Ode to Vegan Treats Cannolis (and more)

Look, I'll just get right down to it; they've done it again- this time, cannolis.

The very first day Vegan Treats announced the availability of their newest creation I wanted to hop into the car and drive right over, but VM physically restrained me explained the irrationality of traveling such a distance for a snack.  Granted, this is the same woman who thought 2 cookies packed in my lunchbox was sufficient, but for some reason I listened to her.  Then weeks passed and I'd yet to have a cannoli.

But, on the way to the Bethlehem Vegfest (post coming!) this past weekend, we stopped at Vegan Treats for breakfast (don't judge us).  Whilst I was lingering over the donut choices and inquiring about the ice cream flavors, VM pointed out the platter of cannolis that was just out of my line of sight.  Did you hear me squeal from wherever you were on Saturday morning?

So finally the time had come.  WOW.

A little history.
Let me start off by saying that VM is a big, huge, HUMONGOUS fan of cannolis; they are her favorite dessert.  I was never much of a fan.  But when something previously elusive becomes available veganized, I MUST TRY IT!!!

Behold the Bean timeline/vegan cannoli round-up:

• The cannolis from Portobello Vegan Trattoria completely disappointed us both.  VM threatened to never again eat a vegan dessert masquerading as a cannoli.  I believe her exact words were, "I'd rather live without."  Ouch.  No photographic evidence exists.

• A while later, though, I insisted was able to convince her to taste Candle 79's version.  Furious, she deemed them "nothing like a cannoli".  In fact, she was so appalled by their sweetness that this time she absolutely vowed not to so much as sample a vegan cannoli.  Ever.  As for me, I liked them solely because they were so sweet.  But, did they taste like a cannoli?  No.  Even I knew that.

• The Cinnamon Snail cannoli didn't look exactly like the white, ricotta and sugar filled treat, but I thought it was a tasty specimen.  No weigh-in from VM; she staunchly resisted, maintaining her vegan cannoli hiatus.

• I found John's on 12th's cannoli to be quite authentic, but VM was still skeptical; when we visited, she upheld her moratorium and chose, instead, to visit Lula's Sweet Apothecary for a tried & true, non-cannoli, vegan dessert.

But here we were, finally faced with a Vegan Treats cannoli.  I'll admit, VM put up a good fight.  I ordered one and she resisted.  There she sat, content with her blueberry danish...but I knew she was watching me.

So first I dug into my pumpkin donut.  YUM.  So light and filled with an airy, creamy filling that was just pumpkiny enough.  I believe the top had a thin schmear of icing and something autumnal: graham cracker crumbs?  Fall food!

Next up: chocolate donut with glaze, caramel, and pecans; a turtle donut, if you will.  So extremely moist you would have thought it was a brownie.

And then it was time to taste the cannoli.  To say VM was curious would be an understatement.  I took a bite and my bulging eyeballs said it all.  "You have to try this", I said.  She hesitated.  "No buts", I said.  She conceded.  And then the birds sang and a sunbeam flooded the shoppe; VM proclaimed, "She did it."

Of course by "she", VM meant none other than the incomparable Danielle Konya of Vegan Treats.  Much the same as in the rest of the vegan world (and beyond), in my house Danielle is considered quite the baking legend.  Partly because her goodies so impress my entire vegan/vegetarian/omnivorous family and partly because VM hates to cook, anything that comes up as a veganizable possibility, VM is satisfied to wait for Danielle to attack and conquer it.

And conquer she did.  We agreed that the cannoli was just authentic enough to satisfy even the most cannoli-loving vegetarian (VM), and just different enough to knock the socks off someone who was never previously impressed by the sweet.  And anyone who's anyone knows- the best quality cannolis not only have chips on the ends, but mixed into the filling as well.  Check!

Note: unlike their non-vegan counterparts, the Vegan Treats cannoli shell stayed crisp even after a full day in the fridge.  Point being: buy extra*; they'll keep.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also brought a couple of things home.
Who can resist the pecan sticky bun?  I can't!  And, thanks to me, neither can my family, my friends, my co-workers...

The coconut bun is a close second.

You just cannot come home without a Boston Creme donut for your dad.  And one for you too.  I'm super-glad to report that VT has returned to the original, superior chocolate topping.  But, can I get a little extra creme in my Boston?  It's too good!!

Cowboy cookies for everyone!

And a round, vegan devil dog whoopie pie for good measure.  Apologies for the atrocious photo; I really wanted to eat it.

And that should do it.

*Oh yeah, also a few more cannolis.

I really need one of these signs for my house.

Day For Your Health Street Fair (aka Vegan Goodies Galore) at Integral Yoga

Recently, thanks to a head's up from Gone Pie, I had the opportunity to attend Integral Yoga's Day For Your Health Street Fair.  I know what you're thinking.  Yoga?  Health?  Well, yes & yes.  But for me, the draw was vegan goodies galore.

The day was warmer than I expected, but when I arrived just a few minutes in, the tented booths were all set and Integral Yoga's customers were already amassing.  Approaching from 7th Avenue, I came upon the Gone Pie table first: a vegan oasis in the middle of 13th Street.

Integral Yoga always carries an assortment of Gone Pie creations, but on this day there were even more offered outside- with sample tastes in quantities beyond generous.

For starters, there was sweet potato cornbread.  Now you know I love chocolate (and there was plenty to be had in the Gone Pie booth), but this cornbread was incredible.  I am the first to admit that I enjoy low-brow cornbread; this was the opposite.  Just sweet enough, moist, light, dare-I-say fluffy; it was a cornbread cake if ever I had one.

Also making an appearance were Gone Pie's signature, soft, chocolate chip cookies (mysteriously camera-shy): the sun warming the chips to just-out-of-the-oven meltiness.

And Gone Pie's famous brownies: triple nut and coconut:

Making a surprise summer appearance: peanut butter cups!  Check out the thoughtful, individual boxes:

Oh, and one more thing about Gone-Pie's offerings.  All of the above were gluten-free, but you'd never know it by taste.  This made a lot of people happy.

Friends of Animals was there too, fittingly beside.  You might remember their recent victory, convincing American Girl Place to discontinue their association with horse-drawn carriage rides and, in the process, educating customers about the cruelty.  Their table was extremely busy, with lots of folks drawn to their "Save an animal, eat a vegetable" shirts and hats.

As befitting a "For Your Health" fair, many of the booths were vegan. 

I finally got to check out Vegan Divas (warning: extremely creepy music on their website).  They weren't sampling anything (boo), but since I don't see their products around too often I decided to buy a couple of items and give them a try.

The cinnamon sugar donut may have been baked, but it was positively oozing (coconut?) oil.  The taste was nice, but the unexpected oiliness completely overwhelmed the pleasant, cake-y bite of the cinnamon sugar cake. 

Even more surprisingly disappointing, the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie: not my cup of tea at all.  It was of decent size, but when four very different people taste the same cookie and there is still some left, you can't say it's good.  Most obviously, it was over-cooked.  Other than that, it was just not tasty; not even the chocolate chips could save it.  If you've had a better experience with their products, I'd love to hear about it.

I was happy to discover a new-to-me company, Tierra Farm nuts.  They have all kinds of organic products available; I particularly recommend the dry-roasted curry cashews: no oil!

In true street fair fashion, I even had the opportunity to have my face painted with a fitting lotus flower.  Hours later, someone asked me if it was a real tattoo.  Really.  On my face.

And, when I returned from where I'd begun, V-Spot had set up shop and were already dishing out empanadas and curried quinoa to eager fair attendees.

It was really nice to visit a health event that not only acknowledged, but promoted a vegan diet.  Check out Integral Yoga for terrific vegan products all the time, and keep an eye out for the next, fun, fair.  See you there.