Confessions of a Cupcake Stalker

I'm mildly stalking a vegan cupcakery Sweet Avenue Bake Shop. I read their blog, their twitter page, and spend at least a few minutes of each day (mostly in my cubicle) dreaming of feasting on one of their cruelty-free creations.

How can a girl concentrate on work when subjected to punishing images like this?

They've teased me with their photos of a different tea-infused cupcake each week in anticipation of the Alice in Wonderland movie. Tea and cupcakes, two of my favorite things, merged into one? Mmmm. I've salivated from afar over Blueberry Earl Grey Tea, Darjeeling Orange Blossom, and this week's Raspberry White Tea.

And now this! Only available Wednesday and Friday when I'm at work, what a cruel joke life is. Photos courtesy of my love, Sweet Avenue.


Veganize Irish Whiskey Cake at home.

But I digress. When reading their Twitter page I learned Whole Foods in Paramus now has a breakfast panini with soy sausage and Daiya cheese. See, their twitter page is educational. Right? Right?

I still had some money on a gift card. Why? Another check your receipts lesson. I was overcharged a while back on a Preserve razor and replacement blades, and when I brought it to their attention, I got both items for free! A $16 value total.

Here, alas, is the delicious panini, $4.99. The sausage tasted like the Litelife Gimme Lean Sausage I buy at Trader Joe's, but I'm not certain.

And the Daiya cheese. The prices ranged from $4 to $6. Pricey, but still a niche market. I don't love most vegan cheeses, but this is one of the better ones I've tried so far.

Also on their vegan menu: a grilled cheese ($3.99) and a tempeh reuben with sauerkraut, cheese, and a creamy dressing ($4.99). In the mood for a reuben? When visiting Farm Sanctuary, I adored the apple reuben I had at the Grist Mill Cafe. Recreate it at home with vegan thousand island dressing.

And with that, I say sweet cupcake dreams to all, and to all, a good night.

Whenever I leave (fill in the blank),

I find myself thinking...

Whole Foods Market: "I can't believe I spent $60 for two bags of groceries!"
Trader Joe's: "I can't believe I got an entire cart full of groceries for $50!"
Stop & Shop: "I can't believe how Americans shop. All that processed food. And bottled water in everyone's cart?"
Old Hook Farm (my local organic farm): "I can't believe how fresh and inspiring everything is. I can't wait to get in the kitchen and cook! I love supporting my local family farm."

Needless to say, I do almost all of my shopping at Trader Joe's and Old Hook Farm. Trader Joe's for the basics (organic almond milk, recycled toilet paper, cruelty-free toiletries such as $1.99 toothpaste, etc.) For produce and some vegan products, I hit the farm.

I rarely go to Whole Foods. This place has earned the name "Whole Paycheck" for a reason. They do have a few vegan items I can't find, such as cheese (check out Alicia Silverstone's cheese post). With a gift card in hand, I paid a visit to their Paramus, New Jersey store.

Vegan pizza! I didn't buy any ($7.99/lb.) There's a private label frozen version for $4.99. I think making your own may be the cheapest and healthiest way to go. When I asked at Trader Joe's when the roasted vegetable pizza was coming back, they said it was discontinued due to slow sales. Sob.

I did buy Rising Moon Organics butternut squash ravioli. I can't wait to saute these in olive oil, shallots and sage.

Read the fine print: the Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream at Whole Foods does not have partially hydrogenated oils. The Tofutti sour cream at Stop & Shop and the Toffuti cream cheese at Trader Joe's does. In fact, partially hyrogentated soybean oil is the second ingredient listed.

I love a cup of non-dairy hot chocolate on a blustery day, but these vegan marshmallows, at $7, will not be in it. Sweet & Sara are also outpriced at $7.

These were the cheapest soy yogurts I saw, for 89 cents (*note-contains dairy cultures). The Trader Joe's private label soy yogurt (in peach, strawberry or raspberry) are 99 cents. I used to eat yogurt daily when I consumed cow's milk as you could always find a great sale. Now, I have it occasionally. Yogurt cups=tootbrush? Learn about Preserve, available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

This WholeSoy & Company chocolate hazelnut frozen soy yogurt is good alternative for un-vegan Nutella cravings. The crème caramel variety goes wonderfully on a warm apple crisp.

I also spotted vegan sugar. Vegan sugar? According to Grassroots Veganism with Jo Stepanick:

"Cane sugar is filtered through activated carbon (charcoal) which may be of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin. Over half of the cane refineries in the United States use bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) as their activated carbon source. The bone char used in this filtering process is so far removed from its animal source that cane sugar processed in this method is deemed kosher pareve, which, according to Jewish dietary laws...A number of vegans disagree with this perspective." Read more.

Am I going to obsess over this? No. I recall advice that has helped keep me sane as a vegan from Kathy Freston's Quantam Wellness.

"Vegans and vegan wannabees shouldn't be too concerned about ingredients that make up less than two percent of their meal. You will obviously want to avoid dishes served with meat, cheese, or eggs, but you need not get crazy if there is a dab of butter or whey or other animal product in the bun your veggie burger is served on. You won't appreciably stop animal suffering by avoiding such minuscule amounts of animal ingredients. The goal is to eat in a conscious, animal-friendly manner without driving friends, family, or the waiters at restaurants nuts."

I've seen too many people attempt veganism, then have a moment of weakness around a communal cheese platter (myself included), and abandon it altogether deeming it too restrictive. I drink wine rarely so I don't consult barnivore for a single glass of wine out. Vegan favorite Yellowtail (only the reds are vegan) are non-organic and flown in from Australia. That doesn't sound very animal friendly. The issues are complex. All we can do is make the best decisions with the information we have at the time.

Ask and You Shall (Sometimes) Receive

No it wasn't my birthday. A vanilla vegan birthday cake, Whole Foods Market (Chelsea NYC), $26.99 for a 9-inch, and $18.99 for a 6-inch.

We can hand out literature, show graphic videos, and site the UN Report on Livestock's Long Shadow all day long, but at the end of the day, most people still wrongly associate veganism with a life of deprivation. No pizza, no ice cream, no cookies, and just endless nights of steamed broccoli for dinner.

You have to show people you can have your (vegan) cake, eat it too, and it is even better than the non-vegan alternative for our health, the animals, and the Earth.

We share a birthday cake at work once a month. I asked on a whim if they could also provide a small vegan cake. The answer was not only yes, the cake was a hit. Many were eager to try what a "vegan cake" tasted like, some expecting the worst. The verdict: Many said they preferred it and will eat the vegan cake from now on. Score one for the cows and chickens!

Product introductions are a great, and underrated, form of vegan advocacy. My coworkers now see you can still have pizza (just hold the cheese and add healthy veggies), milk (make that soy) and a tasty topping (tofu spread) for our beloved Friday bagels.

Victory is not always guaranteed. I asked the person organizing an annual pancake breakfast I attend if they could offer vegetarian sausages. The first word out of her mouth, which came quite immediately: "No." I actually got a look as if I had three heads. "I didn't even know they existed," she said. I even offered to purchase them myself, but after some thought, she said she would try and get them. The day of the pancake breakfast, the only veg options were canned fruit cocktail, orange juice and coffee/tea. Not a vegetarian sausage in sight. How disappointing! Next year, I'll just buy my own. By the way, pancakes are so easy to veganize. Check out this recipe from VegCooking.com.

I wish I had a piece of that vegan cake now...

What new vegan product can you introduce your co-workers, friends or family to?