Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe: January 2008 Newsletter

Hello Friends,

Welcome to 2008! Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is closing in on our third year in business, and we certainly wouldn't be here without your valued support. It’s been so exciting to grow and serve the vegan community, both online as well as in our fine city of Atlanta, Georgia. We talk to so many cool vegan people everyday, on the phone and in the store. It really gets us excited about the future of the Animal Rights community, and the future of veganisim in general. So let's all say it together now, "Go Team Vegan! Whoo!" We have some fun new things up our sleeves for 2008, so stick with us to keep in the know.

This month we have some new products to share with you, as well as a discount for newsletter subscribers only (see right sidebar).

A fresh batch of wallets and bags from Queen Bee Creations recently arrived, including a new color twist on the popular Cupcake Wallets.

Herbivore Magazine Issue 14 is currently available for sale on the site, and they are selling like hot cakes! Not that we’re really sure what a hot cake is, exactly. But if they come vegan, we would sell them.

We brought in a small selection of paper goods made by vegan-owned printing company Little Otsu, and they were so beautiful that we had to expand the selection a bit. A few of the newer items include the White Jelly Flower Card Set and the Keri Smith Non-Planner Datebook. These make great, unique gifts!

Recently added to the online store is a new selection of non-dairy beverages. We now offer Almond Breeze Almond Milk, Vitasoy Soy Milks, Hazelnut Milk, Oat Milk, and our new favorite soy milk flavors: Strawberry Banana and Chocolate Banana. Check out the entire selection of non-dairy beverages here.

After many requests for a truly vegan dental floss, we are happy to offer Dr. Ken’s Gliding Floss Singles. We also have a vegan Dental Travel Kit, for those of you who might be leaving on a jet plane. For a full listing of our new products, click here.

So do you like what Cosmo's is doing? Do you feel we need some improving? Have a product suggestion? Let us know by filling out a feedback form. We are here for you, people. Talk to us. Take Care and Stay Vegan in 2008!

"Where do you get your Calcium?"

How many times have we vegans been faced with this question after stating our distaste for dairy products like milk and cheese? While calcium is an essential mineral for humans, it’s easy to obtain all of the calcium you need from a vegan diet. The following list is an example of some foods that vegans can add to their varied diet for optimal calcium intake:

Cooked Collard Greens (1 cup) 357 mg
Cooked Turnip Greens (1 cup) 249 mg
Tempeh (1 cup) 215 mg
Tofu processed with calcium sulfate (4 oz.) 200-330 mg
Blackstrap Molasses (2 Tbsp) 400 mg
Cooked Broccoli (1 cup) 94 mg
Cooked Okra (1 cup) 172 mg
Tahini (2 Tbsp) 128 mg
Almonds (1/4 cup) 89 mg

And of course there are always foods that have been fortified with calcium, such as soy milk, rice milk, soy yogurts and fortified orange juice.
How much calcium do we need? The recommended level of calcium for adults age 19-50 is 1000 mg per day. An intake of 1200 mg is recommended for those 51 years and older. For more information on calcium in the vegan diet, please visit The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Waffle Recipe

We were lucky enough to get waffle iron as a gift this holiday, so we got to work with it right away. If you don't have a waffle iron yourself, we suggest you buy one immediately! They are fairly inexpensive when purchased new, and even less expensive when purchased used at a thrift store. Thrift stores tend to have a ton of used kitchen appliances for cheap.
Enjoy our new favorite waffle recipe!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Waffles
(Makes about 4 large waffles)

This recipe is adapted from an Easy Pancake recipe found on VegWeb.com, submitted by user Sarah Hoff.

2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp organic canola oil, or other light tasting oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups of non-dairy milk
1 cup Tropical Source Chocolate Chips

Preheat waffle iron per manufacturer instructions.
Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add the wet to the dry. Mix together gently until all ingredients are incorporated, but be careful not to overmix. Add in the chocolate chips.
Allow about five minutes for the mix to rise, then gently fold down.

Spray waffle iron cooking surface with canola oil cooking spray. Slowly pour batter into waffle iron and cook until steam stops coming out of the top and sides of iron, and waffle is at your desired crispness. The amount of batter you use will depend on your waffle iron.
Once your waffles are done, top those bad boys with real maple syrup, seasonal berries and Soyatoo Whipped Cream!