Carla Kelly is the author of “Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale”. Carla also has a popular blog, The Year of the Vegan, which spills all her secrets on how to hold a great bake sale—with crowd-pleasing treats that are easy to store, transport, and share. We appreciate having had the opportunity to interview Carla. Be sure and visit Carla’s blog at http://veganyear.blogspot.com/

It is remarkable that you chose giving back as part of your theme for Vegan Bake Sale, Did you keep that in mind as you chose the ingredients to be cost effective?

I didn’t have a conscious plan of cost effectiveness in mind as I chose the ingredients, this was an accidental benefit! I chose the ingredients to fit the vision I had for each recipe, the flavors and textures they would bring to the finished item, and how easy it was for me to find them. In my neighborhood (and surrounds) I have access to regular Supermarkets, an Asian Supermarket, and a Health Food Store, Fruit and Vegetable stores, an Indian Spice Store, and a little further afield a vegan specialty store (Karmavore in New Westminster). I chose the ingredients I did because I could find them all without any trouble and most within walking distance from my house! I thought that if I could find the ingredients with ease, then most people would be able to do the same.

What elements are most important to you creatively when writing? Does it differ from the way you prepare or create food dishes?

I often start the recipe creation with a vision of the end product. I like to be able to communicate that vision, both in the final dish and in the way I write about it. I find I draw on experiences I have had which influenced me in some way, both when writing about food, and when making it. I try to capture a taste or a feeling in the dish I am making, and then try to translate that onto paper when writing about it. Lots of the dishes I make have some personal story or little anecdote attached to them which brings meaning to the dish in my mind. I hope that people can feel that when they read the recipes, and keep that in mind as they make the dish. I’ve had a number of comments from readers about these recipe introductions in the feedback I’ve had to date (how much they like them, and how they make everything more personal) so I think the creativity connection between the food and the writing is working.

What would be your three must haves or go to treats when you travel with your children? And did that carry over into what recipes you chose for the book?

I find treats (or rather snacks) for travelling and treats at home are two different categories, for my children at least. When we’re out and about I pack lots of little bags of lots of different things for them to graze on – pretzels, crisps, Tings, raisins, cheerios, fruit leather bars, cut up fruits and vegetables in little containers, and cookies. Cookies would really be the main cross over from travel treats to the book. My children often request cookie flavor combinations (generally, but not always, something and chocolate chip!) and a number of those requests did make it into the book.

What was the most challenging recipe in Vegan Bake Sale for you? Why?

The Coffee and Caramel Cupcakes, (page 96) was far and away the most challenging recipe. I had a vision for them and I was determined to have the cakes end up looking and tasting like my vision, but they wouldn’t co-operate. I had to remake the cake part, the caramel part, adjust the size, adjust the shape, and change how I presented them, on and on. I think these were remade more than any other recipe in the book before they even got into the testing process. In the end I was happy with how they turned out, even though they are not quite as I had envisioned them to start with. All my tasters in the neighborhood thought they were delicious in all their incarnations and were very happy to eat all the failed attempts!

Did your family help you come up with more entrees or desserts? Are they normally part of your creative team or are they more of a test panel? Do you encourage your editors to test recipes themselves?

My children are best at suggesting desserts! They are not as adventurous with food (especially savory food) as I am – yet. Their feedback is a little simplistic, along the lines of “it’s yummy” without more explanation. My husband has less of a sweet tooth and so preferred when I was creating the savory items, and he especially is always great with feedback and suggesting improvements and other things to try. I was very lucky to have a wonderful group of friends and neighbors who were all very willing to taste everything I made (free cake and cookies everyday – who wouldn’t be) and provide helpful feedback, suggestions, and requests for things to make. I also have a group of committed recipe testers who give great feedback and constructive comments which helps make the recipes better. I’d love it if my editors had tested some of the dishes in the book, but whether they have or not, I do not know!

Your pictures are beautiful did it take a lot of shots to get just the right look for you to feel satisfied with how you envisioned your recipes?

Thanks. It did take a number of shots, as I am not the most experienced photographer! I played around with backgrounds – some photos were taken indoors, others outside, angles, close ups and that sort of thing, and uploaded them all to see which I liked and looked best. I submitted MANY photos to the editorial team and allowed them to choose the ones they liked best and felt best suited to the book. It is a big learning curve for me, something I continue to play around with, and hopefully get better at as I go along.