Vegan Resolution: Transitioning to a Healthy Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diet

It's the New Year, and as we all know, the time for resolutions! While I don't personally make a list or focus on my imperfections, I do find that calendars are a good way to set a starting point, stay focused on achievable goals, and keep the momentum going.  

To help you keep on track, I will be offering a healthy cooking demonstration at Guilford Free Public Library on February 5.  I will be happy to give you plenty of motivation and encouragement as you move forward on your vegan journey.  

A Month of Menus

It's cold outside but it's warm in the Well on Wheels kitchen!  Here's what I've been cooking up for clients over the past few weeks.

 Week One

 Pan-seared Tempeh with Tahini Mushroom Gravy and Colcannon

 Mexicali Chili and Brown Rice

 Stir-fried Veggies with Tofu, Peanuts, Basil and Hoisin

 Week Two

 Happy New Year! Black-Eyed Pea Hoppin' John with Collard Greens

 Tofu & Veggie Stir-fry Over Noodles

 Tofu Scramble with Zucchini and Yellow Squash and Homefried Potatoes with Salsa

 Week Three

 Dijon Agave Glazed Tempeh with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sesame Greens

 White Bean, Zucchini and Tomato Saute Over Baked Polenta

Bok Choy Boats with Asian Confetti Rice Pilaf

Dedicated to Rynn Berry... Scholar, Philosopher, and Vegan Hero

"Clearly, there has been a paradigm shift in societal attitudes towards veganism... If veganism were a stock, I would certainly invest in it. Its growth has been exponential and will ever continue thus."

I am still in shock and deeply saddened as I write about the sudden passing of the brilliant and wonderfully esoteric yet down to earth, Rynn Berry. He collapsed while jogging on New Year's Eve in Prospect Park, NY and remained unconscious for a week in the hospital. 

He was one of the first vegans I ever met 15 or so years ago, and he was as much of an inspiration to me then as a newbie, as he is now and will continue to be. 

Years later, I had the privilege of attending a potluck at the Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society where he gave a theatrical performance of famous vegetarians in history talking about food and politics (Pythagorus, Tolstoy, Leonardo da Vinci...), and was fortunate to assist in the preparation of some simple recipes from his book, Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes. I learned so much from him that day, and it gave me the courage to live my life with purpose, dedicating myself to helping animals. I will be forever grateful to him for the experience. 

This is an unfathomable loss to the vegan community. He was truly one of those rare individuals who, simply by his presence, made the world a better place knowing he was in it. I will miss him tremendously. 

“I think it is important that people be made aware that the vegetarian movement has a venerable history behind it. It didn’t spring full-blown from the head of a flower child in the 1960′s. It really begins with Pythagoras in the West in the 6th century BC and has reasserted itself periodically ever since.” ~ Rynn Berry 

Friends and family are planning a memorial in the coming weeks.  I hope this brings all in the vegan community together and further expands veganism to an ever widening circle of compassionate friends, bringing his dream to fruition.