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A Special Day at Rancho Compasión and with Miyoko!

A Special Day at Rancho Compasión and with Miyoko!

by | Apr 25, 2024 | My Story

I’m not sure how I got so lucky on this one, but here’s what happened:

My friend and vegan compadre, Valerie visited Rancho Compasión , “an urban farmed animal sanctuary” for their Thanksliving event in November 2023. There, she and her husband, Alistair, bid on, and WON a private tour of the sanctuary PLUS a cooking class for six people with MIYOKO!

Imagine my surprise when Valerie invited me to be one of the lucky six. The truth is, I had never met Valerie in person before, nor any of her other invited friends (though three of us are humane educators and have known each other professionally).

This post is really about our time with the animals and Miyoko, but I would be remiss not to gush over how amazing Valerie and Alistair are. They are some of the best people you could ever want to know, on every level.

And as you might imagine, their friends are fabulous too.

Ok, back to the experience.  The day was finally here! After a short morning hike, we arrived at Rancho Compasión where we were greeted by Fred Astaire, the friendliest turkey I have ever met. He fluffed up his feathers and was truly a spectacle. More about Fred in a bit.

Caroline, who runs the sanctuary, (and is delightful) met us and provided a little backstory on the sanctuary. From there she gave us a tour and we met and learned about the beautiful resident sheep, goats, cows (and their bird friends), donkeys and piggies! Each animal has a unique story about how they landed at this beautiful sanctuary. (Two of the pigs, for example, are rescues from the Maui fires.) We visited the vegetable garden, then up to the chicken area where I fell in love with a Silkie chicken. 

Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire climbing stairs

If you’ve never been to a farmed animal sanctuary, I recommend finding one to visit. Spending time with the animals enables us to see them as individuals with personalities, preferences, and feelings. Truly special beings deserving of our respect. 

After the tour it was time to go up to Miyoko’s house for the cooking demonstration.

Fred, who had followed us for the majority of the tour, decided that he wanted to join us, so he came too! Have you ever watched a turkey climb a flight of indoor stairs? I had not prior to this. 

Miyoko was gracious opening her home to us. She had just returned from travel and was a little under the weather (hence the masks) but rallied so she could teach as promised.

Portions of the recipes were prepped but she gave us all jobs to do. We made multiple appetizers and a dessert, and everything was so delicious and so easy. We couldn’t believe how many dishes we prepared in just two hours. And we also pinched ourselves a couple of times that we were actually in Miyoko’s kitchen cooking with her!

Here’s what we made: 

  • Crostini topped with Olive Tapenade, Buffalo Mozzarella drizzled with vegan honey
  • Moroccan Spinach and Red Lentil Pancakes
  • Crispy Polenta with Sundried Tomato Pesto 
  • Basil and Lime Panna Cotta

Are you salivating reading this? I am salivating writing it, imagining all the incredible plant-based food we prepared and ate together. 

Miyoko demonstrating

Fred Astaire at Miyokos

We all learned tips and tricks and I can’t wait to make these dishes at home. (Bonus that we got to take home the recipes. ☺ ) And while we were prepping, she shared homemade cheese and crackers. As you might imagine, also delicious. 

Miyoko is writing a cookbook, and I can’t wait for it to be published. While we know her for her creamery endeavors, she is a phenomenal plant-based chef and I’m sure the cookbook will be fantastic. 

Just in case you were wondering, Fred stayed with us for the entire time we cooked! At one point we thought he was getting tired, but he was having too much fun and wouldn’t leave until we did. 

Thank you to everyone at Rancho Compasión, to Miyoko, my new friends, Cheryl, Staci, Heidi and Sara and especially to Valerie and Alistair for including me in this truly memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

The Food I Ate as a Kid vs. What I Eat Now.

The Food I Ate as a Kid vs. What I Eat Now.

by | Apr 15, 2024 | My Story

I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s which means there were a lot of convenience foods already on the scene. 

I ate Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Cap’n Crunch (in cows milk) and Pop Tarts on weekdays. And weekends were French Toast and pancakes, or eggs for breakfast.

If you read Pop Tarts and thought “Yum Pop Tarts”, you are not alone. I LOVED Pop Tarts and I’m sure I would still love them now. Side note, a friend just hosted a birthday lunch, and she picked up vegan homemade pop tarts. Nothing like the original, but really good.

If I took lunch to school, it was likely a sandwich- turkey, or tuna fish or peanut butter and jelly (on white bread).  I don’t remember too many of the hot lunch offerings other than Sloppy Joes or pizza, but I do remember Linden’s cookies and little boxes of milk.

Snacks after school were usually cookies or donut holes, or I was told to “eat something healthy like cheese.”

Weeknight dinners at home started with a half grapefruit or cantaloupe. (I have no idea how that tradition started.) On Monday nights my Grandparents were at the house and Grandma Alice cooked.

She was a good cook, and those meals were usually a meat (often chicken), a starch (white rice or a potato) and a salad or a steamed vegetable.

(The only veg I couldn’t stomach was lima beans. To this day it’s the only bean I won’t touch, and I love beans.)

(Note: that is neither my mother nor grandmother in the image above. But the 70’s vibe is right on.)

My mom, (also a good cook) cooked the remaining weeknights – generally a meat or fish, starch and a veg). Then on weekends we had TV Dinner or pizza when my parents went out. And on Sundays we would bring in Deli sandwiches, go out for Chinese food, or something similar.

Does any of this sound remotely familiar to you? What were your childhood meals like? 

I know I ate fruit because I remember that Delicious apples were actually good back then. (Now there are so many awesome apple varieties!) I also remember eating peaches and cherries in the summer.

We also had a beautiful farm stand just a few blocks from my house. In the summers (I grew up in New York state so it was only operational over summer), we would walk there and pick up corn and other summer veggies. I am certain I did not appreciate how special that farm stand was back then.

And I remember growing zucchini and carrots in our backyard. 

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. I know some people only grew up with meat and mashed potatoes and vegetables smothered in butter or cream sauce.

Yet now that I know how many animal products I was consuming, how much sugar (Fruit Loops!), empty calories, how much processed food (TV Dinners) etc. etc. I can see how easy it is to be addicted to certain foods.

The food industry isn’t stupid. They know what people crave and they have created foods that are appealing to the palate and addictive, yet devoid of nutrition.

When you compare my childhood (and younger adulthood) food intake with food consumed in Blue Zones you can see why western societies have lifestyle illnesses that Blue Zone societies do not. (Have you watched Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones yet? If not, I HIGHLY recommend.)

These societies are cooking and consuming real food. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and very small quantities of meat from time to time. They aren’t trying to kick a cheese addiction because they never formed one. They aren’t craving the salt and fat in TV Dinners because they cook simple, yet flavorful and nutritious meals. And they are living longer, healthier lives because of it.

While hardly pristine, my plant-based lifestyle is a lot closer to a Blue Zone lifestyle than to the 1970’s diet I grew up on. 

I can’t turn the clock back and start all over with my kids (they are young adults living in a different state).

But we can all start where we are now. Today. Making one healthy whole food plant-based choice at a time.  

If eating plant-based feels overwhelming, I get it. The foods we grew up with are so ingrained.  Please let me know if you could use a little support taking a first or next step.

My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

My New Balsamic Love Affair (it’s a little spicy)

by | Apr 2, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I love a good synchronicity. Read on to find out about my recent balsamic synchronicity! Here’s the whole story:

I used to eat oil and vinegar regularly. Often a vinaigrette on my salad. And I love steamed artichokes. Growing up I dunked them into mayo (gross), butter (also gross) and then I discovered balsamic and oil. 

However, while studying plant-based nutrition at Cornell, I learned that oil is just empty calories. We are better off getting our fats from the whole food- avocados, olives, nuts…  Yes, olive oil is better than animal fats, but if you can avoid oils, you are better off.  

When I learned this, I dramatically cut back on my oil consumption. 99% of my home cooking is now oil free. So, my oil consumption (which I attempt to minimize) is mostly from dining out. 

One of the suggestions made in the Cornell program was to try different balsamic vinegars as a salad dressing. Great idea! It’s easy and in my experience, the oil is unnecessary. 

Last year, a friend gifted me a lemon balsamic from a specialty store in California. It offers yummy flavor for salads. 

Sometimes I make interesting whole food plant-based dressings (like the spicy Thai dressing from Garden of Eydie), but I’m pretty lazy and often just use balsamic. Same for artichokes. They don’t need the oil. 

I also use a plain balsamic in a vegan Bolognese sauce. Really delicious. 

Life just got more interesting, however, when Chef AJ introduced me to California Balsamic. Their flavors are endless. Shopping on their website made me feel like a kid in a candy store. What’s great too is California Balsamic offers small bottles (like airline shampoo travel sized) so you can taste a bunch. (And they offer free samples too!)

All I want to do is eat salads now so I can try new flavors! (This is a good thing.)

Here’s the synchronicity: 

Someone recently joined our Facebook group and asked for recipes with balsamic. Other than the Bolognese, artichokes and salads, I didn’t have any.

As luck would have it, California Balsamic (which I discovered the SAME WEEK the person joined my group) has TONS of recipes on their website. I’m trying one tonight! Here’s a link to the recipes. 

I ordered a bunch of flavors and started sampling them this week. I had the jalapeno lime balsamic and it’s delicious (and a little spicy). 

Chef AJ has her favorites, and California Balsamic offers a Chef AJ sampler (which I purchased). Some flavors lend themselves best as a salad dressing and others as marinade. I will be trying many! 

Let me know if you have tried California Balsamic and if you have a favorite flavor, or a favorite recipe that uses balsamic!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

Where Compassion for Animals, Our Health and the Planet Intersect

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

In my personal and spiritual development, I’ve done some soul searching about compassion.  As a kid I had a lot of it for others. 

Somewhere along the way, I forgot to have it for myself. I’m re-learning. Definitely a work in progress. 

One tangible way I now express compassion is through the food I eat and the lifestyle I lead. When I first adopted a vegan lifestyle, I was making compassionate choices for the animals, and as it turns out, for our planet. With a little bit of education and tweaks to some of the food I eat, my food choices are now also compassionate for my body. 

The animal, health and climate trifecta positively affects the mind, body and soul trifecta. I can sleep at night knowing that, to the best of my ability, animals weren’t harmed for my consumption. And now that I practice a whole food plant-based lifestyle, my body is fueled with love, care and all the nutrients it needs. 

Here are some examples of how vegan and healthy plant-based lifestyles can be compassionate. 

Consciously choosing not to eat animals is compassionate:

  • No sacrificing animals on my behalf.  
  • Nor am I sacrificing taste as there are so many delicious plant-based options now. Plant-based food is readily found around the world.  
  • I’m certainly not sacrificing my health and there is endless proof and literature on the topic. 
  • My food habits don’t contribute to the environmental destruction caused by animal agriculture. 
  • Animal agriculture is not sustainable for the earth or her people. Choosing plant-based is sustainable. 

Consciously choosing to cook plant-based is compassionate:

  • It is compassionate to my wallet (cheaper than dining out).
  • It is compassionate to my taste buds because I get to try so many different recipes.
  • Learning to cook healthy vegan offers even more delicious options plus an introduction to new textures, flavors spices and more. 
  • Cooking has become fun and creative, which are important qualities to me.
  • I get a bit of movement while cooking. (More than ordering in from a restaurant!)
  • Cooking is the easiest way to eat healthy plant-based.
  • And cooking (and eating!) can be meditative if I allow it to be. 

Being compassionate is intrinsic to our nature. We are born that way and then life happens, and sometimes we forget. I spent a bunch of time in my life disconnected from that inherent compassionate part. I’m glad I’ve re-awakened to compassion and I’m delighted that it includes a plant-based lifestyle. 

I often explore a vision of a future when everyone relates to their inherent compassion.  Compassion for other people, compassion for the animals and the earth.  We are deeply connected to one another and all other beings. It is worth pondering. 

Now I have the great privilege of sharing cooking and eating plant-based with you and others. It’s a beautiful way of living, easier and more fun than I thought. It’s one of the most compassionate ways of expressing myself that I can think of.

If eating more plant-based has been on the backburner for a while and you’d like to get started, I’m here to help.  

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

Why I’m Not Drinking Alcohol in January

by | Jan 11, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

I used to drink a lot. I was a party girl. Big time. And a party girl, for me, included alcohol. 

I didn’t drink every day. It was mostly social. When I did drink, however, I usually drank more than necessary.

I also went through a phase when I was really into wine. My goal was to recognize at least a couple of good wines on any restaurant wine list. It was a fun hobby until I decided to cut back on my drinking. 

When I was younger, I could handle alcohol. These days, my body just can’t process it. Just one drink, and I don’t sleep well at night, and I feel lousy the next day.

I still do have an occasional drink. I just know that I’m not going to be my best the next day. Plus, I have a meditation practice, and a hangover, even a tiny one, messes up my meditation. Thus, I’m more thoughtful about when I consume alcohol.  

I’ve heard about dry January before, but I’ve never tried it. Generally, the only time I want a drink is when we go out to dinner. I do love a nice glass of wine or a celebratory cocktail. But I’m also fine choosing sparkling water. And I’m always happier in the morning when I didn’t have a drink the night before. 

I decided not to drink in January for two reasons. The first is that I’m busy teaching a class and I want a clear head. The second is to challenge myself. I figure that anyone who is used to a Standard American Diet (SAD) and trying vegan or plant-based for the month of January is challenging themselves. I’m already vegan all year long, so committing to a month without alcohol is my challenge. I don’t mind not-drinking, it’s just about being mindful.

If people new to plant-based are being more mindful about food choices, I can be more mindful about something too. Making the commitment not to drink for the month requires being mindful. That’s all. Maybe part of my meditation practice will be to pay closer attention to the green tea I sip during the day, or the herbal tea I enjoy at night. 

Kudos to those of you doing a reset by trying vegan for the month. I hope your Veganuary is going well. If you need some support, or have questions, please reach out. Our Cook-along goes through the end of the month and it’s not too late to join!