Heart Healthy Vegan: August 2011

I have been baking for 30 years. I work during the day as a production director at a large metropolitan ad agency. And by night, I am a baker! That's right, a night shift operator who is knee deep in flour, sugar, vanilla and all kinds of other fabulous ingredients! I made my "side" business official about 2 years ago, as the demand for my bake goods skyrocketed. Moon Wink Bakery was born! Over the years, I became known in my office as the sugar fairy.....bestowing sweet treats on my co-workers each week. Just delivering the "extras" from a client order the night before.

And then, something really monumental changed my world. My husband had a heart attack at the age of 44, and suddenly the appeal of eggs, sugar, butter or any other artery clogging ingredient wasn't so appealing. Upon my urging, my husband and I made the decision to commit to a Vegan lifestyle. Not knowing a thing about it, our initial assumption was that we would be destined to a boring, tasteless, stifling diet of bland food and limited choices. How could someone whose entire passion that revolved around dessert suddenly be faced with a world without it? So....I didn't waste any time starting my research. I searched every book store, blog and website regarding a Vegan diet. My first gold mine was the discovery of a site, http://happyherbivore.com, that was filled with amazing tips and recipes for low fat Vegan eating. Mock "Tuna" salad made from chick peas? Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits that taste like Hardees? Beer Seitan Carnitas that taste like fajitas? Mock Chicken Pot Pie? Black Bean Brownies? Yep, I have tried them all and they are amazingly delicious!!!!! Lindsay Nixon also came out with a book, The Happy Herbivore Cookbook which is now my most coveted possession!! I seriously would be lost without this book! Lindsay really gave me the inspiration to venture out of my Vegan shell and try new things. As a result, I started taking some risks and experimenting with my baking. What better way to test my new Vegan desserts then on my fellow co-workers. The only catch? I decided to NOT tell them things were Vegan. The result? RESOUNDING success. People raved about the chocolate Vegan cake, the triple chocolate Vegan cookies, The Vegan Banana cupcakes and on and on. In fact, after about 3 months, I finally spilled the beans and guess what....people started ordering my Vegan Desserts over my Non Vegan! Suddenly word of mouth spread, and I now have more clients than I know what to do with! And the best part is, I get to bake the majority of my orders for Vegan clients! This lifestyle change has been amazing in so many ways. It has been such a blessing to discover this new way of eating that is not only friendly to the planet and animals, but is also a miracle cure for my husband in his journey to a healthier heart. So, any one that tells you that you can't have a Vegan Dessert that Rocks your World, don't buy it! Just take a look at the pics below of some of my most recent orders! They taste even more delicious than they look!!! I am hoping to start posting some recipes soon to share with everyone. In the meantime, if you haven't already, go out and purchase Lindsay Nixon's book, The Happy Herbivore !!! You will be thrilled with all the amazing recipes!