The first day of January started off like any other—with the promise to improve my eating habits and fitness regime—but this year, I had a little help from a friend. Christy Morgan, otherwise known as “The Blissful Chef,” invited me to join her brand new Wellness Reboot program. Despite the fact that I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, I’m not perfect and I do occasionally overdo it on the late-night snacks and recipe taste-testing. So I was excited to check out what Christy’s program could do for me.

The Wellness Reboot is a 28-day online wellness program that includes more than 15 videos on cooking techniques, a 28-day meal plan of whole food, plant-based recipes (no oil, no processed foods, no refined sugar and mostly gluten-free), a “Getting Started Guide” that explains everything you need to know about eating healthfully and living a plant-based lifestyle, continual support and motivation from Christy through a private Facebook group, and bi-weekly conference calls.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Christy’s work (you can read my review of her cookbook here), and I know she has poured her heart and soul into this latest project. Christy has been working in the community for a long time, and she describes the program as an accumulation of all she’s learned in both culinary arts and in over 10 years in the health and wellness field. For the program, she also partnered with vegan personal trainer Chad Byers of Beyond Fit for the fitness element, so you get a workout that’s easy to do at home, along with workout videos. You can check out a sample live workout with Chad here (be sure to skip to 5:40 for the start of the workout).

I was particularly impressed by the thorough resources available on the program’s website, the daily messages and support from Christy, as well as the very strong sense of empowerment that results from the deliberate effort to do good for your body and mind. I’m a supporter of Christy’s belief that we need to eat healthfully and move our bodies on a regular basis for optimal health. Her program was created for those who are ready to transition to a healthier way of eating and living—whether you’ve made a resolution to lose weight, or you have a health condition you would like to treat naturally, or you recently switched to a plant-based diet but need guidance—but it is also a great resource for already-vegans who want to incorporate fitness habits specifically designed for a plant-based lifestyle.

If you aren’t good in the kitchen or the gym, you will be after this program. Even though January was a very busy month for me, the Wellness Reboot got me moving every single day, and continuously motivated me to take the time to cook all my meals rather than just throwing together a quick salad (my usual go-to dinner). My meals became diverse and delicious, and it also meant I didn’t have to think about what to eat since the planning was already done for me.

Because Christy is so amazing, she’s offering ADC readers some crazy awesome discounts on the program! [Sadly, these offers are now over!] If you’re interested, you can:

• receive $150 off the individual Wellness Reboot program (full price is $350) starting in March. Use the discount code SPECIALMARCH13 and pay before February 28th in order to join the March program. This option is recommended for those who need special guidance and coaching, and is only available for the first five ADC readers to sign up!

OR

• if you prefer to do the program on your own without personalized attention (no one-one-one coaching, bi-weekly conference calls, etc.), you receive 50% off the Wellness Reboot “a la carte” option (full price is $99). This option means you get access to the “Getting Started Guide,” meal plan, cooking videos and workouts. Use the discount code WRDASHVEGAN and sign up before February 28th (but you can start the program anytime). 

Amanda of Hungry Vegan Traveler! Congratulations!

Now on to other exciting news…

Yesterday was a pretty fabulous day in Toronto. It was the 5th Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off, which also just happened to fall on my birthday.

I was one of the close to 50 volunteers of the Toronto Vegetarian Association who helped pull off the event, and what an event it was.

About 45 amateur and professional vegan bakers put countless hours of work into their entries for this very tough competition. At 2 p.m., a hungry mass arrived at the event space on Bloor Street West, ready to sample treats and deliver their judgment on the best in nine dessert categories, including professionally crafted classics, raw desserts and gluten-free sweets.

After just a couple of hours, well over 5000 samples disappeared, each taste tester added their vote to the ballot box to be tallied by a trusted team of volunteers, and the celebrated titles were ready to be awarded. A panel of judges, who included co-owner of Fresh restaurants Ruth Tal and owner of vegan bakery LPK’s Culinary Groove Lesia Kohut, rated the culinary confections for Best in Show and Best Pro in Show.

Entries in the Professionally Crafted Gluten-Free Goodies category

Oh, and the prizes! Each year, the event organizers work hard to create beautiful prize packs for winners, all donated from generous local and international vegan businesses, and this year was no different.

Contestants walked out with hundreds of dollars’ worth of loot, including cookbooks, gift certificates, cookies, cacao beans, vegan mozzarella, tree-free magazine subscriptions, and gift baskets, all topped with a handmade blue ribbon—and bragging rights for best vegan baker in the city.

Jenny Bundock, winner of the Professionally Crafted Vegan Desserts category and Best Pro in Show, receives a prize from co-hosts Luke Albert and Lisa Pitman.

Oh, and guess what? I won first prize in the Delicious Donuts and Pastries category! I actually hadn’t planned on entering but someone dropped out the day before the event, and to keep the numbers even I stepped up to replace the missing entry—which meant baking 100 mini donuts that night! I think I lucked out, and also ended up winning some pretty amazing goodies.

Just in case you weren’t able to attend in person, here are the sugar-coated highlights:

Best Pro is Show: Black Magic Squares by Apiecalypse Now

Best in Show (non-professional): One Drop Macaroons by Reuben Jong

Best Presentation: Tropical Coquito Pineapple Paradise by Drew Silverthorn

Best Baking Out of the Box: Barking Mad by PinkHart Diner

Decadent Raw Desserts: Tijana’s Tropical Treat by Tijana Cosovic

Delicious Donuts and Pastries: Marvelous Mini Baked Donuts by Nicole Axworthy (me!)

Glorious Gluten-Free Sweets: One Drop Macaroons by Reuben Jong

Professionally Crafted Vegan Classics: Black Magic Squares by Apiecalypse Now

Professionally Crafted Gluten-Free Goodies: Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tower by Katie Brock

Blissful Brownies and Bars: Dashing Dan’s Peanut Butter Dream by Dan Pitman

Charming Vegan Cookies: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Extravaganza! by Lesley Steeve

Clever Cakes and Cupcakes: Tropical Coquito Pineapple Paradise by Drew Silverthorn

Perfect Pies and Squares: Heavenly Strawberry Tofutti-Cake Crumble by Maryann Buri

Drew Silverthorn, winner of the Clever Cakes and Cupcakes category and Best Presentation, is congratulated by co-hosts Lisa and Luke.

]]> http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2013/02/torontos-totally-fabulous-vegan-bake-off/feed/ 10 http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2012/11/the-30-day-vegan-challenge-giveaway/ http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2012/11/the-30-day-vegan-challenge-giveaway/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:06:06 +0000 Nicole http://www.adashofcompassion.com/?p=4228 You might be curious about the concept of veganism but something is stopping you from exploring it further. Maybe you have a pet and wonder if there’s a difference between him or her and the pig that turned into the bacon on your breakfast plate. Maybe you saw an eye-opening video about society’s treatment of animals. Or maybe you have been reading about the environmental impact of industrial animal agriculture or the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Whatever the reasons might be, the fact that you’re thinking about it is the first step. But what next?

Have you ever heard of the theory that it takes only 30 days to change a habit? Because that’s what it really comes down to—changing old habits and becoming conscious of where your food comes from. This is where the 30-Day Vegan Challenge comes in. Created by my favourite activist and educator, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the 30-day challenge is a complete multimedia online program that gives you everything you need to support you on your journey towards optimal wellness and unconditional compassion.

The idea of being vegan might seem overwhelming and difficult, but if you’re even the slightest bit curious about the benefits of a plant-based diet, this is the program for you. Check out Colleen’s 2-minute video below for an introduction to how she can help.

I recently won a subscription to the program from a photo contest and I want to share it with you! To enter the giveaway, simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave a separate comment for each to let me know. Each one will count as an entry.

1. Tell me why you’d like to take on the 30-day challenge.

2. Share this post on Twitter using the hashtag #30daystovegan

3. Subscribe to my email updates here.

4. Like my fan page on Facebook.

The giveaway deadline is Thursday, December 6, 2012 at midnight. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, December 7.

[This contest is expired.]

If you’ve already seen our challenge roundup, you’ll understand why we were both beyond impressed by the adorable mini pies you churned out. We loved that most of them highlighted traditional flavour combinations using fresh-picked, seasonal fruit and other local ingredients. After scoring the entries based on the judging criteria, three finalists emerged. These three finalists moved on to the recipe-testing round and became the guests of honour at Saturday’s mini pie tasting party—and what better way to gather volunteer taste testers than at Toronto’s Vegetarian Food Festival?

After a morning of pie-making in Lisa’s condo kitchen, a lovely tasting party in the middle of a vivacious crowd of animal-friendly folks at the food festival, and much discussion among our volunteer taste testers (there were so many, we had to keep a scorecard), we ranked the finalists. Do you want to know who came out on top?

First Place: Natasha’s Key Lime Mini Pie 

Natasha’s pie began with a soft, buttery crust using local macadamia nuts and pine nuts. This lucky Florida-based foodie also has tropical fruit growing in her area, so she made use of key limes in a cashew-based filling and topped it off with a lovely vanilla creme. Inspired by her state’s pie flavour, Natasha’s tropical pie was a perfect treat for a hot summer’s day. All of our testers raved about the refreshing lime flavour that balanced nicely with the buttery crust. We were also impressed by how the use of such simple ingredients could be transformed into an elegant dessert.

Second Place: Rachel’s Blackberry Almond Petite Pie

Rachel’s petite pie was a very close runner-up. Prior to her creation, Rachel took a trip down memory lane and went berry-picking in the neighbourhood she grew up in, and she thought a raw pie was the perfect place for her berry haul. Our own version was made up of huge, fresh berries that were bursting with flavour. Paired with an almond creme filling and a simple nut crust, each bite reminded us of summer’s best.

Third Place: Jackie’s Neopolitan Pie  

As soon as we read this post, we knew it was something we had to try. The classic neopolitan reinvented as a raw pie was quite impressive, and although Jackie’s lack of mini pie pans meant her mini pie was giant-sized, we still thought the recipe sounded like a winning combination. All three layers of her pie came together nicely, but we agreed the chocolate avocado layer was quite distinct. Some of our taste testers absolutely swooned over this triple-layered treat. If you adore avocado and dark chocolate, then you probably would have voted for Jackie’s pie. The bright pink hue of the strawberry layer was another draw. We easily attracted eager eaters with this lovely little pie.

 Congratulations to all the winners and to pie eaters everywhere! We had such a wonderful response to this challenge that now we each have a long list of pies to try before we run out of the season’s best bounty. Thank you again to everyone who participated and to our generous prize sponsors: VegNews, Vegan Essentials and Rawmazing.

We hope this challenge has inspired you to press a little crust into a tiny tart pan, layer on something luscious, and finish with a topping that’s fresh and fruity.

Here are the amazing entries we received for this recipe challenge:

Jess of Cupcakes and Kale made a chocolate raspberry mini pie.

Carol of World Peace Food created a peaches and cream pie.

Rachel of My Munchable Musings made a taste of Tuscany tart.

Rachel of My Munchable Musings also created a blackberry almond petite pie.

Jackie of Vegan Yack Attack made a raw neopolitan pie.

Deanna of The Mommy Bowl entered a triple chocolate cherry pie.

Natasha of The Healing Kitchen made a key lime mini pie.

And Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs made an apricot swirl cheesecake mini pie.

Thank you to everyone who put the time and effort into developing such awe-inspiring recipes. Over the next few days, Lisa and I will take on the difficult task of narrowing down the entries to three finalists. If you’re in the Toronto area, we are planning a tasting party this Saturday at the Vegetarian Food Festival to help us choose the winner. Let me know if you’re interested in tasting samples and voting for your favourite.

Raw foodies will agree that raw pies are much easier to make than traditional baked versions, and we’re hoping you can come up with a winning recipe. Flavours can range from old-fashioned classics like apple or pumpkin pie to unique results of your own creation, utilizing local, seasonal ingredients or other delicious flavours. From fruity to chocolaty, nutty to creamy, the sky is the limit when it comes to formulating your perfect pie recipe. Luscious toppings and sauces can also make your pie a showstopper.

Just in case you missed the last two recipe challenges, they have resulted in a collection of sensational sweets that may inspire you to join the fun. (Did we mention there are prizes, too?) A quick look around the web will show that some pretty fantastic pies have already been discovered: Lisa’s OMG applie pie, Susan’s strawberry cream pie, Heathy’s pumpkin mousse pie, and Lori’s California mud pie. So are you ready to get started?

Just like our previous challenges, we’re asking that you use only raw ingredients that have not been heated beyond 118 degrees. Nothing that comes in a can, no soy, no store-bought coconut milks, almond milk, oat milk or rice milk sold in tetra packs will be allowed. Instead, look for raw nuts, fresh or dried coconut, seeds and dried fruits that can be turned into milks or flours. You can use coconut sugar, stevia, raw agave, lucuma, dates, raisins or maple syrup (an allowable exception to the raw rule) to sweeten your mini pies. Feel free to play with fresh fruit, raw cacao or dried spices and have fun inventing new flavour combinations.

How to enter: [This contest is over. Thanks to everyone who entered!]

1. Create your own version of a mini pie, using only raw, vegan ingredients. Your mini pies should include a crust and filling. The ”mini” sizes and number of pies are up to you, and you’re welcome to submit more than one recipe.

2. Blog about your mini pie creation, including the full recipe and photos, and then come back and let me know via the comment section below. Remember to leave a link back to your post, which Lisa and I will check out and judge. We will also grab one of your photos to include in the entries roundup post at the end of the challenge.

3. To be entered in the challenge you need to post your entry by Friday, September 2, 2011 at midnight. Lisa and I will look through all the entries and narrow them down, using the criteria below, to three finalists. We will recreate the three finalist recipes, host a tasting party with friends and select a winner.

Judging criteria:

• Enticing flavour profile
• Use of local, seasonal ingredients 
• Overall presentation

Prizes:

• The three finalists will be in a feature post on my blog and Lisa’s (we will recreate the recipes and photograph them).
• First Place winner will receive a one-year subscription to VegNews magazine.
• Second Place winner will receive a $25 gift card for Vegan Essentials.
• Third Place winner will receive a copy of Rawmazing‘s gorgeous, full-colour Rawmazing Desserts e-book.

We can’t wait to see what you create. Have fun and good luck!