Cookies and pie

I rarely buy desserts like cookies, cakes or pies. In fact, I really can't remember ever buying an entire pie or cake. I'm not a big fan of very rich or sweet foods. If I need/want a dessert, I make one. I don't like to have sweets around the house, and I don't get a lot of cravings for them. Baking the treats is actually more appealing to me me than eating them. Though if in the right mood, and hungry, I might eat some vegan cookies, if they happened to appear.

That's what happened recently when my husband returned from a trip to Whole Foods with a very small package of Skydottir Epic Cookies. There were three, petite but thick, cookies in the box and I was really hungry. The cookies were gluten-free, vegan, local, and handmade with all manner of organic this and that. Even I wanted to eat them on the spot. As I began to tear open the package, my husband got a strange, stricken look on his face which prompted me to stop ripping and ask what was wrong. "Aren't you going to take a picture and post it on your blog?" Well, no, I wasn't planning to — I was just going to eat them.

Then he told me the story of how Alison Dahmen, the owner and baker behind Skydottir Cookies was handing out free samples at whole Foods, and he got to talk to her about her business. She quit her day job, rented kitchen space, and was trying to make a go of her cookie business, with outlets all over Seattle and delivery to the state through her Etsy shop, so he bought a pack of cookies to bring home. I was guilt-tricked, and reluctantly spread the cookies onto my cutting mat for a quick shoot, after which I quickly ate two. I loved them, and would buy them again if a cookie urge struck and I couldn't bake. They are a little pricey, but perfectly delicious chocolate chip cookies that absolutely taste home-made. The organic flour mix contains brown rice flour, quinoa flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour, and the main sweetener is coconut palm sugar.



While we're on the subject of bakery sweets, I might as well tell you that I popped into a brand new neighborhood vegan bakery to see what was what. What I found at Jodee's Fresh and Organic Desserts, was a case filled with gorgeous pies that were not only vegan and organic, but were also raw and gluten-free. Jodee is a graduate of The Living Light Institute.



I stared at the pie case for a long while, paralyzed by too many choices of things I don't normally eat. I chose a slice of tiramisu, described by my attentive sales person as "light and refreshing." I've never had real tiramisu, so I have no old memories to which to compare this fragrant cloud of young-coconut-based confection. To me, it tasted like chocolate coconut cream pie. It was outrageously smooth and creamy, and not overly sweet — a very pleasant eating experience. Remember, I said I'm not a big consumer of rich desserts — it took three days for my husband and me to eat this not-so-big slice. I had one or two forkfuls each day, and that was all I wanted. (No judging, please.) It was delicious and creamy, but raw desserts can be so filling with all the coconut and nuts, I have definite limits to how much I can consume. Truthfully, I prefer fruit-based raw desserts, and may try one of the fruit pies next time I get the urge to visit the bakery.

According to Jodee's Web site:

Jodee's Desserts offers many delicious organic choices, including wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-glycemic desserts, made from scratch with fresh, quality ingredients. We also have fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, organic french press coffee and organic cold-brewed coffee blended drinks. Our treats deliver all of the flavor and none of the guilt to keep you and our community healthy and happy.

Bitt, from Bitt of Raw, did a terrific review of Jodee's Bakery on her blog. Since Bitt eats a mostly raw food diet, she's probably a better judge than I am of a raw bakery.

Correction: I just remembered we ordered a whole vegan cake to celebrate the birth of our third son. There were quite a few people at the birth but it would take too many words to explain. I remember the bakery asking me what day I would need the cake, and trying to explain that we didn't know what day the baby would be born. We went ahead and ordered the cake, and it all worked out perfectly in the end.

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I'm going! Are you?

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Feed 'em veganIn a recent email from Vegan Culinary Experience, there was a special note about a new group that delivers vegan meals to political protesters. In my beloved ex-home of Madison, Wisconsin, people have been protesting the governor's horrible union-busting/standard of living busting bills, and I was thrilled to discover that vegan food is being provided to the protesters. Here's the message:

Special Announcement: We'll be doing a feature on one of our favorite new organizations, Vegan Protest Fuel, in the upcoming issue, but we're sending out this special message because VPF's mission is time-critical. VPF delivers food to protesters, exposing others interested in social justice issues to veganism. Currently, they are feeding protesters in WI, and they have the capacity to bring this sort of vegan food activism to other locations across the country. They rely on donations and if you would like to donate, please visit them at http://veganprotestfuel.com/.

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Help is needed in Japan
If you are as appalled and saddened as I am about the tragic situation unfolding in Japan, and feel able to make a contribution, the following message from moveon.org might be of interest:

The devastation in Japan is simply horrific. The death toll is rising by the hour. Tens of thousands remain missing, more than 450,000 people have been displaced, and millions lack access to food, water, electricity, and medicine.1 And as rescue and relief workers struggle to operate around the clock, Japan must also contend with partial meltdowns and the escalating risk of an even worse catastrophe at several nuclear reactors.2 Right now the people of Japan are in crisis, their resources are stretched thin, and they need our help. Many organizations are already on the ground providing relief, including Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. You can provide immediate assistance by donating to help fund the emergency response:

• Doctors Without Borders is sending highly trained teams of doctors into the hardest-hit and most difficult-to-reach regions of Japan. (Note: Doctors Without Borders is not accepting contributions "earmarked" for Japan, but rather drawing from general support to enable their important response work there.) Donate here:
  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206962&id=26514-5078113-Rj7tjFx&t=1

• The Red Cross operates 92 hospitals in Japan and has deployed 700 medical relief volunteers across the country already. Donate here:
  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206960&id=26514-5078113-Rj7tjFx&t=2