Pat McCauley, founder of the vegan podcast Eat Green Make Green, recently interviewed me about growing up vegetarian, coexisting with an omnivore husband, transitioning to a full vegan diet, and some of the challenges that arise while traveling. 

I offer some advice about what you can do to take the next steps towards a healthier, cleaner, and more compassionate lifestyle. Please have a listen to episode 15 of Pat's podcast. 

Thank you Pat for reaching out and conducting such an amazing interview! I hope that anyone listening will find our conversation equally as energizing. 

Have a beautiful day!

Mark Bittman, a former New York Times columnist and defender of sustainable food systems wrote a poignant op-ed in The New York Times May 21 about animal factory farming. 

In the article he recommends that the World Health Organization, who will select a new director general, tackle factory farming, a major threat to our health and environment. 

It's a short read, but here are a few notable factoids that stuck out: 

• Factory farming operations generate more green house gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined. 
• Meat eaters are responsible for twice the greenhouse gas emissions of people on plant-based diets.
• In 2015 over half a million deaths were linked to diets high in processed and red meats. 
• Superbugs are used among confined animals in factory farms. Humans unwittingly consume low doses of antibiotics from the meat they eat. As bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, many may be powerless against pneumonia or urinary tract infections. ​

I recently joined a Boston-based professional networking group called The Vegan Mindset.

We are a community of professionals advocating the benefits of a plant-based diet and holistic vegan lifestyle. We had our first initial group launch in March hosted by Alexis Fox of Lighter.  And last night we met at The Paint Bar's Newton location. Owner Jill Kerner Schon graciously hosted so that we were able not only to have a Vegan Potluck dinner in her studio but also have a night of fun painting! 

There were about 15 of us who came out last night to join in the festivities. It was a great networking experience and a different way to interact with a group of professionals outside of the regular happy hour. 

The Vegan Mindset is just getting off the ground and we are open to suggestions, event ideas, volunteer ideas, and other comments. If you are in the Boston area and interested in joining, check us out on LinkedIn, Twitter & Slack. A Facebook page is forthcoming. We are a welcoming group and there is always tasty vegetarian & vegan food!

Tomorrow, February 23 is an exciting day for Boston Vegans. By Chloe, the NYC-based vegan fast food restaurant, is finally opening in the Seaport district of Boston. 

It was initially reported in the summer of 2016 that By Chloe would open a location in the Seaport but opening day was pushed back several months.

Boston Magazine, Eater Boston, and Boston.com all got a sneak peak  of the menu before the big day.  This will  the largest locations of the rapidly growing plant-based fast food chain. There are nine locations in NYC, LA, and now Boston. 

This will be By Chloe's first Boston location with another location set to open in Fenway. I can't wait to provide a review of the food, staff, and decor. I'll try to contain myself and not order everything off of the menu at once. 

Every time I've been in NYC for work I've attempted to sneak over to By Chloe but it's always just a bit too far out of the way. So if it's as good as everyone says it is, tomorrow will be like a dream come true. Now if only Blossom would expand out of NYC, I'd be a real happy camper. 

Separately, at the end of March, Boston will be host to the annual Ivy League Vegan conference at Harvard University. I've never attended, but this year's speaker lineup and agenda is fabulous. Let's be honest, we all want to meet Allen Campbell, Tom Brady's personal chef.

The conference is open to the general public and will focus on "plant-based diets and bioethics featuring renowned leaders from across the disciplines." I'd love to hear from you if you attended previous conferences or if you plan to attend this year. It would be great to link up during the conference. 

At the very least, let me know what you think of By Chloe! 

Will you be my Valentine?

Whether you have a Valentine or you are solo, I hope your day is beautiful and filled with love. 

Couldn't resist sharing this double layer vegan chocolate cake I baked last night. (Recipe courtesy of Minimalist Baker.) It came out just perfect. Love it when that happens, particularly when I'm baking. I'm very much a novice baker so when something rises properly in the oven, I'm happy like a kid in a candy store.

I baked this cake to celebrate my sister-in-laws birthday but also to celebrate my one year Vegan anniversary! It was one year ago today that my husband and I had the most amazing Valentine's Day brunch at Fresh in Toronto and I made a commitment after 25 years as a vegetarian to take the plunge and adopt a 100 percent plant-based diet. 

I've had so much fun over the past year learning about new foods, cooking new vegan recipes, and transitioning into a healthier, more sustainable focused individual. Along the way I earned my plant-based nutrition certificate from Cornell University. That was a fabulous learning experience and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it. 

Instagram has consistently been a wonderful source of inspiration.

Admittedly, I cheated two or three times over the course of the year and ate pizza with real cheese and organic Greek yogurt (following a gum surgery). But I never really missed cheese and other dairy products. 

At times it is challenging, particularly while traveling, but I learned quickly and now travel with more dried fruits, nuts, and granola bars in my purse. Overall I'm so proud of the decision I made one year ago today. Overall I have more energy. I've maintained my weight. And my carbon footprint is lower and fewer animals suffer because of my decision.

I encourage you to eat more fruits and vegetables. It will change your life. 

Happy February! We survived the January blues and now have Valentine's Day or one of America's best Hallmark holidays to look forward to. Let's be honest, if you are in a relationship or just started seeing someone, February 14 is definitely on your mind. 

Did you make a dinner reservation yet? For those of you in the Boston area, True Bistro has a 100% plant-based mouth watering prefix menu option. 

Have you picked out a gift or will you get your main squeeze the traditional roses and chocolate? 

Maybe you plan to skip the lines and overpriced prefix menus and make a romantic dinner at home instead. 

Whatever you decide, if you are Vegan or you are in a relationship with a Vegan, you don't want to be scrambling to figure out exactly what to buy or make. Hershey's Chocolate, Cadbury, and Ghiradelli don't offer (that I know of) Vegan products yet. 

Here are five Vegan Valentine's Day sweet ideas to consider: 

• No Whey Foods! offers a variety of traditional boxed chocolates but all Vegan! 
• Vegan Divas on the Upper East Side in NYC provide satisfying red velvet cakes and cupcakes to order or for delivery in the city. 
• PETA has a great round up of 14 candies all free from dairy products and gelatin. 
• The Natural Candy Store sells lollipops, mints, hard candy, and a few Vegan chocolates. 
• Of course Amazon has you covered with more than 500 Vegan chocolate box ideas! You're bound to find one or two that are suitable! 

And for the more creative folks, here are five of the best Vegan meals & desserts to make at home that will wow your partner: 

• Want to make your night a sizzling one? Try these Spinach and Hominy Enchiladas with Spicy Cashew Cream from Serious Eats.
• Oh She Glows has you covered in the sweets department. Vegan chocolate cupcakes with salted buttercream anyone? Mmmm. 
• Vegan Butter company Earth Balance suggests a handful of appetizers, main courses, and desserts to create the perfect romantic dinner. 
• Allrecipes culled through their best Vegan and Vegetarian dinner recipes for you and your sweetie. 
• I'll take at least one lava cake and one mint chocolate fudge pie please. Mmm. 

Now that you have a few Vegan sweets and dinner ideas to ponder, don't forget to write a handwritten love note to woo your sweetheart. 

Happy Friday! 

Wow, this was a long week, how about for anyone else? I got sick (again), hibernated most days, and generally felt like a recluse! Maybe that's how most Januarys go when you live in New England. 

Anyways, to bring some sunshine into my days I've been fiddling around in the kitchen and came up with this sweet but not too sweet muffin. I love crunchy peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate (well, who doesn't?). So I figured, why not combine all three and see what happens? 

It was beautiful what happened. You need to make this recipe stat. It's very simple and won't consume much of your time. Best of all? There are no oils or vegan butters, so you can enjoy them with half the guilt!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose organic Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 large organic Bananas, mashed
1/3 cup organic Cane Sugar 
1/4 cup organic Agave
​2 Neat Eggs 
1/4 cup organic Applesauce 
1/3 cup organic crunchy Peanut Butter at room temperature (I prefer Teddie Natural Peanut Butter) 
1/4 cup organic Vanilla Almond Milk (Almond Breeze works great)
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/3 cup Enjoy Life Mega Chocolate Chunks & more for topping 


Instructions: ​

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a 12 pan muffin tin with baking cups or spray with a nonstick coconut spray.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt). Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, cane sugar, Agave, Neat eggs, and applesauce. Mix until well combined. Slowly add in the peanut butter, almond milk, and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the chocolate chunks.
4. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way to the top. Top with additional chocolate chunks.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
6. Enjoy! 

When I say "Tofu" to any non-Vegan or non-Vegetarian the most common reaction is usually a contorted face or "Oh, I hate that." And they really aren't that far off base. A plain, uncooked block of Tofu is disgusting. In fact, it's downright inedible. 

But when you mix some spices with creativity, you can transform an ugly, tasteless block of soybeans into something magnificent! In this case, you can make a delicious, easy Vegan appetizer in under 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) block of Organic Extra Firm Tofu
2.5 Tablespoons Crunchy Organic Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
5 Tablespoons Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger Powder
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Sesame Oil 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 

2. Remove the Tofu from the packaging and drain. Press the Tofu on a cutting board until completely dry using paper towels. Cut the Tofu into thick cubes.

3. Place the Tofu cubes onto a nonstick cookie sheet in a single layer.

4. Bake the Tofu cubes for 25 minutes, flipping half way through to ensure they are crispy on all sides. While the Tofu is baking, mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a medium size bowl. 

5. If the sauce is too thin, add flour, one tablespoon at a time. 

6. Remove the Tofu from the oven after 25 minutes and allow to cool on a baking cooling rack. Once cool, place the Tofu cubes in a bowl and pour sauce over them. Allow to marinate for about 10 minutes. If you are using a bowl that is oven safe, I'd recommend throwing the Tofu back in the oven for a few minutes to heat up before serving. 

It was truly a special moment when I walked down the street in Key West and came across a little more than a half dozen newborn baby chicks with their mother.

If this doesn't make you go Vegan, I don't know what will. I challenge you to at least go meat free on Mondays. Check out Sir Paul McCartney's dedicated Meat Free Monday website for more information. One day a week, really can make a world of difference.