Healthy Slow Cooking Blog

Welcome! If you're here from Southern Seasons email or event calendar announcement about my book signing March 10th please go to my blog, Healthy Slow Cooking to get some great slow cooker recipes and see the updates on my calendar.

I hope I'll see you at the demo March 10 noon to 3 at Southern Seasons!

This site, Busy vegan, is being phased out and the recipes will be moved to Healthy Slow Cooking's site.

Please go over to Healthy Slow Cooking and sign up to get updates via your favorite method (email, rss, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.)

Hazelnut Chocolate Cheap-o-chino

Here's another flavor of not-expensive frozen coffee. Add more cocoa if you'd like it more chocolatey.

If you make it the way it is in the recipe there is just a hint of chocolate and it almost tastes like Baileys. Now I can see why many of the vegan Baileys recipes add hazelnut creamer now.

Since I added extra flavored creamer I found no need to add extra sweetener. You can certainly add extra sweetener if you like your sweeter. Taste after blending the main ingredients (before the ice) and add the sweetener at that time, if you want.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cheap-o-chino

Makes about 2 to 3 servings
soy-free, gluten-free

• 1/4 cup (63ml) cold brewed coffee concentrate (or 1 cup (250ml) regular brewed coffee) 
• 1/2 cup (63ml) So Delicious Coconut creamer hazelnut flavor 
• 1 cup (250ml) Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk 
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin (do not leave out - it holds it together!) 
• 1 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups ice (use less with a not-so-powerful blender)

In a blender mix everything except for the xanthan gum and ice.

Then add xanthan gum (or pectin) and blend. This will keep the different ingredients from separating.

Add the ice. Depending on your blender you may have to add it 1/2 cup at a time. I have a really powerful one so I can blend it all in at once.

You can add more coconut milk if it's too thick or you can add more ice if it's too thin.

Come with Me to Food Blog South!

Okay, so Vida Vegan was beyond awesome but next year we're without our beloved conference. Come with me to Birmingham in January. It looks like a great conference and I'd love to not be the only vegan there. (Plus I miss all of you and it would be a great place to catch up!)

There's even a class about honing your media skills that's the day before the conference. Use the code IReadBV  for 10% off and that works even for the early bird price! (It is only good for the conference and not the media class the day before it.)

Here's what they have to say about the conference (quoted from their site):

Join us in Birmingham, Alabama on January 28 for Food Blog South 2012! This year’s going to be jam-packed with sessions for beginning and experienced food bloggers, and plenty of time to meet and mingle with fellow bloggers.

Learn how to take awesome food shots with your cameraphone.
Get an inside scoop on hot food trends for 2012.
Watch a blog redesign—live—and get the best design ideas for food bloggers.
Learn how to build your brand and how to make money blogging.
Come a day early for a session on honing your media skills with Lisa Ekus andVirginia Willis.

Our speakers include Kat Kinsman, managing editor of CNN’s Eatocracy; blogger, book coach, writer, and editor Dianne Jacob; bloggers Hélène Dujardin (Tartelette) and Jay Ducote (Bite and Booze); and Ale Sharpton of the online show Cruisin’ for a Brewsin’.

Ready to sign up? Standard registration is $150 per person. But register by October 28 and you’ll save $25! (Need more incentive to be an early bird? Be one of the first 15 people to register, and your blog may get a new look—live!—during our blog-design session.) And, we’ve arranged for a discounted rate for rooms at Hyatt Place in downtown Birmingham.

Interested in sponsoring FoodBlogSouth? Get details here.

Proceeds from FBS2012 will benefit the Desert Island Supply Company. For information about FoodBlogSouth 2012, sign up for our mailing list, check the news section, follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook.

Have a question? Email us.

Please note: Registration fees are not refundable after January 1, 2012. test:

Busy Vegan National Coffee Day Giveaway Winner Is...

VegAnn is the winner and I will be mailing off her awesome So Delicious coupons this week!

Pumpkin Spice Cheap-o-chino for Vegan Mofo

I'm celebrating the first day of Vegan Mofo (Month of Food) with this fall flavored frosty coffee. Not only is this one tons cheaper than your national coffee chain's, this is actually vegan.

Yes, the pumpkin spice syrup at Starbucks actually has dairy in it!

Oddly enough, it seems to be the first chilly day of fall where I live, so I'm wearing a sweatshirt while I drink mine.

If you are a coffee hater leave it out and enjoy a pumpkin pie shake instead.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cheap-o-chino

Makes about 2 to 3 servings
soy-free, gluten-free

• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (make it from scratch if you want)
• 1/4 cup (63ml) cold brewed coffee concentrate (or 1 cup (250ml) regular brewed coffee) 
• 1/4 cup (63ml) So Delicious Coconut creamer original flavor 
• 1 cup (250ml) Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• pinch cloves
• pinch allspice
• pinch nutmeg
• Sweetener to taste: brown sugar, stevia, agave nectar, or maple syrup, etc. (I used 1 packet Nu-Stevia) 
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin (do not leave out - it holds it together!) 
• 2 cups ice

In a blender mix everything except for the sweetener, xanthan gum and ice. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed. Remember this is a concentrated flavor so it needs to be a little sweeter now to be just right later.

Then add xanthan gum (or pectin) and blend. This will keep the different ingredients from separating.

Add the ice. Depending on your blender you may have to add it 1/2 cup at a time. I have a really powerful one so I can blend it all in at once.

You can add more coconut milk if it's too thick or you can add more ice if it's too thick.

Celebrate National Coffee Day with a Peppermint Mocha Cheap-o-chino and a Giveaway

Happy National Coffee Day! Isn't about time for your afternoon coffee break or after dinner coffee/dessert? It's still warm in Durham, so I needed a nice cold frozen coffee drink. I'm really hoping for fall and I hear it might peek out this weekend.


In my opinion the best way to make an iced coffee or frozen coffee is to use homemade cold brewed coffee concentrate. See the link in the recipe for a how-to. It's easy to make in a French Press and you can make enough for the whole week on the weekend. Then you can just grab some from the fridge when you feel like a treat. Plus it won't melt your ice and it's easier on your stomach. 


If you hate coffee leave it out and add another 1/4 cup creamer. You'll have a (so) delicious chocolate -peppermint shake!


The Giveaway: This is separate contest from the giveaway on HealthySlowCooking - you must leave your comments here to be entered!


 I have coupons for a couple of free So Delicious products and some cents off coupons to giveaway to one of you. To enter leave a comment on this post. I will post a winner on Sunday. Good luck!


To get extra entries do one of the following and leave another comment on this post for each one you do.

• Tweet the following (including the link) one time: It’s National Coffee Day! Join @geekypoet, have a Peppermint Mocha Cheap-o-chino and enter the giveaway! http://bit.ly/nWjjzX
• Tweet one time: @so_delicious is my favorite coffee creamer!

Peppermint Mocha Cheap-o-chino

Makes about 2 to3 servings
soy-free, gluten-free

• 1/4 cup (63ml) cold brewed coffee concentrate or 1 cup (250ml) regular brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup (63ml) So Delicious Coconut creamer original flavor
• 3/4 cup (188ml) Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  (can use vanilla or plain just adjust sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Sweetener to taste: brown sugar, stevia, agave nectar, or maple syrup, etc.
  (I used 1 packet Nu-Stevia) 
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin (do not leave out - it holds it together!)
• 2 cups ice
• crushed peppermint candy for topping (optional)

In a blender mix everything except for the xanthan and ice. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed. Remember this is a concentrated flavor so it needs to be a little sweeter now to be just right later.

Then add xanthan gum (or pectin) and blend. This will keep the different ingredients from separating so it will look just like a drink that you paid lots of money for!

Add the ice. Depending on your blender you may have to add it 1/2 cup at a time. I have a really powerful one so I can dump it all in at once. You can add more coconut milk if it's too thick or you can add more ice if it's too thick.

Vida Vegan Giveaway Winners Announced...

Congratulations Cindy Lou Who and Amy!

I'm not sure if blogger changed, but I do not have the emails of the winners and neither person has a blogger profile up. So winners please email me at with your mailing address so I can send your goodies out.

I also put the comments next to the name so you can be sure it's you.

Keep an eye out for more giveaways!