Los Angeles-based Original Pet Food Co. has introduced a complete line of dog and cat meals made from organic, grass-fed beef.

“With the sustainable, organic, grass-fed beef revolution well underway, we believe it’s high time for the same quality meats to make their way from the dinner plate to the pet bowl,” says company founder Melissa McGinnis.

If you love the flavors of chai and chocolate, check out the new organic Chai Drinking Chocolate from Dagoba Organic Chocolate.

Made with organic cacao powder, unsweetened dark chocolate, cane sugar, crystallized ginger and chai spices, it’s 100% organic and Fair-Trade certified. Just add water, milk, cream or soymilk for a deliciously rich hot beverage.

The mix is now available at supermarkets and natural/organic food stores. It joins Dagoba’s existing line of organic drinking chocolates:

When Cooking Light magazine sampled firm tofu brands for its 2010 Taste Test Awards, two organic products achieved top honors:

1. Melissa’s Organic took the grand prize for its “slight nuttiness” and “meaty consistency.”
2. Nasoya Organic placed second for its softer texture, which “still stands up to wok-browning.”

Los Angeles-based Melissa’s makes three types of organic tofu: Soft, Firm and Extra Firm.

You’re not imagining it: Prices for your favorite coffee—whether purchased at a coffee shop, restaurant, natural/organic food store or mainstream supermarket—are on the rise.

The reason?

A critical international coffee shortage, in which demand is steadily outpacing supply, according to the London-based International Coffee Organization.

Making time to brew a satisfying cup of organic tea or coffee before rushing out the door each morning is back in vogue, as many of us bid adieu to high-priced cafes and coffee shops.

The right appliances can help you master the art of making smooth-tasting, flavorful hot beverages.

Organic watermelon is a nutritional best bet, with more than 1,200 varieties available for savvy snacking.  Farmers in 44 states grow these juicy members of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, with Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona leading the pack.

 Here are 10 reasons to head to the summer produce aisle.

1. Get your vitamins—naturally 

A 2-cup serving of watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A and C: 

• Vitamin A is critical for optimal eye health. A 2-cup serving of watermelon contains 25% of your daily requirement.
• Vitamin C helps bolster the immune system. A 2-cup serving of watermelon contains 30% of your daily requirement.

2. Potassium is your BFF

Potassium helps maintain water balance. If your potassium level is low, you may experience muscle cramps. 

A 2-cup serving of watermelon provides 270 mg potassium: 8% of your daily requirement. A watermelon is also more than 90% water, so a few cups will help you stay hydrated.

3. Watermelon is heart-healthy

 Watermelon contains amino acids that help maintain healthy arteries and blood flow. 

“With its naturally sweet taste, watermelon can be a wonderful way to get more fruit into a sensible low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet,” says Maureen Storey, PhD, former director of the Center for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Policy at the University of Maryland.

4. It helps protect you against cancer 

Red-fleshed watermelon contains high concentrations of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps reduce cancer risk. A 1.5-cup serving contains 14 to 15 mg lycopene, according to plant physiologist Penelope Perkins-Veazie, PhD, a professor at the Plants for Human Health Institute  at North Carolina State University. The redder the watermelon, the more lycopene it offers.

5. Pour me a drink 

Because of its high water content, watermelon is a perfect addition to drinks like Watermelon Lemonade (right) and Three-Melon Smoothie. 

As with our story on making lemon-flavored ice cubes, you can create watermelon ice cubes (above) by pureeing the melon’s flesh and freezing it in ice cube trays.

6. Watermelon is kid-friendly

 Few children will turn down a slice of juicy watermelon, so make it a part of their regular fruit and veggie intake. Be creative in the kitchen. Let your kids use a melon baller to form watermelon spheres.

7. Baby, you can drive my car

 Place cubes of melon in travel containers for hydration and a nutritional boost during long car trips. Bring napkins!

8. Watermelon shines at organic picnics 

Dishes like Watermelon Salad with Thai Basil and Feta will please your adult guests, while Watermelon and Tomato Salad  and  Poppy Seed Fruit Salad will appeal to both children and adults. 

Labor Day is almost here. Make an Americana Basket (above) for backyard barbecues and potlucks.

9. Get thee to a farmers’ market 

Buy locally grown organic produce to support family farmers. Willie Nelson will thank you. 

Not sure where your local farmers’ market is located? Local Harvest will solve this problem in a jiff.

10. Grow your own 

Kits like Ecosource’s Organic Grow Your Own Seedling Starter Kits are great gift items, and they make the job easy. More advanced gardeners can pick up a copy of Amy Goldman’s Melons for the Passionate Grower. 

Photos: Jermaine Justice, Wyscan, kokopinto, nsaplayer, Chris Breeze, ccharmon, xlorddashx, National Watermelon Promotion Board, McCormick, Suddenly Salad 

Follow me on Twitter: @BarbGoesOrganic

Poblano and chipotle peppers, sweet potatoes, roasted garlic, lemongrass and lentils are just a sampling of the flavorful ingredients you’ll find this fall in Pacific Natural Foods’ new line of vegetarian soups and chowders.

The bistro-inspired collection features all-natural ingredients, including vegetables, legumes, savory herbs and zesty spices.

Six flavors will be available:

1. Vegetable Lentil & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
2. Poblano Pepper and Corn Chowder
3. Rosemary Potato Chowder
4. Thai Sweet Potato Soup
5. Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
6. Roasted Garlic Mushroom Lentil Soup

“America’s hunger to explore adventurous  new flavors has reached the humble soup bowl,” says Pacific VP of Sales and Marketing Tim Ramsey. “We scoured recipes and restaurant menus for flavor inspiration and created a new collection of hearty classics that reflect regional favorites, as well as global cultural trends.”

No can openers are needed for the soups, which are packaged in easy-to-open, pour-and-close, BPA-free cartons. Pacific’s “Tetra Recart” packaging helps preserve ingredients’ integrity while delivering a product that’s fresh and less processed, with no tin aftertaste. Cartons are shelf-stable for up to 24 months.

Suggested retail price is $2.69 to $3.29 for a 17.6-oz. package.

Look for the soups at your local natural and organic food store in October. Follow the company on Twitter for updated information.

Burlington, VT-based VerMints has introduced a new line of vegan-friendly mints made exclusively from all-natural and organic ingredients. 

Six full-bodied flavors are available in pocket-size tins: 

1. PepperMint
2. CinnaMint
3. WinterMint
4. GingerMint
5. Chai
6. Café Express 

Each product is gluten- and nut-free, kosher and free of animal products. No high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners are used. 

Chai, my favorite flavor, is made with organic crystallized cane juice, organic tapioca syrup, organic Vermont maple syrup, chai tea and Vermont Pure Spring water. 

Mints are available at well-stocked natural and organic food stores like Whole Foods Market. You may also order the mints online. 

5 More Organic Food Finds

1. VitaSoy Peppermint Chocolate Organic Soy Beverage (seasonal)
2. The Great Organic Uncured Hot Dog
3. Dagoba’s Sweet and Savory Organic Chocolates
4. Clover Organic Eggnog (seasonal)
5. Moosewood Soups and Entrees

After reading the UC Davis report on mislabeled extra-virgin olive oil, angry California chefs have filed a class-action lawsuit against companies whose products failed the “virginity test.”

At press time, 10 major producers and distributors have been named in the suit:

1. Bertolli
2. Carapelli
3. Colavita
4. Filippo Berio
5. Mazola
6. Mezzetta
7. Pompeian
8. Rachael Ray
9. Safeway Select 
10. Star

Several of these companies sell organic varieties.

Other defendants include markets that have sold these brands “without testing and verifying” oil quality: Bristol Farms, Gelson’s, Vons/Pavilions, Ralphs, Stater Bros., Albertson’s, Target, Walmart, Kmart and Nob Hill Foods.

“This is an egregious fleecing of the California consumer,” says lead counsel Daniel J. Callahan. “These companies placed corporate profiteering over their integrity and the integrity of their product.”

Callahan believes these companies “have been knowingly misleading and defrauding California consumers for years.

“Defendants have been claiming the olive oil they sell meets the high standard of the extra-virgin classification,” he says, noting that chefs’ menu prices have reflected use of the real deal.

Some chefs and consumers have reportedly said over the years that their extra-virgin olive oils simply don’t taste right—and “it  has now become clear that these tales were based in fact,” Callahan says.

Olive oil is a kitchen staple for most organic home cooks, especially those who follow a Mediterranean diet. It’s a monounsaturated fat that should replace unhealthful saturated fats.