Vegan bake sale

Its not often you walk into an art gallery to buy cookies and cupcakes, but lots of folks did just that today as the Mordam Art Gallery in Livingston hosted the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale.

Gallery owner Bonnie Goodman (right) with friend Ellie Howell made many of the vegan goodies. They also do a swell job putting together the areas monthly vegan potluck. These lovely ladies are never without a smile.

Bonnie said the first bake sale was four years ago during "Earth Day, Every Day" at the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman. Actually, they gave away goodies that day. They started selling the following year at Mordam Art. Bonnie said she had won a TV and decided to give it away as a raffle item. Before they opened the doors, eager people were lined up.

Each year friends and family make piles of delicious and fanciful goodies, but Bonnie admits she does a lot of the baking for the event.

"Its fun to share vegan cream cheese frosting with people whove never tried it before," Bonnie said. "People just cant believe its vegan!"

Bonnie takes the opportunity to educate people about vegan eating, by displaying cookbooks and sharing recipes. She said, "We cant all afford a Prius, but all of us can eat more plants."

This years sale raised $935. That money goes toward putting on the monthly potluck.

If you werent sure how vegan baked goods taste, Bonnie offered samples of her locally famous -- and craved -- gluten-free red velvet mini cupcakes. With vegan cream cheese frosting, naturally.

Or you could try a bit of the homemade popcorn topper.

Bonnie set up a display to show the simple ingredients that go into vegan baking. See? Its not so strange after all.

And if you avoid wheat flour, there were some gluten-free options, which also turn up regularly at the potlucks.

I arrived just before lunchtime and was happy to see warm and savory mini-macs, which are an excellent alternative to macncheese. Thanks to MiChelle Franzen for contributing these!

And of course there were cupcakes galore.

Funny ones . . .

Pretty ones . . .

Ones that came from outer space . . .

But the best were the ones that were eaten. I hope you found your favorite.

I didnt get a pic, but I was told the gingersnaps I made (from Isas Vegan with a Vengeance) were quite popular. Glad I could help!

Watch for more vegan baking adventures in Livingston.

For information, check out the Vegans Rock Montana website at veganmontana.com and join the Live and Let Livingston group on Facebook.

Or come see Bonnies imaginative and fun art -- and pick up a vegan recipe or two -- at the gallery.

Mordam Art Gallery

109 S. Main Street

Livingston, Montana 59047

tel. 406-222-0321

Continue reading

The Joy of Vegan

Bonnie Goodmans smile radiates like the sun that shines down on the good vegan food she promotes.

In 2009 Bonnie organized a vegan potluck in Livingston and was not discouraged when only 4 people showed up, including her and her husband. After all, somebody showed up! Four years later, an average of 2 to 3 dozen people attend the monthly gathering at the Livingston public library.

The Live and Let Livingston Vegan Food Potluck motto is: you dont have to be vegan, but the food does. Among the 30 attendees today, there were 12 vegans. Some wandered in, curious about what vegans eat. Others were dedicated vegans or just liked to eat delicious food.

"My main intention is to show how good vegan food is," Bonnie told me, "how much healthier for our bodies and the animals."

Id say Bonnie has succeeded in her mission.

Guests are asked to bring a vegan dish: no meat, eggs, dairy, honey, or gelatin. Or if you dont want to cook, a beverage is always welcome.

Bonnie plans out monthly themes to make things more fun. In the past, themes have included school lunch items, celery, and nutritional yeast (which yielded a lot of vegan cheese dishes). This month it was Cake vs. Pie: Get ready to Crrrrumble! [Spoiler: Pie won!]

You dont have to bring a themed dish, and sometimes that theme can be broadly interpreted. Here is a photo of Patch with his bean dip shaped into -- can you guess? -- a pi! (He also brought an amazing no-bake chocolate peanut butter pie. That recipe is in The Joy of Vegan Baking, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Try it!)

Patch, who in his daily life is a carpenter, is quite a master of amusement. When you attend the potluck, try to sit near him so you can hear some of his stories.

Other delectable potluck items included pizza, green salad, and beet burgers (pictured below), as well as taco pie, Boston cream pie, vegetable pot pie, quiche, key lime pie, chai cupcakes, chocolate pudding (made with avocado, agave, and dates), pineapple rice, cabbage salad, Indian chickpea salad . . . There was definitely a whole lot of something for everyone.

One lovely and delicious offering was a platter of strawberry-topped raw Vanilla Cakes. As shown in the photo, each dish must be accompanied by a list of ingredients or the recipe.

Quite a variety of people enjoyed the fellowship. Folks came from Livingston, Gardiner, Belgrade, and Big Timber.

And there was a wide range of ages. Here is a photo of the youngest, 19-month-old Willamina, and the oldest, 93-year-old Betty.

Each week, Bonnie plans a demonstration to begin the evening -- today it was lemon frosting made with soy margarine and Tofutti cream cheese.

Another bonus is that you can borrow cookbooks and videos from Bonnie. They are spread out around the room so you can look at them while you eat.

I highly encourage you to come to the next potluck, which will be July 14 at 4:30 pm. The theme is blueberries.

Live and Let Livingston Vegan Food Potluck
(click link to join their Facebook page)

Livingston Public Library

228 West Callender Street

Continue reading