Vegan Baking Sucks

There are only 6 days left in vegan month.

Hallelujah.

Twenty-five, meatless, dairy-less days into this experiment, all I can say about veganism is: meh.

Meh, like whatever.

Meh, like I feel no significant physical change what-so-ever.

Do I feel lighter and more energetic? No.

I do feel slightly self-righteous around meat eaters and vegetarians. But really, I’m just jealous because they can eat cheese and I can’t.

All in all, the vegan diet is easy because it’s only marginally different than my normal diet, which is why I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME. If you eat mostly hot wings, burgers, pizza, steaks, meatloaf, and the like, I’d suggest giving it a whirl, but if you’re already into healthy grains, leafy greens, and lean protein: don’t bother.

The scariest part of vegan month are the horrific desserts I’ve been whipping up on a weekly basis. Massive quantities of flour, soy milk, and canola oil do not make a yummy cookie. Last night I made these peanut-butter cookies that had the look—and what I imagine to be the texture—of little dog poos. (Pictured above)

To be clear, I did not buy the Better Butter, smelt flour, and maple syrup needed for some of the nicer looking recipes because I couldn’t commit. I did find one healthy, tasty, apple cake recipe that just happened to be vegan on You Know What you Ought to Do. My cake was the same as hers, minus all the nuts and fruit.

Ciao people, I’ll see you on the other side of sanity.

Yeah, I tell it like it is-sometimes. For more, click here to have Traveling Taste Buds delivered to your email for free.

26 comments:

  1. Omgosh!!! NO cheese????? Huggss. You need a little comfort. And some cheese! I'm all for vegetarianism, but it has to have cheese. Sorry vegans. :)

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  2. But whey did you start the vegan month? I'm curious about life without cheeses, haha, I'll be very sad.

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  3. Devon, that is exactly how I felt after I did a vegan stint. I did it, just to try it. After, I thought-nah, I need my cheese. I was not to crazy about all the soy products either. A Diet Coke in the afternoon, I was missing too.

    Cheers to eating well and enjoying life.

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  4. LOL. Lately I've been making raw vegan shakes for dinner because I've been eating too much junk lately at company parties, etc. I feel better, but admit that tonight I'm making semi-healthy nachos for dinner with yummy tillamook cheddar.

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  5. Ha! This is too funny! I loved your description of your dessert! I've tried going Vegan before, it is too much for me too!

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  6. I think I'm in love with you. Usually ppl try their best to show the better side of veganism, because for some God knows what reason it makes them feel "superior" or something. I love that you tell it like it is, no restrictions!

    Personally, I would totally DIE if I were to go vegan. I can't live without cheeeese!

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  7. You are doing great and the month will be over before you know it. I'm rooting for you.
    My care, my support.
    You rock LADY.
    Warm regard,
    Simone

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  8. Ciao! I saw your Italian is better than my english, thanks for visitin my blog and good luck for your vegan desserts.
    cheers!

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  9. Good luck for the vegan month. Just few more days left,i am sure you can make it. Regarding your question on adding salt, no the salt is added to the dough before frying and not after. Hope that clarifies.

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  10. I went vegan for two weeks before I had to temporarily take a one meal break (for biz dinner). I ate lobster, shrimp, cream sauce, cheese, and some other dairy; kind of over-indulged. The next morning around 5am, I woke up with a stomach so sick that I wanted to visit the porcelain gods....that said, be careful the first few meals back to the real world, especially if you have a week stomach, which I didn't.

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  11. It can't be easy to go completely vegan, and baking seems definitely hard. I could probably go vegetarian but I don't think i could live without cheese :)

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  12. I have 2 words for you if you want to make good vegan cookies - coconut oil. This stuff is an amazing butter substitute, way better for you than margarine (regular OR vegan), and tastes awesome in cookies.
    If you want any tips, let me know - I've been allergic to dairy all my life, so I've had to discover ways to bake without butter. Since baking (and cookies!) is one of my favorite things to do, I had to get it right. I like my baking better now without butter or eggs cause I don't have to feel bad about eating the batter! Email me at heather@healthyveganrecipes.net - or just run back to the butter if you prefer!

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  13. I have never baked anything vegan... and I don't think I will ever try... I'd rather go, as you say, with lean proteins and whole grains, and splurge on great cookies from time to time!

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  14. OMG! You did try din't you! Like someone said above hugs to you.. you need that for trying so hard.

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  15. Oh, Dev, so sorry you had a bad experience. There is a huge world of amazing vegan baking, cooking and raw food meals out there, but it sounds like you got some bum recipes. Certainly, "Massive quantities of flour, soy milk, and canola oil" sounds terrible. As a vegan and lover of rich foods, big flavor, and lots of textures (and someone who avoids too much soy), I wouldn't eat it either! Hopefully, you'll give it another try sometime with some better recipes.

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  16. Halleluia!

    I give you props for the month long
    vegan challenge.

    I like how I can hear your dismay
    and slight frustration.

    Great piece!

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  17. Vegetarian, maybe.
    Vegan: no way
    You are a good sport!

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  18. Devon, you are so funny! Hey I give you full credit for giving it a try. I'm with you on the cheese, I can't go without. I do watch what I eat, and eat fairly healthy, not that into sweets, so I could live without that. Thanks for the break down on what to expect! (funny I have Paula Deen on in the background, just heard her say "now this is going to be rich".

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  19. Thanks for the honest reply - now you've ceased my curiosity without having to give up cheese :)

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  20. My husband is a vegetarian, but I love meat :)I don't think I could be a vegan.

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  21. Thanks for the support everyone.

    Matteo, magari! Il mio italian e' un casino. Scrivi benenissimo in inglese.

    Heather, thanks for the offer of coconut oil recipes. That might be some vegan baking I can get into.

    Ellen,
    You were one of my inspirations for vegan month and I will admit, it's not all bad I'm just not a lifer.

    Velva, I felt so over-soyed this month, and I love soy.

    All in all everyone, eating vegan, on occasion, is a really good thing, but unless you have health concerns, I'd say a more varied diet is a better diet.

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  22. Good for you for giving it a try, but a vegan diet wouldn't do it for me either. I need more variety in my diet. Can't imagine a life without cheese.

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  23. Ah, you poor dear, am happy your sentence is soon coming to an end.
    *kisses* HH

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  24. Everything in moderation - that is what I say. :) I don't think I could ever live a vegan life. I have so much respect for them. But I like to eat everything in moderation. I enjoyed this post. Very entertaining. :)

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  25. I've never had vegan baked goods that didn't taste like crap.

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