Just a few months ago, I opened the front door to my house as the sun was beginning to rise, stood in the doorway and gazed out for a moment with my hat, winter coat, gloves, scarf, snow boots on and shovel in hand, ready to tackle the 8 inches of newly fallen snow that covered the walkway, driveway and cars. The tree branches that no longer had leaves on…
I made this ultra-delicious soup recently, when I hardly had anything in the pantry. You probably know that feeling. When you have to go grocery shopping, but don’t feel like it…and you wonder how you can whip together something with what little items you have in your pantry and fridge. This soup is so hearty, it’s really more filling like a stew. Potatoes, lentils, garlic, carrot and onion, cooked together…
To some folks, vegan food is a mystery. But it really isn’t! vegan food is everything that you have always eaten. Vegan food has always been your food, minus the animals. Fruit, vegetables, grains, rice, pasta, potatoes, nuts, beans, a lot of dark chocolate and many breads are all vegan food. Let’s dispel some myths about vegan food: 1. What Is “Vegan Food”? Technically, vegan food is no meat/flesh, no…
“This isn’t the best country to be in if you’re a vegan,” my boss told me. This was my third week working in South Korea. The first couple of days were a bit of a challenge because I wasn’t sure how to get around, so I was living off of carrots and rice from a tiny market that always seemed to be open late and was only down the road…
I walked my way through rows and rows of neatly lined up bushes in the summer heat holding my green cardboard container, intensely looking at each one, pushing branches aside. I stopped and excitedly called over to my kids, “Here is a good one!” They came running over past the other people with their containers and said, “Oh look at them all.” This bush had lots of beautiful, plump, vibrant…
Making chocolate is always a popular topic of conversation amongst my friends, so I’ve decided to make my first recipe video a step by step guide to creating your very own raw vegan chocolate. Most people who haven’t created this delectable treat before assume that it’s complicated. Once you know how you’ll see that it is really easy. Not only that, you’ll find that you can create it consciously, infusing…
Merriam Webster defines a condiment as “Something used to enhance the flavor of food.” That’s why most people have a favorite condiment that they keep on hand, to add some punch to their favorite dishes…whether it’s a sauce, salsa, chutney or seasoning. I happen to have three favorites that I always keep on hand in the refrigerator. All three are delicious and super easy to make. The three condiments that…
On a hot summer night years ago, I was around 9 years old, sitting in the back seat of my parents’ car with my feet up on the seat and my forehead resting on my knees, my eyes shut tight with my long strawberry blond hair draping over my legs, and both hands covering both ears very tightly to block out the noise that sounded like bombs dropping on the…
This Fourth of July, declare your independence from artery-clogging cheeseburgers, inhumane hot dogs, and carcinogenic chicken and have a healthy, humane vegan cookout. Charred meats can form cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, and undercooked meats can cause food poisoning—and both cause animal suffering—so it’s better to cook up something kind and healthy, such as marinated vegetable kabobs, veggie burgers, or vegan barbecued chicken. Vegetables and mock meats, such as Gardein’s The Ultimate Beefless Burger, Beyond…
Suppose that you are vegan and you live in a house with non-vegans. And suppose that these omnivores are your family, your children and/or spouse. Oftentimes families have mixed dietary preferences and approaches. But families still want to eat together—eating together as a family provides communication, an opportunity to listen, eye contact, and of course, time to remember gratitude. It’s good and it feels good to herd everyone together for…
As a chef and cookbook author, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. While perusing the internet not long ago, I was very excited to see that a new vegan food magazine is available online. The magazine is called “Fresh Vegan” and I was lucky enough to read their first two issues. The issues are jam packed with innovative and delicious recipes, beautiful pictures and interesting articles on chefs, restaurants…
Walk, drive, run, or bike past a bakery and the aroma of something sweet and freshly baked is looming in the air that will cause a sudden turn into the parking lot. Once lured in through the door, the smells are intense, with a combination of decadent chocolates, breads, and sweet fruits that enter the nose activating the dopamine in the pleasure center of the brain, down to the tips…
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about one of my best friends who had passed (my vegan dog, Buddy). Now I want to introduce you to my vegan dog (Cassy) and her favorite vegan dog food recipe. We adopted Cassy from a sanctuary in 2004. She was almost three years old. Cassy is a mix of white shepherd and (we think) bull terrier. When we adopted her, one of her…