Chocolate and Beyond

Vegan Living: Interview with Joni Marie Newman, Vegan Chef & Author of 'Vegan Food Gifts'

This month and the first of 2013, I have a fab giveaway on offer which is vegan author Joni Marie Newman's new book, 'Vegan Food Gifts'. 

If you take a peek at her website too, you'll see the many other wonderful books she has written. In this interview, I thought my readers would be fascinated to hear more about how Joni got published, why and how she went vegan, and how much she loves vegan junk food! Joni is definitely an inspiration.

What is your 'becoming vegan' story? (How long have you been vegan, did you go vegan slowly or overnight, what triggered you going vegan, etc?)

I had been a half-assed off and on vegetarian since high school (I am now 37 years old) and was always fascinated by vegetarians, animal rights activists, and vegans.  When I was in the tenth grade my friend, Kayt, and I did a very graphic presentation in our English class about animal testing and vivisection.  Complete with a 'zine handout and "Meat is Murder" as the soundtrack in the background. 

Chocolate and Beyond is on Facebook - are you? Come and 'like' if so!

Want an easy way of find out about my recipes and also to ask questions about them, or even make your own suggestions? Then come over and 'like' Chocolate and Beyond on Facebook, where I very recently started up a new page!

Not only do I post my own recipes there as soon they are on the site, but I also post ones I see around the web that look really yummy too. And it's a good place to communicate with other people who follow Chocolate and Beyond, about that thing we all love - FOOD!

It's a happy, foodie place to be full of vegan nom noms and absolutely no dieting. Just click here, and then click the 'like' button, and I'll see you there!

Jenny from Cottage Cupcake Co. on the Science of Vegan Cupcake Baking...

Do you think you could be surrounded week-to-week with home-baked mounds of gorgeous cupcake heaven and not bury your face in it all? I'm not sure I could. But Jenny Gradwell, from Cottage Cupcake Co., says if you're baking for a living, there comes a time you have to stop taste-testing-everything. Spoil sport.

Jenny does indeed make a very envious living out of baking vegan cupcakes and other sweet treats, and I met her recently when she was doing a vegan baking presentation for the Manchester Cake Club (of which I'm a member because of my own interest in baking and vegan catering).

Jenny brought a tempting selection of her cupcakes and cookies for everyone to try - they were pretty damn impressive. Her cherry-topped vanilla cupcakes were every bit as delicious as they looked, and her chocolate chip cookies every bit as chewy and crumbly.