Recipe Spotlight on fall baking!

It's chilly out and there's no better way to warm up the house (and make it smell amazing!) than to bake everything in your repoitoire. And in our repertoire. VegWeb has some of the greatest seasonal baking recipes around. From pumpkin brownies to apple pies, we've got it all. There's not anything quite like coming home to an abode that smells of cinnamon and nutmeg. It can make all the ridiculous stuff you deal with during the day disappear. At least until tomorrow. And now that we're getting to the time of year where everything is, "spend, spend, spend!", it's nice to stay in and do something nurturing for yourself. Like bake and eat an entire pumpkin pie. Okay, maybe not the whole thing but doesn't a slice sound reallllllly good right now? I think I have to end this newsletter early and go make one. Like now.

Check out some of our favorite fall baking recipes on VegWeb:

• Cranberry Autumn Cookies
• Pumpkin Rolls
• Fresh Apple Cupcakes
• Fall Spice Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie

Cooking with Webmistress Laura!

This past weekend, I participated in the inaugural SF Vegan Bakesale. Inspired by the World Wide Vegan Bakesale, we decided to pick a charity and try to raise mega-moola for them. We asked everyone we know to bake and then advertised the sale like lunatics. It was exciting how many responses flowed in, whether they be from folks who wanted to lend their baking skills or those who were just excited to eat everything at the sale. My kind of people! Morning of, I was super nervous about people showing up to buy the goods but I shouldn't have been worried. The bakesale sold out in 3-1/2 hours, and we made over $2,600 for a local cat rescue. How cool is that?! We've decided to make this an every-other month thing and choose a different charity each time. If you want to simultaneously raise money for a worthwile charity and get vegan food into the world, a vegan bakesale is for you. It's an amazing form of activism because it shows people how fantastic vegan food is. I can't tell you how many people were like, "This is VEGAN!?". Our bakesale dispelled the myth that vegan food is boring and bland, one cupcake at a time. I can't think of a better (or tastier!) way to spend a Saturday.

How to organize your own vegan bakesale:

1) Pick a date, time, and location for your bakesale. Saturday or Sunday are ideal days but maybe you have an "in" with a local church or organization that will let you sell before or after an event. Good locations are anywhere that gets good foot traffic. Ask a popular lunch spot if you can set up out front, or any well-travelled corner will do. In the colder months, it might have to be indoors so look into rec centers, libraries, and churches.
2) Find bakers. Advertise in the events section of VegWeb, post on Craigslist and in local blogs, and just start spreading the word. You'll find it's fairly easy to get a great group of vegan bakers together. If they need advice on recipes, you can always send them to VegWeb.
3) Advertise like crazy! Email local papers (they will have an event section), post on Craigslist, and get flyers up all over town, especially near where the bakesale will be. Make sure all the bakers email and call all of their families and friends, too! You never know who might have a million vegan-treat-loving cousins, so ask everyone!
4) Get your bakesale supplies. Some things to think about: folding tables, to-go containers, cards to write down the name and price of each item, plates, napkins, large platters, serving utensils, a cash box (and some small bills to make change for early buyers), and trash bags.
5) On the day of the sale, get there early. Set up your tables, have your to-go boxes arranged, and make sure there is plenty of space for the bakers to set out their goods.
6) Watch the goodies disappear. Once the sale starts, you'll be re-arranging baked goods as they get sold and making change. It will go by in a whilwind. A delicious whirlwind. When it's all done, feel the satisfaction that comes when you get a bunch of fabulous vegan treats into the world. If the sale is for charity, get them the money, and if not, you can put the funds toward making the next one even bigger and better!

Weekly Giveaway: Vegan Bites by Beverly Lynn Bennett!

Vegan Bites is by the fabulous VegNews columnist, Beverly Lynn Bennett, and is filled with delicious recipes designed for just one or two people. How does herb-walnut pesto, baked ziti casserole, or double chocolate brownies sound? They sound really good to me. So good, in fact, that I might have to dump my family and friends so that I can just cook from this book for the rest of my life. Or, you know, I could just double recipes. That would be okay, too. For a chance to win a copy, just head over to our Weekly Giveaway Thread and let us know your best Halloween costume idea is!

Good luck!

Peace in your kitchen,

Webmistress Laura
VegWeb.com
San Francisco, CA

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