This week's Superstar VegWebber is Saskia! Saskia is awesome! She's smart, thoughtful, interesting and an excellent contributor to the site. Plus, her answers rock. She is one of the first people who made me feel at home on the site (and in real life during Sconefest!) and not only that, she organized one of the Worldwide Vegan Bakesale in Los Angeles and made TONS of money! She is an excellent voice for the animals on and off of VegWeb and a prime example of a Superstar VegWebber!

Check out her profile here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=profile;u=68814 and her answers to the questionnaires below. Then, tell her how fabulous she is. Because she is soooooo fabulous and awesome and wonderful! As you can tell, I'm a fan. Yay Saskia!

VegWebber since?
January 2007

Vegetarian, Vegan or ??
Vegan

Where do you call home?
Pasadena, California

What do you do when you're not on VegWeb?
I work as Press/Legislative Deputy for L.A. Councilmember Ed P. Reyes. I love my job using communication and public policy to better people and the environment through exciting projects like the Los Angeles River revitalization, the City's Bicycle Plan and L.A.'s first Vegan Bake Sale(!). In my free time I enjoy books, bugs and the ballet.

Do you have blog or website?
No.

Do you tweet?
No. I'm not that tech savvy. I still haven't figured out how to upload a profile photo to VegWeb.

One unique thing should know about you?
I have a beauty mark on my chin. When I was little, my Uncle Leo told me it was a chocolate chip I got from eating too many chocolate chip cookies. Since then, I've been obsessed with chocolate chip cookie recipes.

What’s the best thing about being vegan?
My physical and emotional improved significantly after I became vegan. Fantastic Thai, Indian and Mediterranean dishes I discovered while being vegan are added bonuses.

Favorite romantic recipe on VegWeb?
Sangria

Favorite recipe on VegWeb to make for non-vegans to show them how amazing vegan food can be?
Very Simple Blueberry Muffin. I sprinkle them with lemon sugar(lemon zest and sugar) so they come out of the oven with puffy, lemony-sweet, crunchy domes.

Favorite Holiday VegWeb recipe?
Thanks to the VegWeb thread on making your own vanilla, I now have a big bottle of Madagascar vanilla extract to bake holiday cookies throughout the year. Additional praise to AC for the organized and updated threads for The Joy of Vegan Baking, Veganomicon and other cookbooks. These have really helped me through the holidays and other special occasions.

Best/Funniest/Most delicious/Most disastrous experience you've had making a recipe on VegWeb?
Baking and receiving VegWeb recipe cookies through the VegWeb Cookie Exchange was one of my best experiences with VegWeb recipes. Especially the Lemon Tea Cookies, made by lotus42, which were wonderful, soft little lemon clouds. The idea of fostering friendships though compassionate, cruelty-free baking is very rewarding.

One thing you wish you could make vegan but haven’t succeeded at yet?
Macaroni and cheese. There are some delicious versions out there using cashews, nutritional yeast and other ingredients. But I have yet to find one with the sharp cheddar cheese taste and melt I remember from my childhood.

#1 Cooking secret/tip?
Bake at night. The warmth and aroma wafts through your home, so you wake up the next morning to the scent of fresh baked banana bread, pumpkin muffins or chocolate chip cookies.

Best music to cook by?
Cocteau Twins

Three people you'd most like to have dinner with?
Albert Einstein, Diana Vishneva and Federico Garcia Lorca

All time favorite restaurant?
I don't have just one, but I really enjoy The Shojin in Little Tokyo in downtown L.A. The Shojin chef and staff put their hearts into their food and customer service. Great sushi, curry dishes and my favorite little crunchy rosemary cookies.

French fries or ice cream?
French fries with lots of ketchup.

Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk?
Soy milk

Tempeh, tofu or seitan?
Tofu because it's so versatile. I've made smoothies, brownies, Bundt cakes, quiches, stir-fry, "beef" jerky and other delicious dishes with it.