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Meet Amy + her Velvet Underground Hazelnut Brownies

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I’m excited to have Amy from Velvet Underground Cafe here this week to write a guest post.
I’m totally in love with all that she’s doing with Velvet Underground (it’s a must-stop when you’re here in Whistler) from the food, to the vibe, to the fun clothes and local product zone. I’ll let her introduce her rad self.
“Hello hooked on plants family!
My name’s Amy and I’m the owner and founder of Velvet Underground in Whistler BC.
We are a plant-based cafe, a second hand and vintage clothing store, and we are obsessed with reducing our environmental footprint on this beautiful planet. We consider ourselves a community, and a movement more than a store.
I grew up on a farm as an “animal lover” that still ate animals!
I even had pet cows and sheep but I just hadn’t made the connection that those same animals I loved I was also eating! It’s a weird feeling to think back to those times and try and understand my mentality around-consuming animal products.
Like many, I thought, it is what we as humans are supposed to eat.
And I get it, in some cultures – in snowy arctic climates – where vegetation is limited, they probably did need to eat meat and animal products, but in this day and age we can walk into any store and buy whatever our heart desires year-round!
I realized that we have the ability to thrive on a plant-based diet, so bit by bit the pennies started dropping.
Another huge deal breaker for me was the environmental impact animal agriculture has on the planet.
That was the first thing that started to really open my mind up to this more conscious way of living. I was interested in the environmental aspect of minimizing the demand of fast fashion and instead consciously choosing second-hand everything in all my shopping habits.
The vegan thing was a natural progression from that.
It was a slow process though, all though I’ve been vegetarian and about 80% vegan for around 5 years I only became fully vegan about 2 years ago, and I haven’t looked back!
This way of life has not only made me feel healthier and more energetic, but also I honestly believe it raises your consciousness to a level I can’t begin to explain.
Through my cafe, I get so much joy from inspiring others to make the change and seeing how stoked they are to learn that they can have everything they would ever want to eat but made VEGAN!
It’s actually so great! 2020, what a time to be vegan!  
So in light of that, I wanted to share this recipe from our cafe. It’s one of my faves because it’s super chocolate-y, and decadent, uses up the nut meal we have as a bi-product from making fresh nut milk, and tastes like a real ‘treat yo-self’ kinda dessert!
Heat it up with berries and coco whip to really pimp it out!”
Check out 80/20 Plants for all the plant eating help.

HAZELNUT BROWNIES

Makes 12 brownies

INGREDIENTS

½ cup (8 tsp) chia blended and mixed with just enough water to make a gel

4 cups nut pulp (we use the leftover hazelnut and almond from our nut milk but you can sub regular almond meal for a similar result)

1 cup (100g) dutch cocoa

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup (170g) dark chocolate (we use east van roasters couverture dark chocolate)

½ cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup (125g) of coconut oil, melted

2 cups date puree: make this by soaking dried dates in warm water for half an hour or more, then blend

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (170g) chopped hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the coconut oil and chocolate together separately in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water

2. Assemble all other ingredients together in a large bowl, then mix in the melted chocolate and coconut oil together

4. Transfer to a 10 x 8 (ish) baking dish tin (lined with baking paper)

5. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes

6. Let cool and put in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight so it can easily be cut. Then enjoy!

 

Lindsay is Vegan | Hooked on Plants Interview + Lasagna Recipe!

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Lindsay O’Donnell has been meat-free for almost 20 years and has been promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle for just as long through volunteering with organizations like Peta, Earth Save, and Sea Shepherd. She ran a cooking blog, hosted vegan supper clubs, and now keeps people informed on food issues through  her Instagram page Lindsay is Vegan!

Today she runs the food marketing company Piquant Marketing and works to raise awareness on food issues and promote veganism. Let’s hear more from her!

How long have you been vegan, and what was the pivotal moment for making the change?

This might sound weird, but there are a few things in my life that I just always knew. Like I always knew I’d be a vegetarian and a vegan. I remember my mom having a friend who was vegetarian and I remember her skin just GLOWED. I remember just knowing that I would eventually be a vegetarian too. It’s funny because my kid isn’t vegan but she says the same thing to me- that she will be when she grows up.

But the catalyst to really make changes was when I really became an activist in my teens. I volunteered with Peta, Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, The SPCA, EarthSave and eventually co-founded an ocean education non-profit too. I felt like I was asking a big change of the world and I couldn’t expect it without walking the walk myself. 

How long did it take for you to transition?

A long time! I get people that messaging me all the time and they’re apologizing because they’re cutting out meat but haven’t cut out cheese or whatever. I cut out red meat at 16, chicken a year later and seafood later. I went vegan at 26, making the transition 10 whole years!

The key is finding replacements instead of cutting stuff out (think abundance and fun, instead of restriction). When I first went vegan I just drank coke and ate bananas so obviously I failed (and was an idiot). If you’re making changes, celebrate that and now that we’re all on a food journey …and if you’re doing the first step of trying to be better with your food choices you are already making a difference.

If there was just one thing you wish everyone in the entire world know regarding veganism, what would it be?

God, it’s so hard to talk about being vegan without sounding smug. For example, I can’t really think of a good reason to still eat meat (unless you’re in a remote village and it’s your primary food source).

Ok, here’s the thing. Being vegan makes me feel AMAZING. My body bounces back faster than when I ate meat, I feel lighter, and I’m happier. Being vegan has given me so much joy. I wish people know how wonderful and beautiful it is. People think it’s about restrictions and deprivation but for me it’s been the best thing I could have ever done for my mental and physical health. I really think that if you haven’t even tried veganism…you don’t know what you’re missing.

You are SO inspiring over on instagram, and give out so many amazing facts. What are your favourite resources for finding vegan news/animal rights news/mind blowing research?

I really appreciate that! It’s funny, when I first when vegetarian it felt like it was a much more confrontational time. It’s hard to explain but people challenged you constantly on your food choices. Like I needed to have my reasons and facts for everything. Going vegetarian, and then vegan in the 90’s was like going to debate class. 

So, I just signed up for every newsletter I could think of. That way I was constantly getting nuggets of information without being overwhelmed. I still get about 50 newsletters a day…which is now overwhelming! Now there’s documentaries and social media but I still mostly read books and get newsletters. My favourite newsletters are from Peta, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, and Daily Kos. 

Some websites that really helped me in the beginning were GEFreeBC, PETA, Farm Sanctuary, WWF, Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, EarthSave, and One Green Planet. 

These are older books but still so worth reading are The Jungle, Fast Food Nation, Greenpeace (love this one for business too!), and I’m currently reading Farmaggeden. 

What are your best tips for dealing with social settings for new vegans? 

1: I constantly feel like I’m not making any difference in the world and feel sort of burnt out by it. Things take time. I once worked with a woman who said she would never give up meat or cheese and loved meat too much. Many years later she emailed me to say she went vegan, is now a big activist online, and said she always remembered some of the things I talked about with her! Seeds take a while to grow but know that by living by example you’re creating change.

2: Sometimes people are just trying to get a rise out of you. It’s about them, not you.

3: You convert more people by making them feel encouraged or empowered than by making them feel guilty or marginalized. 

Where do you see our world in 2050 in regards to the plant-based movement? 

This one is so hard because it blows my mind how main-stream veganism is. I sound so old, but I really can’t believe it. I’m reading statistics that says all meat will be plant-based by 2040 which…I don’t know if I believe?

I’m super curious to see what happens when lab meat starts becoming affordable. Many people are vegan for mainly ethical reasons, so if you only eat lab meat…are you still vegan or will that be something new? Like culture-vegans? I don’t know, it will be interesting.

I feel like consumers are generally going to have higher ethical and health standards but I can see the vegan community become fractured over things like lab meat but I also think that’s a wonderful problem to have.

I can see eating meat becoming like smoking…like there are many people that do it but it’s not seen as healthy or productive and it’s taxed heavily.

What was your main inspiration behind starting Piquant Marketing? 

I feel like I kind of fell into the food business! I had actually always wanted to work at Lululemon and interviewed there a few times but…was never successful. I then saw a posting for a marketing job at Whole Foods Market and it clicked. It was like…this is where I need to be. These are my people! People who were passionate about farmers, food, the environment, and animal welfare.

I worked there for 4 years before being a part of a big layoff of their marketing division. I sort of bounced around and realized I needed to stay in food. It’s where I had made relationships and was spending all my spare time. 

I basically wanted to do what I did at Whole Foods Market! So we started doing branding, social media, event planning, community partnerships, content marketing, and business planning for food brands. Then, last year I decided it was time to use the tools I had to make a difference and make a statement so we created core values for the clients we work with which included no meat products. Overall we have almost completely vegan clients mostly because that’s who is attracted to work with us.

Now we’re about to turn 3 years old and it’s totally wild.

For those rainy summer days, when you want to feel cozy fall feelings!

Interview with Vegan Registered Dietician: Pamela Fergusson + Tahini Brownies

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Pamela Fergusson a Vegan Registered Dietician with a PhD in nutrition, and a Mama of 4!
In her 15 years of experience in changing lives through better nutrition, she’s worked as a lecturer in nutrition at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Ryerson University.
Let’s just say, her experience with plant-based nutrition is vast!!
Her blog and instagram ( @drpamela_rd ) are both incredibly informative, making the plant-based lifestyle approachable, fun and delicious.
Her instastories are always a go-to where she backs her facts with stats and studies, and simplifies delicious and nutritious vegan meals. She recently moved out of the city and into the mountains, and now bases her private practice out of Nelson BC.
Well, I put it out to all of you over on my @hookedonplants Instastories:
What do you want me to ask a vegan dietician!?
Here are some questions you wanted answers to (some of these questions have been answered in other areas of my instagram and blog, but I’m excited to hear it in the words of the amazing Pamela!):
You asked:
What is the best way to get Calcium and Vitamin D without dairy?
Pamela answered:
Calcium can be found in a wide variety of plant foods, including tahini, apricots, kale and tofu. One of the best ways to get it, though, is by drinking a fortified plant-based milk. In Canada, those will also be fortified with vitamin D2. Vitamin D3 is better absorbed, but you will need to get that through a supplement. The best source of vitamin D is the sun! You’ll need 20 mins of spring/summer or autumn exposure with no sunscreen.
You asked:
Should I limit fruit sugar? 
Pamela answered:
Fructose is the sugar in fruit and it is metabolized in the liver. Please don’t limit your intake of fruit. The sugar in fruit is just one of the nutrients found in nature’s candy.  You will also be getting fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. You should, however, limit your intake of high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is stripped of any additional helpful nutrients and increases your risk of chronic disease.
 
You asked:
What is your view on the animal-based Keto diet and the vegan Keto diet?
Pamela answered:
I’m very cautious about the keto diet in general. I think the research is still very new and unfortunately so many people are attracted to the ‘dirty keto’ involving meals like steak slathered in butter. My advice, if you are trying keto, is make sure your fibre intake is still high.
 
You asked:
What plant milk is the best to give babies?
Pamela answered:
When introducing a milk to children’s diets, the recommendation in Canada for families wishing to avoid dairy is to continue with soy-based formula until your children are two years of age.  Remember that continuing to breastfeed, along with complementary solid foods is a wonderful source of nutrition for your baby, to two years of age and beyond.
Some parents don’t want to offer formula to their babies, and would prefer to offer a milk. At the moment, fortified soy milk is the only milk that offers the calcium, vitamin D and the protein that your baby will benefit from. You can look to other sources for healthy fats. One tip is to blend hemp hearts into your store-bought soy milk to bump up the nutrition, including protein, and healthy fats including omega-3s.
 
You asked:
What can be done to help reduce and bloating throughout the day on a vegan diet?
Pamela answered:
Keeping your portions small is a good idea. Try a gentle approach to intermittent fasting of 12 hours of eating window and then 12 hours of fasting. If that works well, you might want to extend your daily fast slightly to 14 or even 16 hours. Increase your fibre intake slowly.
You asked:
I went vegan for a few months, but felt really tired. What was I doing wrong?
Pamela answered:
It’s unusual for a dietary change to affect you so quickly. This points to the idea that you might not have been eating enough calories. Plant foods are mostly lower in calorie density than animal foods are, and you may need to increase portions of frequency of meals when you go vegan. Longer term, fatigue may be a sign of iron or B12 deficiency, but that takes a long time to develop. You can always ask your doctor to check your blood work if you have any concerns. I recommend annual bloodwork to my clients if possible.
 
You asked:
Why do vegans need to supplement B12?
Pamela answered:
B12 is derived from bacteria. So, although meat is a source of B12, cows and pigs don’t produce it themselves, they simply store it in their tissues. Also, many farmers supplement their animal’s diets with B12. There is no B12 in plants, so we need to get it from supplements or fortified foods.
 
You asked:
What other supplements do you recommend everyone takes on a vegan diet?
Pamela answered:
B12, Vitamin D in the winter and possibly a vegan omega 3 (DHA/EPA).
*Side note: Complement has all three in one. Head here and use the code ‘hookedonplants’ for 10% off at the check out.*

Enough talk, it’s time for Pamela’s brownies

 

Pamela Fergusson's Fudgey Tahini Brownies
 
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Super dense brownies with benefits! Perfect for the lunch box.
Author:
Recipe type: dessert, snack
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white sugar (can sub ½ coconut sugar. Batter will be extra dense and a bit fudge-y)
  • ½ cup brown or coconut sugar
  • 1¾ cup flour can use 50/50 white/whole wheat
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp water or aquafaba per 'egg')
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ¾ cup plant based milk
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanila
  • 1 cup boiling hot coffee
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Mix flax eggs and set aside to gel while you prepare the other ingredients
  3. Add lemon juice or vinegar to your plant-based milk. Set aside for 10 mins to sour. This will improve the flavour of the brownies (like vegan buttermilk!)
  4. Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl so they are evenly distributed.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry (don't forget the flax eggs), EXCEPT for the coffee, save that til last. Hand mix gently with a spoon until well combined, but don't over-mix.
  6. Pour in the coffee and mix gently. Batter will be wet. Don't worry!
  7. Grease a 9X13 in baking pan or line it with baking paper.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350F for 30 mins, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to complete cooling.
  9. Enjoy warm! With vegan ice cream. Life is delicious.
Notes
Top with vegan chocolate chips or coconut chips!

 

Tag @hookedonplants and @drpamela_rd if you make this! We love seeing your creations.

For more inspiration and info on eating plant-based, sign up to my emails for bi-weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!

Try the #PlantsForAWeek challenge by grabbing my new E-Book

 

Hooked on People: Anna Pippus aka Easy Animal Free + her Lentil Walnut Bolognese

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Anna’s instagram stories ( @easyanimalfree ) make the vegan lifestyle as a busy Mom of 2 look like a breeze (by making recipes like her lentil walnut bolognese, shared below!). The way she shares recipes, ideas and tips makes her super approachable, and totally normalizes the plant-based lifestyle.
In a nutshell, Anna is an animal rights activist, and lawyer. Her life’s mission is to minimize animal’s suffering as much as she possibly can… and she’s doing this by specializing in farm animals by serving as director of farmed animal advocacy for Animal Justice, and as a strategic advisor for We Animals.
She is an incredible voice for the voiceless, and does a fantastic job bringing it all back to the mainstream by showing how simple it can be to create easy, breezy, delicious meals for her family.

Let’s get to know Anna a bit more…


Hooked on Plants: Was there a moment in your life that made you go vegan?

Anna Pippus: I went vegetarian as a kid, simply because I was a big animal lover and it didn’t feel right to eat animals. But, I didn’t know anything about farming back then, and I kept eating eggs and dairy, wearing leather, and buying cosmetics by animal testing brands without too much thought. This was the early 90s—there was no internet, and veganism was rare enough that I’d never heard of it.

A little over ten years ago, I first heard about veganism, and on some level I think it occurred to me that this was probably a good thing to do, something that I should and would do. I half-heartedly poured watery rice milk in my tea and tried to avoid cheese made with cow’s milk (which I loved, and in those days vegan cheeses were inedible). But I avoided learning more about farming. I had such empathy for animals that I couldn’t stand seeing them suffering. I told myself that I was already doing my part, that exposing myself to gory photos and videos wouldn’t help.

Then, in Charlotte Montgomery’s book Blood Relations, I read a story about a bull on a truck being taken to slaughter. The bull had a broken hip and couldn’t stand, let alone walk. But bulls are enormous animals and the only way for them to get off a truck is on their own (on farms, tractors are used to move downed cattle). The workers used an electric prod to shock the bull and force him to drag himself—using only his front legs—to the back of the truck, where he slammed several feet into the ground below. Then, he was forced to drag himself into the slaughterhouse. It took hours. By the time he was inside, the slaughterhouse was closing for the day, and he was left— alone and in pain—on the floor to wait for the next day, when workers would kill him.

It was like I’d been splashed with a bucket of cold water. In that moment, I realized with full clarity something I think I’d been growing to understand all along: that when animals are used as commodities, they will suffer. Animal welfare is most often in tension with profits. Workers are desensitized to the suffering of animals, because they have to be in order to be able to do the job. I realized then that farming animals could never be humane. I immediately became not only vegan, but a dedicated activist. And fortunately, plant-based milks and cheeses have come a long way since then—there are lots of delicious options now!

HOP: You have a very in-depth post here about raising vegan children, but could you give a few simple tips here on vegan lunch prepping for families?

AP: In our family, I do most of the kitchen managing and cooking, because it’s something I really enjoy. But I’m definitely not up for making complicated, time-consuming meals, and I only have it in me to cook once a day, at dinner time. (I love my end-of-day ritual of putting on some music and getting absorbed in the creativity of cooking).

So, at dinner, I tend to cook big meals, that will provide us with leftovers for the next day, or extra parts that can be repurposed into something else (e.g. extra rice to make fried rice another day). That way, when I open the fridge at lunch time, there’s always something to work with.

If there isn’t, we have sandwiches or open-faced toast, along with veggies (like peppers or cucumber), fruit, nuts etc.

I’m a big believer in the gospel of hummus. Everyone should have it in the fridge! It’s delicious, ridiculously nutritious, a good source of iron, calcium, and protein, and widely liked even by the world’s least adventurous eaters. It’s perfect on sandwiches, salads, and bowls, and as a dip with crackers or vegetables.

HOP: You use your legal training to do your best to change the farm animal laws (amazing!)… but what are your top tips for people who want to make a difference in the animals lives, but don’t know where to start?

AP: There is so much to be done! Everyone has different skills, lifestyles, and personalities, so I think the first step is to self-reflect and take inventory about how you can best contribute to the movement in a way that will be both impactful for animals and sustainable for you.

Here are a few ways people can get involved to help animals:

  • donate to effective initiatives and organizations.
  • volunteer with established initiatives and organizations, especially if you have skills in bookkeeping, fundraising, graphic design, video production, or anything else that non-profits are chronically in need of.
  • organize or attend impactful protests, demonstrations, and marches.
  • share information and resources that you find impactful or useful on social media.
  • write letters to the editor in response to media pieces about animals, plant-based eating, the environment, health… any hook you can find!
  • write or meet with politicians at all levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal) to ask what they’re doing about animal issues and make suggestions for policies they can back. If there’s a particular piece of legislation being considered, write to let them know you support it.
  • contact restaurants and grocery stores in your neighbourhood to encourage them to add plant-based options. Make suggestions for your favourite products and dishes.
  • sign petitions, if they’re to specific decision-makers with specific, winnable requests.
  • use chalk to write messages on the sidewalks around your neighbourhood, or put up posters on community message boards.
  • host potlucks, meet ups, book clubs or other events to help build community and spread the word.

HOP: What facts might surprise people about grass-fed, free-range and cage free laws?

AP: These terms very often don’t mean what people think they do. Even in best-case scenarios, animals are still genetically manipulated to manifest profitable traits that often compromise their welfare. For example, dairy cows produce up to 10 times more milk these days than they used to, which leads to painful engorgement, physical depletion, and rampant mastitis (a painful infection). Chickens raised for meat are bred to grow very large, very quickly, which can cause cardiovascular problems (their little hearts can’t keep up), and lameness because their bones are too soft and immature to support their relatively massive weight. In all sectors, genetic manipulation has produced a laundry list of grotesque outcomes that directly compromise animals’ quality of life.

As a mother, probably the thing that breaks my heart the most is how on all farms—even the certified humane ones—animals are separated from their families. In the dairy industry, calves are taken from their mothers a few hours after birth, so that the milk can be diverted to humans. The babies are a waste product of the dairy industry. In nature, hens are doting mothers, peeping to their babies through the shell to establish a bond. After hatching, they’d be nearly inseparable, the babies tucked under their mothers’ wings for comfort and safety. But in our agriculture system, chicks are hatched in industrial hatcheries, never knowing their mothers. Chicken meat and egg farms are like giant orphanages with no mature presence to teach or comfort. If you go into a chicken farm and sit down, the babies will come over and fall asleep in your warm lap.

And of course, even in a best case scenario, animals are sent to be killed at a fraction of their natural lifespan. Virtually all animals are babies when we kill them for food: chickens are five to six weeks old, pigs are five to six months, turkeys are three to six months, and beef cattle are 12 to 18 months old. Slaughterhouses are frightening places; the animals can smell blood and they fight for their lives. I would be terrified if I were in their place. All of this for products that are not only unnecessary, they are damaging our health and environment, too.

HOP: Your favourite and simplest dinner recipe!?

AP: I have a LOT of fave dinner recipes, which you probably know if you follow me on Instagram 🙂 Right now, I’m crushing on a hearty lentil-walnut bolognese. Lentils are superfoods that we need to eat more of, and walnuts are a great source of plant-based omega 3 fatty acids.

Another all-time fave pasta dish is pasta with cream sauce. The recipe is here on my site. I’m also a big fan of bowls, which basically follow an endlessly versatile formula: grain, legume, veggies, sauce, nuts/seeds. I have a post on my site all about how to build a bowl, and plenty of bowl ideas on my instagram account.

Easy Animal Free Lentil Walnut Bolognese
 
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Anna Pippus of Easy Animal Free shares her favourite easy dinner recipe at the moment! This is hearty, quick, and delicious for the whole family! Serve it up with some of this Smokey Vegan Parm
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, pasta, comforting
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 5-8 mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 3 cups tomato sauce or your favourite marinara
  • ¾ cup brown lentils, pre-cooked
  • Oregano, to taste
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Pasta noodles of your choice, cooked
Instructions
  1. Over medium high heat, sauté an onion until soft (with a splash of water to keep it from sticking).
  2. Add a chopped green pepper, 8 oz or so sliced mushrooms, and a few cloves of minced garlic. Use a splash or two of red wine or balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
  3. Add about ½ a cup finely chopped walnuts (a food processor works well but not necessary) and toast for a minute or two.
  4. Then add about 3 cups tomato sauce or marinara, and some cooked brown lentils (I boil half a cup from dry but canned is fine too)
  5. Season with oregano and salt, and simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavours.
  6. Serve with a pound of your favourite pasta.
Notes
* Prep time doesn't included pre-cooking the brown lentils

Tag me and Anna if you make this! (@hookedonplants @easyanimalfree on instagram)

We love seeing your recipes.

… and if you want more:

Sign up to my emails for weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!

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Vegan Mos Hooked On People Interview + Black & White Cookies

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Michael and Ethan are the Vegan Mos. Ethan is a podiatry surgeon, and on the board of directors for the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary. Michael is a recovering lawyer who’s switched his skills to speaking for the speechless, and he’s also a Food for Life instructor through PCRM. They’re both making strides in the vegan world and I was lucky enough to be graced by their presence in Victoria Moran’s house at the Main Street Vegan Academy in NYC a couple months back, where they came to speak. These two are full of positivity, life, good energy, and vegan vibes. Their new cook book, ‘NYC Vegan, Iconic Recipes for a Taste of the Big Apple‘ is packed to the brim with crazy delicious vegan comfort food (including their infamous Black & White Cookies, seen below!)

Let’s get to know them…

Hooked on Plants: Ethan, you were the first one to go vegan, and you weren’t exactly soft or silent about it to Michael (haha). Eventually Michael caught on! Can you expand on this? Why and how did you both go vegan?

Ethan: I initially went vegetarian for health reasons. At 38 years old I was already taking medication for high cholesterol and was 40 pounds over weight. I saw being vegetarian as way to lose weight and get my cholesterol under control. I then read The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food by Jeffrey Masson and learned the horrors of factory farming. I knew that I could not continue to eat any animal products or benefit in any way from any kind of animal abuse. Ethically, being vegan was the only logical choice, and after 5 months of being vegetarian, on Thanksgiving 2009 we went to Michael’s family for the traditional meal, but I didn’t eat anything. When we came home, I prepared the Tofurky Thanksgiving Feast and realized that if I could do Thanksgiving as a vegan, I could be vegan all the time.

Michael: During this time, I was working out of the house and doing most of the cooking. I had to learn how to make food that Ethan would eat and that I would like. So, even though I wasn’t even considering being vegan, I was learning how to cook vegan food. Also during this time, Ethan, like most people when they first learn the horrors of factory farming, became full on vegangelical and would continually ask me questions like, “how is your plate of murder?” ….Rather than getting me to go vegan, this had the opposite effect. I can be very stubborn and wasn’t about to be bullied into doing something. Thankfully, Ethan soon realized that this approach wasn’t working and accepted the fact that he was the one who changed and it wasn’t fair to expect me to change as well. As soon as Ethan stopped pushing, space was created that allowed me to walk forward. After seeing Kathy Freston on Oprah talk about “leaning in to veganism” and being “flexitarian,” I started doing Meatless Mondays. I eventually added in Tofu Tuesdays, Wegetable Wednedays, Tempeh Thursdays, etc. I didn’t say a word to Ethan about what I was doing, but as soon as I completed a full 7 days vegan, I looked at Ethan and said, “It’s been a full week, I am vegan now.”  I then of course went through my own vegangelical phase and found myself doing the exact same things Ethan did. Luckily, I soon stopped.  

HOP: What are your tips for talking to non-vegan family members?

Ethan: My best advice is to accept that you might not necessarily be able change them. Just like you are asking for them to accept you and your choice to live vegan, it is important to understand that they may not be in a space where they can receive the same information that you did, much less integrate it or act on it. Often, it is hardest for our closest friends and family to receive this information from us because our relationships are steeped in lots of history and baggage. It is always important to share your truth with the people you love and you should never tolerate relationships where you are ridiculed, teased or not accepted because of the ethical choices you make, because that cuts at the trust and mutual respect which is at the core of any healthy relationship.

At the same time, respect goes both ways. Even though it might be difficult for us to never truly respect our loved one’s choice to not personally embrace a vegan ethic, it’s important to separate that from respecting them as individuals and respecting their right to make their own choices, even choices with which we strongly disagree. In my experience, when you come at folks without an agenda of “getting them to go vegan” it’s far more likely that they actually will.

Michael: Don’t pressure them, as we both learned, that never works. It is better to inspire by example…we need to meet people where they are. If they bring it up, I like to follow the advice of Colleen Patrick Goudreau who said, ‘if you are asked about being vegan during a meal, let the person know you are more than happy to have that conversation, but ask if they really want to have that conversation right now.’

HOP: The Vegan Mos NYC Vegan cookbook is so drool-worthy and packed with old time comfort-food faves! Can you tell us what ‘Vegan Mos’ stands of and how it started?

Vegan Mos: The “Mos” in our name is short for homos. Our friends Dan and Mike already had The Gay Vegans, so we decided to use vegan as the adjective to modify Mos. In the 90’s in the LGBT community, using the term “mo” became a way of referring to one another “oh, he’s a mo,” so we decided to reclaim it. We began Vegan Mos as a way of sharing recipes for delicious, homemade vegan food. We wanted to show people that going vegan did not mean giving up any of the flavours we loved. We also wanted to highlight the intersection of LGBT rights and animal rights. We wanted to help people see that speciesism is no different than homophobia – both stem from a fictitious belief that one group of beings is superior to another and therefore can oppress the perceived lesser one.

HOP: Can you tell us one of the most life changing moments you have had on a farm sanctuary?

Ethan: I remember when The Tiniest Herd was rescued at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary back in 2016 and the first time I went up and met all the tiny baby goats (like many folks, I can get a little obsessed with the cuteness overload from baby goat videos). When I got to meet all of these babies and watch them with their young mothers, I had my first “Ah-ha” moment about how special this truly was: here were Mothers who got to keep their babies. That just doesn’t happen to the overwhelming majority of farmed animals out there. It really hit me right then and there: when we support industries that use animals for food or some other human purpose, we’re actually destroying families. It was such a special experience to witness these cute babies playing around us with their equally adorable young Mamas who were keeping a watchful eye on them, occasionally disciplining them as needed. I thought, “this is how it’s supposed to be.” That experience infused my already deeply-rooted animal rights activism with a deeper layer of commitment: to keeping families from being separated, whether they are animal families or human families. 

Michael: It was when I first got to meet a piglet at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary named Mishka. Ethan named him Mishka, after me. Mishka was my name in Russian class and when my cousin Karen learned that, she began calling me that, and still does to this day (I won’t say how many decades later). At Woodstock, they don’t like to use the same names for different residents to avoid any confusion when talking about the animals. As there already was a Mike there (even though I never go by Mike, they didn’t want to risk confusion between Mike and Michael), Ethan chose to use Mishka. Mishka and his family (3 brothers, his sister, and his mother) were rescued from a horrible situation of neglect. Sadly one of his brother’s passed away, but Mishka will get to live his life safe and happy with his family. Mishka was the littlest of the bunch and they were not sure he would survive, but he did. This is much like my start in life having been born as a premie and no one knew if I would survive. When I finally got to meet my namesake I was overwhelmed with emotions I began to cry. I will never forget that moment. To know that this little pig is getting the life that so few farm animals will ever get and the fact that he was named was truly remarkable. It was this bittersweet experience of joy for this family and sadness for all the other pigs, and really all the animals, that will never get to live free from harm with their families. 

HOP: What are your top 3 tips for people out there who want to go vegan?

 Vegan Mos:

  1. Take it one meal at a time. Don’t worry about what you are going to do on Thanksgiving, or about your birthday cake, or any other far-off meal.
  2. Shifting your focus from yourself to the animals you are saving really helps. No animal product tastes as good as saving that animal’s life.
  3. Instead of focusing on what’s “missing” from your plate, see that empty space as an opportunity to discover new foods. Try wheatberries, quinoa, amaranth or barley if you haven’t tried them. Maybe you could try Anasazi or Fava beans? Ever try a broccolini? What about Romanesco? There are so many amazingly delicious, unique and nutrient-dense foods out there. We just need to open ourselves up to trying them.

HOP: What makes you happy on a normal day outside of being vegan superstars? 🙂

Ethan: When I can remember in the middle of my day to practice mindfulness and focus on my gratitude it shifts my mood immediately and lifts me up. It’s super easy in our current sociopolitical climate to feel threatened and overwhelmed if you’re an LGBT person (or any other minority for that matter.) Sometimes I’ll just stop and think, “You’re breathing… and it’s easy and painless” and I shift my focus and awareness there and just go with that and it immediately de-stresses me and reconnects me to the innate joy and peace that’s always there, but that is often covered up. It is something that I can do anywhere, anytime and radically increases my capacity to feel joy during everyday moments and when doing otherwise mundane activities. 

Michael: Spending time with our dogs Riley and Charlie gives me so much joy. There is nothing as wonderful as the love of a companion animal. Also, I am a TV junkie, so sitting on the couch a being able to lose myself in a good TV show is wonderful. 

HOP: Where is the next place you’ll be for people to come meet up with you?

Vegan Mos: Our next scheduled public appearance will at the Hudson Valley Vegfest on either November 3 or 4.

HOP: Let us in on your favourite recipe from your cookbook!

Vegan Mos: That is like trying to pick which of our dogs we love more. All the recipes in NYC Vegan have some special meaning to us. However, in the list of truly iconic NYC food, Black and White Cookies are near the top (scroll down for the recipe)

Where to find the Vegan Mos:

www.VeganMos.com

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Black & White Cookies ~ NYC Vegan
 
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Thanks to a famous episode of Seinfeld, the black and white cookie, once only known to New Yorkers, garnered national attention. In that episode, Jerry used the black and white as a metaphor for racial harmony. Although called a cookie, these treats are actually made from a stiff cake batter and baked free-form on a cookie sheet. Once found only in bakeries, today the black and white can be found in almost every grocery store and bodega in New York.
Author:
Recipe type: dessert, snack
Serves: 18
Ingredients

  • Cookies:
  • 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup nondairy butter
  • ¼ cup nondairy milk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • Icing:
  • 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ¼ cup boiling water, plus more if needed
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 (18 x 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In another large bowl, combine the sugar and butter and beat until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, beating after each addition, until combined.
  3. Scoop the dough, ¼ cup at a time, onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the scoops 3 inches apart. Flatten them slightly with your hands (keep your hands wet to prevent the dough from sticking). Allow room between the scoops as the cookies will spread as they bake.
  4. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cookies to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets and then carefully flip the cookies over and transfer them, upside down, to a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. While the cookies are cooling, make the icing. In a large mixing bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, boiling water, and vanilla. Mix well to get a spreadable icing. Add a little more water, if needed. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of icing onto the flat side, the former bottom, of each cookie. Return the cookies to the wire rack to dry. You should have about ½ cup of icing left.
  6. While the white icing is drying, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler. When the chips are all melted and smooth, whisk the melted chocolate into the remaining icing. The chocolate icing should be thicker than the white, but still be spreadable. If it is too thick, add a little hot water to thin it out. Use the offset spatula to frost one half of each cookie over the white icing. Return the cookies to the wire racks to dry. Store leftovers in a covered container for up for 5 days.

Tag me or the Vegan Mos if you make this! (@hookedonplants @veganmos on instagram)!

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