My vegan journeys have taken me all over the world. I spent over ten years leading trips in south and central America, Europe and Africa before switching from general adventure travel over to serving vegan travelers in 2012 when I set up my own business. Having worked hard over the past three years to promote the availability of a lifestyle in which people, animals and the environment are not exploited,…
Matthew Kenney has been a pioneer in raw plant-based cuisine for over a decade. Kenney’s newest creation, Plant Food + Wine, takes a leap into that of the cooked variety. The appointed Venice location brings the farm-to-table concept to life with a youthful energy that encapsulates Kenney’s warm, creative spirit. The 70-seat restaurant has a serene outdoor garden with fresh vegetables and herbs grown on site. The upper floor of…
This recipe is a bit of a weird experiment gone good. I wanted to play around with the idea of using both the oven, as well as my dehydrator, to make some half-baked / half-raw bars. I’ve seen some cooks using their ovens on the lowest setting to dehydrate food, while others use professional dehydrators. I have a dehydrator, but unfortunately its a rather basic one, and the motor doesn’t…
A dressing truly makes the salad, and this homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing will do just that. Homemade dressing is so much fresher tasting and delicious than anything you can find in a bottle…even if it is vegan. Not only super on salad, this dressing is a great one to have on hand as a sauce for Easy Vegan Bowls, and to add a special touch to main dishes. I recently drizzled…
Ok so, unfortunately “traditional” pesto is made with Parmesan cheese and Fiore Sardo, also a cheese made from sheep milk, so a lot of the pre-made stuff you find at the supermarket will most likely not be vegan. On the plus side, this just means you’ll have to make your own pesto at home, so more fresh homemade stuff for your body! If you’ve never tried making your own vegan pesto, you’ll…
This gravy comes together in minutes, and is rich, creamy and delicious. It tastes great over mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or grains. This is a great sauce to have on hand for one bowl meals, lettuce wraps, sautéed peppers and seitan, burritos, veggie burgers, no-meat meatloaves, etc. I like to steam some kale, place a homemade kidney bean burger on top, and drench it all in the gravy. When I’m…
Nestled between hip art galleries and coffee shops is a 13,500 square foot vegan paradise in downtown Los Angeles called The Springs. This vegan café and juice bar* meets yoga studio and state-of-the-art spa would make any West-sider brave the 10. The holistically assembled desert oasis theme reminds one a bit of the oh-so-cool Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Every dish is so elegantly prepared and served, boasting the freshest…
Cooking the potatoes is the only part of this healthy homemade pasta recipe that takes time, so I like to use potato flakes (skip the milk and butter when you make them) for a quicker weeknight meal! Try adding finely minced spinach or other veggies for creative colors once you master this basic version. Fold together into a stiff but soft dough (don’t over mix!): 4 cups cooled cooked potatoes…
Lately I can’t seem to shut up about chia seeds. I’m absolutely obsessed with them! They go in pretty much all of my smoothies, even in my water. Andddd (surprise, surprise) chia pudding is one of my favourite desserts! 😀 Even though chia seeds are not as pricey as some of the other superfoods you can find on the market, they are incredibly beneficial to the body. I personally include them in my…
I grew up hating lima beans. My mom used to make them sometimes for dinner, and I would dread the thought of dinner. The smell of the beans cooking was unappealing to me as a kid. Fast forward to now, and I can tell you I’m a lima bean convert. I have a couple of recipes in my cookbook, Peruvegan, which utilize lima beans. Interestingly, the lima beans in Peru are…
The vegan culinary world has certainly improved in the last ten years, especially in terms of easily accessed grocery products without animal ingredients. When Daiya Foods out of Vancouver, B.C. started making their cheese shreds commercially available in 2009, it felt like the earth shifted slightly: vegan and dairy-free consumers, many of whom had long since given up on the idea of a decent plant-based cheese, suddenly had something that…
Get ready to be blown away, because this azuki bean burger with potato wedges is just to die for! It’s a bit more complicated to make because you have to get your multitasking mode on to prepare the patties, the sauce, the wedges and the caramelized onion, but its incredibly worth it! To mix things up a bit, I used large tomatoes instead of burger buns. I also served the…
In the urban US, I enjoy easy access to a vast vegan pantry—Earth Balance sticks, coconut milk and oil, affordable raw nuts, and magical powders like agar and xantham gum await me at the market down the street. For cheeses, I can get all the ingredients and make my own nut cheeses; grab Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Chao; or purchase a variety of gourmet cheeses: Kite Hill, Punk Rawk Labs, Heidi-Ho,…