Fridays with Friends: Terry Hope Romero
I’ve been a fan of Terry Hope Romero’s cookbooks and recipes for years. I finally had the pleasure of meeting her in person last summer at the Vida Vegan Conference in Portland, OR. She’s a busy woman these days getting ready to publish yet another amazing-sounding cookbook, but she still found time to chat with me about her take on veganism, ethnic food and computer gaming.
Allison Rivers Samson: You’ve co-created some of the most beloved vegan cookbooks available. Have cooking and baking always been a part of your life or did you discover your love of food when you went vegan? 
How did that part of your life come about?
Terry Hope Romero: I’ve been cooking and baking since I was old enough to turn on the oven. My parents like to cook and my dad is super into experimenting with recipes; he was always trying to figure out how to make Latin American favorites from his childhood here in the United States with American ingredients, so you could say cooking with him helped lay the groundwork for a lifetime of reworking recipes with creative substitutions.
When I went vegetarian at 16 and vegan years later, I never stopped cooking or baking. I didn’t see it as a deterrent, but instead the beginning of an exciting challenge, a new way to reinvent things I liked to make or try my hand at new and exotic foods. There was no Internet back then to draw ideas or information from, so there was a lot more trial and error and traveling to various ethnic markets for ingredients and inspiration.
ARS: When I first saw Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I thought, “damn, those women are geniuses!” I had a feeling you and Isa were about to create a cupcake craze. 
(Wish I were as good at choosing lottery numbers!) How did you two come up with the idea to write themed cookbooks?
THR: It’s hard to pin down a defining moment… it’s about just really loving food and being excited to go beyond the old 80’s health food war horses of carob and maple syrup to flavor and sweeten everything. I have nothing against carob, maple syrup or spelt flour, and I did work as a pastry chef in a vegan restaurant where I had to make everything out of those ingredients (and brown rice syrup and barley malt, just to name a few more of those old fashioned vegan standards) and no matter what you did with that stuff, everything started to taste the same.
Isa and I wanted to make fun foods that could prove to the world that vegan food is normal food and that anyone can make delicious, familiar vegan baked goods with ingredients found at the grocery store. 
When that book came out, it was shocking to hear from so many people who had been vegan for a while that it had been years… years… since they ate a cupcake! Telling prospective vegans that they can never eat a cupcake again isn’t going to change the world much, so I hope we’ve helped make a little difference there. Plus it’s nice to hear from folks who can’t eat dairy or eggs how much those books have helped bring a little extra joy to their lives.
ARS: Pies have been the one baked goods I’ve most avoided making, except during the holidays, which has made perfecting them take forever. Did you already know a lot about pies before writing your newest book or was it a new venture? 
Was there a recipe that needed more attention or trials than another?
THR: It was a little of both. The idea of a pie book had been kicking around for a few years after the success of the vegan cupcake and cookie books and seemed like a natural progression in the vegan great desserts trilogy. I already enjoyed making pies and made plenty of crusts before the book, but working on a whole cookbook on any topic is an educational experience on it’s own. It’s often said the best way to learn something is to teach it, and writing a book about making pies did that ten times over for me. I know pie by a whole new slice, I guess you could say.
ARS: Your website, Vegan Latina!, features Latin-inspired vegan dishes. Do you find there’s a growing interest in vegan meals among the Latin American community?
THR: Certainly. Slowly but surely, there’s an increasing interest in the Latin American community to take charge of their health and lifestyle in general, and food is the most direct way. Hopefully an increased awareness of vegan issues like animal suffering and the environment will follow suit, but meatless meals are slowly becoming a comfortable sight in some restaurants and in Latin American media outlets. I mention in Viva Vegan! (my big fat Latin American vegan cookbook), that the first vegetarian and vegan restaurants I ever ate at as a teenager were not in America but in Venezuela in the 80’s, of all places. So the awareness is there outside of the U.S., sometimes in the most surprising places.
ARS: Latin food is full of many of my favorite vegan ingredients like beans, avocados, rice, sauces…is there a particular dish that is your favorite?
THR: It’s impossible to pick just one. 
I can pretty much always go for an empanada or a tamale anytime, but when I need comfort I always reach for a simple plate of black beans and yellow rice, with a side of avocado and a tangy cabbage salad…these foods are super healthy and can be made cheaply and are loaded with fiber, protein and the good stuff with little active time over the stove. I regularly make smoothies with frozen tropical fruit pulp, my favorites being guanábana and passion fruit.
ARS: When we met at Vida Vegan Con last year, I learned that you are a total gaming geek. What’s the most bizarre experience you’ve ever had at a gaming conference? Do any of those folks know you for the punk rock star you are?
Dynise Balcavage, Terry Hope Romero, Julie Hasson, and Allison Rivers Samson
THR: I haven’t had a big convergence of all of those things yet, but you can’t say I don’t try and find it. I meet a lot of vegans who are closet nerds, and I know a healthy amount of gamer geeks that are vegan or vegetarian. On a creative note, I have a ton of friends that are game designers and it’s funny how similar writing games and cookbooks can feel. My game designer pals and I are both basically always reading writing instruction manuals; sometimes we’re even working on similar schedules and deadlines. Roleplaying game designers have play-testers for their games, very similarly to how I have recipe testers for my cookbooks, so we sometimes get together and bond over the tears and joys of our respective crafts.
ARS: You are gracious enough to be granting me this interview while you’re finishing up a book. 
Can you whisper in my ear anything about it or any new recipes you’re working on?
THR: Oh sure…I’m working on my own spin on the famous jackfruit carnitas meme of 2009, a lot of Sri Lankan curries, a bit of Filipino and Middle Eastern and African treats, so many dumplings including momos and bao buns, and I just made a killer, slacker-friendly mamoul (Middle Eastern “buttery” date cookies). This book has fewer desserts… well after three dessert books everything seems like fewer desserts, but the selection I do have I’m very fond of right now, including a classic baklava and a new cheesecake.
ARS: Mmmm… sounds yummy. What’s the best part about writing a cookbook? The most challenging?
THR: Writing cookbooks forces you to learn more and revise previous notions about cooking and food (with each book, I keep learning and re-learning stuff), and it’s been a blast expanding my knowledge-base of Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s a great excuse to buy fun ingredients like pandan leaves and giant bags of whole spices from Indian grocers. 
I have a small urban kitchen, so generally I don’t like to overwhelm it with ingredients, so I actually do need the excuse to stuff even more into the already bursting kitchen cabinets. The challenging part is that it is still a lot of work! Cooking is like breathing to me at this point, but I still have days when I just want to microwave a burrito or make a green smoothie instead of pumping out 5 new curries. And I do have a lot of leftovers, often too much…that’s where having a legion of hungry gamer friends comes in handy; they bring their games and appetites, I provide dinner or dessert, and everybody’s happy.
ARS: If you and I were playing together in the kitchen, what would you want to collaborate on?
THR: I think we both know we would have to make dessert… perhaps chocolate croissants? Or how about a vegan version of honeycomb candy? And I confess I haven’t used my ice cream maker in over a year, hint hint.
ARS: Homemade vegan ice cream is a staple in our house in the summer. We often have at least two flavors. 
Ooohh… maybe we could make Coffee Ice Cream stuffed Chocolate Croissants! Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet sweet?
THR: I am defenseless when it comes to your Chocolate Almond Toffee. It’s too gorgeous to eat… well, its good looks can only keep it safe from me for so long!
Thanks for chatting, Terry. I can’t wait to try some new recipes from your upcoming book!
Fridays with Friends: Millennium’s Eric Tucker
Ann Wheat, Eric Tucker, and Larry Wheat - photo credit: VegNews
When I started my business (then “Allison’s Cookies”) near Seattle in 1997, I exhibited at EarthSave Seattle’s Taste of Health event. A delightful and friendly woman came up, introduced herself and told me all about an upscale, elegant, all-vegan restaurant that I just had to visit in San Francisco. This woman was none other than Ann Wheat, co-owner and marketer extraordinaire of Millennium Restaurant. Funds were tight for me at the time, but I began planning my first excursion right then and there. When I finally made my way to the restaurant, Ann, her husband Larry, and Executive Chef Eric Tucker gave me a warm welcome and took great care of me. I was hooked!
Now, every chance I get, I make the journey to Millennium and a visit to San Francisco is incomplete without a luscious meal from Eric and his team. I love Millenium so much that we take our daughter, Olivia, who is now 5. She calls it “our favorite restaurant” and makes sure we’re going if I mention San Francisco. When she was 2, Olivia called it “Milleni-yum.” I couldn’t agree more!
Allison’s Gourmet: You are the rock star behind one of the most well-loved, upscale vegetarian restaurants in the world. Now that veganism has become more popular, has that changed the restaurant’s mission or vision since you helped create Millennium in 1994? How so?
Eric Tucker: Our mission has been to provide exquisite vegetable-based cuisine since day one and that hasn’t changed. Being that vegetable-based cuisine is limitless, we are always adding something new to our mix!
AG: That is so true; vegetables offer myriad options. Do many non-vegan guests dine at the restaurant? What’s that like… is it more or less pressure than cooking for your core veg audience?
ET: Well, our core audience isn’t necessarily hard core veg, at least from those I talk to and a demographics survey we did a decade ago. We generally find that our main clientele are intelligent, educated, and adventurish in their dining choices.
AG: If they’re eating at Millennium, of course they’re intelligent! 
One of my favorite dishes is your cornmeal-crusted fried oyster mushrooms. What’s your favorite menu item at Millennium?
ET: Our menu changes seasonally, so right now it might be a tagine of artichokes, winter squash, ayoc morado beans and kale swimming in a well-seasoned saffron broth with a barley cake, preserved lemon aioli, a little aleppo chile and deep fried crusted olives!
AG: Sounds like it’s time for us to come visit again! Do you ever tire of cooking? Like at home, are you a microwave and PB & J kind of guy or are you always working on something new?
ET: Whole wheat sprouted bagels and good bread — a conduit to all kinds of bad fatty things you can smear on ‘em at midnight when you realize you are hungry after tasting the entire line up at 5:30 pm. Also, steamed Korean veg dumplings with a 2-second peanut chile dipping sauce, also good at midnight! Sometimes I’ll work out a simplified version of an idea or use a new product I’m not familiar with, but that is rare.
AG: The question on all vegan women’s minds… are you single? Have women expected extravagant meals from you or have they cooked good meals for you?
ET: Well a few days ago, my girlfriend and I went up north harvesting wild mushrooms – hedgehogs and black trumpets. We came home, made pasta from scratch, cleaned the dirt out of the mushrooms and by 10:30, we had dinner, a collaborative effort.
AG: That answers that! Since you are quite the mushroom buff, that sounds like the recipe for a perfect day in your world. One Valentine’s Day, David and I made one of your dishes at home and spread out the prep over a couple of days. It was fun and yet we’ve decided that we prefer going to Millennium to be taken care of by you and your talented and attentive team. For the newbie or the person who doesn’t have a lot of time to cook complex dinners and doesn’t live close enough for regular visits, do you have any recommendations for meals that are easy, delicious and healthy?
ET: Learn key ingredients and ways to season and spice food from different cultures, keep some of those ingredients as part of your larder, extrapolate and simplify. For example, instead of pounding out a complex curry paste on a Wednesday night, maybe a simpler version with slices of lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves from the stash in your freezer (or tree on your patio) and some garlic – chile paste sautéed into some coconut milk, add veg and protein du jour, squeeze of lime. Done.
AG: You make it sound so simple, Eric! What are your favorite vegan kitchen staples? Any exotic ingredients you’d rather not live without?
ET: Miso, Shoyu, good olive oil, toasted sesame oil, at least a half dozen chile pastes and sauces, frozen curry leaf, chutney and indian pickles. Basically, condiments and spices, dried mushrooms of a couple different varieties, and dried sea veg. Ingredients like these give me a lot of room for a last minute improvisation with whatever starch and veg I have on hand.
AG: If you and I were playing in the kitchen together, what would be your dream creation?
ET: It would involve smoked salt, espresso, chocolate, chile, and olive oil. All prepared while listening to 80′s hair metal.
AG: You know my favorite ingredients so well! That combination sounds amazing. But wait, have we talked about my former life as a big-haired metal chick or are you that intuitive? Craziness! Do you have a favorite AG product?
ET: Brownies of all stripes.
Thanks for chatting, Eric. It’s been equally pleasurable and mouth-watering, as always.
Fridays with Friends: Real Food Daily’s Ann Gentry
Ann Gentry is a vegan restaurateur pioneer. She opened her first Real Food Daily, an LA institution, in 1993, long before the masses were catching on that a vegan lifestyle is healthy, compassionate, sustainable and delicious. Ann’s work directly contributed to the exposure vegan food has received in recent years. Serving Hollywood’s celebrities scrumptiously wholesome meals got the word spreading like wildfire. I had the honor and pleasure of sitting down with Ann to learn more about her journey and what she’s up to these days…
Allison’s Gourmet: When I first considered going to cooking school in 1996, I heard about a woman who had a daily home-delivery food service, catering to folks (especially stars) who followed a hardcore macrobiotic diet. I even had one of your flyers from before you started the restaurant! A few years later, I enjoyed my first meal at Real Food Daily. Will you correct any erroneous memories I may have and tell us how Real Food Daily came about?
Ann Gentry: That’s about right. In the late 1980’s, I started a home delivery cooking business serving organic vegan meals because at that time there were not many, if any, gourmet whole/real food restaurants in LA. I know, hard to believe, right? This was pre-Whole Foods Market and there were a few places to eat plant-based cuisine but they were kind of hippie-ish and the food may have been healthy for you but didn’t always taste or look satisfying.I opened the first Real Food Daily in 1993 as a direct result of having no place to go out to eat the kind of food I was cooking at home.
Allison’s Gourmet: Wow, you are a true pioneer in the realm of delicious vegan restaurants! Were you always a fan of cooking or did that come when you turned to a macrobiotic/vegan diet?
Ann Gentry: I grew up in a household of some mighty fine Southern cooks. Good thing I didn’t keep eating that way, as I’d be as big as a house by now and probably facing some serious health problems, too. Once I was introduced to vegetarian cuisine, then macrobiotic cooking, I put down my Dr. Pepper and took a real interest in learning how to cook for myself.
Allison’s Gourmet: Amazing how those lights just turn on, huh? When I finally had the honor of meeting you when Anna and Frances Moore-Lappé did a book signing at your fun and funky West Hollywood location, I was struck by your unexpected and charming Southern accent. How do you weave your Southern roots into your macrobiotic/vegan menu?
Ann Gentry: It is just a natural connection to use my Southern heritage in both cooking and hospitality when it comes to my restaurants. I never try to mimic the exact creation of a certain dish, I just let the essence of the recipe guide me. For example, creating the Salisbury Seitan came out of my love for eating Salisbury steak at independent Southern diners and cafeterias.
Allison’s Gourmet: Lucky you. I only had them in TV dinners. No wonder yours are so much better. Did you set out to create a gustatory haven for stars or did that just happen?
Ann Gentry: When you have a great business in Los Angeles, everyone flocks to it. Hollywood keeps coming because these folks, just like everyone else who is a beloved RFD guest, wants to eat food which is deliciously clean and pure. All kinds of people following a variety of strict dietary guidelines—whether for ethical, health, or religious reasons—find themselves with a lot to choose at RFD. We have earned the trust of people who are seeking out a plant-based diet whether full or part time. When folks leave RFD, they feel a satisfaction from eating fresh organically grown plant based foods. People respond well to this, sometimes without even knowing why. I know why – because RFD is committed to serving balanced, nutritional whole foods cuisine using high quality produce and ingredients most of which are grown organically and this affects people on many levels.
Allison’s Gourmet: Your latest book, Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone is geared towards cooking vegan at home; what’s your favorite piece of advice for healthy home cooking for people on the go? And do you have any advice for people making the transition into veganism?
Ann Gentry: A plant-based diet with a seasonally rotating palette of fresh, colorful produce ripe for use encourages creativity in the kitchen. If you prepare the best local and seasonal ingredients with a variety of cooking methods, you’ll have more interesting and diverse tastes, textures, and colors on your plate. Any quality home cooking takes a little time. As a busy working mother, I too am juggling the day-to-day challenges. In Vegan Family Meals I talk about how it’s nice to have the American-style four or five dishes at every meal, but it’s not necessary. Balance your nutrition intake across the week, and don’t get hung up on making every meal a feast. Instead, focus on preparing a few recipes that will keep your cooking simple and your time in the kitchen enjoyable. If you are making the transition to a plant-based cuisine, know it takes time to change and embrace a new way of eating. Take it easy and be kind to yourself.
Allison’s Gourmet: Those are great suggestions, Ann. What’s your favorite vegetable and how do you like to prepare it? How about your favorite super simple vegan meal/recipe that keep you supercharged through your day?
Ann Gentry: I’m blessed; I love all vegetables. Right now, I love to roast cauliflower as it has such a simple satisfying texture and mild flavor. I start my day making the first recipe from Vegan Family Meals, Acai Berry Granola Bowl. I even have my 8 1/2 old son loving this breakfast. It is filled with super foods, nuts and seeds and is filling and satisfying.
Allison’s Gourmet: And that’s no minor feat! Congratulations. Finally, what’s your favorite Allison’s Gourmet product?
Ann Gentry: Someone sent me your gourmet brownies that are laced with a hint of orange. I loved that they were not overly sweet, as I didn’t taste the hit of sugary sweetness most brownies have. Yours were just the right amount of chocolate and sweet and they were divine.
Thank you, Ann, that’s high praise indeed coming from you!
Vegan Book Giveaway from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
I promised a Cookbook Giveaway from my friend, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, and here it is! Colleen is kindly offering two of her books: Vegan’s Daily Companion and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, going to one winner. 
Two inspiring vegan books at once is a generous prize and, in the spirit of sharing the vegan wealth, we’re hoping that whomever wins these two fantastic books will keep one for him/herself and give the other to a loved one in a “pay it forward” gesture of delicious compassion.
So, we want to know, if you won these two books, which one would you keep for yourself, which would you give away, to whom and why? Tell us on our blog and for bonus points we’d love to know what you might say when gifting the book and what sweet treat you might pair with it. Post your answer on our blog and we’ll announce our favorite answer one week from today, on Wednesday, February 1st. We can’t wait to read all your interesting answers!
This contest is now closed, and we have a winner!
Fridays with Friends: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, the Compassionate Cook
While I have known Colleen Patrick-Goudreau for several years, I had never had the pleasure of hearing her speak until this summer when I was lucky enough see her in action both at Vida Vegan Con in Portland and at an Animal Place event here in Grass Valley, CA. I was electrified by her grace, presence and message of joyful veganism.
Allison’s Gourmet: Tell me about your journey to becoming a “Joyful Vegan.”
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: I grew up eating every kind of animal – anything that walked, swam, or flew. My father owned ice cream stores and would bring home tubs of ice cream to fill our separate ice cream freezer. At the same time, I – like most children – had a deep sense of compassion for animals, suffered when they suffered, and intervened when I was able. My parents and other adults supported this compassion, but they also taught me to compartmentalize. I was taught that some animals were worthy of my compassion (the stray dogs and cats or wildlife I helped) and some animals were “here for us” and thus deserving of our compassion only to a point. And these were the same animals all over my wallpaper, my pajamas, my childhood books and games, and my favorite TV shows and movies: lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, turkeys, and chickens.
I could have gone about my whole life staying desensitized, but luckily I read John Robbins’ Diet for a New America when I was 19, which started me on a path to learn everything I could about the exploitation of animals for human consumption. I stopped eating land animals immediately, and several years and several books later, I stopped eating (or wearing) anything that came from an animal. I just did not want to contribute to violence towards animals – violence I would never participate in directly.
So, when I became vegan (12 years ago now), it was a very natural and joyful decision that has had many unexpected gifts.
Even though there is great pain in being aware of the suffering of non-human animals, there is also great joy at being fully awake and not being part of that violence.
AG: You are an impassioned voice calling us to awaken for the animals and our human souls. Would you share with us your evolution from a background in English to teaching vegan cooking classes to publishing your touching “Food for Thought” podcast and now arriving as a prolific author and inspiring speaker?
CP-G: You’re sweet. Thank you for saying that. When I left graduate school back in New Jersey I was not vegan, but I had already read Diet for a New America, and seeds had been planted. So, even though I didn’t know what it was going to look like, I knew I was going to follow a path working to help animals and empower people to not eat animals. I knew that my contribution would be through what my skills and interests were – namely writing and speaking (I taught Freshman English when I was a graduate student and was finding my voice as a lecturer). So, I just started by doing and by trying to find my voice. I began educating people by tabling, by doing Street TV (showing slaughter videos and handing out Why Vegan brochures), and then by teaching cooking classes (because everyone said “what do I eat?”). When I realized I was on to something with the classes, I wanted them to reach more people, so I produced a cooking DVD. Tapping into the power of media, I started producing my podcast, Vegetarian Food for Thought (it’s all vegan!). 
From there, my first publisher found me and offered me a contract to write The Joy of Vegan Baking, and it’s all gone on from there with The Vegan Table, Color Me Vegan, Vegan’s Daily Companion, and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. The journey has been exhilarating and incredibly gratifying, and I’m so grateful to wake up each morning dedicating my life to exactly what I feel is the most important work in the world: teaching people how to manifest their compassion in their every day lives. It’s pretty amazing.
Come back next week for a Giveaway of two of Colleen’s books!
AG: What is your greatest reward in teaching people about compassionate living?
CP-G: I believe we’re all here to be teachers to one another; we’re all here to lift each other up to become the fully evolved people we can be. I believe that people want to be the most compassionate they can be, and I believe it’s already inside of them. I’m not teaching/telling them anything they don’t know; I’m just pointing them to what’s already in their hearts. I help them recognize it, and when they do, they wake up, and I get to see that moment. It’s heart-warming, gratifying, and powerful for me with each person I see experience this. The details may be different, but their stories are pretty much all the same: “I cared about animals when I was a child; I was taught to squelch that compassion in order to eat the animals my parents fed me; then X happened, and I’ve become re-awakened to my compassion.”Each story of awakening I hear just gives me strength and resolve to continue doing this work, because it’s not just a matter of teaching someone how to sauté onions or bake vegan brownies;
it’s a matter of shifting the paradigms to become the compassionate people we really are. (I’m adding new “love letters” to the website all the time, if you want to read some).
AG: Congratulations on your recently launched gorgeous new website! Can you tell us about your Compassionate Cooks Club, Daily Dose of Compassion and/or anything else you’d like to share about your new site?
CP-G: Thank you! The website redesign for The Compassionate Cook has been a LONG time coming! Now that it’s updated, it enables me to more easily change and add more content, blog more (even though I don’t consider myself a blogger), and enable people to comment and participate directly on the website. The Compassionate Cooks Club is not new, but the new account-based membership is. I’m so blessed that people value the work I do and want to support it, but I want to be able to give them something back while creating a community. Club members get to see videos, recipes, and content created just for them; depending on the level, they also get signed books, and some can contact me directly in a consulting kind of relationship to get personal advice and guidance. Of course there is and always will be a ton of free resources on my website, but members just get a little more. I’m really excited about the Daily Dose of Compassion. It’s my new (free) email service whereby subscribers receive an inspiring quote from me everyday in their inbox. I’d been wanting to do this for awhile, especially when I heard from so many people who disciplined themselves to read only 1 page a day out of my book, Vegan’s Daily Companion, so it’s just another way to empower people to live compassionately without apology.
AG: What are some of the whole-food staple ingredients you keep on hand in your kitchen? Do you have a favorite recipe you make often?
CP-G: Favorite recipe – definitely my kale salad. A staple in my home, particularly because of my kale gardens! Rub olive oil on leaves to coat them, sprinkle on some salt and nutritional yeast, and toss with anything and everything, depending on the season. Sometimes it’s toasted pecans and diced apple. Sometimes it’s pumpkin seeds, red onion slices, and avocado. It just depends. I’m a very simple eater and keep a lot of veggies in my fridge and grains/beans in my pantry as staples. I love whipping up new recipes just based on whatever I have in my kitchen. Some recipes are available for free on my website.
AG: If you and I were collaborating in the kitchen, what would be your fantasy creation?
CP-G: Anything with coconut oil, chocolate, and bread. Does that inspire anything in your incredibly creative mind?? 
AG: Hmmm… how about soft, doughy bread made with coconut oil and a dash of cinnamon, dipped in chocolate, fondue-style?
You have accomplished so much already. Knowing you as I do, I imagine there’s more to come. What’s the next frontier for Colleen Patrick-Goudreau?
CP-G: Right now, I’m caught between Scylla and Charybdis because I have so much I want to do, but I also have a burning desire to find some balance in my life. So, aside from trying to slow down a little, the most immediate next project to come to fruition will be the interactive 30-Day Vegan Challenge online program. I’m focusing on letting my books breathe a bit (no books for awhile), returning again to a regular podcast schedule (it slowed down a bit in 2011 because I had three books come out one after the other), and on launching the 30-Day online program. So much to do, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do it.
Thanks Colleen, it’s always a pleasure to catch up with you. Now I need to go get my chocolate melting for that fantasy creation! For more about Colleen, her books, speaking engagements and podcasts, find her on Facebook and Twitter.
P.S. Remember to come back next week for a Giveaway of two of Colleen’s books!
Fridays with Friends: Dynise Balcavage, the Urban Vegan
Dynise Balcavage, aka the Urban Vegan, believes that vegan cooking should be held to the highest standards and should always be superbly decadent and healthy. I couldn’t agree more!
Allison’s Gourmet: When/how did you become vegan?
Dynise Balcavage: I went vegan “cold tofurkey” in 2006.
AG: Nice. Did you enjoy cooking before you transitioned into a more compassionate lifestyle?
DB: I’ve been cooking since age 7 and have always loved puttering around the kitchen; I associate cooking with fond memories of the women in my family. I actually grew up in a house with an old-fashioned coal stove, so there was always a pot of soup simmering or a plate of something yummy warming on its shelf. We used to stand around the stove to keep warm. My older sister, Debbie, taught me to bake– and to lick the beaters and spatula (which is safer now that I’m vegan).
I’ve always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, as a result of my innate curiosity, travels and restlessness. Although I now own close to 200 cookbooks, most of which are omni books, I read them more for inspiration and ideas. I rarely follow recipes. Even with my own cookbooks, I think recipes should be a conduit to creativity, and not a set of rules to be followed blindly. I like recipes that have flexibility, so I try to structure my recipes so they are improv-friendly.
AG: “Improv-friendly.” I like that. You are known as The Urban Vegan, which is also the title of your first cookbook. Is there a difference between an Urban Vegan and one who is suburban or rural?
DB: I’m sure there is, but being an urban vegan, I’m spoiled. I live in Philadelphia, a large herbivore-friendly city, and am just a short ride from NYC, perhaps the world’s most vegan-friendly city, so it’s easy to find vegan-friendly restaurants, plant-based foods and like-minded people in my own backyard. I’m sure being a suburban or rural vegan is more challenging.
AG: Ah, I see what you mean. Being a rural vegan, I can attest that herbivore-friendly restaurants are too few and their ability to impress is even less frequent. Luckily our home kitchen is a good stand-in. I do admit there are times I’d love to get good take-out though! What’s the biggest challenge in creating exciting vegan meals for urbanites?
DB: Now, it’s continually upping the “wow” factor. Vegan used to be a fringe term; now it’s a bona-fide cuisine. I try to continually keep my recipes fresh and exciting, a little healthy and a little hedonistic.
AG: People may be surprised to know that there are indeed opportunities for edible hedonistic pleasures within a vegan menu. Your second cookbook, Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes for Occasions Big and Small is out now, can you expand more on how you create celebrations to remember?
DB: Every day should be a celebration of some sort. And of course, every celebration begins with memorable foods. Dining can become so dull if you’re eating the same thing day after day, though–and so can noshing on the same old holiday foods year after year. My book is a bit unlike other holiday cookbooks in that I include recipes for some quirky holidays, like Festivus, Guy Fawkes Day and “Girls’ Night In,” instead of just the traditional biggies.
But at the same time, it’s fun to mix, match and cross-polinate your holiday menus. Old traditions are important, but it’s also essential to keep on creating new traditions. Why not make Tsimmes, a traditional Jewish side, for Christmas, for example? Or a King Cake for a child’s birthday party instead of just waiting for Mardi Gras? It’s certainly got the wow factor. Don’t be afraid to venture beyond, whatever “beyond” represents to you.
AG: You have a theme of encouraging people to reach beyond, both in your approach to food and in your literary escapades. Do you have any advice for people making the transition into veganism?
DB: Go at your own pace and be easy on yourself. Just like every recipe is customizable, so is every transition to veganism. What’s right for someone else might not work for you–so do it unapologetically your way.
AG: Well-said. What are some of your favorite simple vegan meals/recipes that keep you supercharged through your day?
DB: I’m a smoothie nut, even in the winter, and I’ve just gotten into the habit of tossing baby spinach into my shakes. 
I am also an unabashed pasta freak. I coat my pasta with sauce made with seasonal veggies, olive oil and an obscene amount of garlic–it always works and it’s always easy. When I am too tired or busy to cook, I have been known to order vegan take-out or pick up a slice of vegan pizza.
AG: Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet product?
DB: I adore the caramels, especially the salted chocolate ones, and also I’m a huge fan of the peppermint creme patties. But I would eat anything from Allison’s Gourmet.
Thanks Dynise, this rural vegan loves keeping up on your urban vegan adventures. For more of the Urban Vegan, follow Dynise on Twitter.
Fridays with Friends: Nathan Runkle of Mercy for Animals
Nathan Runkle, the founder and Executive Director of Mercy for Animals, is not only the driving force behind one of my favorite Animal Rights organizations, he’s also one of my favorite people on the planet. If you’ve never met him or heard about his work, here’s some insight into his advocacy.
Allison’s Gourmet: What inspired you to go vegan? How old were you?
Nathan Runkle: I went vegan when I was 15 years old. I grew up on a small crop farm in rural Ohio and always had a natural affinity and connection with animals. Even at a young age, I felt that cruelty towards animals was unethical and unnecessary. When I was 11, I came across literature about factory farming at a local Earth Day event. I remember reading with horror about the way pigs are locked in tiny gestation stalls barely larger than their own bodies, how hens are crammed into tiny wire cages where they can’t spread their wings, and how baby calves are torn from their mother’s side and chained in tiny crates for veal production. 
I immediately went vegetarian and became active in animal rights advocacy – circulating petitions, giving presentations, and learning more about the issues. At the age of 13, I convinced my parents to drive me to Washington, DC, for the National Animal Rights Conference. That event had a profound impact on me – inspiring me to become even more dedicated and committed to speaking up on behalf of farmed animals. The more I learned about the dairy and egg industries, the more disturbed I became. I knew, in good conscience, I couldn’t support these cruel industries – which often subject animals to abuses worse and more prolonged than the meat industry. It was then, at the age of 15, that I went vegan. It’s the best choice I’ve ever made.
Going vegan was the best choice I’ve ever made too! I am grateful to have the privilege of living this lifestyle.
AG: You run Mercy For Animals, one of our very favorite animal advocacy groups. How has the experience been for you and what’s your biggest challenge?
NR: It’s a complete honor and joy running Mercy For Animals. I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to work with a group of amazing individuals, who are amazingly talented, dedicated, focused, strategic, and most of all, compassionate. Although it can be difficult constantly facing the brutal reality animals endure on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, at the end of the day I am filled with deep hope. I truly believe we are making great strides – moving society towards a day when all animals are treated with the respect and compassion they so rightly deserve. We’re on the right side of history and justice.
AG: With your numerous truth-revealing, leading-edge expositions, is there an MFA victory that’s most meaningful or memorable for you?
NR: There are so many. Each investigation we release – whether it be at a pork, dairy, or egg factory farm, hatchery, or slaughterhouse – brings us one step further in raising important awareness about these issues, pushing for new laws and regulations, changing corporate animal welfare policies, and inspiring more people to adopt a vegan diet.
AG: You’ve been named one of the country’s “Top 20 Activists Under 30 Years Old.” Would you like to share any advice for young people eager to adopt a vegan lifestyle and support our animal friends?
NR: Go for it! It’s never been easier, or more enjoyable, to go vegan or become an animal rights advocate. With Facebook, YouTube, and a million other online resources, all the information, tips, advice, and support you need to get started are just a click away. When doing advocacy work, I think it’s important to also think about what’s most effective, the best use of your time, and what will help the most animals. We owe it to the animals to be as strategic as possible – and that involves thinking about the most impactful and positive ways to reach out to others and inspire them to begin the journey towards a plant-based diet. 
Mercy For Animals has lots of “how to” guides and resources on our website – detailing ways to being highly effective and easy grassroots outreach efforts in your community, such as passing out literature, setting up educational displays, video screenings, lectures, and even promoting the cause on your Facebook page and to friends.
AG: Running MFA, surely you clock countless hours! Do you have any time at all to cook? If so, what is one of your favorite vegan meals to make at home? Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
NR: Unfortunately, I don’t find much time to cook – but it’s a New Year’s resolution to do more of it. The closest I get to culinary artistry on a regular basis is in the morning when I make smoothies – filled to the brim with bananas, frozen blueberries, goji berries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, orange juice, flax seed, and kale. So good, and so good for you. I’ve also been on a quinoa kick recently– a real superfood. And I’ve been really into dried seaweed snacks.
Maybe I’ll come to L.A. and cook for you sometime. 
AG: Do you have a favorite goodie from Allison’s Gourmet or an AG gift you most enjoy giving?
NR: Oh wow. I love it all! For holidays and special occasions, I typically give Allison’s Gourmet vegan gift baskets – that way I can share a wide variety of all the tasty, delectable offerings with my loved ones.
As an advocate for both animal rights and gay rights, I want to share the link to your insightful and in-depth interview on Our Hen House, which is another organization we love. You speak eloquently about extending the circle of compassion throughout our society as well as the connection between the LGBT and AR communities. Thank you for speaking out and thank you for being born to do this work, Nathan.
Fridays with Friends: Eco-Vegan Gal Whitney Lauritsen
I love the connection that can be made between veganism and eco-conscious living. In fact, the way I see it, it’s hard to have one without the other. Whitney Lauritsen blogs about the many intersections of Eco-Vegan living on her blog Eco-Vegan Gal. I checked in with Whitney during these busy holidays for her views on holiday gift-giving and eco-vegan tips.
Allison’s Gourmet: What inspired you to adopt a vegan diet/lifestyle?
Whitney Lauritsen: I went vegetarian in 2003 because I was inspired by a friend, then tried veganism about 6 months later out of curiosity. Over the years I fell in love with the lifestyle due to how good I felt, emotionally, physically and spiritually. It’s fun discovering new ways to be eco-friendly, healthy and compassionate.
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running your blog Eco-Vegan Gal?
WL: Finding time! It’s tough balancing my day jobs and personal life with the website, but I make it happen no matter what. When I do have time, creating content and managing the site is a no-brainer because it comes so naturally to me. I would never call my site work – it’s love.
AG: What do you love most about it?
WL: I love all the amazing people I meet online and at events. I learn so much from each individual, even those that come to me for advice teach me something through their questions. I feel connected to the whole world through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – what a great way to learn about how different people live healthfully and sustainably!
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
WL: Do kale chips count? If not, I’d have to say almonds, quinoa, kale, and broccoli. I love almonds as snacks, quinoa is my favorite “grain”, and kale and broccoli are such nutritious, tasty veggies. I’m really keen on Brussels sprouts – I could go on…
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
WL: I’m really into butternut squash right now. I love roasting it, steaming it, stuffing it with other veggies and grains, or mixing it into things like quinoa or brown rice pasta. You really can’t go wrong with it! I love this recipe from The Blissful Chef: Lemon-Kissed Brussels and Butternut Squash.
AG: What’s your favorite eco-friendly tip for the holidays?
WL: Go minimal, buy second hand, and recycle. Choose presents that inspire recipients to eat healthier and live greener. Try not to go overboard just because it’s the holidays – you can be festive without buying a lot of things. One of my favorite eco tips is to rent a live Christmas tree, or buy a potted plant and decorate that instead. Think outside the box, it’s more fun that way! I’ve contributed to some gift guides, like this one from Vegan Cuts.
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
WL: Anything gluten-free and lower in sugar. I’m always looking for a good hot cocoa too, so your peppermint drinking chocolate looks pretty darn tasty!
Although many of our products are gluten-free, for low in sugar items I’d suggest our organic coffee and fair-trade tea selections. Happy Holidays, Whitney!
Fridays with Friends: Jasmin & Mariann of Our Hen House
Jasmin Singer and her partner Mariann Sullivan are the superwomen behind Our Hen House and I am struck by their sweetness and strong devotion to the dual causes of animal rights and gay rights that are both very close to my heart.
Photo by Herbivore Clothing
Allison’s Gourmet: When and how did Animal Rights become an issue for you?
Jasmin Singer: I stopped eating meat when I was a teenager, mostly because I thought that being vegetarian was a natural extension of being a theatre student, kind of like wearing all black and smoking clove cigarettes. Through a friend, I met a young woman who had recently gone vegan. I was about 24 then (I’m 32 now), and was a struggling actor in NYC. This new vegan person in my life showed me some footage of factory farming (where would we be without those friends, right?) and I immediately went vegan. That friend, by the way, is Marisa Miller Wolfson, filmmaker behind Vegucated. As the story goes, Marisa is still a very good friend of mine, and, along with her partner, David Wolfson, is responsible for introducing me to Mariann — so clearly I owe her a lot!
Mariann Sullivan: I was definitely not one of those people who awakened to animals when I was a kid and demanded that my parents stop feeding me meat. Though I always liked animals, they weren’t a big part of my life, and I certainly never gave much thought to how they are turned into food, until I was in my 40s. (So don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late for them to change. Jasmin’s grandma just went veg at the age of 86!). As for so many people, it was my love of a dog that really awakened me to the importance of paying attention to animals. I got my first dog, Calhoun, when I was well into adulthood, and he really opened up a whole new world for me. He was so much more — his emotions, his smarts, even his sense of humor — than I had ever realized a dog would be. 
So I started to think more seriously about animals. And it was a random remark by an acquaintance that he had stopped eating meat because of the way the animals were treated that made me start thinking along the lines that eventually led me to veganism and animal rights activism. That’s always a reminder to me that we should never hesitate to mention why we eat the way we eat — you never know who might be paying attention.
AG: Jasmin, when I had the delight of meeting you last summer at Vida Vegan Con, I asked how many hens you had at your sanctuary. You were very gracious not to laugh at me when you answered. Would you please clear up my confusion and tell us, what is Our Hen House?
JS: Our Hen House is a virtual hub for animal advocacy. We produce resources — video, audio (our 100th podcast episode just aired!), interviews, reviews, and the written word — that anyone can use in order to find their own way to change the world for animals. We believe that anyone can easily and seamlessly plug animal advocacy into their everyday life and we are an indefatigably positive clearinghouse for those who care about animals to express themselves, and to create a way of changing the world that makes sense for them. We call it “Our Hen House” because it is a community-wide effort, and, since 9 of the 10 billion land animals killed in the U.S. each year are birds, when you talk of animal rights, you are pretty much talking about chickens.
Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur
AG: What are your backgrounds (i.e. what did you study or do prior to your work for animals)?
MS: I am a lawyer and recently retired from my position as Deputy Chief Court Attorney with the New York State Appellate Division First Department.
JS: My background is in theatre. Before becoming an animal activist, I was working as an actress in NYC. I also did a significant amount of writing, both personally and professionally, but my heart was on the stage.
AG: How did the idea for Our Hen House arise?
JS & MS: The big animal rights organizations are doing great work, and it’s important to support them in their efforts, but it became clear to us that the kind of change that is needed is not something that can be accomplished unless absolutely everyone who cares pitches in and does what they can. It was also clear that a lot of people really didn’t know what to do to create positive change for animals. Animal use and abuse enters into every aspect of our lives, and the opportunity to fight it does too. There’s so much we can do. We are so inspired by the fact that every day more and more people are waking up to what is going on with animals and want to help change the world. So we want Our Hen House to be a resource for this growing army of people who want to take personal responsibility for leading the way to a new world in which the exploitation of animals must come to an end. The fact that our little organization has grown so much in such a short amount of time (we gave birth to OHH in January 2010) is a testament to how this movement is growing, and how deeply people care.
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running OHH? Greatest reward?
JS & MS: We hate bringing up money, but since you ask, there’s no doubt that that’s the biggest challenge in running OHH. In fact, it’s the only really significant challenge, since everything else we do is pretty much what we love. Producing content, whether it’s the blog, or the podcast, or the videos, takes time and money, and we are a listener- and reader-supported not-for-profit enterprise. The greatest reward is definitely whenever someone contacts us and tells us that they did something, whether it was an article they wrote or a kids’ art project they coordinated or a humane education certification they pursued, because of something they read or heard on OHH.
AG: You have a “Gay Animal” focus that touches on the LGBT community and animal activism. Do you find there’s more openness to animal issues in the LGBT community?
JS & MS: Yes and no. On one hand, people in the LGBT community can frequently relate to feeling marginalized by society, feeling “othered,” feeling less than, thus leaving us with a seemingly organic kinship with animals — who are so unbelievably disregarded by society. We’ve met a lot of people who identify within the LGBT world who feel that their compassion to animals is a natural extension of their personal boycott of the heteronormative culture in which we live. However, just like with any social justice movement, there are still folks in the LGBT community who are asleep when it comes to animal issues. And there are unfortunately certainly animal activists who are asleep when it comes to LGBT issues. One beautiful example of the two movements joining forces is Mercy for Animals’ yearly campaign to march in gay pride parades nationwide, behind a sign that says “No one is free when others are oppressed.” MFA’s Executive Director, Nathan Runkle, talked to us about this and other building blocks he uses to connect the dots between animal rights and gay rights in a video we produced with him, which launched our Gay Animal series.
(We’re interviewing Nathan in a couple of weeks. So stay tuned here for more about Mercy for Animals.)
AG: Do you have any advice for people making the transition into veganism?
JS & MS: Yes, indeed, we do. In fact, we recently published our Top Ten Tips For Shifting to a Plant-Based Diet.
AG: OHH is doing such great work, I imagine time in the kitchen isn’t easy to create! What are some of your favorite vegan meals/recipes that keep you supercharged through your day?
JS & MS: Great question! We start every day with a healthy green smoothie. Frequently, this includes a heap of frozen spinach, frozen berries, frozen cherries, chia seeds, something to sweeten it like mango or pineapple (or occasionally dates), and water. On days we run, we might add some vegan protein powder to that. We realize our breakfast of choice makes us sound saintly, but we actually really like the taste of it, and no matter what happens for the rest of the day, we know that we started our day off on the right foot. We’re big fans of Dr. Fuhrman and try to follow his Eat to Live program about 90-95% of the time. Basically, that means a whole-foods based diet consisting mostly of greens, legumes, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Of course, we live in New York City and do quite a lot of traveling, so we certainly never deny ourselves delicious vegan treats from time to time! We also do 10-day juice fasts every 2 months, initially inspired by the movie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, which have really changed our lives. As a result of the last 15 months of juice-fasting, we’ve lost a total of about 130 pounds between us. Now, we maintain the juice-fasts not as a weight loss tool, but because they really help us reboot our system, detoxify, and take a breather from the normal hectic-ness of life.
And, by the way, we think Allison’s Gourmet is doing incredibly wonderful work. We like to say that the single most effective thing you can do for animals is to provide delicious vegan food. You are doing just that, and we love that you are also so outspoken about animal issues. Actually, “for-profit activism” was the impetus for the Money Squawks section of Our Hen House.
Oh my, your gratitude warms my heart! It sounds like you take incredibly good care of yourselves, both physically and emotionally! I, too, am a big fan of Dr Fuhrman and I love referring to his ANDI score chart.
AG: Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet product or one that you’d love to try?
JS & MS: That’s a tough choice, but all in all it’s probably safe to say that our favorite Allison’s Gourmet product is the Vegan Peanut Butter Cups. They’re not only reminiscent of our favorite taste combination from childhood, but there’s something about Allison’s that is otherworldly. Plus, we love that they’re fair-trade — which we think is a prerequisite for buying any kind of chocolate (we love Food Empowerment Project’s list of recommended chocolate).
But this year, we have our eyes on the Peppermint Bark. Not to ruin any surprises, but there are many people in our lives who will be eating that very, very soon. We hope we will be, too!
Thanks so much Jasmin and Mariann, it’s always lovely to hear about what you’re up to (and I hope someone gets your hint about the Peppermint Bark).
Fridays with Friends: Kim Garr of C’est la Vegan
I met the lovely and talented Kim Garr and her accomplished husband, Ryan, at the 2011 Vida Vegan Conference in Portland. Her warm smile and perfectionism mirrored a kindred spirit and we instantly hit it off. As a contestant on the second series of Cupcake Wars and having a Baby Girl on the way, Kim has been a busy woman. Read on to learn about some of her experiences.
Allison’s Gourmet: What inspired you to adopt a vegan diet/lifestyle?
Kim Garr: It was a long road all the way to veganism, but it started when I read the book “Fast Food Nation.” I learned about the beef industry and their blatant disregard for their workers and consumers, and so I decided to cut red meat out of my diet before I even knew all the horrors of factory farming. I later learned about the health hazards of consuming dairy and pork from reading the book “Healthy Life Kitchen” by Marilu Henner. Eventually, I also learned about the way that the animals we use for food are treated, and I stopped eating chicken and eggs. My last step to a totally vegan diet was eliminating fish, which took me a while. I didn’t eat much fish to begin with, but it was often easier to eat a dairy-free fish dish than a dairy-free vegetarian dish when eating out. Once I stopped eating fish, though, I realized it wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. I think that when you know the health benefits of a vegan diet AND the humane reasons for making the choice (as well as the impact factory farming has on our environment), it’s a much easier road. The more I learned about the foods that we eat, the more excited I was to make a change to my diet.
AG: You were on the second season of the Food Network series, “Cupcake Wars.” What was that like for you and would you do it again?
KG: The short version is that it was a crazy amount of work, and I’m grateful to have had the experience. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to face something that I was very afraid of doing. I always think it’s a good thing to face challenges and realize that we can actually do more than we think we’re capable of. That being said, I don’t know that I have any interest in repeating the experience, for many reasons (I signed a pretty hefty confidentiality agreement, so I have to have a somewhat abridged answer here), though I’m glad to have done it once.
AG: You write a blog called, C’est la Vegan. What’s the biggest challenge in running it?
KG: The biggest current challenge has been my pregnancy. Ideally I’d love to have 2-3 new posts a week, but from the nausea and exhaustion of my first trimester, to the carpal tunnel I’ve developed in my third (which I’ve learned is a totally normal side effect of pregnancy), I’ve just not been able to cook nearly as much as I used to, let alone take photos and type up posts. My husband Ryan has been a huge help in the kitchen, though, so I’m doing my best to try to have at least some new content on the blog.
I’m also rotating in some old posts that feature holiday recipes so that people can still use the blog as a resource since this is the time of year when so many of us are either hosting or attending parties and need an easy dish to bring along.
AG: What do you love most about it?
KG: I’m still always amazed that people not only read the blog, but that they actually like the content. Nothing is more gratifying than getting positive feedback from my readers. It totally makes my day to hear that someone made one of my recipes and loved it. There are lots of things I love about blogging, but that’s definitely the best part for me.
AG: You’re about to have a baby girl! What advice can you share with other vegan moms-to-be about nutrition or nurturing themselves during this important time in life?
KG: I’m definitely not the nutrition expert here as sometimes all I’m able to eat is toast or oatmeal, though I try my best to focus on getting lots of protein and fiber. I would definitely tell people to stick with the diet that they’re most comfortable with, and don’t worry about people judging you or telling you that you’re hurting the baby by eating a vegan diet. There’s plenty of information out there to support your choice. You need to do what’s right for you, and having a doctor and partner that support you is helpful. I’m very fortunate that our doctor was totally unfazed by our diet and even made the comment that most of her vegan patients were healthier than the non-vegans. The majority of foods that you’re not supposed to eat during pregnancy aren’t vegan anyway, so you already have a leg up there!
As far as nurturing yourself, it’s important to listen to your body and what it needs. I thought I’d be exercising throughout my entire pregnancy, as I was really active before, but that’s been pretty far from the reality of what I’m able to do. When I’m feeling like I should be doing more – whether it’s cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, etc. – I just remind myself that right now the priority is taking care of myself and my developing baby. This is a special time that I’ll never experience again in this way. I have the rest of my life for work and chores, but only one shot at a first pregnancy. I’m amazed at what a toll pregnancy can take on the body! I also try to be present each day, even the bad ones, and not try to just rush through all of this and get to the due date. People always say that from the time they get pregnant everything goes so fast, but I think that being present in each moment makes you really aware of the different stages and allows you to fully appreciate and experience everything.
I’ve certainly found that to be true in my experience of motherhood!
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without?
KG: Definitely fresh fruit. Living in Southern California, we’re very fortunate to be able to get fresh fruit and other produce every weekend at our local farmers’ market. We always have broccoli, romaine and kale on hand. I also like to have quinoa, brown rice and pasta in the pantry, along with chickpeas and black beans. Between those and other pantry staples, we can usually pull together an easy weeknight meal.
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
KG: I love having soups and stews once winter rolls around. It’s definitely the time of year for cozy comfort food. Some of my go-to’s are Cauliflower Bisque with “Buttered” Bread Crumbs, My Favorite Chili, and Irish “Steak” and Stout Stew. Definitely heavier comfort foods, but they sure keep you warm and happy!
You know I love comfort foods!
AG: What’s your favorite holiday baked good?
KG: That’s a tough one! My Mom used to make tons of press Christmas cookies, and my favorites were little Christmas-tree shaped sugar cookies that had just a hint of almond flavor. They’re actually really easy to veganize, and I often make them without a press. The only problem is that I eat waaaaaaay too many of them!
Yum! My mom made those too. Let me know when you’re ready to bake and we’ll get together and make them. =)
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
KG: I’m dying to try your new artisan vegan chocolates! They look so beautiful and sound absolutely scrumptious.
Thanks Kim, so nice to hear about what you’re up to!
