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!

Vegan Greek Yogurt Review and a Giveaway!

Since I've been writing recipes for Everythingmom.com, working on the launch of The Vegan Slow Cooker, and getting goodies ready for Vida Vegan I've gotten behind on my blogging at Busy Vegan. I guess I'm making sure the name fits!

Last week I went to Vida Vegan, the vegan blogger's conference. It was so amazing meeting some of my internet friends and heroes. I got to try new products, meet more vegan bloggers, and get even more ideas for projects.

I have a ton of reviews coming your way in the next few months. 

Today I'm starting off with a product by one of my very favorite manufacturers, So Delicious. When they mentioned Greek yogurt and a new coconut nog I couldn't wait to try some. Then I waited and waited...until I thought I might never see it in the wild.

My friend Gail of So Delicious (and Hungry Vegan) brought us all a yummy surprise to Vida Vegan. It was amazing enough to have a vegan breakfast buffet every morning, but seeing the elusive vegan Greek yogurt on it made me jump up and down.

My first taste was of their blueberry variety. It was super creamy and thick just like I was hoping it would be. There weren't chunks of blueberries, but there was enough blueberry puree to give it that blueberry flavor in each bite. 

Next I tried the plain. I liked eating it by itself, and I think it would be easy to add into baked goods and sweet desserts. I think it may be a little sweet to try in a few of the savory applications that I have in mind. But I still have to get some in my own kitchen to do some experimenting. 

I completely understand how hard it is to make a non-dairy yogurt. Last year I was working on one for the book, but never got past a kiefer stage. Since cow milk already contains sugar in it that feeds the cultures, non-dairy milks have to add a sweetener to create the yogurt with all that friendly bacteria that we're looking for.

I was a little worried that the texture might be like Amande's, the almond milk yogurt. Amande reminds me more of a pudding than a yogurt because of the way they have implemented the thickeners. Don't get me wrong, I like Amande and eat it fairly often. I just prefer it as a snack or dessert over breakfast.

But as you can see below So Delicious got the texture spot on!

There is no doubt that I'll be having So Delicious Greek yogurt at least a few times a week once I can get my hands on it!

Giveaway:

Now about the giveaway. Did you miss Vida Vegan? I put a few things in the swag bag to promote my book, The Vegan Slow Cooker, and I'd love to give them to you too.

There is this super cool OXO peppermill, some tasty peppercorns to fill it from My Spice Sage, and a postcard with my recipe for Slow Cooker Tempeh Braised with Figs and Port Wine.  I have a few extra coupons I'll be adding too and a few other bonuses too.

Each of the following things will get you one entry. You must add a comment for each one that you do. So if you do 4 things you make 4 separate comments. Got it?

• Subscribe to Busy Vegan either through email or rss (required)
• Like OXO's Facebook Page
• Like My Spice Sage's Facebook Page
• Like the Healthy Slow Cooking Page (add a comment if you already like it)
• Sign up to get my tweets (add a comment if you already do)
• Put a link to this giveaway page on Facebook (your page only)
• Tweet a link to this giveaway page once about this giveaway with a link

Good luck! There will be two winners and I will post them next Monday morning - so you have a week to enter.