— Mary Gerstein

So I have to say that, uh, you know, I've been eating this way for, uh, almost 15 years, and after a while, these transitions sort of become a way of life. You know, you're in the standard American diet land and then you're crossing this bridge of transition, and then you get to the plant, strong world, and things just become second nature to you. So our question was about baking. And I always suggest to tune to chef brand Costigans live events because she certainly is, uh, everyone's go-to for, uh, baking without, uh, oil and, uh, vegan baking in general. So in terms of, um, the oil, or not using oil, things like mashed avocado, I like to use sometimes, um, ma mashed, uh, silk and tofu unsweetened applesauce. If you're not allergic to nut butters, nut butters work well. And then I'm going to push the stop button for a second and say, if you are baking with sunflower oil, I'm going to tell you not to, because what will happen is that your beautiful whole food plant-based, no oil, oatmeal cookies are going to turn Hulk green, uh, with thyme. And, uh, young children might like to eat them, but their eye appeal doesn't exactly look like a, um, grain filled, delicious, delicious cookie. But there are many different things that you can use. I think my two favorites would be, uh, a, a banana mashed banana. Then I would use a mashed sweet potato, not a Japanese sweet potato. Regular sweet potatoes have a little bit more moisture to them. And then I also like to use unsweetened applesauce. And I'm going to suggest, I don't know where you are in your journey, but if you return to page one 60 on the engine two diet, the first thing that I ever made that was plant-based in terms of a dessert form, was something called a mighty muffin. You can Google, the recipe is everywhere, all over the internet. It's a very easy recipe to make. And I also have to say that one of the tricks that I use you, there will be some vegan recipes. And again, this is just my own practice. What works for me in my kitchen is that I always add a squirt of either vinegar or a squirt of some fresh lime so that the sodium bicarbonate or baking soda becomes activated and it adds a nice lift to whatever it is that you are making. But definitely tune into Chef Fran's, um, live events. Uh, if you came to my house, anything that I bake, whether it's a chocolate cake or muffins or cookies or anything, never has any oil in it. And, uh, if I use a sweetener, it will be maple syrup. But even now, I'm starting to learn new ways to, uh, steer clear of not using too much maple syrup just because of its, uh, of its calic density.