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Blackstrap molasses is the concentrated byproduct of sugar production obtained from the third boiling of the sugar syrup. One would think molasses to be unhealthy given that it’s a sweetener, but it has a surprisingly dense nutritional profile.

Just one tablespoon of blackstrap molasses contains over 10% of the US Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of manganese, copper, calcium and potassium and contains ~15% of the US RDA of iron.

Drizzle it on hot cereal, use it in baked beans, pumpkin pies, and gingerbread, or just add a teaspoon or 2 to your non-dairy milk to up the nutritional value (particularly calcium).

More information about health benefits of blackstrap molasses can be found on the World’s Healthiest Foods.

When you’re on the road, be it for work or pleasure, it can be difficult to find an independent coffee house near you that offers free wi-fi and that soy latte, or mocha you’re craving. Enter Starbucks.

Ubiquity is perhaps Starbucks’ greatest advantage — they’re everywhere and, luckily, they always offer soy milk, albeit for an extra charge.

Now, with the purchase of a pre-paid Starbucks Card, you can get 2 hours of free wi-fi daily, and bypass the soy milk (and syrup!) surcharge on your latte and mocha orders. The card also allows you to get unlimited free refills on regular coffee and, when buying a pound of beans, a free 12oz. beverage. Starbucks may not be your first choice coffee stop but, in a pinch, it will definitely do!

[via Goatless]

Glenny’s has brown rice, cane juice sweetened, certified organic and vegan, marshmallow treats to upstage those preservative-laden, high-fructose corn syrup sweetened, non-vegan Rice Krispies treats offered by Kellogg’s.

In looking at the list of ingredients for Glenny’s brown rice marshmallow treats, you’ll find that it’s not only significantly shorter than that for Rice Krispies treats, but it doesn’t contain a whole list of cryptic chemical compounds, and nearly every ingredient is prefaced with the word “organic”.

As the VeganBits website points out, junk food, vegan or not, is still junk food, but I’m still glad to see a classic “kiddie” treat available on the market that can be strategically whipped out to show your favorite omnivores that being vegan does not mean living a life of ascetic deprivation.

Buy them online at Glenny’s in vanilla, chocolate, peanut caramel, or in a variety pack.

Hat tip to Vegan Family Living for making us aware of their existence!

Previously, we wrote a post on how to find your local farmer’s market or CSA (community-supported agriculture) using Local Harvest. CSA’s allow you to sign up for a farm share — a subscription to receive a basket of the farm’s current produce yield. With many CSA’s, there are usually designated sites where the you, the subscriber, can pick up your share. CSA’s allow often small and individually-owned farms to establish a relationship with members of the community.

Now there are services like Spud! (California), Greenling (Texas), Natural Direct (Illinois), Organics To You (Oregon) and My Personal Farmers.com (New York), who will deliver your share right to your home. A notable difference, too, is that the above-named service-providers seem to be distributors rather than individual farms — they buy from local, organic farms — and redistribute the bounty into the subscriber’s share box. But, this isn’t necessarily a negative: subscribers seem to have more flexibility in what they order and, in some cases, with what frequency.

So, here is another option for discovering and sharing in the freshest produce currently in season! Comments, suggestions and ideas for working through share contents are very, very welcome!!

[via LifeHacker]

Fortified nutritional yeast, containing 18 amino acids, is an excellent source of protein, fiber, and B-vitamins (including B-12), and it adds a cheesy, nutty flavor to a whole range of foods without adding loads of fat or sodium.

Use it as a condiment on rice, in stir-fries, on salads, garlic bread, tofu scrambles, and roasted potatoes; nutrition-charge your popcorn; add it to gravies and sauces (1/2 teaspoon per 1 cup liquid); add a teaspoon in each cup of flour or meal used in baked goods, make a yeast cheese for your vegan pizza or lasagna, use it in place of parmesan cheese, or add it to your cat or dog’s food “to help eliminate fleas and promote a healthy coat and good general nutrition” (”Yeast Meets West,” Sundance Natural Foods Online).

Take note that not all nutritional yeasts are fortified with B-12.

PLU codes (or price look-up codes) can provide you with more information than just what variety or type of produce you’re purchasing, they also indicate whether an item is conventionally grown, organic, or genetically modified.

PLU codes are a numbering standard, based on a four-digit number that identifies the type and variety of bulk conventional produce (including nuts and herbs). Organic items are appended with a 9 (e.g., 9XXXX) and Genetically Modified items are appended with an 8 (e.g, 8XXXX).

Yes, bins are often marked, but for the cost of a brief glance, you can ensure that you’re getting what you want and are paying for.

Finding seasonal produce in your area is as easy as selecting a month and a state on Epicurious’ interactive Seasonal Ingredient Map. Details on each ingredient as well as shopping guides and tips are also available.

[via LifeHacker]

A vegan version of Magic Shell — the chocolate topping that hardens into a shell when poured on ice cream — exists, and the recipe is available online!

It contains dark chocolate, olive oil, ground espresso beans, and optional vanilla extract and caramel, orange, or raspberry flavoring. Easy to make and delicious! Visit Runner’s World for the recipe.

[via Runner's World]

On Saturday, May 24th, Pittsburgh will come alive with waffles in celebration of the inaugural multi-city vegan waffle party. Be a part of Vegan Waffle history and add your site to the list of waffle party hosts. Even if you’re unable to host a waffle party this year, Waffle Party is an absolutely fantastic resource for all things waffle!

“the perfect spoonful: tasting wheeler’s vegan ice cream”
Originally uploaded by bazu

For all you lucky vegans in Boston, MA, or anywhere nearby, Wheeler’s Frozen Desserts is now serving 20-30 varieties of vegan ice cream on a rotating basis. Not only that, Wheeler encourages special requests and will create custom flavors around your ice cream event!

As of the end of February of this year, Wheeler’s is selecting one email everyday and shipping the sender free ice cream.

Even if your email isn’t selected, though, their ice cream sounds so absolutely delicious it seems well worth the splurge of $4-$10 per pint…!