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February 2004—Issue #5
Vegetarian News, Food & More!
Brought to you by VegNews Magazine
In this issue:
**Rich, Dark, Sumptuous (and Dairy-Free!) Chocolate
**Vegan Valentine Gift Ideas
**Tips on Dating
**Free Sample Copies of VegNews
**Exciting News from VegNews
Thanks so much for your interest in VegNews, America's favorite vegetarian newsmagazine. The popular "VegNewsletter" arrives in your email box just once a month and is filled with vegetarian news, tidbits, recipes, products, reviews, and more. It's the perfect accompaniment to a VegNews subscription. Don't miss our exciting news at the end of this February edition of VegNewsletter.
In honor of Valentine's Day, why settle for anything
less than decadent, smooth vegan dark chocolate
for your sweetie? Well, let's just be honest here.
Why settle for nothing but the best any day of
the year? Following are a few chocolate companies
that food writer Robin Robertson and friends tasted,
debated, and wrote about for VegNews.
CHOCOLATE DECADENCE. The first thing we
noticed about their chocolate truffles was their
size: they're huge! These rich, dense mega-truffles
are firm outside, smooth inside and sublime with
coffee. The Chocolate Decadence company lives
up to its name as well as its slogan: "You
don't have to sacrifice flavor to be dairy-free.”
Check their website for an astonishing variety
of vegan chocolate products in all sorts of flavors,
shapes, and sizes from a chocolate dinosaur to
a chocolate Ferrari! Looking for a gift to melt
a chocolate-lover's heart? Try the Chocolate Heart
Box--a beautiful all-chocolate, heart-shaped box
filled with chocolates. It's wrapped in clear
cellophane and tied with a large red ribbon and
bow. chocolatedecadence.com
DAGOBA ORGANIC CHOCOLATE.
This award-winning company has created an eclectic
collection of soul-satisfying products made with
high-quality organic chocolate. Their chocolate
bars are unsurpassed for their unique and exotic
flavor combinations. To name a few: Lavender Essence
and Sun-Dried Blueberries; Mint with a hint of
Rosemary; Macadamia Nuts and Pure Lime Essence;
Sun-Dried Cherries and Vanilla. I rest my case.
You can try the Eclipse Bar at 87 percent dark
chocolate or the off-the-chart unusual Xocolatl,
made with chili, cacao nibs, maca, nutmeg, and
vanilla. This company offers something to intrigue
everyone from the chocolate purist to the most
adventuresome palate. It scored super-high marks
among the tasters for originality and creativity
(along with an incredibly delicious product).
dagobachocolate.com
GIVERE CHOCOLATIER.
The company name means “true giver”--and
that's what you'll be when you give a gift of
these “chocolates to the stars” (they
were included in Academy Awards gift baskets).
At our chocolate tasting party we enjoyed Hawaiian
Heaven--chocolate and macadamia nut truffles coated
in raw unsweetened coconut--a luscious taste of
tropical paradise. The Raspberry Rouge--decadent
and delicious heart-shaped dark chocolates with
fresh soft raspberry centers, all nestled in a
gold box--makes a lovely and very romantic statement.
Tasters were smitten, and these precious truffles
will be included in the 2004 VegNews Wedding Gift
Boxes, sent to each of our eight couples. givere.com
HARBOR CANDY SHOP. Hand-crafted in their
kitchen in Ogunquit, Maine, the elegant packaging
is only the first hint of the luxury within. This
upscale gourmet chocolatier produces a sophisticated
collection of extraordinary vegan candies, including
moist and tender apricots dipped in chocolate,
and crunchy and delicious almond bark. Other sumptuous
offerings in their Vegan Assortment include Pecan
Bark, Nut and Raisin Clusters, Non-Pareils, Pure
Fruit Jellies in Chocolate, and Orange Peel in
Chocolate. In addition to the gorgeous packaged
assortments, these chocolates are available individually
by the pound. All dark chocolate. All delicious.
Best of all, a percentage of each Vegan Assortment
purchased is donated to PETA. Now, this is a classy
way to say “I love you.” harborcandy.com
ROSE CITY CHOCOLATIERS. The shiny, beribboned
red box was almost too pretty to open--but we
were glad we did. The gorgeous packaging gave
way to equally beautiful candies that were devoured
with gusto. Intense dark chocolate with smooth
silky centers in luscious flavors such as Cointreau
Cream, Strawberry Cream, Coconut Cream, Irish
Coffee, and Vanilla Cream. Between bites, ecstatic
tasters uttered words such as “heavenly,”
“sensual,” and “more, please.”
Other exquisite flavors include Marzipan Pistachio,
Cordial Cherry, and Hazelnut. As the company slogan
suggests, this is a great gift idea for someone
who is “passionate about chocolate.”
rcchocolatier.com
Obviously, chocolate is a wonderful Valentine's
Day Gift. Want to really score some extra points
this year? Following are some other V-Day gift
ideas:
ALLISON'S COOKIES.
Give a box of Allison's beautifully wrapped and
sinfully good Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies or
Cherry Chocolate Brownies. allisonsgourmet.com/vegnews
LA DOLCE VEGAN.
The online cookie company is offering scrumptious
vegan shortbread tinted pink with natural beet
powder and stamped with hearts on top. ladolcevegan.com
ORGANIC FLOWERS. A
beautiful arrangement of organic roses can be
delivered anywhere in the US. The company also
sells unique handcrafted vases and organic fruit.
organicbouquet.com
VEGAN EROTICA. For
adult fun, visit this fascinating website for
everything from vegan condoms, pleather ware,
and lubricants. veganerotica.com
VEGAN UNLIMITED. The
new online vegan store (with a gorgeous website)
sells fabulous Vege-Soy candles in flavors like
Fire, Grapefruit Lemon, and Eucalyptus Mint. veganunlimited.com
VegNews writer Lyman Yip offers several helpful
tips for finding the love of your life. Following
are the highlights from his full-length article
in the current VegNews:
1. Have a friendly and positive attitude.
2. Be open and non-judgmental.
3. Be friends first.
4. Invest time in the process.
5. Meet a lot of people.
6. Take initiative and be bold in meeting people.
7. Use several methods for meeting people, not
just one.
8. Consider non-vegetarians.
9. Consider those not in your geographic region.
10. Be persistent.
Want to get really inspired? Visit our website
to read about eight spectacular vegan weddings
held around the country in 2003.
vegnews.com/wedding1.html
We just want to remind you that if you have friends
or family whom you feel would be interested in
VegNews, we will be happy to send them a complimentary
copy of the magazine. Requests can be submitted
online at: vegnews.com/sample.html
For the past several months, VegNews has been
undergoing a re-design with the help of San Francisco-based
Vertebrae Design Studio. Beginning with our March/April
edition, VegNews will have a new look--a complete
overhaul, you could say. A facelift. And a full-body
tuck to boot. If you have liked us until now,
you ain’t seen nothing yet. Have no fear--we’ll
have the same up-to-date content (plus a few new
surprises), but in a different “package.”
Stay tuned... the best is yet to come.
We've got lots of great veggie tidbits and information
for our next edition of VegNewsletter, to arrive in
e-mail boxes everywhere in early March.
Please help us get the word out! We'd be most
grateful if you could share this edition of Veg
Bytes with your friends, family, colleagues and
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All the best,
The VegNews Team
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