VegFoodFest 2013: Part 1 - Friday

First, a tidbit about me:
2013 is my first year being vegan... Weird, I know. I almost feel like I've been vegan forever because I've been researching and dipping my toes into it for years. I grew up in a smaller northern Ontario town that had little (read: nothing) to offer the veg community, so it was difficult for me to make the jump from vegetarian to vegan. Immersing yourself into this culture and connecting with people in it is so amazing. I did this mainly online and with social media, since I felt I was so far from it physically. Toronto, by far, is the closest veg-destination and will probably always be my favourite (to be determined...) Their annual vegfest was the next step in strengthening my vegan lifestyle and of course, to be shared with you lovely readers.

My wrist tattoo - April 2013

Childhood favourite, Nutella!

Nutella. Yummy! What else is there to say, who doesn't love Nutella??? Here's the catch: I love Nutella, but not what it's made of. I figured there has to be a way to quench my craving without actually buying some. I found an old (expired) jar in my pantry and looked at the ingredients:

• Sugar (replace with agave nectar)
• Modified palm oil (destroying rainforest! Skipping the oil to reduce fat content, but feel free to try it because it gives it a smoother texture)
• Hazelnuts (yep)
• Cocoa (yep)
• Skim milk powder (I used almond milk, but I also could have tried soy milk powder)
• Whey powder (dairy by-product)
• Lecithin (What?? After doing a bit of research, I found out that lecithin is a fat that can be derived from many sources to improve texture. Most lecithin is derived from soybeans, but other sources include egg yolks, so no guarantee.)
• Vanillin (Vanilla, for those of us who speak english)

Totally easy to re-create a fixed up version. Here's what I did: