It’s interesting to me how people think that the vegan lifestyle is one of major deprivation.  (Although there was definitely a time when I didn’t want to live in a world without dairy cheese or ice cream.)   What am I deprived of?  I honestly don’t miss dairy or meat. Not only am I glad every minute of every day that I don’t support cruelty and unnecessary death, I also no longer crave the animal products that made me me look and feel awful. When I stopped eating dairy, my acne, cramps, headaches and two sizes went away.  Eggs actually used to make me throw up.  Do I want to put those things in my body anymore?  Nope, especially when I live in a world that has Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss, Purely Decadent with Coconut Milk, Daiya Vegan Cheese, Dr. Cow Nut Cheeses and Teese!

I no longer crave animal flesh after 17 years as a vegetarian, but I do love Soysage, Tofurky slices and sausages for what they are.  If I wanted to experience the taste and texture of chickens, pigs and cows, I would eat Gardein, LightLife, Match Meats, etc.  I never cared for seafood, so I definitely don’t miss that.

Yes, sometimes I miss out on convenience.  But it’s so worth it!  I eat so much more food as a vegan than I ever did as a meat-eater or even as a lacto-ovo vegetarian.  I actually crave vegetables. I can have kale and brown rice for lunch and feel completely satisfied.  I eat Ethiopian, Thai and Korean food often.  I never would have been interested in those foods before I was vegan.

Since I became vegan, I definitely feel more spiritually connected.  I am more in tune with my body, the planet and my fellow Earthlings.

So, am I angry all the time? Not even close. How often do you see me without a smile on my face? The years I have been vegan have actually been my happiest ever. I can’t imagine ever going back.

I have already blogged about Fiddle Cakes and the awesome treats I had there on my first visit, but I went back and tried more of their cupcakes and wow!  The chocolate with peppermint “buttercream” frosting and toasted coconut cupcakes were awesome.  So tasty and beautiful.  I also had a lovely vegan soup and sandwich there.  The vegans from Born Empty and I were happy with everything we had.

The Wild Cow had their Grand Opening party last Saturday and I left with Vegan Spicy Chocolate Cake, Vegan Ginger Macadamia Coconut Carrot Cake (say that three times fast),  Vegan Oatmeal Cherry Cookie and a Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Muffin.  Yummy!  All desserts at The Wild Cow are outsourced and everything I tried was very good.

I have complained in the past about Whole Foods’ lack of vegan cupcakes, but to their credit, they now have a Vegan Chocolate Coffee cake that is amazing, they had Vegan Apple and Cherry pies for Thanksgiving (I had the cherry and it was great!) and their baker has just informed me that soon they will have Vegan Whole-Grain Pastries.  Yes!

Go, Nashville!  It’s always a good time to be a vegan, but things just keep getting better and better for us.  For those of you afraid to go vegan because you think you’ll be missing out, try some of these awesome cholesterol-free-but-full-of-great-flavor desserts!  And if you’re jonesin’ for some ice cream to go with your cake, stop by Whole Foods or Turnip Truck and buy some Purely Decadent with Coconut Milk or Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss.  I swear, it’s better than dairy ice cream!

Purely Decadent’s new non-dairy ice cream is made with coconut milk.  I happen to LOVE coconut and when I found out about this frozen delight, I knew I had to try it.  I also wanted a “Lick Me, I’m Vegan” shirt because really, how awesome is that?

Well, the good folks at Turtle Mountain sent me five pints of this wonderful new dessert, along with the awesome t-shirt.  Sweeeeeeeet.

This wonderful creamy goodness comes in five flavors:  Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Coconut, Mint Chip and Cookie Dough.  An extra added bonus is that even the Cookie Dough flavor is gluten-free, so it’s just that much more friendly for those with allergies.  (If you’re allergic to or don’t care for coconut, this is not your dessert.)  But no soy, no dairy and no gluten?  Fabulous!  AND, they’re sweetened with agave syrup instead of sugar, which is yet another huge plus in my book.

My personal favorite flavors are the Mint Chip and Cookie Dough, but mostly because I like “stuff” in my ice cream and I’m a sucker for mint and chocolate ANYTHING.  Honestly though, I think all the flavors are lovely.  Even the Vanilla Bean is amazingly creamy, flavorful and luscious.

So, yeah.  Go get some Purely Decadent.  It’s truly heavenly.

PS:  I dare you to sing the blog title to the tune of Sara McLachlan’s “Ice Cream.”  C’mon, no one’s listening!  Do it.  Do it.  (By the way, I just amazed myself by spelling her name correctly on the first try.  Woohoo!)

Purely Decadent made with Coconut Milk