Sweets to the Sweet!

It was a presentation of treats that rounded out the 2008 year of the UUFF Veg Group! I was lucky enough to be the presenter this time, with tips on how to veganize your desserts, from replacing eggs to swapping out dairy products. With general baking tips and cool cooking implements, everyone was ready for the holiday baking season! (Thanks to everyone for being kind despite my nerves!)

Here are the Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bakes from The Joy of Vegan Baking, which didn't last long....(all recipes will be on the wiki, remember?). This is a great book overall, with recipes from bar cookies to biscotti to pies! But these particular gluten-free (vegan) treats are certainly the easiest (although not the lightest!) treats in the bunch.

Also tempting palates were the Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownies, from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romano (also authors of Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World). You can't taste the blueberries much but they definitely are fudgy!
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to take a picture of the Sparkle Ginger Cookies, from Vegan with a Vengeance, because they were gone so quickly! The last sweet was a veganized box mix of spice cake from Duncan Hines. Nothing easier than subbing Ener-G-Egg replacer for the eggs! You can even find vegan canned icing, if you so choose, right on the supermarket shelves.

Other members brought equally enthralling delights for our potluck. Featured here, organic chocolate chip cookies from Nature's Path. Perfect and pretty!















Another sweet treat: an apple-fruit bake! A great, warm dish to say good-bye to fall.












A warm salad of greens and turnips says hello to winter!












One of the favs of the day: a sesame noodle salad brought by a brand new visitor. Beautiful presentation! (recipe on the wiki!)











You can never get enough greens! A salad with dried fruit and nuts rounds out the meal.











Warm casseroles of rice and veggies are always hearty and popular!












What is more comforting than a dish of pasta and sauce? Ummm.....













And of course, no Veg Group meeting is complete without Bob's rosemary bread....
I apologize for not having everyone's dishes photographed! Presenting and eating and talking make it a bit difficult - I'll do better next time! Speaking of which, we'll see you in the new year, with a viewing of Diet for a New America, by John Robbins. This incredible film is credited with changing many of our own members' lives (turning them veggie or just opening their eyes to their health and the food industry). Join us in our new location at the downtown Central Rappahannock Regional Library's headquarters building, practically next door to the UUF (which we are saying goodbye to as we move to new digs!). Same time (11:30-1), same great people, and more great food! See you in 2009!