Have a chocolate craving? Consider if you’d rather have a chocolate bar that’s lower on the glycemic index than those sweetened with sugar. Or maybe you want one that’s guaranteed allergy-free?

Then unwrap the new, raw cacao gourmet chocolate bars from Organic Nectars. These new handmade chocolate bars—the first to be sweetened with organic palm nectar—are free of cane sugar, dairy, gluten, trans fats and cholesterol as are all Organic Nectars products.* In addition to being organic, the true benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar.

*Note that plain chocolate bars are typically free of gluten, trans fats and cholesterol, and generally, only milk chocolate has dairy; but if you are concerned about dairy, read the label to see if any has been included or if the product was made on a machine that also makes milk chocolate.

In addition to being organic, the major benefit here is the palm nectar, which has a glycemic index of just 35—almost half that of sugar (which is 65 on the G.I. Index). That makes Organic Nectars a better-for-you chocolate bar. The chocolate is also available in one-pound blocks for baking.

Take a bite out of these organic, vegan and
kosher chocolate bars, which come in six varieties.

Available in six flavors, the vegan chocolate bars have a smooth taste and texture and a higher cacao content than most bars, which means more antioxidants. The bars are certified USDA Organic and certified Non-Dairy Kosher by Natural Food Certifiers. The 1.4-ounce bars retail at $5.20 to $5.40 each.

Just in time for the cold spell come three hearty soups from Amy’s Organic.

If you don’t know this brand, try it and become one of the many fans. The products are organic, tasty and better for you than most supermarket brands.

Amy’s aims to appeal to vegetarians and vegans as well as the general audience.

The three new soups include Chunky Tomato Bisque, Fire Roasted Southwestern Vegetable and Spanish Rice and Red Bean.

Stay warm this winter with Amy’s Organic
soups. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

The line is gluten free, certified organic by QAI and kosher by Ner Tamid K. The soups are low fat, cholesterol free, high in fiber and have no GMOs.

It’s not too late to enter the 4th Annual Manischewitz Cook-Off, potentially win a $25,000 prize package and meet legendary chef Jacques Pépin! You have until January 31st to enter your recipe.

This year, the The Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off requires contestants to use Manischewitz’s new All-Natural Broth, made with real chicken and beef (and available in Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken and Beef).

The dish has to be kosher, but you don’t have to be kosher (or Jewish) to enter. People from many different backgrounds submit recipes. Preparing Jewish cuisine at home is no different from making Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican and other ethnic cuisines.

Entrants will compete for a chance to win the $25,000 grand prize package, which includes GE Profile kitchen appliances and cash. Five finalists will win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to compete live on March 18th. Celebrity chef Jacques PĂ©pin is the MC and head judge.

Last year’s grand prize winner: Falafel
Sliders by Amy Siegel. Photo courtesy
The Manishewitz Company.

RECIPE: MARVELOUS MEDITERRANEAN FALAFEL SLIDERS

Enjoy the 2009 winning recipe from Amy Siegel of Clifton, New Jersey:

Ingredients

- 1 envelope Manischewitz Falafel Mix from 6.4 oz box
- 2 pounds ground turkey*
- 1 cup mint leaves, chopped (addl. for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
- 1 can tehina (tahini)
- 12 3-inch soft rolls
- 1 head Bibb lettuce, washed and patted dry
- Pepper
- Water
*Empire produces regular and light varieties of ground turkey. Use the regular variety for best results in this recipe.

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine falafel mix, turkey, mint leaves, black pepper to taste and 3-4 tablespoons cold water, to moisten. Shape mixture into 12 small patties.
2. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill patties for 3-5 minutes per side, until no longer pink in center.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and Bermuda onion. Sauté for 10-12 minutes, until softened and golden.
4. In a small bowl, stir together tehina with ¼ cup water. Add more water to make a thinner sauce, if desired, set aside. Heat rolls in a 250°F oven for 5 minutes, or until warm.
5. To assemble sliders: On a plate, place bottom half of roll, lettuce leaf, cooked patty, onions, 1 tablespoon tehina and top half of roll. Garnish with additional chopped mint leaves. Serve remaining tehina sauce on the side for dipping.

According to a 2009 Vegetarian Resource Group/Harris Interactive survey, about 3% of the U.S. adult population is vegetarian. If you’ve invited a vegetarian to enjoy your turkey dinner, plan ahead with these tips from nutrition expert Gary Null.

A vegetarian does not eat any type of animal flesh, whether from fish, fowl or other animals, although some individuals choose to eat dairy and/or egg products. This includes lard, chicken and beef stock and some prepared salad dressings.

With the vegan Celebration Roast, you still
get leftovers for sandwiches the next day. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) eats no animal-derived products, including honey, gelatin (used in desserts and marshmallows) and red food dyes derived from cochineal. If there is an animal-derived ingredient in a dish, no matter how small the amount, be certain to let your guest know.

Most importantly, the Thanksgiving dinner table is not the time to discuss why someone is a vegetarian. Some choose this diet for ethical or animal rights reasons. Others may be motivated by religious, environmental and/or health considerations. Some simply don’t like meat. If you really want to know why your guest has made this choice, ask another day—and if anyone else brings up the topic, steer the conversation to reasons everyone should be thankful!

America loves hummus, as can be seen by the proliferation of brands and flavors in the refrigerator case of almost every supermarket and deli. It’s nutritious, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.

But what about dessert hummus? Dessert from chickpeas? That breakthrough concept is now available, healthy and actually delicious! Flavors include:

Read our full review, including all the ways you can serve Dessert Hummus.

Serve a trio of Dessert Hummus flavors for
dessert. Above: Caramel Apple, Maple
Walnut and Pumpkin. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Annie Chun’s has introduced new flavors in its Noodle Bowl and Soup Bowl lines. Both products can offer a good fast food fix when we’re hankering for something Chinese right away and don’t want to order from our nearby Chinese restaurant—we end up over-ordering and paying four or five times the price of a bowl of Annie Chun’s along with lots of non-biodegradable take-out packaging. Annie Chun is green: The bowls are made of biodegradable cornstarch and the cardboard sleeve is made from recycled paperboard. They mini-meals are 100% natural and no preservatives, no MSG (but a reasonable amount of sodium).

The bowls products use Hokkien noodles, round egg noodles of medium thickness—think fat spaghetti. (Hokkien is a Chinese dialect spoken in southern Fujian, Taiwan, and throughout Southeast Asia.) In less than two minutes, you can microwave:

Have microwave, will feast: Annie Chun’s
Noodle Bowls provide an almost-instant Asian
food fix at home or at work. Photo by Erika
Meller | THE NIBBLE.

Brad’s makes attractive, gluten-free chips from raw food: organic flax seeds, organic buckwheat groats, carrots, scallions and other veggies (depending on the flavor), garlic, Himalayan sea salt and olive oil. Fans of raw food and others who enjoy strong vegetable tastes will enjoy them.

Bags of chips, good for snacking, dipping and garnishing, are $4.00 for 2.2 ounces, $6.00 for 3.5-ounces and $8.00 for 6 ounces at BradsRawChips.com (1.215.534.1112).

Tasty chips for fans of raw, vegan and gluten-free foods and others looking for something
new and different. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

We have something to introduce today that may seem out-of-the-box for THE NIBBLE. Let us assure you: It’s so delicious we keep buying more and more. If you’re looking for a healthy hot dog solution, a delicious vegan dish or a way to help the planet reduce greenhouse gases (more about that in the main review), Field Roast Grain Meat is it!

If you’re not a vegetarian or vegan, you may have enjoyed a few jokes about Tofurkey or Veat vegetarian meat substitutes. Even some vegetarians we know turn their noses up at “fake meat” on principle. But at THE NIBBLE, we’re only in it for food, glorious food.

We’ve tried our fair share of vegetarian meats. Some we hope will never cross our plate again. Others, like the tempeh bacon served in a “TLT” sandwich (tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomato) with Nasoya’s Nayonaise (delicious!) at a local eatery, are a delight (“I can’t believe it isn’t bacon!”). We’re not vegetarian; we’re an omnivore. We eat anything that tastes good.

This meatloaf is 100% meatless comfort food. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

So when we first tasted a variety of products from the Field Roast Grain Meat Co., we couldn’t believe it wasn’t meat. Not knowing what “grain meat” was, we thought it might be a mixture of grain and meat. Whatever it was, we loved it. When we found out it was 100% vegetarian and vegan, we knew we’d found our next favorite culinary magician.

Whether you’re vegetarian, looking to give up meat a day or two a week to help the environment or your health, or simply looking for a new and delicious food, meet this great “new meat,” Field Roast grain meat.

July 13th is Franks & Beans Day. Thank goodness for Amy’s—we can celebrate with quality baked beans. Amy’s Organic Vegetarian Baked Beans are the best canned beans we’ve had: rich, hearty beans that aren’t drowning in the cloying sweetness that other brands succumb to.

(What is it with manufacturers who sweeten every savory food, so that meat and vegetables smack of sugar? Isn’t that what dessert is for? Do Americans really want everything to taste sweet, or want to ingest all that extra weight-gain and diabetes-inducing sugar?)

Also delicious are Amy’s Organic Traditional Refried Beans (pinto beans), Organic Refried Beans with Green Chiles and Organic Refried Black Beans—all of which go perfectly well with franks and other foods, and should’t be reserved for Mexican dishes. That being said, the quality of Amy’s refried beans is superior to most Mexican restaurants. All of the products are vegan, gluten free and cholesterol free, with a MSRP of $2.79 for a 15.4-ounce can. Just heat and serve! The products are certified kosher by Ner Tamid K.

When we don’t have time to make our own baked beans, we’re happy to eat Amy’s.

If you’re a vegan or kosher, you can’t have gummy candies—they’re made with gelatin, an animal-derived product. Alas, Annie’s Homegrown products aren’t certified kosher, but vegans can certainly experience the joy of gummies. The company makes “gummy” Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks using tapioca instead of gelatin.

Two new flavors have debuted this summer: Sunny Citrus, a blend of lemon, lime and orange flavors; and Summer Strawberry. They join Tropical Treat and Berry Patch flavors. All are MSRP $4.99 for five .8 ounce pouches.

You can see the entire Annies Homegrown line at www.Annies.com.

Hopping down the bunny trail with vegan-friendly gummy candy from Annie’s Homegrown. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.