Plant-based muffins are great for breakfast, dessert, or after a workout. They are free of dairy, gluten, sugar, and oil--all of the ingredients that otherwise make muffins unhealthy--and full of whole, energizing real foods. Muffins make a wonderful gift! Share one with a friend and help them to discover how good plant-based baking smells, tastes, and feels.
Read MoreMany people are curious if I take supplements because of my plant-based diet. I do take vitamins and in this post I'll share with you what I take and why. However, please note that eating a diet full of whole, nutritious foods, is an amazing way to get vitamins and minerals directly through your foods. So while you can supplement, you don't need to stress over it or consume handfuls of supplements each morning for health. I'll highlight the major ones and cite what the best doctors advise plant-based eaters.
Read More"Ew, what is that?,'" is a phrase that if I ever used, was certainly left behind in some distant childhood or from the time I volunteered to pick up trash from a highway. I'm an adult. I clean my shower drain and ride the subway. Life is gross sometimes. The last thing I have to worry about is steamed blacked beans on someone else's plate. So if you've ever said "ew" to a vegan before, I have a few pointers for you on etiquette.
Read MoreThere is a multi-billion dollar vitamin and supplement industry in America and while some vitamins may help people re-gaining health, maintaining long-term health does not have to include taking numerous pills. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet, diverse in leafy greens, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruit, is the best way to receive vitamins naturally. My vital vitamin savory rice recipe is high in iron and fiber, and features spaghetti squash, a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as B vitamins, folate, beta-carotene, lutein, potassium, and zinc.
Read MoreWith the outrageous expense of store front rentals in NYC, pop-up shops and markets are becoming a great way for small business vendors to sell without the overhead....literally. I recently attended the Vegan Shop Up, NYC's only vegan pop-up market and met many roof-less veggiepreneurs doing amazing things with food. Start supporting a #veggiepreneur today!
Read MoreAs we look forward to upcoming holiday celebrations, I have great news to share. Following a plant-based diet IS possible during the holidays and in social settings in general! For a long time I put off adopting a plant-based diet because I was worried what people would think and that I'd be left out. Now I know that those concerns were not valid. In this post, I'll take you inside my fully plant-based holiday party, which was a huge hit among all of my friends! I'll also address the issue of dietary changes and the social response.
Read MoreYou could just eat a regular Thanksgiving dinner with your family. It's one day a year. Don't feel guilty. Enjoy your family and your time together. Or, you could eat just the fruits and vegetables served at your dinner, like fruit salad, green salad, corn, green beans, and sweet potatoes. OR, you could contribute a few dishes of your own to share with others, and then they might find out what you eat regularly is actually not weird and tastes very good.
Read MorePumpkin spice is having a moment. The first signs of fall have been solidified not from the crisp air or the colorful foliage, but the appearance of pumpkin versions of everything you can imagine. From Hershey Kisses to waffles and coffee creamer, there are so many pumpkin spice products. However, none of these are health foods, and few contain, well, pumpkin! What's going on? This post will explain the difference between pumpkin flavoring and actual pumpkin, and also offer a quick and easy pumpkin muffin recipe made of entirely whole, plant foods.
Read MoreMany think that you can only get iron from meat, and that vegetarians, vegans, and those who eat just a plant-based diet don’t get enough iron and become anemic. I understand that completely. When Lacey gradually went from eating vegetarian (including eggs and fish) to plant-based (no animal products at all), I too worried that she would become anemic. Then I started reading and researching and found quite the opposite.
Read MoreTacos are loved and tacos are FUN! Messy, unruly, and unrefined, tacos make perfect weekend food, street food, and party food. They are rebellious and lawless, allowing us to define anything as a taco from the super healthy to the more decadent. As a vegan, I have found mushroom, cauliflower, and even brussel sprout tacos at restaurants in NYC. Today, I'll share with you a taco featuring another plant-based power food, tempeh. Tempeh is soybeans, cultured and fermented using a natural process to make a cake-like patty. It is a very digestible (because of the fermentation), satisfying, and malleable food that can be transformed by many different flavor strategies.
Read MoreA Plant-Based Blog
