Giveaway & Review: Organic Nectars - Raw Cacao Vegan Chocolate Bars and Raw Agave Dessert Syrups

My young daughter with Celiac Disease has been on a gluten free diet since her diagnoses 2 1/2 years ago, but we recently decided it was necessary to remove dairy products from her diet as well. As many of you who have children that follow special diets know, it is difficult enough for a young child to deal with one food restriction, but dealing with multiple food restrictions can be very depressing for them.

One of the things that troubled my daughter about going dairy free was that she was going to miss eating milk chocolate. Not one to to give in to a challenge, I set out to find gluten free-dairy free chocolate that would satisfy my daughter's cravings.

Recently, I was lucky enough to find out about a grass roots company called Organic Nectars, who could offer my daughter a wide variety of great tasting, healthy, gluten free-dairy free chocolate products.

Here is how Organic Nectars describes themselves:

"We are nutrition and culinary enthusiasts based in NYC and the Hudson Valley region, in the outskirts of Woodstock, NY. After decades of studying nutrition and a wide variety of world cuisines, we were introduced to the wonderful world of raw food, which incorporates raw, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds with nothing heated above 118 degrees to preserve maximum nutritional value. In the process we discovered a number of wonderfully delicious and healthy ingredients and food preparation processes.

In addition to wanting to introduce the rest of the world to these ingredients, we also saw a need to help cut through the clutter of all the so-called healthy products and enable discerning palettes everywhere to easily find delicious healthy products. So in late 2004 Organic Nectars was born, with the goal of offering a small, select quantity of only the very finest raw, products that are truly healthy, environmentally friendly and, of course, delicious.

From our line of raw, low glycemic agave sweeteners and dessert syrups to our amazing agave cashew crème gelato to our extra virgin olive oil, gojiberries and raw cacao products, Organic Nectars is dedicated to delivering the finest quality artisanal food products."

For my family, the true test of course would be taste. Would my young daughter reject these healthy gluten free-dairy free, refined sugar free chocolates? Quite the opposite! She absolutely adores the creamy smooth melt-in-your-mouth texture of the Organic Nectars Raw Vegan Chocolate Bars. They come in 6 great flavors, and she enjoys them all.

The Raw Agave Dessert Syrups are both delicious and versatile. My daughter can enjoy hot chocolate one again by simply stirring a generous teaspoon full of Chocagave Dessert Syrup into heated Coconut Milk Beverage, and in minutes she is drinking healthy delicious gluten free-dairy free hot chocolate. My husband loves stirring the Vanillagave Dessert Syrup into his morning coffee... yum! Personally, I like sneaking a spoonful of the fudgy Bold Roast Chocagave Dessert Syrup to satisfy my sweet tooth, and eating it by itself (pure bliss!). You have got to try the Chocagave Dessert Syrup it on ice cream... it is DIVINE! I am sure you will come up with many new ways to use these fantastic dessert syrups (if you do, please let me know so I can try them too!).

Raw cacao vegan chocolate bars & blocks:




- Low glycemic, dairy free, vegan, raw premium chocolate
- Fuses artisan tempering techniques and raw food protocol
- Certified USDA Organic, Vegan and Non-Dairy Kosher
- Low fermentation cacao beans for optimal nutritional value
- Free of dairy, cane sugar, maple sugar, soy, gluten, GMOs, lactose
- Sweetened with organic, low glycemic palm nectar
- Exquisitely smooth taste, texture and mouth feel
- Useable as a dipping chocolate for a hard shell chocolate coating
- Fully re-meltable
- Delicious buttery, creamy flavor
- Free of trans fats & cholesterol
- Exceptionally rich in antioxidants and micronutrients
- Suitable for diabetics and others watching sugar intake
- Suitable for lactose intolerance
- Made in a completely dairy-free, gluten-free environment
- Signature breakaway style bar in multiple varieties
- Handmade in NY’s Hudson Valley


Raw Agave Dessert Syrups:

- 2008 Silver sofi ™ winner – Outstanding Dessert or Dessert Topping
- Raw, vegan, all-natural artisanal dessert syrup & beverage flavor
- No dairy, eggs, refined sugar, soy, gluten, GMOs or lactose
- No trans fats, saturated fat or cholesterol
- Unpasteurized to maintain maximum nutritional value
- Sweetened with Organic Nectars Agave syrup
- Suitable for diabetics and others watching sugar intake
- Suitable for those with lactose intolerance
- Certified Organic, Kosher & Vegan
- Deliciously decadent without the guilt
- Great as fruit and dessert topping, hot and cold beverage & smoothie flavoring, bread spread and right out of the jar
- Excellent with Organic Nectars Raw Agave Gelato

I am guessing you are ready for a taste of these delicious raw cacao products from Organic Nectars right about now! You are in luck! I am GIVING AWAY (1) Chocolate Bar Sampler containing all 6 flavors to (1) Gluten Free Taste of Home follower AND I am also GIVING AWAY (1) jar of Chocagave Dessert Syrup to a different Gluten Free Taste of Home follower. The first winning entry drawn will receive the chocolate bar sampler, and the second winning entry drawn will receive the Chocagave Dessert Syrup!

BUY IT:

Purchase Organic Nectars products directly from the Organic Nectars online store , or use the store locater to see if there is a retailer selling Organic Nectars near you.


WIN IT:

I am GIVING (1) Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (1) Organic Nectars Chocolate Bar Sampler (6 bars/one of each flavor; retail value $29.00) AND (1) jar of Organic Nectars Chocagave Dessert Syrup to a different Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (retail value $9.99). The first winning entry drawn will receive the chocolate bar sampler, and the second winning entry drawn will receive the dessert syrup.

TO ENTER GIVEAWAY (mandatory):

1) Become a Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (must follow PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect in the side bar of this website) AND visit the Organic Nectars' online store; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me that you are now following Gluten Free Taste of Home PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect, AND also tell me the name and flavor of a product you would like to try that you found on your visit to the Organic Nectars' online store. (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES: (each entry comment must be entered separately to be a valid entry):

2) Follow Organic Nectars on Twitter. (1 entry)

3) Grab my Freebie Fairy button and display it on your website/blog (copy the html code for my button from the sidebar of The Freebie Fairy website and paste the code into your website), and LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)

4) Blog about this giveaway linking it back to my Gluten Free Taste of Home website AND to the Organic Nectars' website. Please LEAVE ME A COMMENT with THE LINK TO YOUR POST or it will not count. (3 entries)

5) Follow me on Twitter AND tweet the giveaway; LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the link. MAXIMUM 1 tweet/RT per hour please! (1 entry PER tweet/RT)

6) Follow my Freebie Fairy giveaway & product review website PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect (in the right hand sidebar of The Freebie Fairy website) and LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)

7) Grab my Gluten Free Taste of Home button and display it on your website/blog (copy the html code in the side bar of my Gluten Free Taste of Home website and paste the code into your website), and LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)

*GIVEAWAY OPEN TO CONTINENTAL US ONLY*

Giveaway ends on Monday, March 29, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. PST (late entries will not be posted). Winners will be selected by random.org. Winners will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond before new winners are selected.

*REMEMBER... please leave your e-mail address with EACH entry so I can contact you if you win.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review; I received a complimentary chocolate bar sampler and agave dessert syrups for review purposes courtesy of Organic Nectars. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Best of luck!