The Veggie Awards!

The Topic: VN's Annual Awards and Amazing Prizes

The Dish: Shameless self-promotion time! In case you've somehow missed the announcement, VN's 2010 Veggie Awards voting is in full-swing. Our annual awards honor the best veg people, places, and products of the year, and we couldn't do it without you. Voting for readers' picks has opened, and you have until August 31 to make your voice heard. Whether it's vegan cheese, cookbooks, or blogs you're passionate about, you have a chance to show your support by voting. The competition is already heating up, so rally your friends and get your favorites a Veggie Award!

So what does this have to do with being savvy? How about the seriously amazing prizes we're giving away just for voting? Believe me, if I could enter to win, I would've done it days ago. Just make sure you fill out at least 50 percent of the survey, as well as your contact info (we've had potential winners in the past who didn't even put their name or email—devastating), and you could take home one of these prize packages:

• Grand Prize: Global Getaway. Join VN for a free VegNews Vacation of your choosing! We're headed to India in February, and will announce new tours soon. Take me with you, okay?
• First Prize: Year Supply of Daiya Cheese. Think of all the pizza you can make. And quesadillas. And lasagna. I'll stop now.
• Second Prize: Vegan Marshmallow Smorgasboard. Sweet & Sara make some amazing gourmet marshmallows, and this package has not only all of the flavors in mass quantity, but also other delicious marshmallow-y treats.
• Third Prize: Veg Cookbook Collection. I love Robin Robertson, and this set of five cookbooks authored by the former Veggie Award winner is a must-have for anyone.
• Weekly Giveaways: TofuXpress. Don't laugh—this kitchen gadget will change your life. And by life, I mean the quality of your next stir-fry, which is essentially the same thing.

The Final Word: Again, voting closes on August 31, so do it now before you forget! If the prizes aren't enough of a reason, do it for me. As a friendly reminder, if you win the supply of Daiya, I expect some sort of cut.

Veg Freebies

The Topic: Fantastic Freebies

The Dish: Finding a great deal is a daily pursuit of mine, but sometimes I want more. I want free. While my luck generally doesn't lead me to winning many contests, giveaways, or raffles, someone has to win. Why not me? Better yet, why not you? With the ever-growing presence of veganism online, there's always a site or blog willing to gift great prizes (including our weekly VegNews giveaway). My newest discovery is Ecobunga, a site which bills itself as "your guide to green deals and giveaways." While not exclusively vegan, many of the featured deals are veg-friendly, and marked as such. Right now, potential freebies include everything from kamut pasta to a fancy bicycle to vegan chocolates. Oh, and there's a $50 Whole Foods gift card I wouldn't mind winning.

As for other current giveaways, here's a few I've come across:

• Dreaming of owning your own fancy Matt & Nat handbag? Ecouterre is giving away one! If you don't care about cruelty-free fashion, feel free to win it and send it to me.
• Vegan Backpacker, a blog dedicated to traveling the world and exploring vegan food, is ready to gift some pretty cute Secret Society of Vegan tees.
• Vegan Etsy, the one-stop online source for handcrafted vegan goods, has compiled an awesome grab bag of Etsy goodies for one lucky winner.
• Here at VN, we have a huge hemp goodie basket ready to go, full of everything from the most delicious granola bars to comfy clothing.

The Final Word: Twitter is another great resource for keeping tabs on veg giveaways, as most bloggers and sites will publicize their promos in their tweets. Even if you have no interest in tweeting your own personal thoughts, it's worth it to keep up with what's happening in veganism—and for scoring free stuff.

Free Vegan Pizza!

The Topic: Cheap and Cheesy

The Dish: First off, thanks for everyone who entered the Mother's Day giveaway! Unfortunately, there can be only one winner—congratulations to Amy! Amy's plans include gifting her Mom not only a much-loved phone chat, but both homemade jam and a handmade card. Amy, send me an e-mail and we'll get your Lush gift pack in the mail ASAP.

Moving on to the cheap and cheesy part of the post. I have three words for you: vegan cheese pizza. As we may have (extensively) mentioned in both the magazine and on the website, it has hit the mainstream in a big way. It's a reality, folks, from the East coast to the West coast, you gotta, gotta, gotta go get you some 'zaa. Whether it's thin-crust freezer varieties (I'm looking at you, Tofurky) or deep-dish pizzeria pies, it's all delicious. And guess what? PETA is running a competition right now to win two 5-pound bags of Daiya cheese (my preferred choice for melty vegan cheese). Offer to host a vegan pizza party (get additional party-planning tips here), fill out a short form, and you're on your way to bringing home 10 pounds of magic-making cheese. Now by sharing this I'm totally screwing up my odds of winning, but I like you, and you deserve a shot, too. But believe me, I have quite the cheese party planned: Hawaiian pizza, every-veggie pizza, mac 'n' cheese, cheese biscuits, and quesadillas dipped in queso dip. If I win, my apartment will be vegan-cheese heaven. If you can dream it, you can do it.

Just in case you're not the lucky winner, another affordable option is ZPizza. Across the US, vegans can enjoy this pizza place's Daiya- and Gardein-topped vegan pies. They even have a gluten-free crust! There are also classic pizza-place specials, such as the buy-one-pie-get-one-half-off bargain—Daiya included. And if you fill out this survey, you'll receive a $5 coupon good for your next visit.

The Final Word: More and more pizzerias are adding vegan cheese options to their menus, so check with your local joints and see if they've wised up yet. If they're still on the fence, VN columnist Laura Beck has some excellent advice: "Just ask!" And considering the gaining popularity of Meat-Free Mondays, giving them a slight nudge to offer a nice Monday discount for veg dishes wouldn't hurt—even 10 percent is a welcomed bonus.