Paris Olympics Offering Plant-Based Fare

Paris Olympics Offering Plant-Based Fare

by | Jul 26, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

Well, this is exciting. I know that Europe is more forward thinking in many ways. But we don’t often associate Paris with being the epitome of healthy food. Delicious yes, but not necessarily healthy.

Yet, the 2024 Paris Olympics is setting a new standard. The Olympics start today July 26th and this is the first time plant-based foods are being offered abundantly at a major international event. Every article I read cites different figures.  (I’ve read 30% plant-based at the athlete’s village, 60% plant-based overall, and also 2x plant-based whatever that means.)

Whatever the figures are, the lowdown is that the Paris Olympics aims to be more sustainable than ever by offering a significant increase in plant-based fare. They are also emphasizing local and organic foods.

It is encouraging that major organizations like the Olympics are not only taking note of what needs to be done, but also taking action.

Here are some articles that discuss making the Paris Olympics more plant-forward.

All of this plant-based discussion also draws attention to the numerous vegan athletes (as well as spectators, volunteers, media and employees).

I suspect this endeavor will be a smashing success. Well, maybe I’m blowing fairy dust to the Olympics so that the plant-based endeavor is a smashing success. And I also hope that when it is a success, that the Los Angeles Olympics takes note ahead of the 2028 Olympics. May it all be so.

For the rest of us not in Paris being treated to climate-friendly, health-friendly compassion-friendly and likely delicious fare, (and being in person for the games), we can enjoy plant-based fare right in our own homes. Not any old plant-based fare, but home-cooked deliciousness!

Starting August 7th we are launching a new plant-based cooking class! The class will not require that you turn on your oven. Over 7 sessions via Zoom, we will cook at least 12 dishes ranging from hearty (not boring) salads, breakfasts, healthy and easy pasta dishes, a complete dinner, desserts and a bonus cheese class! (Yes, plant-based cheese which I suspect will also be served at the Olympics.) Plus, one session will be a coaching and Q and A call where we get your plant-based nutrition questions answered.

Click the green for more information and to join our class.

All of the sessions will be recorded in case you have to miss, and in case you are reading this after class has concluded, you will still be able to take the class.

Have fun cheering on your favorite team (or Olympian) to go for their gold.  And let’s watch Paris make history setting a new gold standard with plant-based fare on offer.

Featured Image: Cauliflower Alfredo from Fortune.com article, photographer Henry Sanchez

Plant-Based Roundup- A Glimpse at Possibilities

Plant-Based Roundup- A Glimpse at Possibilities

by | Jul 10, 2024 | My Story

It dawned on me that I share photos of some of the foods I eat (whether I’ve cooked them or not) on social media. But not everyone sees everything I post on social media. So, this post is a little tour of some of the foods I enjoy, (when I actually remember to take a photo. I can’t tell you how often I finish a meal and say “oops, I should have taken a photo.”). 

Here’s why I’m sharing these photos. When I first went vegan, I thought I was doomed to a life of boring salads and pasta. (I LOVE salads and pasta, but it felt so limited.) 

Alas, there is so much amazing plant-based food available to cook and eat. It just takes a little commitment and willingness to learn something new. (Learning new stuff is good!) These photos just scratch the surface of what I’ve learned to cook and what I now eat (and what I’ve shared). Cooking and eating this way is delicious, healthy, creative, compassionate and fun. This is all possible for you too. 

Enjoy the photos! (Where there are recipes available, I share how you can find them.)

A few months back I shared that I had the opportunity to take a cooking class with Miyoko. We cooked Moroccan Lentil Pancakes with her, and I was able to duplicate the recipe at home!

Remember the Bundle back in March? I discovered many new wonderful recipes. One of my favorites on dinner rotation is Falafel. For a minute I had a garden box with lettuce on it and this falafel was super special because it was atop greens from my very own tiny garden.

I now always have Healthy Raisin Walnut Oat Muffins (from Ellen’s Healthy Kitchen) on hand. They freeze well so I can make a batch and freeze what I don’t eat immediately. If you didn’t get the bundle, you can buy her ebook on her website.

In addition to the falafel that I learned to cook from the bundle, I also learned to make a Greek Buddha Bowl. (Below)

While I do cook most nights, we sometimes get takeout and love Café Gratitude in Los Angeles. I love this colorful take on a Greek salad. (Above)

And then there’s travel. When I was in Manhattan, I discovered the grain bowl below from Slate Restaurant which has multiple locations around the city.

The photo above is one of my favorite bowls. It’s from Ann and Jane Esselstyn’s cookbook Be A Plant-based Woman Warrior.

I recently shared that one of my favorite summer breakfasts is a simple bowl of berries atop plant-based yogurt with a sprinkle of granola.

We shared this plant-based eggplant parm in March, but I never shared my very homespun photo. Both my husband and I love eggplant parmesan. It did take more time than I usually spend on a weeknight dinner, but it was totally worth it and we had leftovers for two more meals.  If you would like to cook this dish, you can find the recipe at The Almond Eater’s blog.

Stay tuned here at What’s Plant-Based Cooking Good Looking? for more opportunities to learn how to cook and enjoy healthy plant-based food. 

My Plant-Based Trip to Maine

My Plant-Based Trip to Maine

by | Jun 20, 2024 | My Story

I grew up in the suburbs of New York and was fortunate to attend sleep-away camp in Maine. My experience at camp was idyllic. Camp Truda was on a lake in which we swam and went boating every day. 

We played sports (always encouraging, rarely competitive and when we did compete, it was always loving), sang songs, danced, acted, made art, had color war (also loving), went camping under the stars, went on field trips, and picked wild strawberries off the soccer field.

Diane’s second year at camp in the 70’s. 9 years old.

Most important were the people. I always felt like I belonged. 

Due to unfortunate circumstances, this idyllic camp closed after my fourth summer and my favorite childhood memories remain locked there. I’ve wanted to return to Maine for decades but it just never happened. 

There was talk about a camp reunion which didn’t materialize, yet I had my heart set on going to Maine. My cousin Susan and I have been discussing traveling together for a while. I asked if she felt like going to Maine and she immediately said “yes!”. 

My women’s group was meeting in Pennsylvania this year, and I decided to take advantage of being part way across the country (I live in California) when planning our trip. I rendezvoused with Susan in Boston, picked up delicious vegan fare from Lulu Green and off we went. 

We stopped en route (though totally out of the way) to visit my sister and niece in Vermont. My sister cooked us a wonderful dinner of vegan sushi, tofu and broccoli and scallion pancakes. Oops- I should have taken a photo. The colorful veggie sushi was beautiful.  Thank you though, Julie!

We stayed in Maine at a Bed and Breakfast called the Inn at Bath. We had a variety of meals in Maine- some meh and others wonderful. Notably, the breakfasts at the Inn were spectacular. The new owner, Kelly, goes above and beyond to deliver quality food. She asked ahead about food preferences and was more than happy to provide vegan fare for me.

Every day breakfast was three courses! Breakfast began with either a yogurt, homemade granola and fruit, or melon slices with a ginger jam.  On the first morning, she cooked me a vegan waffle (it tasted great but didn’t fluff like the non vegan one so I didn’t take a photo). The next day Kelly was off but a wonderful chef, Corinna (more about her in a minute) made me a tofu scramble. Also delicious. 

Savory Oats

Tofu Scramble with Cheese

And on the third day, Kelly served savory oats with beans, sauteed onions, mushrooms, zucchini and avocado.  The savory oats were exceptional.

Each meal ended with fruit, like the citrus, berries and lime with gorgeous edible flowers pictured. Or chocolate covered strawberries. Wow. Just wow. I had no problem finding at least one vegan option everywhere we ate (I always check ahead of time). 

We stopped in at Corinna’s restaurant, Back River Bistro in Wiscasset for a glass of wine and the kitchen was able to veganize their mushroom toast for us. (More edible flowers!) Thanks, Corinna! It’s a lovely spot and even though they don’t have vegan options on the menu, they were happy to accommodate.

Mushroom Toast

Popham Beach

Yes, we did more than just eat in Maine. Here are a few highlights: 

  • We took a boat tour to see the puffins and other sea birds! Sponsored by the Audubon society, the boat leaves from New Harbor daily. I did capture photos and video, but my phone doesn’t do the birds justice. I highly recommend the boat tour. 
  • We walked along Popham beach which is truly otherworldly. 
  • We visited the Botanical Gardens, and on our way out of town on our last day,
  • We visited a lighthouse! It’s tiny and looks like the leaning tower of Pisa in this photo. It’s upright in real life.  

All in all I loved my time in Maine and can’t wait to go back. It is beautiful and peaceful and the people I met were lovely. From my experience it is also community-minded which is refreshing. And the best part was the quality time I spent with my cousin. We had lots to catch up on and had plenty of relaxed time to do so. Plus, we created new memories. 

Susan and Me

A Healthy Mind: Another By-Product of a Plant-Based Lifestyle

A Healthy Mind: Another By-Product of a Plant-Based Lifestyle

by | May 28, 2024 | Whole Food Plant Based

Maybe it’s because I’m now “of a certain age” that my friends and I are talking about aging parents. My parents are in good health, but other people in my family are experiencing, or experienced some form of dementia. 

There is so much still unknown about dementia, but we are all familiar with some of the suggestions as to how to keep our minds sharp. This article from the National Institute on Aging cites the following:

  • Take Care of Your Physical Health
  • Manage High Blood Pressure
  • Eat Healthy Foods
  • Be Physically Active
  • Keep Your Mind Active
  • Stay Connected with Social Activities
  • Manage Stress
  • Reduce Risks to Cognitive Health

Take Care of your Physical Health is broad and the following three: Manage Blood Pressure, Eat Healthy Foods and Be Physically Active all fall under that umbrella. 

If you are living a healthy plant-based lifestyle, most of the elements listed fall into place naturally. (Think Blue Zones. If you have not yet watched the series, I recommend.) Before I knew about the benefit of a plant-based diet on the brain, I was only familiar with “Keep Your Mind Active.” 

My husband does a crossword puzzle (and plays other word games) daily, he learned to surf and play the bass guitar in his 40’s. I am studying Spanish (Again? Still?), learning about healthy plant-based eating and am cooking new plant-based recipes all the time. I think the newness of learning new cooking skills keeps my mind active. (I recently cooked the plant-based Greek-style bowl in the photo above for the first time. The combinations of the ingredients and condiments were novel to me. Not difficult, but it did require a little extra mental effort since I had no idea how it would turn out. Oh…it turned out delicious!) 

This foray into a new genre of cooking is a good segue back to the Eat Healthy Foods suggestions. We mostly think of eating plant-based as healthy for our heart, diabetes, cancer, weight loss and the like. Lesser discussed are the benefits of eating healthy plant-based for our brains. 

Neurologists Dr. Ayesha Sherzai and Dean Sherzai, co-directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center “have dedicated their lives to scientific breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s prevention and care. What have they discovered? Alzheimer’s prevention starts with a 30-day commitment to delicious food that feeds your amazing brain.”

Their book, The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution begins with an overview of why a plant-based lifestyle is key, how it benefits our minds and the rest of the book is a food plan and recipes. I have made a few of the recipes in the book and they are great.

Of course, when you eat and live this way for your mind, the rest of your body benefits too. And, we can’t forget how a plant-based diet also benefits the climate and of course the animals. The wins keep stacking up in favor of plant-based. 

Here’s the double whammy, if plant-based cooking is new for you, not only do you get the benefit of the healthy food, but also of the benefit of keeping your mind active as you learn new skills.

The skills I’m talking about are simple and fun and can easily be learned.

If you have a friend or family member who is showing symptoms of cognitive decline, or if you are concerned about your brain health, it’s not too late to address the issues.

Cooking plant-based is bursting with so many benefits, and brain health is just one. Grab a copy of Drs. Sherzai’s book and reach out to me if you need help with getting started and cooking healthy plant-based.

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.