Remember Hands Across America? Well, this is just like that, except with brownies and without all that icky hand holding and Liza Minnelli. The World Wide Vegan Bakesale is a loose knit network of vegans across the world holding bakesales for whatever they want. It’s a great chance to introduce people to the goodness that is a vegan chocolate chip cookie, plus make new friends and cute sparkly signs.

There’s still time to organize one in your area, or check out the list of participants and join on in.  I had a chance to talk to friend and bakesale coordinator Gary Lowenthal about the event. Well, I emailed him some questions anyway.

PPK: Is there any bakesale in particular you wish you could attend? Don’t wanna make you play favorites, but did anything make you really wish you could be there?

Gary Lowenthal: I wish I could fly to all of them, preferably in a jet pack, but a conventional plane would do. So many bake sales – well, really, all of them – are awesome for their own reasons. I suppose if I had to pick just a few (that’s the best I can do), it would be the ones that are not in big cities and are put together by individuals who just want to participate, have a vegan bake sale, and raise money for a good cause. OTOH, there are some bake sales in Australia and New Zealand, and I’ve never to those places before, so that would be cool. Maybe next year!

What do you plan on baking?

Our group, Compassion for Animals, is having two bake sales. For one of the bake sales, I’m making the “Big Gigantoid Crunchy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies” from VwaV, because it says right in the description that they flew off the table at a bake sale, and nobody got hurt. For the other bake sale, I’m thinking cheesecake, because it’s a real eye-opener when people taste their first bite of vegan cheesecake.

What is the most unexpected place for a bake sale?

I don’t know if this one is finalized yet, but we recently had a signup from Lagos, Nigeria.

What kinds of causes are people supporting?

Local animal shelters and rescue groups, a free spay / neuter mobile clinic, a women’s resource center, river cleanup efforts, and – still in the works – funds to help a friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer. The fundraising going on for these and other local causes is one of the goals and most fulfilling parts of the WVBS. Also, some participants are donating proceeds to well-known animal advocacy groups such as Vegan Outreach, and some groups are using their bake sale to raise money for their group.

I didn’t think you were much of a baker. Have you been baking a lot? Any advice for people who may not be that comfortable with a whisk?

I’m not a great baker! But I think nearly anyone can turn out great-tasting baked goods: Get all your ingredients out on the table, follow the directions, and stay calm. For klutzes like me, I recommend starting with cookies and muffins. Those seem almost foolproof. I also dog-ear the “tips” pages in cookbooks. I’ve really enjoyed baking for our “warm-up” bake sales – and seeing people’s reactions - and from the various online sources we link to on the web site. Ironically, I’m so busy right now with the WVBS, I’ll have more time to bake once it’s over.

Did you lay awake at night dreaming of the bakesale before deciding to actually do it?

The idea came to me in a blinding flash last November. But the original concept was roughhewn, and my colleagues at Compassion for Animals refined it. Then I put it off for a couple months. In February, I decided, “Let’s build a web site and email some groups and individuals to see if they want to participate.” Then I posted on the Post Punk Kitchen Forums and the rest is history.

If you don’t have a pizza oven, the grill is the next best heat source for the kind of pizza that might get written up in New York magazine as like, the best ever and “I can’t believe you never heard of this place!” A crisp exterior with a chewy and airy bite that’s just this side of burnt - to me that is pizza perfection. I’ve learned my way around the grill over the years, after many misfires resulting in folded, ripped and otherwise no-fun pizza crusts, so here’s a couple of things I picked up. Any standard pizza crust should do, I use the one from Vegan With A Vengeance.

Lana showcases a rather toast-shaped pizza with grilled zuke, avocado and pesto

First off, forget about circles. In fact, forget about any shape you know. Instead of thinking your crust looks deformed think “rustic” and your grilled pizzas will be a different kind of perfect everytime.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Throw some cornmeal onto a large cutting board, then press and roll the dough into a free-form shape. If you’re grilling it’s a safe bet that it’s warm outside, and so your dough is going to be floppy. It helps to keep the dough refrigerated until ready to use, that way it doesn’t flap in the breeze like so much laundry on the line when it comes time to grill it. I keep the dough kind of thick, too. It’s just easier to handle that way.

Brush some olive oil onto the top then carefully, but not too carefully, flip the crust onto the grill oiled side down. If you try to flip the dough and it immediately starts folding over or sticking, then stick it back into the fridge, cutting board and all, for just a few minutes.

Cook for about 5 minutes, rotating with a spatula once in awhile for even heating. It should be nice and dark with a few grill marks on the bottom. Flip the crust and add the toppings.

It’s important not to go too crazy with the sauce and toppings, you don’t want a soggy pizza or a droopy crust - it’s not a hammock, it’s a pizza. Shut the lid if you’re using cheeze, but if it still doesn’t melt, pop it in the oven broiler for a few.

The lovely Emiko with a pizza so bright she had to wear shades. 

For toppings I love to use whatever is seasonal, right now that’s asparagus, zucchini - we even have some early summer peaches!

Peaches, kalamata olives, garlic and herbs from my garden

Grilled asparagus, toasted pine nuts, homemade sausages, fresh tomatoes

Oh, and before I get barraged - the cheeze is a mix of Teese and Cheezly, both available at FoodFightGrocery.com.

Now get out there and you go grill!

You know that party guest that shows up 2 hours early and then you don’t have time to put your make up on and they won’t stop talking about their irritable bowel syndrome? Well, that is the exact opposite of Vegan Brunch arriving early.

I’ve put up a bunch of samples recipes for you to check out; Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes, Puttanesca Scramble, Pumpkin French Toast, Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits and Smoked Almond Gravy. I hope that you guys have as much fun cooking from it as I did creating it. Let me know if you’ve got it and what you think so far. You can pick it up at Amazon, but Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe is having a sale right now, too!

I said Pumpkin French Toast!

I always say that I’m not a raw person but that isn’t exactly true. When I’m in SF I’m practically tethered to Cafe Gratitude and one of the best meals I had in LA was at Cru. Brooklyn used to have a hole in the wall (almost literally) restaurant where I would enjoy soggy dehydrated pancakes. Yeah, I said soggy and enjoy in the same breath.

I think I just don’t have the patience for the preparation techniques, like dehydrating and spiral slicing. And while raw is all wonderfully healthy, I’m not positive that cooked spinach is going to kill me, despite the wacky emails I get from time to time. Luckily for us vegans, raw food is almost exclusively free of animal products and so that opens up a whole world of experimentation. I love, for example, using soaked cashews to create creaminess. In fact, many of my favorite vegan desserts have been raw. I’m just not into that vegan cheesecake, loaded with telltale, groan-worthy tofutti and confectioner’s sugar. My favorite cheesecake from Cafe Gratitude contains coconut, dates and Irish Moss. So gather your ingredients and…wait. Irish Moss?

Yeah, so I wanted to make a minimum hassle recipe that was easy enough to create from ingredients you could procure from any health food store. I scoured the internet for hints on how to go about it and I decided on my beloved soaked cashews and coconut oil. The oil is solid at room temperature so ensures that everything stays together. No special equipment needed, this cake came together in a snap. The only prep you need to do is to remember to soak the cashews in advance. Also remember that the cake will need at least 4 hours to set.

The end result was a really, really rich and creamy cake. And you’ll believe me when I say I am not rich-dessert phobic, but the cake really does serve 16. It’s got plenty of strawberry flavor and a little tang from the lime. It needed a little extra strawberry blast at the end, so I threw together a quick strawberry sauce. The crust was modified from the Cafe Gratitude desserts cookbook. I Am Pilfering. To melt your coconut oil place it in a small covered container and place that in a bowl of very hot water. Melt it right before using so that it doesn’t solidify.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves 16

Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped

Filling
3 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
32 oz strawberries (reserve 9 for decorating), hulled and halved - about 4 cups
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Raw Fluffy White Frosting Recipe
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, melted

Strawberry Coulis (Coulis is a fancy word for pureed sauce)
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons agave syrup

Lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut oil and set aside.

To prepare the crust, pulse nuts and salt in a food processor fit with a metal blade. When nuts are fine crumbs, add the dates and pulse until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared cake pan. Set aside.

To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add agave, water, lime juice and vanilla and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Feed the strawberries through the top of the food processor and puree until incorporated. The filling should turn a pretty pink. With the processor running, add the melted coconut oil in a steady stream.

Pour the filling into the cake pan. It will look like a smoothie and you’ll think no way it will set, but it will! Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set. Make sure it’s level so that your cake doesn’t come out wonky. Let set for at least 4 hours.

Prepare the frosting in basically the same way as the cake. Pulse the cashews in the food processor until crumbly. Add the water, agave and vanilla and blend until smooth. With the food processor running, stream the coconut oil in through the top until combined. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Prepare the sauce when you’re close to serving. Just mash the strawberries up with the agave until it’s all red and syrupy.

To assemble
Release the cake from its springform prison. Use a mini scoop to place 8 mounds of icing around the perimeter of the cake and one in the center. Slice the tops off the reserved strawberries and gently smush them upside down into the frosting mounds. If you don’t have a mini scoop, just use a spoon and make them as pretty as you can, they’re gonna get smushed anyway.

To serve, place some Strawberry Coulis on the plate and serve the cake over it. Dig in!