So Delicious Almond Milk: A Love Story + Giveaway!

I absolutely love the people over at So Delicious! They're always sending me some fun goodies in the mail. A little while back I woke up to find a care package (or should I say two huge boxes) filled with some new goodies made with they're brand new line of Almond Plus Almond Milk!

I've been so busy the last few weeks so I haven't been able to write my review, but I'm all moved into my new place and I'm finally getting around to it! So anyway - I open the boxes and I found them packed with some yummy treats! I got to try two of their varieties of almond milk, five varieties of their new almond milk ice cream, and two varieties their new almond milk frozen desserts! The timing couldn't have been more perfect since my Mom has been flirting with the idea of switching to a Vegan diet! I told her that So Delicious makes the best dairy free products and after trying them - she agreed. She's now switched to almond milk instead of cow's milk!

The ice cream pint flavors I was able to try were vanilla, butter pecan, chocolate, cherry amaretto, and mocha almond fudge! I've gotta tell you - I'm addicted to the butter pecan flavor. So amazing. I also got to try two of their new frozen novelties - their vanilla bar and mocha almond fudge bar. My Mom and I absolutely loved these! Other than the fact that they're delicious - here's some of the great things about their new Almond Milk line (other than the fact that they're amazingly delicious....):

• So Delicious Almond Plus Beverage has 5 times as much protein as any other almond milk available on the market! A full 5 grams of protein per serving. And if you want even more of a plus - it's also relatively low in sugar! So Delicious Almond Plus contains about half the sugar of dairy skim milk!
• So Delicious is committed to being a plant based company so they fortify So Delicious Almond Plus with pea and rice protein - making this beverage both dairy free AND soy free!
• For the soy-sensitive, So Delicious has introduced the world's first dairy free and soy free almond milk frozen dessert pints! Surprisingly, other almond milk frozen desserts are not soy free. These pints are lower in fat, calories, sodium, and sugar than any other almond milk frozen dessert. Sweetened with monk fruit, So Delicious is able to reduce the amount of sugar, which ranges from just 6-10 grams per serving!
• So Delicious is also introducing three almond milk frozen novelties! Like the So Delicious almond milk pints, these desserts are dairy free, soy free, and made with non-GMO verified almonds! Plus they're made with chicory root extract, which provides added fiber!

I gotta tell ya - as a guy who likes to stay fit and healthy - I try to eat as much high quality protein as I can. When I'm working out - I like to make a protein drink every morning for breakfast. Having this almond milk that's fortified with 5 grams of protein is such a great idea and a great alternative to high-protein soy milk. Also - I made my yummy high protein blueberry muffins with the new almond milk! Here's the recipe if you guys haven't tried them yet! Thank you So Delicious for another great line of products!


Here comes my favorite part though. I have 2 coupons for any So Delicious Product of your choice for FREE! It's the perfect time to try any of their new Almond Plus products! There are a few ways to enter:

1. "Like" Vegan Heartland on Facebook
2. Follow Vegan Heartland on Twitter
3. "Like" So Delicious Dairy Free on Facebook
4. Follow So Delicious Dairy Free on Twitter

Just leave a comment in the comment section for each entry and I'll choose 2 winners using random.org. The contest will end on June 2nd at midnight. Winners will be announced June 3rd! Good Luck!!

Ingredients: Makes 10-12 muffins

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour flour (regular whole wheat flour works too!)
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 3/4 cup protein powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup So Delicious Almond Plus Almond Milk
• 2/3 cup frozen blueberries

Whisk together the flour, flax seed meal, protein powder, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the applesauce, vinegar, agave, vanilla, and almond milk. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in 3 stages so the dry ingredients have a chance to absorb the wet ingredients. Once everything is well combined, stir in the frozen blueberries.

Scoop the batter into a greased muffin pan. Bake at 350F degrees for 18-20 minutes. The muffins are a little dense, almost like a bran muffin, but they're delicious!

Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

Sorry for the lack of new recipes lately! I've been so busy the past few weeks - cooking and baking has taken a back seat! Part of what has been taking up my time is pretty exciting though! I'm going to be moving to Minneapolis later this week! I found a really great apartment and I just started packing up my things. When I get all settled I'll get back to my regular schedule of recipe posts!

I made these carrot cake cookies for my family's Easter get-together at my Grandparents' house this year. I wasn't really planning on sharing because I didn't have a ton to pass around, but once my family saw me eating a cookie - they started asking questions. My family tends to get excited whenever I bring desserts to a party. I asked them if they wanted to try a bite and they, of course, said yes. Let's just say they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to some cookies. Vegan success!

*Recipe based off of this Martha Steward recipe*

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

In a medium bowl blend together the cream cheese and shortening with a hand mixer. Add in the sugar and lemon juice and beat until well combined. Cool in your refrigerator for about 30 minutes while your making your dough, baking the cookies, and allowing them to cool.

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup regular sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed, finely grated carrots
• 1/3 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl blend together the shortening, brown sugar, regular sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Blend until well combined. 

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Once the dry ingredients are well combined - add into the wet ingredients and blend with hand blender until incorporated. Stir in the oats, carrots, and raisins.

Drop the dough onto greased cookie sheets by the tablespoon (or mini ice cream scoop) full. Flatten the balls of dough with the palm of your hand. Bake until the edges are crisp - for 15-18 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Once the cookies are cooled take the frosting out of the fridge. To assemble the cookie sandwiches - turn one cookie upside down, spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom, and place another cookie on top!