: The Two Degrees bars

The DL: "For every bar you buy, we give a meal to a hungry child." Now that is an energy bar that gives back! We're excited to try these snacks, which come in yummy flavors such as Chocolate Banana, Apple Pecan, and Cherry Almond. Perhaps they'll supply the much-needed energy to get us through Natural Products Expo West. We're heading down to Anaheim tomorrow to find the hottest new vegan products—be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram to get the inside scoop!

Crazy for Cookbooks!

The Delivery: Let Them Eat Vegan by Dreena Burton, Chia: the Complete Guide to the Ultimate Superfood by Wayne Coates, VegeBaby by Pragna Parmita (not vegan), and Cook, Eat, Thrive by Joy Tienzo
Staff Pick: Cook, Eat, Thrive

The DL: Oh man. Sweet Potato Challah? Is there really anything else to say? A simple peruse through Cook, Eat, Thrive not only makes us hungry, but also has us surprised and delighted by creative dishes we've never seen before. While we're drooling over page 92 (that would be the Smoky Corn and Date Empanditas), you can find in-depth reviews of fantastic vegan cookbooks in every issue of VegNews. Subscribe today to get our upcoming May+June issue before it hits newsstands. There just so happens to be an extended media section!

Books, Tea, and a DVD

The Delivery: Dating Vegans: Recipes for Relationships by Anne Dinshah, Practically Raw by Amber Shea Crawley, Humane Society of the United States' Latest in Clinical Nutritional Volume 8 by Michael Greger, and Mother Earth Zest and Dreamtime loose-leaf teas from Sacred Rose
Staff Pick: Practically Raw

The DL: It's pretty serendipitous that Practically Raw was today's Staff Pick: Not only is it one of our 10 must-buy vegan cookbooks for 2012, but the author herself stopped by the VNHQ today! If you're looking to add more uncooked deliciousness to your diet, be sure to pick up this book and whip up some of Gena Hamshaw's Raw Corn Tortillas (which just so happen to be this week's What's Cooking). Maybe you could read over Practically Raw's pages while eating a raw tortilla or two. Just a thought.

Instant Bread Mixes, Raw Hemp Seeds, and a Veg-Friendly Graphic Novel

The Delivery: Organic bread mixes from Baked Better, Tails: Book One comic by Ethan Young, and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
Staff Pick: The hemp seeds

The DL: We're not going to lie: Here at VegNews, we love gobbling up the occasional cookie or huge sub sandwich, but we also love to eat healthful food (just search for "kale salad" on Café VegNews and you'll see what we mean). We're excited to try these hemp hearts (not the seed—just the center) on oatmeal, cereal, and yes, those kale salads too. Cheers to health! And kale! And cookies!

Vegan Soul Food Delivery

The Delivery: Items from Oakland-based restaurant Souley Vegan's new line of frozen-food entrées, including Southern-fried tofu, mac and cheese, okra gumbo, and mustard greens, plus yams, black-eyed peans, and red beans
Staff Pick: All of the above!

The DL: While this blog writer can't specifically recall, she's pretty sure that members of the VN staff actually high-fived each other when checking out this delivery from Souley Vegan. It's one thing to cross the San Francisco Bay and order a plate of this vegan soul food, but it's quite another to have a feast for 10 (at least) delivered by surprise to your door. Want to know how everything tasted? Editorial Assistant Rashida Harmon gives you the lowdown on today's Café VegNews!

Vegan Cheese, Body Care, and Books

The Delivery: Vegan Mexican-Style and Mozzarella-Style Cheeses from Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Intensive Hand Repair Cream from Earth Therapeutics, Mint and Citrus Soaps from Jack's Soaps, 175 Best Babycakes Cake Pop Recipes by Kathy Moore and Roxanne Wyss (not vegan), and The Rescue of Belle & Sundance by Birgit Stutz & Lawrence Scanlan
Staff Pick: The cheese!

The DL: You may remember freakouts over vegan cheese from such blogs as this one. We love Galaxy Nutritional Foods' vegan cream cheese, so we're pretty stoked to try these shreds. But to go back to the cream cheese (sorry, we can't help it): The spread was one of last year's best new products from Natural Products Expo West, and we can't believe it's already time to go back! We'll be live next week at Expo telling you all about the new, delicious vegan stuff that will be hitting the shelves in 2012. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the inside scoop!

Tea, a Book, and Vegan Nacho Chips

The Delivery: The Transformational Power of Fasting by Stephen Harrod Buhner, teas from Choice Organic, and Beanfields' Nacho Bean and Rice chips
Staff Pick: The nacho chips!

The DL: The arrival of these Beanfields chips was met with squeals of joy throughout VNHQ—an understandable response considering vegan nacho chips almost sound too good to be true. While they may threaten to derail any attempts at foregoing snacks this week (especially after collectively polishing off not one but two boxes of Birthday Cake Oreos last week), we're welcoming these triangular treats into our veg snack reserve with open arms. Another vegan treat we're happily embracing this week? Veganized Girl Scout cookies, coming to a pantry near you!

Vegan Skin Care

The Delivery: The Pure Natural Skincare line from Green People and allergy-free face balm and face wash from Premae
Staff Pick: Green People's Vitamin C Concentrate Serum

The DL: Most vegans agree that cruelty-free living should extend to our exteriors, which is why we were pumped to receive not one but two (!) boxes of veg-friendly beauty products. This fancy-looking serum from Green People got us thinking about all the extravagant items currently being hawked at the Oscars gifting suite (which our own Laura Beck, vegan blogging queen and VN Editor-at-Large, was fortunate to attend this year … can you say jealous?) If you, like the rest of us, are going to be miles away from the awards-show action this Sunday, get in on the excitement by hosting a veg viewing party. Check out our tips for throwing the ultimate Oscars bash!

Easter Basket Surprise!

The Delivery: An early Easter basket full of vegan, gluten-free treats from Allison's Gourmet

The DL: Just because Easter isn’t until April doesn’t mean we can’t bust out the chocolate bunnies now! At least that’s the message we’re getting from vegan confectionary Allison’s Gourmet. The arrival of this festive feast of sweets just happens to coincide with San Francisco's unusually hot February weather, which is making the first day of spring feel just a bunny-hop away. Still battling the late-winter doldrums? Ditch boredom for board games by hosting a veg game night—complete with a menu that’ll gear you up for that fifth round of Scattergories. Get some inspiration by checking out our feature on Gluten-Free Vegan Bites for Game Night!
 

Vegan Cookbook, Granola, and Pickles

The Delivery: Pickled veggies from Donovan's Cellar, granola and a T-shirt from Kind Healthy Grains, and Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas
Staff Pick: Nava Atlas' cookbook

The DL: It’s long been established that greens are a vital part of a plant-based diet—as Bianca Phillips points out in her feature 7 Steps to Becoming a Healthier Vegan, leafy vegetables such as kale and collards are a great source of calcium, and therefore crucial for optimum health. From what we can tell, Nava Atlas’ book seems to be a great jumping-off point for incorporating more greens into your diet. If getting healthy means munching on Atlas’ Tostadas with Chili-Spiced Greens and Potatoes and Cumin-Roasted Cauliflower and Kale, then we’re heading to the market ASAP to gather as many leafy greens as we can carry. In addition to Atlas’ book, which comes out this summer, there are tons of great vegan cookbooks on the horizon for 2012. Check out our picks here!

Books and Raw Chocolates

The Delivery: Raw chocolate from Cloud 9, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll,  The Organic Nanny's Guide to Raising Healthy Kids by Barbara Rodriguez (not vegan), and Eco Chef Bryan Au's Raw Star Recipes

Staff Pick: Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

The DL: We couldn’t wait to flip through vegan athlete extraordinaire Rich Roll’s new book, which details his dramatic transformation from out-of-shape stress-case to one of the world’s top endurance athletes—a transformation he began when he was in his 40s. Impressed? So were we, which is why he was one of the vegan dads we featured in our March+April Man issue. Don’t worry if you don’t see yourself entering an ultra-triathlon anytime soon, you can make small changes to your physical health by following VN contributor Bianca Phillips' 7 Steps to Becoming a Healthier Vegan. Who knows, you might be running alongside Rich in no time!

Pressure Cooker

 The Delivery: An EZ Bean Cooker, along with a variety of dry beans from Whole Foods' 365 Organic and Walmart's Great Value brand

The DL: Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you … want to keep eating because they’re so delicious. (What did you think I was going to say?) We can’t wait to try out the EZ Bean Cooker, which promises to prep protein-rich legumes in a matter of minutes. EZ indeed! Some quick-cooking Red Beans and Rice prepped in the Bean Cooker would pair perfectly with Biscuits and Creamy Sage Gravy for a superb Southern-inspired meal, or would be a fine addition to any vegan Mardi Gras party spread, perhaps alongside some Jambalaya and Cajun Stuffed Peppers. Now that’s a party we’d like to attend!