Just patiently waiting...

... for that big thunderstorm!

All summer long we have been getting a little teasing from Mother Nature with our weather up here in the Bay. I love thunderstorms. BIG ONES!! I love counting the seconds between lighting and thunder. I love watching them especially in the dark. I give myself an eerie feeling by reading one of my favorite Vampire novels or just watching the storm in the dark. However, I am still waiting for that day this summer.

For the majority of the summer, the weather report would say chance of thunderstorms and what would result with be this tiny little storm with some rain and some thunder. The results of that weather though is usually days of mugginess with minimal relief. For myself, the result is always a headache and inability to sleep properly due to that muggy weather.

One of the reasons why I did not post anything Monday. I spent the majority of the day lying on the couch trying to be nice to my fiancee while my head was pounding. So I didn't really get a chance to bake those Vegan donut holes like I promised; however, I was able between good and bad moments to cook some Chocolate chip cookies from Isa's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I needed comfort food, and I needed it bad ;) It took all my willpower not to eat every single one on Monday. These cookies are delicious and so chewy!

In my experience with Vegan baking both my own and taste testing others - I do not see the purpose to having to use eggs and diary in our desserts when there are so many cruelty-free and healthy alternatives from bananas, apple sauce, dates, oil etc... It still amazes me every time I bake something and taste the fantastic results.

My first experience with Vegan food was a piece of chocolate cake from the restaurant Fresh in Toronto. I was cautious at first trying it. I wondered how could they make cake with Tofu? That stuff is just gross. My friend Kelly( who had been Vegan for quite a few years now) had a great time watching me tentatively take a small bite and watch my facial expression go from fear to sheer pleasure. It was the best chocolate cake I had ever tasted! After that moment, I had a hard time sharing the piece with my boyfriend. From then on, I didn't go Vegan yet, but I did spend time researching Vegan desserts and experimenting with them.

That is how I introduced my fiancee, Nathaniel, to Veganism. He had had a bad experience with Vegan food a few years back. It was a cookie that he described as hard and tasted like saw dust. He remembers thinking, "Wow, does all Vegan food taste like this. Not very appealing" Then he met me. By then I was doing all my baking Vegan yet still hadn't done the complete transition - I was partial Vegetarian( I will go into detail about that in another blog) I baked him his first Vegan Chocolate Cake for his birthday. He was tentative at first; however after his first bite his opinions on Vegan food started to change.

So when I decided to go Vegan seven months ago, my fiancee joined me as well. We both went Vegan for our own reasons (compassionate, health, environmental) but it was easier knowing that we would not be giving up anything because we were going into a world of new flavor and outstanding tastes!

Sharing Vegan Food is the best introduction to Veganism. So bake a Vegan Chocolate Cake and share it!!