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!

Enter Fiddle Cakes on 8th Ave South.  I called the other day to find out about their vegan offerings, then realizing they would be closing in just a bit, I hopped in the car and drove straight there.   I walked up to the counter and asked for one of everything that was vegan.  I purchashed an almond shortbread cookie, a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie and a banana split cupcake.  Turns out the woman who helped me is also vegan so I gave her my card and we chatted a bit.

I brought my tasty treats home and it was all I could do to wait to take photos before I dove in.  The almond shortbread cookie tasted just like what you’d expect.  It was crispy and had a nice almondy, buttery flavor.  (People often ask me how it’s possible for shortbread to be vegan, but did you know that Lorna Doone shortbread cookies are vegan?  Not healthy by any means, but still vegan.)

Next, I tried the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.  It was pretty good, but a little salty and I would have liked a little more pumpkin spice flavor.  The banana split cupcake didn’t have the best consistency compared to some of the vegan cupcakes I’ve had, but the flavors were great.  The cake tasted like real banana and had little chunks of pineapple and chocolate chips and it had walnuts and a maraschino cherry on top.  The icing was very sugary, but was also quite fresh and yummy.  Way better than the stuff you’d get on most bakery cupcakes.

Even with my little criticisms, I enjoyed everything and ate all three items in one sitting, ended up with a ridiculous sugar high, then crashed hard.  I don’t recommend trying that.  I know better, but it was so hard to resist!

Fiddle Cakes also serves lunch (soups, salads and sandwiches) and they can make their vegetarian menu items vegan.  Their sandwich bread is vegan and comes from a bakery in Clarksville and they have Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese.  All their recipes are their own and they use sweeteners like organic evaporated cane juice, molasses and agave nectar, plus they have gluten-free items as well.  They also do catering and special orders.  Yay!

Nashvillians, let’s support Fiddle Cakes and show this city and its restaurants, bakeries, etc. that we can keep vegan-friendly businesses alive and thriving.

The best part of this whole thing is that people see how much of a difference my diet has made in my appearance. Anyone who has known me for several years knows I lost several sizes and gained better skin when I went vegan. I also feel so much stronger, happier and healthier! It has made such a huge difference in my life and I want to share it with the world.  I’ve been a vegetarian for 16 or 17 years, but my three year Veganniversary is June 1st!

Carrington Fox of the Scene is the reason I got this opportunity and she even wrote about me in the Bites Blog today. Thank you, Carrington, for this opportunity. Big thanks also go out to Eric England and Rob Williams of the Nashville  Scene, Wesley Adams of Phase III Wellness, Next Level Fitness, Deana Kale at EyeCandy, Sarah at Hue Nashville, Rhonda Parman of Artists Studio, Gina Whitaker at Private Edition, Fresh Harvest Co-op, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Thank you all for helping me look my best!

Photo by Eric England

They also have a water bar with reverse osmosis water for 50 cents a gallon, so I’ve been filling up my big five gallon jugs there as I really prefer to drink room temperature water.  It’s good stuff and the first fill-up is free.  If you’re lucky, Jay will help you to your car with it and belt it into your passenger seat!  (He did this for me and I was super impressed.)

They also have a lot of other nifty stuff like locally produced Amish fruits, vegetables, nut butters, jams and baked goods, some of which (like the fried pies) are even vegan.  Yay!  Louisa at the counter is very knowledgeable about the ingredients and is sweet and helpful.

So, next time you’re in Green Hills patronizing businesses like Ecology (which is actually moving to Edgehill), Whole Foods, The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills or Trader Joe’s, go across the street to 4010 Hillsboro Pike and check out Green Thumb Nursery.  Don’t forget to bring a non-plastic water receptacle!

Funny story. My checker last night was the same one who is in the background of the picture. I told him we needed to find the magazine since we were both in it. Once I did and showed him the picture, he thanked me for making him famous. Ha! Well, it was funnier if you were there. Really.