New Foods’ Challenge
So you want the chance to win three products of your choice from PB&Co, Artisana (four little sample jars = 1 product), Eden grains, Larabar, Naturally Nutty, and more? The rules are easy this time:
1. Leave a comment on the following post: Click me!, saying you want to participate.
2. Sometime before June 1st, leave another comment on this post telling me about one or more of the new foods you tried during the challenge. (Or blog about one of the new foods you tried.)
If you leave your first comment by the end of this week, I’ll enter you in the drawing TWO TIMES. But if you are a latecomer to the contest, you can still enter (even if it’s only a week before June 1st!). Just do parts 1 and 2, and I’ll enter you once.
Bloggers can also earn an extra entry by blogging about their experience with a new food (and linking to the challenge).
It’s that simple. Even if you don’t win, hopefully you’ll discover at least one fun new food. So everyone’s a winner (Admit it– you liked those kindergarten contests where everybody won 
)
Trackbacks
- A Challenge… with Prizes! « Chocolate-Covered Katie
- Thank you, Katie ! « Mama kocht vegan - für die Zukunft
- Danke, Katie ! « Mama kocht vegan - für die Zukunft
- Christina Butter » Bikes & Bees
- New Foods Challenge « Pursuing Balance
- The Finals Chow-down « A.Cook in the Making
- rain rain go away… « meals & moves
- | Jogger's Life
- I passed! « Plentiful Plants
- http://chocolatecoveredkatie.wordpress.com/faq/veganism/ccv-in-a-box/test/new-foods-challenge/ « Plentiful Plants
- Like a Hippie « Plentiful Plants
I definitely want to participate…Quince here I come=](Never tried one before)
Count me in! I’m thinking parsnips, but I have seen some interesting fruits at the market lately…
Yay! I’m in. I sort of attempted this once, but forgot about it. I’m off to a good start this week with okra and arugula! I’ve never had raw okra and thought I hated arugula. Happily, I love them both.
Oooh, I’ll play! I like trying new foods. But I have to think of some I need to try – I’ve tried alot of things out.
And just to clarify – should we be trying one new food each week for the duration of the contest, or do we simply need to try out one new food in that time, and discuss?
I love a challenge. I’m not sure what I want to try but I will think about it and update you. Great idea!
So fun! Count me in!
This sounds like so much fun!
I already have a bit of head start too, last week I tried dried coconut for the first time in forever because I used to hate it, and I quite enjoyed it mixed with dates for a lara-type bar, and in my BSI recipe
Count me in- I have been trying to try more
foods and this will hold me to it!
Sounds fantastic!
I did the same thing about a year ago and forgot about the quest.
I love food alot and love trying new flavors!!
I’ll join in! I need to try some different fruits and veggies.
I want to join for sure!
ME, ME!! I was just thinking today as I was unpacking my bags from the market “I love trying new foods”! =) So, count me in. I’ll definitely blog about the experience. I need all of the material I can get!
I’ll join in!!
I’d love to take part! I shall be blogging soon
I’m in, CCV! I just purchased a brand new food this week and I’m cooking it for dinner tonight………. I’ll be back with a full report!
And you are so generous with all your giveaways! You’re lucky all the vegan companies love you so much…but you are quite loveable! Haha.
I’m in!! I’m always trying new stuff now with the new dairy allergy! This will be fun!
I’m down…this will get me out of my rut!
I am excited for this! I have been dying to experiment with purslane.
i’m up for this great challenge!
love this challenge!
count me in CCV!
this is going to be so fun!
i’m definitely in this challenge. love it love it love it
I’m in! I actually just tried Chia Seeds for the first time yesterday in pudding and today in my oats.
Then I saw Animal Cookies from TJ’s which were labeled VEGAN! I haven’t had these in years and I missed them dearly. It’s taking all my willpower not to eat the whole container!
i want to participate! will you be blogging about your new food of the week?
I would love to participate! I actually just picked up a pomegranate at the grocery store the other day. I’m planning on tackling it tomorrow, and I’ll be watching Kath’s video tutorial! I don’t have a blog, but will for sure email you before the deadline.
Oh this sounds super fun!!! I have a bunch of things I want to try out!!
i’d love to do this!!! i want to try… brussel sprouts (never have lol)
It sounds like fun, can’t wait to try some new foods
I am in! I need a good kick in the rear to try new things!!
count me in! I need to try more things and this is a good way to motivate me.
I’ll think about something for this week!
great challenge
Count me in CCV! Just the other day I was thinking — and please no judging — I haven’t been to Whole Foods for about 12 years…
great contest!
and I write a blog about healthy food!
SHAME ON ME!
so, this gives me the impetus to go check out WF and try some new things!
I’ll try this! I do tend to stick with the same “usuals” at the grocery store, so this will be good motivation and a fun challenge. I’m excited to try some new things!
Hopefully this will count for two entries (second comment for this challenge)- Recently I tried Papaya (yes, cold and raw like your Kiwi) and it had a distinctive taste, while the texture, sweetness, color (but more orange) and juicy-ness reminded me much of fresh mango! I’m definitely up for this!
Sooo in! Love this challenge!
this is great! id love to participate..
I already tryed something new today!
a key lime larabar!
it was soooooooooooooooo good
Such a creative idea. I love this! It’s good to challenge yourself with new things (I sound like my mom!). Count me in!!
Yo entró!
Count me in girl!
I’m so exited, great idea.
i want to participate and cannot wait to try a new product I bought a few days ago actually and havent tried yet! yay!
xoxo
Lo
-HoneyNutLo.com
I’ve always passed up certain foods at the market, so I guess this would be a great opportunity to try them.
Oooh I wanna play! I was planning a whole foods trip this week, so Ill make sure to grab something new and exciting!
I’m SO in. This looks like a blast! I’m heading to the market in the morning to see what I can find!
Thanks so much, very creative and super fun.
I would love to participate in this food challenge c:
I’m in!
Oo I want to try! I love trying new foods! I have a blogger to follow all these lovely blogs but have yet to start one of my own but I am a big CCV fan!
I even think I know what my new food will be because I made a super discovery at a little Argentine imports store that I think I”m trying out with my family tomorrow. I grew up on traditional milanesas, which is a breaded fried really thin steak, and I found a mix for “milanesas de soja” or soy milanesas! I’ll let you know how they turn out!
- Gaby
Count me in!
-Natalie
i’m in! this is cool. thanks!
I am totally in!
imagoforit! this should be fun.
wow, now I finally have to order that tempeh !
thanx for the challenge !
Count me in, so…do I email you the foods i tried + a picture to prove it?? haha
This sounds fun – Count me in! Any excuse to go to the grocery store is fine with me!
Count me in!
Sounds like a brilliant idea and something to keep my meals interesting over the exam period.
i’ll give this a try…i’d link…but i have no idea how…
OK–I tried bitter melon again. Still…not for me
Hey girlie! I’d like to participate
What an awesome idea CCV! You’re so creative! Count me in!
Definatley in. This shall be fun.
…*definitely.
I wanna play!!! And I know chia seeds are going on my list!
Tonight I tried Falafel for the first time. Since becoming vegetarian I’ve been looking for yummy things to have for tea (because let’s face it, quorn burgers every night is boring!)
I loved it, I just wish my sister wasn’t here to have the left overs D:
I used a packet which you add water to, cook up then fry (or grill in my case)
They had a nice texture, kinda like stuffing balls, and it had little pieces of chickpea in it which gave it a nice chewyness.
The taste was even better though, it had all kinds of nice spices in which went with the chickpeas, and the recipe for making them up called for lemon juice,which gave it a nice tang.
They’d be nice in pita bread, methinks. Guess what’s for tea next week…
Ummmm, not sure if this comment is supposed to go here or somewhere else, but what the heck! I’m looking for new foods since my diet is otherwise so restricted–will see what I can find.
I realized I tried one new food, and retried one other food already this week! Tonight, I had mochi for the first time. It needs ketchup or somthing, but I LOVE the texture of it, crispy, puffy, squishy and soft. And I retried avacado last night, Im not sure if it was correctly ripe, but it tasted good, just not as creamy as I was expecting. Im still hoping to find some new foods at whole foods this weekend (like thats really a challenge) so maybe Ill keep trying something every week!
I tired vegan cookies today and ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM. Key Lime White Chocolate Chip cookies to be exact…light and perfect for summer. Vegan desserts kinda kick ass–wait correction. They kick major ass.
xoxo
Lo
Woooo I tried my first new food!!
Banana chips. I know it sounds sort of lame but I had an incident involving plantains in Costa Rica (I HATED bananas and for the life of me could not find a food that did not involve plantains…)
Tonight I re-discovered dried bananas, after my friend told me to ‘live a little’. They were actually better than I expected. While I might not buy a bag any time soon, but I won’t avoid them any longer! Thanks Katie!
oh i’m in! this will be so funnnn.. and tasty ;]
I’ll participate! I love trying new foods.
kumquats totally had to grow on me-splenda also came into play:) I tried raw okra today-does that count if I’ve only had it cooked?
I made red lentil peanut soup tonight!
I wanna play! Now I just have to figure out what to try!
Ok, so I have actually tried quite a few new foods in April and will share here.
I had my first loquat, which I have discovered grow everywhere in Southern California, so I have yet to pay for once, since they seem to be lining the streets! I still prefer kumquats, but they are delicious nonetheless.
Last week I tried rutabaga for the first time. I decided to try some raw, and cut it into really thin slices, like rutabaga chips and I roasted the other part in the toaster over, until it was creamy delicious. I can’t say which way I prefer, because they were both great!
I also tried arugula sprouts for the first time last week. I love trying new kinds of sprouts each week from the Farmer’s market. Yesterday I bought the wasabi sprouts from the sprout guy at the FM, and they are definitely a winner! Not spicy like I thought, but very flavorful. I noticed that for me some sprouts are about the crunchy texture and others are about the flavor they add to dishes.
I also just tried radish greens. Normally I ask the lady to cut of the greens, but then I realized that I should be eating them! So far I’ve only tried them raw in green smoothies, and they are a nice change from kale, because they are much lighter in flavor (if that makes sense). It felt like summer drinking them up!
Two weeks ago I tried purple sprouting broccoli for the first time. I’ve tried green sprouting broccoli and prefer to “regular” broccoli, so I was excited. I can’t say the purple tasted any different really, but I loved the hue it added to my plate and of course my body loved the varied nutrition!
Ok I’ll only share one more. This week I tried sprouting lentils for the first time. I always sprout my chickpeas, and prefer them to cooked ones, but I’ve never tried sprouting lentils until a few days ago. I sprouted a variety of them and added them to a monstrous salad. They added a lovely crunch, and I will definitely be doing this more often (although I still like them cooked too). Plus the leftovers were great for midday snacking!
Sorry, I don’t have a blog to share this all on and am forced to write a novel in the comment section!
I am definitely in!
I am so in!
Hubby and I tried ramps for the first time this week … not sure if it was the recipe (ramps pesto) or what, but I wasn’t a huge fan.
But, I do have parsnips to cook with this week – and will blogging about that!
I tried jicama for the first time this morning!! So glad I did too:)
Ok so I realized I left my first comment for the early-bird 2 entries on this post instead of the other post you had linked. Does that still count?
So since my auto-immune illness really prevents from trying anything crazy-new, cuz my choices are so limited I already eat the only things I can have. But I have done my best to do some experimenting since I can’t go crazy and really try lots of new foods.
I tried TJ’s applesauce with berries yesterday, yum! Believe it or not that was my first time ever eating applesauce. What did my mother feed me?! (It was the only safe thing I could find while at the store that I don’t already eat)
I ate sunchokes and miners lettuce for the first time this month (and they ending up getting me sick so this is why I’m hesitant!)
But I saved the best for last, my new favorite: dried figs!!! Nom!!!
I am so excited for this challenge! I try to try new foods anyway, but this gives me even more motivation!
Today at my Co-op I bought some Kamut flakes, so I will be making your snickerdoodle oatmeal! The only problem is that I don’t have a hand-blender in my dorm room, so it’ll be a little less smooth, but still good. I’m excited for the recipe and even more so to try Kamut!
Today I tried Yuca.
Not my new favorite food
but it was interesting!!
http://dontwhitesugarcoatit.blogspot.com/2009/05/yuck-yuca.html
I tried 2 new things – raw beets, which I liked, although the subsequent bathroom experience was alarming, and garlic scapes which I LOVE! If you haven’t tried them, you will love them too. They taste like green beans already seasoned with garlic – fabulous! Can’t post until tomorrow, but I’ll link you then! FUN!!!
I tried buckwheat tonight and it was great! I posted about my experience on my blog:
http://maintenancewithashley.blogspot.com/2009/05/o-tay.html
Buckwheat is neat because it’s actually gluten free. I made the blueberry buckwheat muffins from ‘Get it Ripe’ and they were delicious. They weren’t super dense like some gluten free baked goods and they will be perfect for on the go breakfasts and snacks. The muffins are quite filling, but they don’t feel like they weigh you down.
I’m so happy this challenge gave me the extra motivation to give buckwheat a try. Thanks!!
I tried raw celery, beet, carrot, and apple juice. While I’ve had apple juice, I’ve never had it with celery and beets! It was good except it was kind of salty because of the celery. The beets made the juice really pink/red, which was pretty.
I tried dandelion greens from the farmers market today! I love all kinds of greens, so of course I loved them, and I’m going to buy more soon!
I finally got to try OKRA! i tried it RAW as GlidingCalm suggested. it is super delicious and It’s going to be one my fav veggies now! thanks for the wonderful giveaway!
Sounds fun! I’ll see what I can find when grocery shopping tomorrow. I almost always try and pick up something new
. In fact, I probably already have a bunch of stuff in my freezer now lol
I’m definitely in! I’m going to the grocery store right now to take a look around. Should be fun!
i have not made them yet, but i bought KALE and TOFU SHIRATAKI NOODLES to try as part of this challenge, i will be sampling them tonight and will blog on my results!
I tried Bean Sprouts today =]
This morning I tried (plain) almond milk for the first time. Overall I liked it! A littttle sweet, but I have taken a sip of the unsweetened chocolate variety before and wasn’t impressed (too bland). I can definitely see myself continuing to buy the plain kind, though.
Katie, ok I tried a new food and it wasn’t pretty!!! Check it out here http://peanutbutteroats.blogspot.com/2009/05/u-g-l-i-you-aint-got-no-alibi.html
Tried something NEW today!!! Check out my post;
http://kristaskravings.blogspot.com/2009/05/made-it-another-day.html
Black currants, anyone???
I finally tried kale! I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, added the kale and some water and let it cook until the water was gone. It was great!
Ok girl I tried TWO new foods this past week! I was on a roll! And I tried one of your recipes too! The two newfoods I tried were okra which I didn’t really like and broccoli slaw which was awesome!
I made your Somewhere over the Rainbow Sandwich because the cute name caught my eye. It was so good, and I loved the crunch of the broccoli slaw. Thanks for expanding my horizons!
I totally tried jicama! I blogged all about it at http://www.taleoftwovegans.blogspot.com!
Eve
So today I went to a very new farmer’s market (they are getting mighty popular here!) and one of the venders was selling apriplums. They are a apricot, plum hybrid. Now I know that you might be thinking, “wait, that’s a pluot, and I’ve already tried those.” I was confused too, because I’ve had lots of pluots (which are plum apricot hybrids) and I LOVE them. But this was definitely different than those. It looks like an apricot, but it definitely has a plum taste. I must say that I liked it better than apricots, and my mom and I left with at least 5 of them. So I don’t know how all the hybridization stuff works, but I can definitely say that even though they are combos of the same 2 fruits, apriplums look and taste much different than pluots. It was definitely a good find. Also, right next to the apriplums were these “middle-eastern” green plums. They are the size of a cherry, and have a pit. They are definitely plum tasting, but I think I need to try more than one sample to give my true opinion.
Today’s market was the first to showcase summer fruits: apricots, peaches (yellow and white), and cherries, as well as corn. What a happy girl I was!
Geez yet another ginormous comment… oh well, I guess at least I’m consistent.
I tried another new food today: yellow beets! I’ve always hated (red) beets, but have slowly been trying to teach myself to like them. The yellow ones still aren’t my favorite, but definitely an improvement and something I could eat.
Last week, I bought some collard leaves to make a veggie wrap (I’ve been seeing a lot of raw wraps in the blog world). I’m afraid I had to throw out the collard leaf and replace it with a crisp romaine leaf. Sad to say I was not a fan of the raw collard leaves, but maybe I’ll try them again cooked, Southern style
.
For week 2, I finally tried Kale! I had seen it EVERYWHERE.
I’m still iffy about it, but I want to try making a green monster.
I tried kumquats this week. I really like them!
I also bought PB2 peanut butter (regular and chocolate), but haven’t had a chance to try them yet. They seem really good tho and love that they’re made from real peanuts, but still low-cal
I tried “yucca” this week. It was…weird! Extremely waxy skin gives way to a strange taste combination: something between potato and coconut. Meanwhile, the texture is the same as a roasted chestnut. Not sure I’ll ever eat it again, but it was nice to branch out and try something new!
I tried BEETS! They turned my hands, mouth and everything purple (lol) but were delish!
http://nutritiousisdelicious.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-blessing.html
I tried beets and HATED THEM! I wanted so much to like them but its not gonna happen. I blogged about it here
http://veganlovelies.blogspot.com/2009/05/no-beets-for-me.html
Today I tried, for the first time, feijoas!! I never knew how to eat them or when to know if they were ripe, but I took a chance and wow, I liked them! Soft and sweet in the middle but tangier at the edges. Yum!! Now if onyl I could get to try Artisana nut butters for the first time…
so far, i’ve tried:
goji berries (i can take em or leave em)
medjool dates (only bought regular before. i was missing out!)
RED kale (a new favorite, for sure)
black forbidden rice (definitely interesting, but very good)
coconut oil (love it and so healthy!)
I tried fiddlehead ferns this week. They were delectable! Reminded me of asparagus. Try them steamed and tossed in olive oil and garlic. So yum!
i tried a payaya!!
it tasted like a sock with sawdust. but very juicy. i wouldnt eat it again, or maybe a picked a bad one?
I cooked something new with a new vegetable to me- http://insideiamdancing.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-week.html
Just tried Lima beans for the first time…loved them! I’ll be adding those to my weekly menu:)
Hey, Katie!!!
Tried another new food today…dragon fruit! Check it out…
http://kristaskravings.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-food-dragon-fruit.html
Krista @ Krista’s Kravings
Hi Katie,
Hope your vacation is going well
Anyway, I’ve been a bit behind but I finally tried a new food last night, the chayote (I’d never even heard of it when I was given it by J’s aunty). It’s blogged about here.
I tried a new vegetable- yellow zuchinni!
http://insideiamdancing.blogspot.com/2009/05/solid-ground.html
So far, I’ve tried cashew juice (pretty good), okra (I love it), and chia seeds (in a wonderful raw chia pudding). Next, I want to try a Buddha’s Hand.
Hi Katie,
I’m a little behind, but I just tried new food #3 — chestnuts. I guess they’re common but I’ve never had them. I saw them in a bag in the produce section and figured I’d try it. I have to admit, I was a little afraid b/c they’re kinda wet. They were pretty good. After eating a couple I let go of my fears and nibbled away. it was a nice snack.
2 new foods I tried this week…Barneys Butter Smooth Almond…love the individual packets. So easy to take along for breakfast at the office. I put the Barneys Butter on Rudi’s Organic Cinnamon Raisin bread. SO YUMMY!
Some of my favorite new foods I’ve tried this week include Trader Joes Greek Style Yogurt (Yum!) and White Northern Beans, which I soaked, cooked and threw together with roasted tomatoes. Delicious!
Finally managed it! I’ll blog about my new food tonight and link to your challenge.
I tried a kiwano for the first time today, and linked to the challenge. Here’s my post: http://harpingonfitness.blogspot.com/2009/05/six-mile-sunday.html
Last week, I tried Justin’s peanut butter and maple almond butter squeeze packs (just ok, but love the squeeze pack idea), and Tempt hemp milk ice cream (my new obsession), but I have so many more foods I want to try!
My blog post about your challenge is here: http://animal-friendly79.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-foods-challenge-accepted.html
I think I’ve been posting on the wrong post! Okay… well at the risk of being repetative, I tried figs. They were A-MAZING!
One of the new foods I tried was corn salad / rapunzel. It’s a wonderful early green (it makes a very tasty salad), and I hope to grow some next year.
I tried star Fruit today with my lunch. I only got it because it looked cool to the grocery store. It did taste good. I am also trying Muesli for the first time tomorrow.
What great timing – I just bought a new product this weekend and tried it last night – figs! Wow, what an incredible find! They’re sweet, rich, caramelly and so satisfying – plus they’re healthy!
This has been a fun challenge! I have tried dried papaya (tastes just like gummy bears), greek yogurt (which I thought I would not like but I love it!), and dates (which, I have to admit, the taste and texture were unappealing to me).
I tried jicama, and didn’t much care for it. Here’s my post about it.
http://clumzycook.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-food-challenge.html
Today I was perusing the aisles at Wegmans and saw that Coconut Dream icecream was on sale (which never, ever happens) so I stood and stared at the freezer for about .234 seconds before grabbing a pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and a pint of the Chocolate flavor (getting crazy!).
I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but my goodness, this stuff was incredible. Life-changing, even. The cookie dough was a million times better than what I remembered Ben & Jerry’s tasted like, and it’s gluten-free too! I’m pretty sure that I’m going back tomorrow to stock up on delicious ice cream, it is my new favorite thing
Oh, and I’ve linked to the challenge a few times as well
Crossing my fingers!
Ooops, just realized I never posted my comment about the new food I tried–so here it is! Lupini beans. They included a 2-week prep time, but the result was yummy. Yummy enough to make again? Well . . . maybe not. But now I hear you can get them prepared in jars, so I may go that route next time!
I tried jicama and tried ot make it into a raw “fried” rice salad. It was not good. boo. I wanted to like it.
Today I tried spelt flour in supercharge me cookies, yum!
Ok, so I can’t follow directions and wrote about the foods I tried in the “participation” section… yikes!
Here it is again!
I actually tried a fresh apricot for the first time two days ago. I have always eaten apricots dried, never fresh, so I was really looking forward to eating a juicy one! While the fruit I purchased smelled great and looked absolutely divine, I was actually kind of disappointed when it came to the taste – I’m thinking that’s because it was picked un-ripe and shipped from California most likely. Hopefully when I move to San Diego in August I’ll have the chance to eat better specimen!
In addition to the fresh apricot, I recently tried wasabi peas… and this was NOT a disappointment. I am completely addicted! I actually went to the health food store and bought $8.00 worth out of the bulk bin and they are already gone!
I love your contests! Keep ‘em coming!
Since it is the last day left to post, I figured I should share the new foods I’ve tried in the past 2 weeks. First, I tried another hybrid fruit, this time a melon. I don’t remember what the vendor called it, but he said it was a canteloupe, honeydew mix. From the outside it appeared to have the rind of a canteloupe, but inside it had the green fleshy color of honeydew. And as for the taste, it had a truly unique flavor, in which I could taste both the honeydew and canteloupe. I think it would be a great for those who are just coming around to liking honeydew, because the taste is more mild (if that makes sense).
I also tried this really cool Chinese herb, but there is no way I could begin to try and say the name. The guy at the farmer’s market said it only has a Chinese name, which was very complicating sounding. Anyways, they use it to marinade things, and then puree it into a sauce. I tried a leaf raw and it is very hardy tasting. The rest I put into a sauce, and it gave it amazing flavor! Yay for trying new foods.
One new food I was determined to try is Rhubarb! Unfortunately I didn’t find any, but one of the farmers at the market, told me he would have some next week! So, I’m definitely excited for that!
And finally, although this experiment/project is about eating new foods, I thought that I would share about growing new foods. Every summer my mom and I do a vegetable garden, and this year we are trying loads of new plants and seeds we’ve never grown before. Here they are: tomatillo, cucumber, spaghetti squash, chocolate bell pepper, sage, quinoa, and amaranth. WooHoo!
this month ive tried a few new things to me such as collard greens, steel cut oats, soy yogurt, veganaise, and seitan!
hope its not to late to post this!
hope some of those things count!
I have been hearing so many thing about bee pollen so I got a jar! I am ready to try this new to me product. Thanks Katie!