It's World Vegan Day! A day to celebrate all the reasons to love each and every being on this earth, to whole heartedly enjoy plant-powered food with every food choice you make to show our love to planet Earth and that which she represents.
I could write a whole post about all the many reasons people choose to live the vegan way from reasons related to the environment to the importance of health and well being to believing that all lives are sacred and that there is no need to cause pain and suffering for the sake of a meal. The list could go on and on but let's just rally together in celebration for every single one. The community of veganism has become so profound in recent years that it offers such overwhelming joy to have mass populations educating and fighting for a better world of body, mind and spirit and I am so excited to be a part of it.
It has been 6 years of vegetarianism for me and the better part of the last two years is when I really reached my stride with veganism. For me it all started with the gaining knowledge of insane and horrid treatment of animals which initially lead to my lacto-ovo vegetarianism. As a much younger me I had experienced throughout different years of my life a range of intolerances to dairy products but there was a video of Michael Klaper's (this is not the full video that I once saw which showed the fat build-up being taken from an artery but this is him!) that put an end to all dairy consumption and from then on I would be considered that of a health-conscious ovo-vegetarian. Eggs became something of a rarity in my diet over the next few years to a point when if I took the time to look back when I had last consumed one it took some deep and serious thought. I wasn't eating eggs from restaurants or grocery stores but instead from my Aunt who raised them herself and I could visibly see that their state of life was far from terrible. The less I ate and more I researched about what people were feeding their hens even in small flocks, I eventually lost my appetite for them altogether and I haven't looked back since.
While my journey may be very different from some, the point is that we all made it to the finish line together.
I hope today reveals stories for long-time vegans as well as regular meat consumers to show them that there doesn't have to be an end-all-be-all to what is often perceived as a 'boring' lifestyle. With social media sharing beautiful dishes from far and wide there isn't a doubt that people's minds are letting this new knowledge in. Showing people the effects of what we have been told is right our entire lives may not be exactly as it seems and that guilt is not trying to be inflicted but merely that it's never to late to try. It's also never to late to change.
And now a recipe of celebration. This recipe consists of produce mostly found at the farmers market or in season here in Ontario and bought from the grocery store. I love this time of year because it's full of warm soups, hearty fare and warming spices. Meals that warm you from the inside out and bring people together into cozy kitchens and to gather around warming fireplaces.
And now, cauliflower steaks.
I could write a whole post about all the many reasons people choose to live the vegan way from reasons related to the environment to the importance of health and well being to believing that all lives are sacred and that there is no need to cause pain and suffering for the sake of a meal. The list could go on and on but let's just rally together in celebration for every single one. The community of veganism has become so profound in recent years that it offers such overwhelming joy to have mass populations educating and fighting for a better world of body, mind and spirit and I am so excited to be a part of it.
It has been 6 years of vegetarianism for me and the better part of the last two years is when I really reached my stride with veganism. For me it all started with the gaining knowledge of insane and horrid treatment of animals which initially lead to my lacto-ovo vegetarianism. As a much younger me I had experienced throughout different years of my life a range of intolerances to dairy products but there was a video of Michael Klaper's (this is not the full video that I once saw which showed the fat build-up being taken from an artery but this is him!) that put an end to all dairy consumption and from then on I would be considered that of a health-conscious ovo-vegetarian. Eggs became something of a rarity in my diet over the next few years to a point when if I took the time to look back when I had last consumed one it took some deep and serious thought. I wasn't eating eggs from restaurants or grocery stores but instead from my Aunt who raised them herself and I could visibly see that their state of life was far from terrible. The less I ate and more I researched about what people were feeding their hens even in small flocks, I eventually lost my appetite for them altogether and I haven't looked back since.
While my journey may be very different from some, the point is that we all made it to the finish line together.
I hope today reveals stories for long-time vegans as well as regular meat consumers to show them that there doesn't have to be an end-all-be-all to what is often perceived as a 'boring' lifestyle. With social media sharing beautiful dishes from far and wide there isn't a doubt that people's minds are letting this new knowledge in. Showing people the effects of what we have been told is right our entire lives may not be exactly as it seems and that guilt is not trying to be inflicted but merely that it's never to late to try. It's also never to late to change.
And now a recipe of celebration. This recipe consists of produce mostly found at the farmers market or in season here in Ontario and bought from the grocery store. I love this time of year because it's full of warm soups, hearty fare and warming spices. Meals that warm you from the inside out and bring people together into cozy kitchens and to gather around warming fireplaces.
And now, cauliflower steaks.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower Rub
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ancho chilli pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest of 1 lime
Fresh Greens Pesto
1/4 celery leaves
1 small leek
2 stalks kale, stems removed
Juice of 1 lime.
Organic flax oil
Creamy Sweet Potato Chipotle Drizzle
1/2 sweet potato
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed
2tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Additionals
1/2 stalk finely chopped celery for the potato salad. Added crunch!
Cauliflower Rub
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ancho chilli pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest of 1 lime
Fresh Greens Pesto
1/4 celery leaves
1 small leek
2 stalks kale, stems removed
Juice of 1 lime.
Organic flax oil
Creamy Sweet Potato Chipotle Drizzle
1/2 sweet potato
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed
2tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Additionals
1/2 stalk finely chopped celery for the potato salad. Added crunch!
1.Chop 1 sweet potato into eighths, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350. Cut cauliflower into 3/4 inch layers and lay on parchment paper. Now it's time to make the rub.
2.Combine ingredients together and 1/2 lime zest, then rub into all the nooks and crannies including the edges. Drizzle with olive oil and top with remaining 1/2 lime zest. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Wash and chop 4 medium sized potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, toss in a pot of water and bring to a boil until soft. Next. Loosely chop the leeks, celery greens, kale and salt and pepper and throw into the food processor. Blend on low while pouring in flax oil until smooth and emulsified.
4. Transfer into a container until potatoes are soft.
5. After 25 minutes flip the cauliflower and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
6. Drain the potatoes and toss in a bowl with 1/2 a stalk of finely chopped celery. We're going to toss them in the pesto right before serving.
7.Remove sweet potatoes and put half of them into a blender, with skins removed, with 1/3 cup tahini, 1/2 cup water, 2 chipotle peppers, 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add more water if needed.
8. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, toss the potatoes with 4 heaping teaspoons of fresh pesto, and drizzle the cauliflower with the sweet potato chipotle sauce. Your night will never be the same.
2.Combine ingredients together and 1/2 lime zest, then rub into all the nooks and crannies including the edges. Drizzle with olive oil and top with remaining 1/2 lime zest. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Wash and chop 4 medium sized potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, toss in a pot of water and bring to a boil until soft. Next. Loosely chop the leeks, celery greens, kale and salt and pepper and throw into the food processor. Blend on low while pouring in flax oil until smooth and emulsified.
4. Transfer into a container until potatoes are soft.
5. After 25 minutes flip the cauliflower and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
6. Drain the potatoes and toss in a bowl with 1/2 a stalk of finely chopped celery. We're going to toss them in the pesto right before serving.
7.Remove sweet potatoes and put half of them into a blender, with skins removed, with 1/3 cup tahini, 1/2 cup water, 2 chipotle peppers, 2 tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add more water if needed.
8. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, toss the potatoes with 4 heaping teaspoons of fresh pesto, and drizzle the cauliflower with the sweet potato chipotle sauce. Your night will never be the same.