My Sweet Vegan

The night before New Year's Eve we had an awesome vegan dessert party at our house. While I am not the cook in our house, I do really enjoy baking and the party gave me an excuse to whip out my still unused copy of My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky that I acquired at Vida Vegan Con where Hannah was a presenter.

I made two different things from this book: A crumb-topped brownie and a lemon/lime bundt. I had actually planned to make more, but two days before the party, my cat bit me on the hand leading to a serious infection and two days visiting the emergency room for treatment and IV antibiotics. So, two things it was since I was baking one-handed. Fortunately, our friends brought lots of their own contributions and the dessert table overflowed! The brownies filled with chocolate chips and topped with a cocoa crumble were super delicious. The brownie texture was right on and not too cakey or light. I really recommend these! The bundt was also a winner and for at least a few guests, the unsuspecting star of the table! The recipe called for lemon and lime soy yogurt to be included, but TJ's only had strawberry, so the bundt was flavored with strawberry soy yogurt and lemon/lime juice and zest. It was DELICIOUS and came out of the pan perfectly. A great addition.

So far, my experience with the recipes in My Sweet Vegan have been great. I love the full color photos that help to decide what you want to try and the recipes laid out on one spread, so you don't have to fuss around with the book while trying to make anything. Also, I recommend inviting all of your friends over for a fun vegan dessert party! We had a blast!

Mikael Nielsen likes Vegan for Life

The Vegan Person I Like today is Mikael Nielsen! Mikael is easily one of Chicago's most prolific animal activists. You can often find him, along with his daughter Riley, taking to the streets to extoll the benefits of a compassionate plant-based diet to anyone who will listen. Some of the groups he works with are Mercy for Animals (where he serves as Chicago's Outreach Coordinator), Vegan Outreach, Justice for Animals, and Chicago VeganMania. He and Riley also care for a large group of animal friends in their own home (I've never met his canine companion, but I hear endlessly from people about how wonderful he is)! If you see Mikael around town, take a moment to say hello and thank him for all of his dedicated, compassionate work!

The Vegan Think Mikael Likes is the book Vegan for Life by Jack Norris and Ginny Messina.

The vegan thing I like is the new book Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet. Vegan Outreach President Jack Norris has been a hero of mine for quite some time, so I was super thrilled to learn about this book he co-authored with fellow dietitian Ginny Messina. Not to mention that I have been on a real health kick lately, so the timing couldn't have been better. Written for both long time vegans as well as brand spanking new ones, this book makes no over the top claims or promises about the benefits of a plant-based diet. It is just well researched, useful information that all vegans need to know to maintain good health and is written in an easy to understand way, filled with tables and great references. Not to mention a good resource to answer any questions skeptics might have about all the wonderful benefits of a vegan lifestyle. I checked mine out from the library, but will be buying it shortly as it's one of those books that you will make notes in and go back to time and time again. Read this and you truly will be Vegan for Life!

John McDevitt likes Vegan With A Vengeance

John McDevitt is a dude who I met very recently at the Vida Vegan Con in Portland, Oregon. He is super friendly, funny, and seems like an all-around nice guy. About a month prior, I had met his girlfriend, Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the PPK as she was hosting the Vegan Iron Chef competition also in Portland, Oregon. She took a picture with me and my partner to show John, who was at home, that she had met us as she said he was a fan of our products. Very flattering! So, it was really great to finally meet the man himself! As it turns out, John is the author of the blog The Laziest Vegans in the World (love it!) and also keeps things moving over at Vegan Omaha. John is using his time here to rave about his girlfriend's book and I think it's totally right and also really, really cute. Go John.

The Vegan Thing John Likes is Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Moskowitz.

VWAV was one of the first cookbooks I ever cooked out of. I was already Vegan when the book came out but I was drawn to the book because of the cute girl on the cover and the awesome title. When I got the book in the mail, I got a kick out of "Isa" (I pronounced her name wrong, just like everyone else) and her funny stories. I loved that she had a cat named Fizzle and that he had cooking tips throughout the book. AND I loved how she made Veganism cool and accessible. My favorite recipes out of the book are Fettuccine Alfreda, Chickpea Broccoli Casserole and the Tofu Dill Salad Sammiches.

Awwwwww. Another Vegan Thing I Like is Vegans in Love!