Tag Archives | cooking

Dear Omnivores, Cooking for Vegans is Easy!

August 15, 2012

This page originally appeared last Fall. I was inspired to write it after a conversation with my boyfriend. As I have mentioned, I left my corporate job recently and on my last day, my team had a going away lunch for me. As the only vegan at the table, the topic of cooking for vegetarians and vegans came up. I think it is fitting to repost this as the It’s Easy Being Vegan audience has grown quite a bit since Fall.

When do you think “so and so” is going to invite us for dinner, B asked while cooking vegan mac & cheese.

You’re going to have to get a new girlfriend before that’s going to happen, I said.

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Making Vegan Easy Week 20 Round-Up

May 22, 2012

Vision Board Snapshot

Seven more makin’ vegan easy tips coming your way. Like my Facebook page to get them daily, and share with your friends and family. You never know what will be the “thing” that makes someone go vegan. I like to think that the easier we make it, the more people will embrace it. There’s no way around it. It’s easy being vegan.

Tip #134: Make time.

Someone said to me recently, “so many great recipes, so little time.” Don’t let time stop you from trying new recipes. You don’t even have to buy a new cookbook to be inspired. How about picking up an old, forgotten cookbook and trying a new recipe or two? You might be surprised by the gems you will find. Just last week I picked up a cookbook I’ve had for over 20 years and found two excellent vegan recipes.

Tip #135: Expect results.

Every day I find evidence the world is changing—for the better. There was a time not long ago that I thought I would never see a vegan product in the Sundance Catalog, which sells a boatload of expensive leather products. This weekend I opened it up to find this cute vegan bag. Woohoo!

Tip #136: Move over Yelp, there’s a new kid in town.

VeganCorner is a new website for all things vegan. If it’s vegan, you can write a review for it on this site. This is a great idea but remember, it will only work if we all do our part.

Tip #137: Eat your greens.

Dark, leafy green veggies are ranked numeral uno on the nutrient-density scale, which means we should eat a lot of them. Maybe this new cookbook, Wild About Greens, will help increase our consumption.

Tip #138: Be “cheezy.”

Check out the VegNews Guide to Vegan Cheese. This is an awesome list.

Tip #139: On a budget, all the recipes you will ever need are online.

Good sources include VegNews, Vegetarian Times, fatfreevegan.com and theppk.com. The list is long and google is your friend.

Tip #140: Vegans play sports.

For those who play baseball (or softball), Carpenter Trade makes custom vegan gloves. They’re a bit pricey, so another option is buying used equipment.

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Hey friends, have you shared these tips with your family and friends yet? If not, do it today. Join me on Facebook to read these tips daily and to learn more about what’s going on in the vegan world.

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Making Vegan Easy Week 18 Round-Up

May 8, 2012

We are zooming through 2012 — one-third of the way through already. Veganism continues to make headlines in the news on a regular basis because of people like us who continue to care about animals, our health and the environment. Let’s continue to build the momentum. One day (and I hope soon), we will reach the tipping point moving towards a healthy and compassionate world. Here are my Facebook tips from last week. Don’t forget to share with friends and family. Thanks for being here!

Tip #120: Celebrate Mom.

Mother’s Day is two weeks away. Buy her something special from Etsy. There are a lot of vegan, homemade gifts on the site—just use the search function at the top of the page and type in vegan. The first item that popped up when I searched may be the cutest cookies I have ever seen.

Tip #121: Practice “mise en place” in the kitchen.

Mise en place is a French term for putting everything in its place.  It means to get all the ingredients prepared before you start to cook. For instance, chop your veggies and gather your spices before you start making vegetable soup. When I started practicing this concept, I calmed down in the kitchen and cooking became really fun. Do you practice mise en place?

Tip #122: Get listed.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is building a useful list of vegan wellness practitioners on her website, The Compassionate Cook. If you are a vegan wellness practitioner or know someone who is, be sure to get listed.

Tip #123: Spray your oil.

One of my favorite kitchen tools is the Misto oil spray container. I have one for olive oil and want one for canola oil. It’s great for greasing up a pan. You will use less oil this way. This is a kitchen tool I debated about buying because I don’t like to waste money and wasn’t sure it would be useful. It definitely is.

Tip #124: One good knife is all you need.

I have heard multiple times by cooking experts that you need just one good knife for cooking, and they always recommend it to be a chef’s knife. Of course, having more knives is fun but for years the only knife I used was an 8” chef’s knife. A good knife is an investment and should be cared for properly. What’s your favorite knife?

Tip #125: Always make more food than you need.

Leftovers make healthy eating easier, so you aren’t likely to give in to cravings on a whim. On busy days when I have something ready to go for dinner, I’m much less likely to stop and pick up convenience food (aka vegan junk food).

Tip #126: Go green.

Green Festival was this past weekend in Chicago. Check the website for future cities. Next up Washington DC. Free entry for the following folks:

  • Youth 18 and under
  • Students with student ID
  • Seniors
  • Bicyclist who park with Green Festival’s complimentary bike valet
  • Green America Members
  • Global Exchange Members
  • Union members with cards
  • Sierra Club – Free Admission to all Sierra Club members with valid membership card
  • Bring four cans of food to donate to the Food Bank, and receive one free admission

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Hey friends, have you shared these tips with your family and friends yet? If not, do it today. Join me on Facebook to read these tips daily and to learn more about what’s going on in the vegan world.

If you enjoyed this post,
click here to get free updates by email.

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Making Vegan Easy

February 20, 2012

Check out last week’s vegan tips from my Facebook page. Spread the word and share them with your family and friends. The more veggies peeps in the world, the easier it is to be vegan!

Tip #43: Vegans share their stories.

Need some inspiration? Check out some vegan testimonials. Bonus tip: Inspire someone else by sharing your story.

Tip #44: Vegans save lives.

As a vegetarian, you may save over 400 animals a year with your compassionate diet. This is a much higher figure than I have heard before. Whether I save 10 or 400 animals per year, it sure feels good to be vegan.

Tip #45: Vegans are every color.

Recently, I read a quote by The Inspired Vegan, Bryant Terry in O Magazine: “Growing up in Memphis, I was fortunate to find a small community of straight-edge punks, African-American elders, and Rastafarians that embraced veganism for religious or health reasons. There’s this perception that plant-based diets are for privileged white people, but that hasn’t been my experience.”

Tip #46: Libraries stock vegan books.

After reading about Bryant Terry’s new cookbook, The Inspired Vegan, I decided to check it out from the library. When I entered the word, vegan, in the Chicago library’s online search engine, I found 163 books with the vegan in the title. How about exploring what your library has available? You may discover a great new vegan cookbook. And, don’t forget to use your voice (Tip #29) and request that your library stock vegan books if you don’t find what you’re looking for.

Tip #47: Plants contain protein too.

It’s a tired question vegans hear regularly, “Where do you get your protein?” If you eat a well-balanced vegan diet, protein is easy to come by.

Tip #48: Plants contain calcium too.

You can get plenty of calcium on a plant-based diet.

Tip #49: Get organized.

Stock your kitchen well. If you have the basics on hand, you can easily make a vegan dish at the spur of the moment. Foods to keep on hand: fresh and frozen fruits and veggies, cans of beans and diced tomatoes, nuts and seeds, assortment of whole grains, tofu, tempeh, seitan, non-dairy milk, bread and/or tortillas, nut butters and condiments such as olive oil, hot sauce, tomato sauce, mustard, vegan mayo, lemon juice and vinegars. Also stock your favorite herbs and spices.

Hey readers! Do you have a tip to share with vegan newbies? Email them to me at itseasybeingvegan@gmail.com.

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365 Vegan Tips

January 9, 2012

A Snapshot of my Vegan Vision Board

Happy new year! Every year I create a vision board. This year’s theme is all about being vegan — that is, YOU, Me and everyone we know. In support of my vision, I am sharing one tip per day to make being vegan easy on my Facebook page. You can “like” my page to see them daily or check them out here in one weekly post.

Help me make my vision real and tell your mom, dad, sister, brother, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends. Well, just tell everyone you know. And, thank you. Here we go!

Tip #1: Change your mind.

It’s all in your attitude. Be positive and expect good things. (I bet you thought I was going to say something about food!)

Don’t just say “I think I can, I think I can.” Say, “I know I can, I know I can.”
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