Welcome to the VeganCoach.com newsletter focusing on everyday vegan advice. The Golden Banana Newsletter is dedicated to assisting you with your everyday vegan cooking and nutrition questions.

Jeff and I are heading off to Minneapolis, Minnesnooooowta, in about an hour to visit our families. As luck would have it, they're expecting snow and a temperature drop today. This is one of those times we're wondering why our families don't live in Hawaii. ;O)

This month, we'll discuss where to find vegan ingredients for your cooking needs. I'll also share some yummy recipes for tahini sauces that you can pour over veggies or rice...well, just about anything! And look for some special discounts that are just for you, my darling Vegan Coach VIPs.

Many of you wrote to me after last month's newsletter asking about the Dr. Natura cleanse I recommended, so 2 of the questions this month are devoted to this topic.

Then we'll round things out with a FAAAANTASTIC recipe for Yellow Pepper Soup in the Recipe of the Month. This soup is very easy to make, smells incredible, and is creamy and smooth and beloved by all who taste it.

Hope you enjoy this issue of The Golden Banana, which is actually created by you with the questions you send me. Do you have a question, comment, or something else you'd like to share with our growing community of Vegan Coach fans? Please don't hesitate to fill out the form on my Contact page. I look forward to hearing from you. :O)

It is my sincere hope that the information I provide on my little website VeganCoach.com assists you in being the healthiest Vegan you can be.

Big hugs to all,
Sassy

PLEASE NOTE: For an easy-to-view version of this newsletter, or past issues, please visit the VeganCoach.com Backissues Page.

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Where To Buy Vegan Ingredients
• Tahini Sauce
• Best Colon Cleanse
• Best Heavy Metal Cleanse
• RECIPE OF THE MONTH: Yellow Pepper Soup (OMG!)

Hi Patty,

These are tough times, and I'm so very sorry to hear about your current situation. I'm sending giant hugs your way.

If I lived in a small town and had no access to a natural foods or health food store, I would shop online. You can usually find the best deals if you buy in bulk. I really like this website:

BulkFoods.com

You can also ask your local grocery store to special order items for you -- or ask them to stock some. You'd be surprised how receptive grocery stores can be -- they want to keep you happy!

Here are some more links for you to investigate:

VeganEssentials.com is my favorite online vegan store where you may be able to find some of the ingredients you're looking for -- they carry a LOT of stuff, and all of it is vegan.

They have graciously offered all of you fabulous Vegan Coach VIPs
10% off all orders $25 and over -- for the entire month of April!

The special discount code to use is VC9A.

Thanks, Vegan Essentials!

Pangea would be another one to try.

Ethical Planet might be able to help too.

Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe rounds out the list nicely.

I hope this helps to answer your question. I'll be thinking of you, and wishing you all the best in 2009.

*(Remember, the password for password-protected pages which have been created specifically for all of you Vegan Coach VIP pages change occasionally and can always be found in the most recent newsletter (below). Currently the password is: squash.)

Hi Norine,

Yummmmm, sauce. A subject that is near and dear to my heart. Most people don't realize how important sauces are to sticking to a vegan diet. Sauces add sinful-tasting pizzazz to your meals, keeping things exciting and ever-changing.

Here are some tahini sauce ideas for you to try -- each of these sauces would be fabulous with rice or vegetables.

Quinoa w/Garlic Tahini Sauce

Vegan Kale w/Tahini Sauce

Smoky Black Bean and Rice Rollups

You can also learn to make your very own vegan sauces from scratch quickly and easily with my new book Get Sauced With Sass!. This is a different kind of cookbook, more of an instructional sauce-making course, which teaches you to build your own sauce by choosing your base ingredient (such as tahini), and building the sauce from there.

And in the spirit of our last question, I'd like to offer all of you 15% off Get Sauced With Sass! throughout the entire month of April.

To receive this special price, visit the order page, choose the option you'd prefer (downloadable e-book, hard copy, or both), and enter the following code upon checkout: APVIP. Be sure to click "Update Cart" after entering code.

Hope this helps. :O)

Hi Nancy,

You are correct, most doctors only receive about 3 hours of nutrition training in all their many years of schooling. They have quite a lot to learn as it is without the added specialty of nutrition or cleansing or preventative healing, learning only how to fix things once they're broke.

So along those lines, with my experience as a Nutritional Consultant I am comfy with the all-natural ingredients contained in each product. Colonix is a VERY gentle cleanse.

The body is miraculous and can (and does) do some amazing things. When studying nutrition, I became completely fascinated with the never-ceasing way our cells and organs operate every single second of every day. It's very humbling and awe-inspiring. Your body is a powerhouse. So yes, if you feed your body the right foods, drink plenty of clean water, exercise, and practice positivity your body can usually do the job of cleansing. However, most of the time the perfect criteria are not met, and a cleanse like Dr. Natura's can lend a helping hand.

Dr. Natura's Colonix Cleansing System is consistently rated the #1 internal cleanse on the market, and after at least 2 years of personal experience I have to agree. The entire program is laid out clearly and it is very easy to use without interfering with your current diet or lifestyle.

For future reference, whenever I recommend a website, recipe or product that my readers may be interested in, it is usually in the form of a live link. Simply click on the words.

And by the way, please feel free to check with your doctor before undergoing any internal/colon cleanse.

Here's another question I received last month about Dr. Natura's cleanse...

Hi Latoya,

Toxinout is for those who wish to rid themselves of toxic heavy metals (including lead and mercury) which can wreak havoc in the body and tend to gather in our bodies over time. But for a simple intestinal sweeping, you are fine using the Colonix by itself. ;O)

All the best, Latoya.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Enjoy!

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Large yellow bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Parsley sprigs for garnish

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and shallots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. Put the cashews and 1 1/2 cups veggie broth in a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cooked peppers, mustard, salt and pepper, and puree.

3. Pour the soup into a medium saucepan, and stir in the remaining 2 cups veggie broth. Bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Serve hot, garnished with parsley sprigs.

Serves: 6

As a Vegan Nutritional Consultant I assist my clients by examining their current diet to figure out areas that might need more attention. It’s nice to have someone you can go to for advice that's YOU-nique.

"Working with you, I felt at ease right away. You were very concerned with what I was or was not doing and helping me eat right as a Vegan. I felt like you were a good friend and even a family member."- Aleta J., Claremont, California

If you...

• want someone you can call on to take your hand and walk you through the maze of vegan diet and nutrition information that you are constantly bombarded with;
• need someone who can answer all your questions about how to create a successful vegan diet plan with patience and understanding;
• simply don’t have the time to figure out which foods are best for your unique nutritional needs and vegan weight loss plans;
• want to spend your time doing what YOU love instead of spending hours on research;
• have limited special knowledge about food or nutrition -- but you're ready and willing to learn more...

...then working with me, your very own personal Vegan Diet and Nutrition Coach, may be just what you need.

For more information about this service, please visit the Vegan Diet and Nutrition Coaching page.

Get *SAUCED* With Sass!

How To Create Delectable
Meat-Free, Dairy-Free and Egg-Free
Vegan Sauces
without Recipes!

Click here to learn more!

That wraps it up for this edition of The Golden Banana newsletter.

VeganCoach.com has been created to help YOU. To contact me with questions, comments or suggestions, please fill out the form on my Contact page.

Thanks! :O)