Dale Ball (co-organizer of the Vegan Dairy Fair) and Donna Marino (organizer of Boulder and Beyond meetup)

Yesterday I had a great time eating and learning at the Vegan Dairy Fair held in Boulder, CO. There weren’t many baked treats, but I wanted to share the event with you because it was an afternoon of vegan fun.

The fair, touted as a totally plant-based celebration, was filled with vegan milk, cheese, yogurt, dips, dressings, ice cream, and confections. It occurs on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, “to honor mothers of all species.”

There were samplings from so many vendors that I was glad I showed up hungry. I tried vegan cheeses from Kite Hill, Follow Your Heart, Peaceful Rebel Cheese, The Honest Stand, and, my personal favorite, Miyoko’s. The food choices also included ice cream, candies, alternative milks of all kinds, dips, yogurt, and cupcakes. A Mac ’n Cheese Taste-off gave me the chance to try out a few prepared macaroni and cheese selections and donate to a good cause.

I was not able to attend all of the cooking demonstrations (I was busy eating!), but I thoroughly enjoyed JL Fields class on Pressure Cooking. She’s a delightful presenter with a ton of energy, information, and humor. JL prepared risotto in about 15 minutes which is amazing, considering my definition of risotto is “the dish that takes four hours to make.”

The event, organized by Bleating Hearts Sanctuary, Dale Ball, and Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary, is an educational project held “to represent those we believe to be the most important reason to choose vegan dairy – the cows, the chickens as well as all animals.” They ask that people keep in mind “that the fair is held on behalf of those whose lives depend on our switch to a vegan lifestyle.” I left with a renewed respect for animals, but also as a desire to make my own vegan butter thanks to inspirations and ideas from JL and Veganize Everything.

JL Fields demo with pressure cooker