VEGWORLD 70 - The Summer Issue

ISSUE 70 | SUMMER 2022

THE

summer ISSUE How to 'Glamp' in Style This Summer

Destination Spotlight: Vegan in Hawaii

Vegan SPF Products to Protect Your Skin

c o n t e n t s

LIFESTYLE

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Editor's Note

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The Gentle Barn

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Glamping with Style

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Business Spotlight: Dear Bella Creamery

28 VEGWORLD's Top Picks 32

Sun’s Out! Vegan SPF Products

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Destination Spotlight: Vegan in Hawaii

40 The Grassroots Movement Behind the Mayor

FOOD

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Playing with Her Food: A Chat with Cathy Katin-Grazzini

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Caribbean Curried Jack

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Aloo Gobi Burger

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Vegan Peanut Ramen Soup

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Orzo with Basil and Veggies

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Arepas

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Mississippi Vegan’s Fried Caper Panzanella Salad

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Cinnamon Applesauce Donuts

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Summer Feast with BBQ Skewers

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Ital Curried Button 'Shrooms

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French Toast Casserole

Features 22 How to 'Glamp' in Style This Summer

36 Destination Spotlight:

Vegan in Hawaii

32 Vegan SPF Products to Protect Your Skin

Contributors

RACHEL AMA Rachel Ama launched her YouTube channel in 2017, amassing a legion of followers who are all hungry for her simple, affordable, and delicious vegan recipes and recommendations (and her dance moves).

Rachel knows the London vegan scene inside-out, but she also looks abroad for flavor inspiration, and to both her Caribbean and African roots.

rachelama.com

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rachelama

amazon.com/One-Pot-Vibrant-Versatile-Recipes

VICKI BRETT-GACH Vicki Brett-Gach is a Certified Personal Chef, Master-Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Culinary Instructor, and author of "The Plant-Based for Life Cookbook: Deliciously Simple Recipes to Nourish, Comfort, Energize and Renew”. She is a graduate of Dr. McDougall’s Starch Solution Certification program and is Forks Over Knives Plant-Based Certified.

Vicki holds certificates in Plant-Based Nutrition, Culinary Health Coaching, and in Wellness Counseling, and is trained in Nutrition for a Healthy Heart, as well as Dietary Therapy for Reversing Common Diseases. She teaches whole food plant-based cooking classes to individual clients and groups of all sizes, and as a coach, works with people across the nation - often helping them reverse their chronic health challenges, one delicious meal at a time. Connect with Vicki through her Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen blog at AnnArborVeganKitchen.com.

AnnArborVeganKitchen.com

AnnArborVeganKitchen

The Plant-Based for Life Cookbook

a2vegankitchen

TERRI EDWARDS

Terri's blog, EatPlant-Based, is an oasis for those seeking wellness and restored health through scientifically-proven plant-based nutrition. It offers healthy plant-based recipes, success stories, and the latest information on nutritional scientific research.

EatPlant-Based.com

EatPlantBased

twitter/eatplantbased

EatPlantBased

pinterest/EatPlantBased

ALEJANDRA GRAF Alejandra Graf is a Mexican food lover and wellness pusher that follows a plant-based diet. She has a degree in Art History and a Professional Certification as a Plant-based Cook. She has also become the voice behind Piloncillo y Vainilla (Brown Sugar & Vanilla), a bilingual blog about her experiences. She lives in Houston, Tx., with her husband and three kids.

Piloncilloyvainilla.com

piloncilloyvainilla

Contributors

Terri Edwards is the blogger behind EatPlantBased and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. After recovering from medical issues by switching to a plant-based lifestyle back in 2013, Terri took on a personal mission to promote the power of food for restored health and see lives changed, just like hers was.

Contributors

TROY LEVY Troy Levy, a Rastafarian chef, born in Kingston Jamaica, is on a mission to show the world the necessity of Ital cooking. Ital, the diet of the Rastafari movement of Jamaica, uses foods that are natural, organic and from the earth, and excludes processed foods, meat, and processed sugar.

Both spiritual and healthy, as the Rasta say, “Ital is vital.”

Chef Troy founded Chef Troy’s Table, a private chef and catering company, featuring Ital cooking with fresh organic ingredients and taste of the islands. He has appeared on The Food Network’s hit show Cooks Vs Cons, Fox5’s Good Day New York, CIN TV’s Come Chat with Mi, and has been guest Celebrity Chef at the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival in NYC for two years. He’s been featured in such magazines and outlets as Wine Spectator, Viva La Comida, Clinton Lindsay, Island and Spice, The Jamaica Observer, The Jamaica Star, and Island Origins Magazine.

cheftroystable.com TroyLevy

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linkedin/troy-levy

COURTNEY MCCULLUGH Courtney is a passionate vegan who brings a love for journalism, creativity, helping local businesses, and animals together with compassion. She aims to create content that makes a difference. Through colorful, wellresearched, and unique content, she aims to always educate and inspire her audience. With her social media agency, Sprinkles Creative, she also assists businesses with their branding strategy. She enjoys traveling the world to write for VEGWORLD Magazine, an international vegan lifestyle publication, promoting plant-based stories about vegan products, services, and individuals from all walks of life.

CATHY MCLELLAN

veganonthego.net

veganonthego

TIMOTHY PAKRON Timothy Pakron is a passionate cook, artist, photographer, and creator of the popular blog Mississippi Vegan. Before devoting himself to the culinary arts, he spent time as a fine artist in Charleston, South Carolina, and New York City. While living in NYC, he created the concept of Mississippi Vegan, merging his past and his present while celebrating kindness to animals through delicious food. His cookbook was released in the fall of 2018 with Avery. Pakron currently lives and works in New Orleans. mississippivegan.com

mississippivegan

Contributors

Cathy McLellan, Rouxbe Plant-Based Certified Chef, Professional Coach and Vegan Recipe Designer. Creator of veganonthego.net, an online resource for established and emerging vegans, my mission – to encourage a plantbased lifestyle through food that is accessible, delicious and healthy. One meal at a time. Other passions include: my home and family, the outdoors, gardening and travel.

Contributors

LIANNA LEVINE REISNER Lianna Levine Reisner is a co-founder of Plant Powered Metro New York and has the dual role of President and Network Director. She has had the privilege to serve on Mayor Adams' Food Policy Transition Committee. Lianna holds a Master's degree from Case Western Reserve University in Positive Organization Development and Change and a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. She lives with her husband and three children in Manhattan.

plantpoweredmetrony.org

PlantPoweredMetroNY

PlantPoweredMetroNY

PlantPoweredMNY

twitter/PlantPoweredMNY

SHRIYA SWAMINATHAN Shriya is an animal rights warrior in training at PETA’s Laboratory Investigations Department. She is also a certified Vegan Hospitality Consultant and founder of Nourish by Shriya- her new consulting service that helps restaurants attract vegan clients. A proud travel foodie, she enjoys exploring local vegan cuisines! In her free time, you can find her hanging out with the residents at the Gentle Barn Sanctuary, while educating folks about the abundance of a vegan lifestyle. Her precious companion pooch Halley joins her activism on the #adoptdontshop message!

Del Sroufe's passion for cooking began at eight years old and never faded. In 1989 he went to work for one of Columbus’ premier vegetarian restaurants, the King Avenue Coffeehouse, where he honed his craft as a baker and chef. Sroufe opened Del’s Bread, a vegan bakery, before beginning vegan meal delivery service in 2001, serving eclectic plant-based cuisine to Columbus residents. During this time, he developed what became a very popular cooking class series, sharing many of the delicious recipes he had created over the years.

In 2006, Sroufe joined Wellness Forum Foods as co-owner and chef, where he continued the tradition of delivering great tasting, plant-based meals to clients in Columbus as well as throughout the continental U.S. Sroufe also joined The Wellness Forum as a member where, after a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, he has lost over 200 pounds on a low fat, plant-based diet. He continues to teach cooking classes at local venues like Whole Foods, Community Recreation Centers, and The Wellness Forum. Sroufe is the author of Better Than Vegan, The China Study: Quick & Easy Cookbook, The China Study Family Cookbook, and Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, a vegan cookbook companion to the acclaimed documentary Forks Over Knives.

chefdelsroufe.com

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ChefDelSroufe

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Contributors

DEL SROUFE

M E E T

O U R

T E A M

the

dream team

V e g W o r l d M a g a z i n e i s pa s s i o n at e a b o u t s tay i n g a h e a d o f t h e r a p i d ly g r o w i n g t r e n d o f p l a n t- b a s e d / v e g a n . B e c a u s e o f t h i s p a s s i o n , w e h a v e c r e a t e d a c o m m u n i t y o f r e a d e r s w h o s e l o y a lt y is second to none.

Photo by product-school-unsplash

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Food Editor

ALORA MIDDLETON HALE

CATHY KATIN-GRAZZINI

ANOKI CASEY

Cathy Katin-Grazzini, Food Editor at VEGWORLD Magazine, is a plant-based personal chef, nutritional coach, cooking instructor, and owner of Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC. Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell, Cathy is also a graduate of Rouxbe Cooking School’s Professional Plant-Based Program. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago, attended graduate school at Harvard University and received a M.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

Cathy lives with her husband Giordano in Ridgefield, Connecticut. When she’s not inventing and fermenting, she loves to run, hike, and adventure travel atop their trusty Ducati.

Cathy's cookbook Love the Food that Love You Back is available now from Rizzoli International Press.

Anoki Casey is an Art Director, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Animator, and Online Media Maker, specializing in identity, outreach, and marketing creation for community-focused nonprofits and groups. A vegan for over 20 years, Anoki has been focusing his professional career to more align with his personal passions, with vegan living and animal justice taking center.

Alora Middleton Hale (she/her)

is a former educator turned socially conscious social media manager and the Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of VEGWORLD Magazine. Like so many others, Alora’s compassion for all living beings began as a child.

Vegetarian from the age six, she has been vegan now for six years and strives to bring her passion for spreading the joys of living a compassionate lifestyle to all she does. Alora lives in Southern California with her husband and enjoys the arts, vintage fashion, travel, and eating nachos with extra guac. alora.naturally

Art Director

He has a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Rutgers University and lives meditatively in sunny San Diego, California. anoki.net

cathyskitchenprescription.com cathyskitchenprescription

the the

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E D I T O R ’ S

Note

Hello, VEGWORLD readers!

As we welcome summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are excited to bring you our Summer Issue.

In this issue, you’ll find tips on how to ‘glamp’ in style this summer, travel with us to a vegan hotel in Hawaii, and learn about some of our current favorite vegan products, including our top SPF picks to keep your skin protected while enjoying all your summer adventures. We chat with the founders of Dear Bella Creamery, the founder of The Gentle Barn, and our very own Food Editor, Cathy Katin-Grazzini. We’ve also included a selection of delicious recipes for you, like Rachel Ama’s Caribbean Curried Jack, Del Sroufe's French Toast Casserole, and more!

VEGWORLD

We hope you enjoy this edition of VEGWORLD Magazine. Thank you for reading and for your continued support as we strive to share the joys of living a vegan lifestyle.

Have fun, stay safe, and wear your sunscreen!

With compassion, Alora Middleton Hale alora.naturally

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LIFESTYLE

Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash

THE GENTLE BARN A Haven fo r Compassion , Resilience, Kindness , and Courage

by Shriya Swaminathan As a bright young girl, Ellie Laks knew the importance of celebrating the natural world. From the gentle giants on acres of pasture lands to curious critters in the fields, Ellie remained unwavering in her profound amazement at our fellow species. This passion soon evolved into her calling—to champion compassion for all living creatures on our beautiful planet. What better space to spread the message of kindness than at a sanctuary for animals where residents live their lives in peace and dignity? She founded The Gentle Barn to do just that, and in this heartwarming interview with VEGWORLD, Ellie inspires us all to reevaluate society’s depiction of what it means to love animals.

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Photos by The Gentle Barn

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VW: Starting at the very beginning, do you recall your first deep connection with an animal?

EL: In my book, My Gentle Barn : Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope, I write about my earliest memories of bonding with animals. I remember sneaking out the back door of my synagogue to the field behind, where I was much more content to play and explore than sit still and quiet inside. The field must have been on the migration path of the monarch butterfly because, in a few minutes, I was covered from head to toe in monarchs. My instinct was to hold still and quiet…..I had become an invited guest in their vibrant dance. I will forever remember the feeling of being part of them and vowing that I would do anything

EL: I found Mary the goat in an abusive petting zoo; she asked for help, and she set me on my path to healing and saving animals, bringing them home to my halfacre backyard for sanctuary. Mary reminded me of my purpose and childhood dream of starting The Gentle Barn.

VW: It wasn’t that long before you opened two more properties! What fueled that decision, and do you have plans on growing to a nationwide sanctuary initiative?

to protect and love them. Those monarchs planted the

EL: When we heard about a cow who was missing a foot

first seeds of my obsession and passion for animals and

and going to slaughter, we saved him, healed him at the

nature. My childhood best friend, my dog Simon, was

UT Knoxville animal hospital, and opened a Gentle Barn

also a vital inspiration for me. I deeply believe that he

for him in Tennessee. Folks may have heard of the tre-

would have done anything for me, and I know I would

mendous bravery of six cows who escaped a slaugh-

have done anything for him.

terhouse in Missouri and ran for their lives. Though

VW: Since its inception, the Gentle Barn has been a happy haven to many wonderful residents! Can you tell us about the very first resident who found their home at the Gentle Barn?

The Summer Issue

they were captured to be sent back to the slaughterhouse, the public outcry advocating for their release was enormous! The slaughterhouse owner said a sanctuary could come and get them. No one came forward, so we decided to open a Gentle Barn in Missouri for

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their emotional and physical healing with acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic, energy healing, and nutritional supplements like Sun Chlorella, Jill and Joan CBD, and Puremedy healing salve. Feeling better physically, being fed on time each day, seeing our love for the other animals, and giving them as much time as they need, help them learn to trust us and see that people can be good and the world can be kind.

VW: Among the many stories of resilience and learning to love and trust humans, if you had to pick just one, whose story of healing impacted you the most?

EL: We have so many remarkable stories, but I think the story of the St. Louis Six in Missouri stands out because they were literally inside a slaughterhouse and chose to live. Once At The Gentle Barn, they went through a long recovery process to learn to forgive the past and trust us. Eventually, they let their pasts go and not only trusted us, but now allow people to brush, pet, and cuddle them, and even host cow hug therapy sessions where they are now healing humans!

VW: Through the years, you’ve worked with these remarkable beings who have come through unthinkable hardships.

Given that, how have your views on our relationship with animals changed?

them, where the St. Louis Six currently reside. These animals not only created our second and third locations, but their stories reached millions of people and opened mil-

EL: I think animals are the most resilient and remarkable creatures, and I am deeply honored to know them.

Animals have always been my best teachers, healers, and friends. I have always loved them, but they have all shown me that we are all the same, though we look different. They are far more intelligent, intuitive, and wise than most realize. They have shown me that we are alike in every way that truly matters, with the same ability for happiness, sadness, fear, love, and the desire to live a life free from harm. Over the last 23 years at The Gentle Barn, it has become crystal clear that animals have the same capacity to love, the same want for friendship and love, and the same desire to raise their babies. They enjoy and hold dear the same things we do.

lions of hearts to compassion and veganism. We have plans to start a Gentle Barn in New York next, so stay tuned for updates on that!

VW: Can you walk us through the different approaches The Gentle Barn takes to help their residents heal from their trauma and learn to trust our species?

EL: Each animal, upon arrival, is quarantined for thirty days until we know they are healthy. During that time, we sing to them, read out loud to them, meditate with them, and do any healing that we need to allow them to settle in, get used to us, and feel safe. Once they are done with quarantine, we partner them with other animals and continue

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VW: What kinds of programs does Gentle Barn offer so members of the public can learn, grow, and connect with the “personhood” of the residents?

Gentle Barn except live their very best lives. But what I find is that the animals want to help heal others. The cows are not taught to give out hugs, they want to, and they bring profound hope to people. The turkeys are not trained to cuddle, they choose to, and they bring people to tears. Once the animal is healed, they either choose on their own to give love to people, or they don’t, and either way is ok with us.

EL: The Gentle Barn is open to the public on Sundays, so people can hug the cows, cuddle the turkeys, hold the chickens, give the pigs tummy rubs, and hear the animals’ stories of resilience. During the week, we host private tours, school field trips, and cow hug therapy sessions where people can learn, heal, and find hope.

If anyone says that we are using animals for something, I will say they are right. We are working alongside our animal ambassadors to share their stories and create interactions that open hearts and change minds about animals and how we treat them in our society. But I would also say that I believe that the animals are as upset about the state of the world as we are, and the

VW: Why was it important to you to offer programs for children and those less fortunate or privileged than others? Do you ever face criticism that you are still “using animals”? If so, how do you respond to that?

animals are just as passionate about this cause as we are. Just as I am destined to do this work, I believe that each one of our animal ambassadors is called to The Gentle Barn for a reason. Some are called to transition in our arms with dignity, some are brought here to heal and be set free, and others are called here to be ambassadors and change the hearts of humanity alongside us.

EL: The Gentle Barn is not about healing animals versus humans, it is about a circle of healing where we are all connected, and we are healing each other. We save animals, heal them, and if and when they are ready, we partner with them to heal people. In turn, the people are kinder to animals. The animals are never expected to do anything at The

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animals’ lives, but more importantly, they are telling their stories, raising awareness within the community, and offering people the unique personal, intimate interaction, rooted in respect and kindness, that changes a person forever.

VW: What has the feedback from guests been like? Especially regarding their views on animals used in various exploitative industries for human consumption.

EL: At The Gentle Barn, we meet people where they are at, have great compassion for them, and share our message very gently. This approach helps our guests be less defensive and more open. It also helps The

And if they are saying that the animals are not choosing to do this work, they clearly have never been to The Gentle Barn, where the love and dedication between human and animal is palpable!

VW: That was so beautifully said! Going off of that, do you feel these experiences with the animal ambassadors can change the way society connects with animals and vice versa?

EL: Yes! We have a huge rate of helping guests evolve to veganism. People can learn all about the environment, animals, and their own health, but the minute they can look into the eyes of the animals at The Gentle Barn, hug, hold, and interact with them, and have that personal heart connection with them. That’s when it all makes sense, and they are called towards a greater empathy.

Gentle Barn seem more inclusive, inviting, and safe for everyone. This, in turn, helps The Gentle Barn be a beloved steward for animals in the community. In fact, we get about 1,000 people visiting each week, spanning all 3 locations!

VW: We’d love to hear your perspective on the efficacy of sanctuaries in the animal advocacy movement.

VW: How do you distinguish yourselves in the eye of the public as not offering a “petting zoo” experience?

EL: Sanctuaries play a vital part in the animal advocacy movement—not only because they are saving the

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place in society? What would a world of this harmonious existence look like to you?

EL: We invite people to interact with animals respectfully. They may hug the cows, cuddle the turkeys, hold the chickens, and pet the sheep and goats while learning about the animals’ stories of resilience in a way they have never had before. We don’t mind if people come in expecting a petting zoo experience because once they are here, they get to hear the animals’ stories, fall in love with them, eat a delicious vegan meal, and have their hearts opened wide. They are also told that an animal might not want to be pet or held and emphasize the importance of respecting their boundaries. They organically see that, unlike the petting zoo experience, everything we do is about the animals, and they always come first! Every animal resident has a docent who ensures that the resident is approached on their terms. Guests learn about body language, how the animals communicate, and that animals are not here to serve us. Rather, they are here to live their own best lives, and it is our job to respect and honor their wishes.

EL: Yes, in the perfect peaceful world that we are working so hard to create, there will still be sanctuaries hopefully in every town because that is where animals who were formerly farmed will live. These sanctuaries will replace factory farms and private working farms.

But instead of eating, wearing, and enslaving them, people of this new world will have reverence for all animals and will come regularly to sanctuaries to honor, celebrate and love animals.

VW: We adore the mission and important work you and the Gentle Barn family do.

How can our followers support your ventures?

EL: We need help doing the very wonderful work that we are doing. If you can, we would appreciate donations of any amount on our website. Many of our patrons sponsor care for our beloved residents as well. You can also follow us on all social media platforms @thegentlebarn, and of course, visit a Gentle Barn nearest to you!

VW: Thinking ahead into the future where we learn to coexist in peace with our fellow creatures and critters, do you think farmed animal rescues will still have their

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Glamping with Style

by Chef Cathy McLellan Photos by: Cathy McLellon

Do you love camping? Would you like to up your camping game? I thought so - hey, great minds think alike. Days of endless hot dogs and marshmallows are over; glamping with style is the new and cool way to go.

I love everything about camping - the trees, the water, the quiet time, the outdoors, the leisurely walks, beaches, campfires, games, swimming, snorkeling, and paddling, to name a few wonderful things about camping.

Did I mention the food? Oh yeah, the delicious, easy to make, healthy (mostly) delightful plant-based dishes (that's what we spend most of the time doing!). I love it all. Each trip is unique; the location, the vibe, access to water, extra services or off the grid – always different and yet somehow the same.

Sitting in the forest, breathing in the fresh air, bathing in the sunlight, and eating great food is probably one of the most relaxing things to do. Why not eat healthily and have beautiful, high-energy food while you soak up nature – it's good for the body and the soul. I choose plant-based ingredients; they're healthy and much easier to store!

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Sound complicated or like too much work? Not to worry; with a few tips and some yummy food ideas, you too can be some of the coolest campers around. Everyone will want to come to your site for some yummy eats. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Ok, let's get busy and make your next camping trip your best camping trip ever.

Five Tips to Glamping Success Plan, Plan, Plan Planning is the key to most success. Yes, you can wing it, and it can be fun to be spontaneous, but I find overall, if I want to truly relax on my camping trip, planning will be involved.

The more prep and planning I do, the more time I have for swimming, kayaking, and doing nothing - all my favorite stuff. Plus, the mealtimes are super relaxed, needing only to do a few things instead of a lot to create a delicious meal.

Where do you start? The first thing to decide is where you are going, for how long, and what resources you will have access to (power, water, fire). There's no point in planning everything around the campfire only to find out that outdoor cooking and fires are prohibited.

Once I know the basics, I will think about how many meals we will eat overall for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Then I create a general menu to start thinking about what I will need to take, buy, and prep ahead of time.

Prep, Prep, Prep I will prep as much as I can for my menu and repackage all my condiments and extras like peanut butter into smaller containers with the amount we will need; this is a huge space saver.

I make a couple of full meals like lasagna, lentil loaf, kofta balls, falafels, or Shepard's pie ahead of time and then freeze them; they are super easy to heat up. I throw together a side salad with the Shepard's pie: add some hearty bread, and you've got a beautiful meal in minutes. Frozen prepped foods can also be part of your strategy for keeping your cold food cold until you want to eat it.

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Sauces are the key to a great dish with more complex flavors. I prepare several sauces that will take our meals from ordinary to extraordinary. Usually, I make my marinades, BBQ sauce, curry sauce, cheese sauce, and gravies, to name a few. Prepping makes less work when I am glamping and less ingredients to take or forget to take.

For desserts, I bring lots of seasonal fresh fruit. BBQ pineapple is delicious, and I always make a homemade pie. If you have access to ice cream, that just takes your pie right over the top!

Plan to use Leftovers We usually have leftovers from our dinners, and I always plan to use those in the morning for breakfast (I love leftovers for breakfast). Leftovers will also make a great lunch or an addition to a soup or salad we might be having. If it's tofu, you know I am having an amazing tofu sandwich the next day for sure. Sometimes I will repurpose the leftovers, and sometimes they are just good as is.

It's all part of my food plan.

Eat Seasonal and Local Seasonal shopping is a must for your glamping experience. Source out the freshest veggies, herbs, and spices to add color, texture, nutrition, and flavor to your meals. I rob my garden just before we head out of beets, carrots, potatoes, chard, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, and lots of fresh spices.

Wash everything up, store in between paper towels, and cover to keep the insects away. Organic is the best. You know you are eating food that is nourishing your body and giving you energy for all the fun you are having.

Plating, Plating, Plating What really takes your food over the top is plating. Take two to three minutes extra to plate your food in a pleasing way by adding color and texture, and garnish to finish. We eat with our eyes first.

Bring a couple of pretty plates that are fun to use to add a bit of sparkle to your table. Treat yourself like you would your best friend. You deserve it.

Get out there, live, enjoy, feast, have fun, and glamp your way through the summer and into total, heavenly bliss.

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Great Meal Ideas • Charcuterie Board • Lentil Loaf with Seasonal Salad • Mac and Cheese with Plant-Based Sausage • Stuffed or BBQ Portobello Mushrooms • King Oyster Mushroom Scallops and Alfredo Pasta • Pulled BBQ "King Oyster Mushroom" Sandwich • Roasted Veggies with Grilled Tofu • Lasagna with Fresh Salad • Shepard's Pie with Corn on the Cob • Stir Fry Veggies and Tempeh with Forbidden Rice • Soup and Sandwiches • Soaked Oats for Breakfast • Pancakes with Fresh Fruit • Smoothies • Make-Your-Own Tacos • Tofu Scramble with Rustic Bread & Fresh Orange Juice • Plant-Based BBQ Dogs and Burgers

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Dear Bella Creamery Rooted in Compassion, Inspired by Culture | By Shriya Swaminathan

Taiwanese-American friend duo and veteran vegans Alice Cherng and Belinda Wei embarked on a personal and creative venture to honor their heritage. The idea to share the joys of their culinary culture with the Los Angeles community sparked the creation of creamy, decadent, plant-based ice creams, and Dear Bella Creamery was born!

Photos by Katrina Frederick

Over the past two years since the creamery’s inception in 2017, and in light of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Alice and Belinda have increased the number of AAPI-inspired flavors in reverence and celebration of these rich cultures.

The AAPI Ice Cream Collection invites customers to explore the wonders of cultural diversity in the best way possible–delicious ice cream!

Notable favorites include Sweet Red Bean, Mango Sticky Rice, and last season’s unique chili crisp-infused Dan Dan in collaboration with Fly

By Jing. The mission-driven team is dedicated to satisfying the growing demand for high-quality, vegan ice

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cream with innovative flavors that appease a sophisticated, cultured palette. Every ingredient is 100% natural and void of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and hydrogenated oils that are commonplace in most luscious ice creams.

cers, and esteemed plant-based eateries, including Cafe Gratitude, Erewhon, and Wild Living Foods in Los Angeles, resulting in avant-garde flavors like Halva, Mango Chamoy, Italian Butter Cookie, Royal Tea Time… the list goes on!

Dear Bella Creamery takes a chef-driven approach unlike any other! Chef Belinda Wei brings her unmatched expertise from her work at pastry programs, high-end gro-

This Los Angeles-favorite creamery is taking its customer base up several notches by offering its entire line of ice cream for nationwide shipping across the United States!

The goal is to offer a myriad of ingenious vegan ice creams and normalize Asian flavors in the mainstream.

Alice and Belinda graciously shared their aspirations for Dear Bella Creamery with VEGWORLD.

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VW: What do you feel sets you apart from other plant-based ice creams?

The result is a high-quality, unique product that we are very proud of.

DBC: When our customers experience their first bite of our ice cream, they often say, “I cannot believe this is dairy-free/vegan/plant-based!”

That is because our ice cream is decadent, creamy, and reminiscent of dairy-based ice cream, but without any animal-derived ingredients. We are not trying to create a “healthier” alternative to dairy ice cream. Instead, we are creating something equally indulgent, while creating a novel experience with our chef-driven recipes. Our goal is to shift the perception of dairy-free ice cream from that of an inferior alternative into one that affords tasty, unique flavors and textures that are just as satisfying.

VW: How did you connect with the idea to showcase your culinary heritage in your ice cream flavors?

We meticulously create every flavor until we believe it’s perfect. Not only should they wow our palates, but they should also tell a story. The birth of a flavor usually comes when Belinda and I are inspired to tell a story. For example, our Taiwanese Pineapple Cake was born when we wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year with something from our heritage. After we brainstorm the flavor, Belinda starts bringing our idea to fruition. With her culinary background and my foodie’s tongue, we are highly critical of our products, which means that developing a flavor can take multiple iterations!

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DBC: Being first-generation Taiwanese-Americans, we feel a duty to seize the opportunity of having our own space to bring more light to our culture. We have the perfect, non-threatening vehicle to create awareness, and we hope that even something as small as tasting the flavors of another culture can create more awareness and start to shrink the gap between the familiar and the unfamiliar. We love our culture, and we love sharing it through our food.

VW: Why was it important to you to celebrate the flavors of your culture with your customers?

DBC: We want to expand the perspective on nostalgia, comfort, and what most consider “artisan” flavors. Creating flavors like Taiwanese Pineapple Cake, Sweet Red Bean, and Black Sesame is not only relatable for other Asian Americans! What might be novel to other customers can fulfill our guests’ culinary curiosity and bring them something new. We’re proud of our heritage and the foods we grew up with. Ice cream allows us to proudly share these flavors with others.

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VW: What has the feedback from the AAPI community been like concerning their experiences with your ice cream flavors?

DBC: The AAPI community’s response has been astoundingly positive! People are excited to embrace their nostalgia for familiar flavors reflected on our menu. For many, it’s an opportunity to revisit some of their favorite desserts across Asia.

We often hear that our flavors, like Taiwanese Pineapple Cake, Sweet Red Bean, and Black Sesame, taste exactly like the ingredients they grew up eating at home. Providing comfort through celebrating culture through food is an honor we deeply cherish.

VW: We admire your commitment to showcasing the beauty in diversity through your delicious ice creams!

Looking ahead, what is your current vision for Dear Bella Creamery?

DBC: We are working on opening our second location in Costa Mesa this summer! Our long-term vision is to create more space for connectivity and joy by opening more stores in the country.

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VEGWORLD's

Top Picks

Lemon Perfect Cold-Pressed Lemon Water Lemons never tasted this good! Lemon Perfect's cold-pressed lemon water brings hydrating electrolytes and essential antioxidants in seven refreshing flavors. Plus, zero sugar and no artificial flavors, here!

We'll be enjoying Lemon Perfect all summer long.

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MOMO's BLISSFUL Gummies Find some bliss this summer! MOMO's BLISSFUL Gummies are made with organic ingredients and enhanced with 20mg broad-spectrum hemp extract. They are vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO, and we love the wild berry flavor.

Peter Who? Vegan Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Bar Peter Who? is on a mission to change the Swiss chocolate industry by producing great chocolate without harming animals or the environment.

Their first chocolate bar features deep aromas of cocoa and coffee paired with notes of plum, pineapple, and black tea, with crunchy vegan caramel crisps and a touch of sea salt. Needless to say, this dark chocolate bar is delicious!

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Minor Figures Barista Oat Milk Plant milk that's designed to pair perfectly with your coffee! Minor Figures' Barista Oat was developed to add natural sweetness, density, and balance to your cup of coffee, with silky micro-foam when steamed.

Not just great for coffee, we've been enjoying Barista Oat in our tea and hear it tastes great in cereal, too.

Forget the Filler Overnight Lip-Plumping Mask Our favorite product for smooth, super soft lips! The Forget the Filler lip mask from LAWLESS Beauty is a clean lip treatment formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and an antioxidant berry complex that work together to deeply moisturize and nourish your lips - all while you sleep. It smells great, too!

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Pickney Cookie Cafe Miracle Cookies Vegan and gluten-free cookies that taste amazing? Yes! Pickney Cookie Cafe's Miracle Cookies are moist, chewy, and flavorful and come in six delicious flavors like classic chocolate chip and double chocolate espresso (our personal favorite).

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Sun’s

Out!

Vegan Sunscreen Products to Protect Your Skin This Summer

Wearing sunscreen is one of the most important things you can do for your skin. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation states that you can reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40 percent, and lower your melanoma risk by 50 percent with regular daily use of SPF 15 sunscreen.

While we know that we should be wearing sunscreen every day, whether we go outside or not, it can be overwhelming trying to find the right product, especially when not every sunscreen brand is vegan. Luckily, there are so many great options out there these days and, while this is in no way an exhaustive list, these brands offer some of our favorite vegan and cruelty-free products that will help to keep your skin protected from your head to your toes.

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Cocokind Everyone’s skin is unique. That’s why Cocokind offers two facial sunscreen options - the Daily SPF, a non-irritating mineral-based daily sunscreen lotion with SPF 32, and Silk SPF, a hybrid chemical + mineral sunscreen fluid with SPF 30. Both help to protect skin against sunburn, skin damage, early aging, and environmental stress, while the Daily SPF also helps to protect against blue light from sunlight and digital screens thanks to the addition of blue phytoplankton.

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H20+ Since sunscreen should be the last step in your skincare routine, a sunscreen that feels more like a moisturizer than a sunscreen can be a plus! The Hydration Sensitive Mineral Lotion Sunscreen from H2O+ is a good option if this is what you’re looking for. The SPF 30 sunscreen is lightweight and provides all-day hydration with no white cast and no sticky feeling.

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Pacifica Not a fan of the typical scent that comes with many sunscreens?

Pacifica has you covered! Not only are the Sport Sunscreen and Sea & C Sheer Sunscreen sprays waterresistant for up to 80 minutes and offer UVA and UVB protection, but they also smell great. With scents like coconut and vanilla & orange, you won’t have to walk around smelling like sunscreen, which is a big win in our books.

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Alba Botanica Need vegan sunscreen for your kids?

Alba Botanica offers a wide selection of sunscreen products, including options for active kids. Available as a spray or a lotion, the Kids Sunscreen is hypoallergenic, water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, and comes in a kid-friendly tropical fruit fragrance.

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Coola It can be easy to forget about your hair and scalp when it comes to sunscreen, but they need protection from the sun as well! Coola’s Scalp + Hair Mist not only protects those often-forgotten spots with SPF 30 but also contains color-protecting ingredients that won’t weigh down your hair.

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Thrive Causemetics Keep your lips soft and sunburn free! Thrive Causemetics’ Sunproof Intensive Lip Balm shields the delicate skin of your lips from sun damage with its broad spectrum UVA + UVB formula while also working to hydrate and moisturize. The SPF 24 lip balm is available in fresh mint and sweet tangerine.

thrivecausemetics.com

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Vegan in HAWAII

By Courtney McCullagh

The days of only having fruit for vegan options in tropical places are over! We had the pleasure of going to all vegan/veg-friendly restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii, and were truly blown away by the variety of foods and how COLORFUL it all was!

Here’s where we went and what we enjoyed: The Booch Bar (@theboochbar): Golden mylk latte : Flight of freshly-made in-house Kombucha: unique flavors like root beer, hibiscus, and lilikoi Conscious Culture Burger: house-made with a lentil-walnut-hemp patty, organic greens, tomato, sprouts, roasted garlic aioli, Kombucha ketchup, and lilikoi mustard, on a toasted whole wheat roll with purple sweet potato salad on the side.

The Casablanca: sprouted garbanzo hummus, olive tapenade, cucumber, basil-kale-pesto, served over organic greens, sourdough or GF crostini, organic corn chips Raw Cacao Pie and locally made coconut gelato!

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Nicoco Hawaiian Gelato (@nicocohawaiiangelato): Nicoco Hawaiian Gelato serves incredibly unique flavors like Ube Marshmallow (it had such a beautiful purple color), Kyoto Forest, and Strawberry Supreme. They also have in-house-made gluten-free cones!

Sweet Cane Cafe (@sweetcanecafe): Vibe. Café & Bar (@vibe.bigisland):

Gluten-free cassava crust pizzas with freshly made cashew cheese

Vegan loco moco: vegan just egg omelet, plantbased patty, mushroom gravy over white rice

Durian smoothies Vegan poke bowls jam-packed with superfoods like purple sweet potato and macadamia nuts

Vegan Jackfruit Nachos: gluten-free tortilla chips, spice jackfruit, cashew queso, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and a spicy mango habanero sauce The Vegan Classic Vibe Burger: beyond meat patty, cashew cheese, vegan mayo, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, sprouts Colorful drinks •B eet latte: fresh beet juice, brown sugar, oat milk •B lue Majik Algae Latte (tasted like cereal milk): blue spiraling, brown sugar, oat milk •G inger Mint Limeade

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Heart Core Hotels (@heartcorehotels): An incredible vegan breakfast spreads waiting for us each morning on the lanai (Hawaiian for porch).

I have always wanted to try a bubble waffle (which is basically an inverted waffle), but they’re always not vegan, so when Heart Core Hotels made them for us during our recent stay, I was OVERJOYED! This beautiful matcha bubble waffle was only one of the many amazing breakfasts treats that Heart Core Hotels made for us during our stay at their all-vegan boutique hotel!

hash browns, date and goji energy bites, guava juice, and of course freshly roasted, and freshly brewed Kona coffee made with beans grown on the island!

My husband and I were truly blown away by the attention to detail that the owners, Tony and Gaby, took into all of the food they made for their version of the continental breakfast.

Now, if only all hotels did a spread like this!

Breakfast food has always been my all-time favorite type of food, so I definitely felt SPOILED! It helped that we also happened to be in a literal paradise. We were tucked away in the Volcano Eco Resort in Hilo, Hawaii, with perfect weather, the sounds of the birds tweeting, and cozy in our soft robes. We were also in the best company with Tony and Gaby to talk to about world vegan foodie travels, not to mention their super sweet & sassy furry friend Sushi (@sushithetraveler)!

In just two day’s worth of breakfasts during our stay, we enjoyed bubble waffles, coconut overnight oats beautifully stuffed in fresh papaya, homemade cocoa oatmeal cookies, banana bread with raspberry chia seed jam, pineapple smoothie in a huge, fresh pineapple, avocado toast, everything bagel with tofu scramble, homemade salsa, and

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The world would be better off if there were more hotels like Heart Core Hotels! Not only do they provide all-vegan breakfast spreads to ensure a great start to the day’s adventures, but they also take special care of the environment by limiting plastic, recycling, using all cruelty-free and vegan products, and even using fresh rainwater throughout their facility.

On top of their commitment to serving plantbased food and staying true to their sustainability practices, Heart Core Hotels also began a program called the Heart Core Fund. Heart Core Hotels dedicates a portion of their profits to creating travel scholarships for those who otherwise would never dream of being able to travel. Their mission is to enable more people to experience the life-changing power of travel!

As anyone who has traveled knows, there is nothing more enriching than stepping into another’s culture to experience a whole new worldview.

With this fund, people of every age will have a chance to experience the world and grow from the cultural exchange while enjoying a plant-based menu throughout.

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One thing is for sure, along with the incredible vegan food, I will never forget the black sand beaches, erupting volcanos, deep spooky caves, flowing waterfalls, and mystical, vine-laden trees I got to see first-hand on the beautiful Big Island.

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BP Eric Adams addressing SOMOS jumpstart participants

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BEHIND THE MAYOR

by Lianna Levine Reisner

In his first few months as mayor of New York City, Eric Adams has unabashedly shown off his healthy lifestyle and his love of plant-powered meals. This is no surprise to the city’s plantbased health advocates, who have counted him as a friend and ally since his dramatic health recovery from advanced diabetes while previously serving as Brooklyn Borough President.

Adams has brought political attention to plant-based eating and inspired others to reconsider what’s on their plate. But what may be lesser known to the vegan world is the growing, multicultural plantbased health movement in the New York area, backing up his message and widening the base of people embracing whole plant foods. That movement PPMNY In-Person Tabling Event

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is driven by a passionate force of people operating as a grassroots network, organized by Plant Powered Metro New York (PPMNY) – a health empowerment nonprofit that raises awareness among, educates, and supports diverse local communities to reclaim their health with plants.

Established in early 2019, PPMNY was initially a fusion of smaller local groups started by volunteers affiliated with the PlantPure Communities pod network. In creating PPMNY, our founding members joined together as change agents working toward a shared mission and getting others involved in the movement. Alongside these

PPMNY Central Park Gathering. Photo by Ron Adar

grassroots leaders, PPMNY partners with the plant-based healthcare community, as well as local influencers in public health, culinary arts, and others who are invested in the power of plants.

“It’s a huge paradigm shift.

People who’ve been transformed by a plant-based lifestyle, as I have, need an outlet for action,” says Enrica Sacca, PPMNY founding member and Queensbased organizer who reversed

colitis with diet change. This was the seed for PPMNY’s model of community empowerment.

The three pillars of our work are education, training, and convening. We’re building out an educational engine that offers accessible learning and tools for people at any stage of plant-based awareness, as well as deep educational experiences that enable meaningful dietary change.

PPMNY Farmer's Market Tour

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We’re also putting the pieces in place to develop effective and empathic grassroots leaders and influencers as catalysts of change, engaging their respective communities. And we are connecting the dots to enable collective action, whether in healthcare, faith communities, or other groups with a shared interest in health.

What does this movement look like in practice? Kele, Alexandra, and Jeff, and Margie are a few community members making it happen: •K ele is a community chef and food justice advocate from Lesotho, Southern Africa, who splits her time between Brooklyn and Manhattan. When she joined PPMNY’s 21-day jumpstart in the fall of 2021 to experiment with eating only whole plant foods, she reversed longstanding aches and pains, gained newfound energy at age 58, and lost some weight to boot. She became so inspired by our movement that she became a PPMNY organizer to help more people in her circles get healthy.

• Alexandra is a first-generation Haitian medical student in Brooklyn. After steeping herself in our jumpstart for Black community leaders, she was determined to share what she learned with her community, in their language. She organized

Chef Brandy Cochrane Deviled Potatoes demo

radio broadcasts about plantbased nutrition on the local Haitian station and then ran a seven-day challenge in Haitian Creole, complete with traditional recipes reimagined for health.

• Jeff is an oncology pathologist based in Manhattan who learned about plant-based nutrition through the efforts of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. With a goal to become a plant-based health coach in the future, Jeff jumped into PPMNY’s mentor training program and started to exercise his passion for helping others as a lifestyle mentor.

invited us to be a featured part of a months-long plant-based initiative for her constituents, many of whom struggle with multiple chronic diseases. We brought out a plant-based doctor and a culinary educator to set the stage and then followed it with a four-week nutrition and cooking class four weeks of nutrition and cooking classes, covering various types of chronic diseases.

•M argie is the programming director for a Bronx-based agency serving older adults.

After learning about plantbased nutrition from her colleagues and then hearing a presentation by PPMNY, she PPMNY Chef Carole Levy virtual demo

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Following a virtual community screening of Forks Over Knives in 2020, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined the Zoom gathering to share about the imperative for a different approach to food and healthcare based on whole plants.

PPMNY Virtual Potluck + Recipe Swap

Here’s why these folks matter:

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For Mayor Adams to successfully usher in not only awareness but also support for food and health systems that are based on plants, he needs many more constituents asking the city for real change. That’s what we hope to generate through this local movement, in partnership

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with his office and our friends in healthcare. We believe that, with a network for action and support, each empowered person can open the doorway to health for an entire community — in NYC and beyond.

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Playing

with Her Food A Chat with VEGWORLD’s Food Editor Cathy Katin-Grazzini

Photos by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

Can you share a bit about your plant-based journey with us?

rich food culture - “la cucina casalinga” (home cooking) – centuries-old and founded on fresh local produce, prepared simply and beautifully.

I was hooked! The kitchen is the heart of every Italian home and where everyone gathers.

It’s all about the food. When we went vegan, I set out to go deeper, seeking out longhonored agrarian foodways from all over the world. Preserving the unique character and flavors of these dishes, I tweak them to be healthier and much more climate-friendly.

Back in 2013, Giordano (my husband) barely survived a surgery that went terribly wrong for what turned out to be a blocked artery.

His diagnosis: atherosclerosis, a progressive disease that we knew pills and procedures could only slow but not cure. Shaken, we searched for options and discovered Drs. Esselstyn’s and Ornish’s remarkable successes treating seriously ill heart patients using whole plant foods. We grabbed on with both hands, the results proved stunningly beneficial, and we never looked back.

Describe Love the Foods that Love You Back. What can readers expect to find inside?

Have you always had a passion for cooking, or did that passion coincide with adopting a plant-based diet?

The culmination of years of playing with my food, with this cookbook, I wanted to coax people away from fast and processed foods and takeout and back into their kitchens, which, let’s face it, is where physical and emotional healing begins. This cookbook is for everyone who wants to eat cleaner, more ethically, and to help cool our feverish planet,

I’ve always been food curious, but this flame was truly fanned when I lived in Italy as a young woman. There I discovered a beautiful,

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This question might be a bit unfair, but if you had to choose which of the dishes in your book is your favorite to cook?

cooking newbies and experienced home cooks alike. It’s for vegans who want to up their culinary game and for omnivores who want to lean more into plants. In addition to global cuisine, you’ll find lots of novel dishes with everyday vegetables used quite unconventionally. You’ll learn how to set up your pantry and useful tools to have around.

With eye-popping photos for every dish, my goal is to make cooking fun and a magnet for happy times to share with others.

That’s hard. They’re like my children. I don’t

have favorite recipes, but sometimes, I get a yen for comfort foods, like my Buffalo Cauliflower or Zimbabwean Huku ne Dovi.

These are like old friends whom I drop in on.

I also have go-to staples, like my Vegan GreekStyle Yogurt, No-Knead Sourdough Boule, and we consume huge batches of beans and greens of every variety.

What does your recipe development process look like?

More and more people are shifting their diets towards plants. Is there a recipe you would recommend for those new to plant-based eating?

Many factors can prompt a new recipe, an intriguing ingredient in a shop, or some fascinating dish I hear about. I’ll research its history, native ingredients, and seasonings, then build on that. Other times, I start with what looks fabulous in the market and work a dish around that. I try to imagine what seasonings would bring out its best?

What would pair well with it? I never know where such musings will take me. It’s always an adventure.

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Start with familiar flavors that you already know, perhaps zesty Pomorola Rustica, a flavorful red sauce to serve over (whole grain) pasta, or a hearty Mushroom and Barley Soup, or Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. Or make my Silken Vegan Mayo and use it in my Tuna-

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ish and Eggless Salads for salad plates and sandwiches. Pick a few and add as you go.

points where we push beyond old boundaries.

And you have so much to gain when you cook in this super anti-inflammatory way.

It’s like any new skill: first a little daunting, but it won’t take long before you master this new “language”, you can get more creative and discover a world full of flavor! Invite a friend to cook with you. Turn up the music. Kick off your shoes. Make it a party. We’re social animals, and it’s always more fun to share cooking adventures.

What about a good recipe for beginning cooks?

Beginning cooks should dive into my Building Blocks chapter for an Easy-Cheesy Sauce and other simple, flavorful sauces and dressings that they can widely use over pasta and potatoes or to liven up steamed vegetables and salads. They might make an easy, wonderful lemony lentil soup like Shorabat Adas. Or how about some simple desserts like my Ganache with Berries, Crèma, or a batch of Homey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?

Your husband took the beautiful photographs of the dishes in "Love the Food that Love You Back".

How special is it to share this with him?

What advice would you give to those new to cooking and maybe a little nervous about giving it a go?

It’s my favorite time of the day when, after finishing a new dish, I plate it, we decide how to stage and style it, and he shoots it. The process is endlessly creative as we’re always trying new setups, props, and equipment. Then we edit together. Giordano is my partner in all things, and our cooking and photography are yet another way we have fun together.

It requires a little boldness to step out of your comfort zone, but I say, “Coraggio!” After all, what’s the worst that can possibly happen?

Remember, growth happens at those tender

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Cooking and the dishes we cook can be so personal. What is it that makes cooking special for you?

Cooking saved our lives, literally. These simple, wholesome, delicious foods that spring from the Earth hold the key. It’s the way forward for human health, for climate cooling, and to halt the die-off of pollinators and all lifeforms that share this fragile world. Traditional societies have relied mostly on plants for millennia, but the allure of fast, convenient, faux foods, cheap meat, dairy, and takeout has brought us to the very brink.

We each have the agency to create the world we want to live in and to save one another.

What we do individually really matters! Through my cooking, I hope to inspire all of you to retake control of your health and the future.

Cooking is a life-affirming way to nurture yourself and others, and much more powerful than you think.

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Food is really and truly the most effective medicine .

- Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash

RECIPES

Photo by Edgar Castrejon - unsplash

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CARIBBEAN CURRIED JACK

By Rachel Ama

Photo by Haarala Hamilton

Makes 4 servings My favorite thing about going to a cookout, barbecue, or wedding with my Caribbean friends and family was knowing I’d be tucking into some curried mutton or goat. Since becoming vegan, I wanted to enjoy that dish, but in a plant-based way. Jackfruit is the hero for adding texture and absorbing all the aromatic spices for that authentic reminder of one of my favorite meals. It’s especially good when cooking your very own cookout. You can also swap the jackfruit for your favorite vegan meat substitute.

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Ingredients 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon allspice 2 Tablespoons Madras curry powder 1 Tablespoon tomato purée 2 x 400g (14oz) cans young jackfruit in water, drained and rinsed 1 x 400g (14oz) can black eyed beans, rinsed and drained 500ml (18fl oz) vegetable stock ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 4 fresh thyme sprigs 2 large tomatoes, chopped 1 large potato, chopped into 1cm (½in) chunks 2 carrots, chopped into 1cm (½in) chunks ½ Scotch bonnet chili, seeded and finely chopped For the curry paste: 1 onion, roughly chopped thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger 4 garlic cloves 2 spring onions Directions 1) Place all the curry paste ingredients in a food processor and blend to form a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the curry paste, followed by the turmeric, allspice, curry powder and tomato purée. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

2) Now add all the remaining ingredients. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Now that the jackfruit has softened start to squash and separate it with the back of a spoon so it becomes stringy - it will look like pulled chicken. Remove the lid, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes until the potato and carrots have softened.

The curry will keep in the fridge for 3–5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

With use from permission by the publisher, Hachette Book Group. First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Yellow Kite, an imprint of Hodder and Stoughton. Published in the US by Mobius.

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Aloo Gobi Burgers

by Cathy Katin-Grazzini

I ndian spices and traditional aloo gobi vegetables define this tasty burger. Tender and fragrant with South Asian herbs and spices. Serve as full-sized burgers, tidy sliders, or as petite appetizers on any occasion. Topped here with a fruity Indian chutney, tofu mayo, and scallion.

Makes 6-8 burgers, depending on size | Prep time 45 minutes | Cook time 30 minutes

Photo by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

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Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 full cups cauliflower florets, steamed 2 full cups potato, cubed and steamed ¾ cup carrot, 1-inch slices and steamed 1 small red onion, slivered 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-inch fresh ginger, minced 1-2 small green Thai chili, sliced thinly 2 Tablespoons besan (chana dal flour) or chickpea flour 2 Tablespoons chia seeds, freshly ground 1 cup frozen green peas, defrosted 1 bunch scallion, thinly sliced 1 small bunch of cilantro, lower stems removed Up to ¼ cup Shiro (mild, white) miso paste, or to taste

Spice Blend • • • • • • • •

4 black peppercorns 1 teaspoon cumin seed 1 teaspoon black mustard seed 1 teaspoon coriander seed 6 to 8 fresh curry leaves 1 teaspoon freshly ground hing (asafoetida) 2 teaspoons ground turmeric Pinch cayenne (optional)

Garnish Options: Vegan mayonnaise, a fruity Indian chutney, torn cilantro leaves, scallion, Thai chili slices

Directions 1) P rep and steam the diced potato, carrots, and cauliflower separately (they cook in under 10 minutes), until each is just fork tender but still intact. Do not overcook the cauliflower especially, which can easily become waterlogged.

poised above it. As soon as the aroma of the spices reaches your nose, transfer the herb and spices from the pan to a coffee or spice grinder to halt cooking. These spices can burn in a flash, and if they do, they become too bitter to use. In that case, it’s best to start over. Once cool, grind the contents into a fragrant blend. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the turmeric, hing, and cayenne, if using. eat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 3) H minutes. Add the onion and sauté it dry until it releases its water and begins to darken the pan, in about 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of water, scraping up the adhered sugars from the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and Thai chili. Cook for 2 minutes, adding another spoonful of water if the mix becomes dry.

4) I n a food processor, combine sauteed aromatics, a teaspoon of the ground spice blend (save the rest for another dish), ground chia, chickpea flour, and steamed cauliflower and carrot. Pulse just a few times to combine for a coarse mix.

5) T ransfer to a large bowl. Add the potatoes and with your fingers, break them up lightly to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of the miso paste, mixing it well to distribute it throughout. Stir in the peas, scallion, and chopped cilantro. Taste and correct the seasonings as you like, adding more miso or spice blend or cayenne to suit your tastes.

6) Preheat oven to 400°F. 7) S hape into patties with your hands or a ring mold. Bake on parchment paper for

20 minutes, flip, bake another 10 minutes.

If they seem too fragile to flip without breaking, cook instead on one side for 25 to 30 in total. The burgers are ready when they are golden and fragrant.

Garnish as desired.

2) H eat the cumin seed mustard seed, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and curry leaves in a small skillet with your nose

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Vegan Peanut Ramen Soup

by Alejandra Graf

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This homemade ramen recipe is straightforward to make and 100% vegan. The bases of a good bowl of ramen are the broth, the noodles, the tare (finishing sauce), and the vegetable toppings. This ramen recipe has everything and the great advantage of being vegan, nutritious, and easy to make.

Prep time 20 mins | Cook time 20 mins Makes 4 servings

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Photo bySummer Alejandra Graf.

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Ingredients • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil • ½ small onion • 4 cloves garlic • 1 piece ginger about 1 inch (2.5 cm) • ½ cup mushrooms sliced (shiitake or cremini) • ¼ cup unsweetened peanut butter • 1 roasted sweet potato • 6 cups vegetable broth or water • 10 ounces ramen noodles Tare • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce • 1 Tablespoon sugar • 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar • 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil Toppings • 2 carrots, raw and julienned • 1 cup frozen roasted or regular corn kernels • 3 scallions sliced • 10 basil or cilantro leaves • crunchy (a.k.a. crispy) chili oil or sriracha

Instructions 1) I n a stockpot, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and mushrooms. Add the peanut butter and the roasted sweet potato when the onion is translucent.

2) Add the vegetable broth or water and boil for 5 minutes. Transfer to a stand or immersion blender and blend the stock carefully."

3) In a separate pot, cook the ramen noodles as indicated on the package. When ready, drain, rinse, and set aside.

4) Mix the soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a bowl to make the tare. Serve the noodles on a plate, bathe with the broth, finish with the vegetables on top, a tablespoon of crunchy chili oil (if you are using it), and a drizzle of tare.

Notes This ramen is very easy to make, and the broth can be stored in the refrigerator for a week without problems. If you want to keep it for longer, freeze it. When ready to eat, cook the noodles, tare, and prepare the toppings. If you can't get noodles, you can use angel hair pasta.

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Orzo Pasta with

Basil &

Veggies

by Terri Edwards

Photo by Terri Edwards

This colorful Orzo Pasta Salad is nutritious, filling, and can be made in about 20 minutes. It’s loaded with green peas, tomatoes, basil, and a simple balsamic Dijon dressing that is absolutely delicious!

Makes 4 servings | Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 8 oz orzo pasta, I use whole wheat

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced

• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

• 1 Tablespoon basil, fresh or dry

(optional)

• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts (optional) • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: 1) Cook orzo pasta according to package directions by boiling in water on the stovetop for approximately 9-minutes.

Drain and run under cool water in a colander to stop the cooking process.

4) Next, you'll want to whisk up the simple dressing that only takes about a minute.

Simply whisk together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup in a small bowl.

2) While the orzo is cooking, defrost the frozen green peas by placing them in a colander and running warm water over them. Set them to the side.

5) In a large bowl, add the balsamic dressing to the cooked orzo, tomatoes, green peas, spices, and basil. Mix together well and toss in a few pine nuts or sesame seeds and a little salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill first.

3) Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and mince fresh basil if using it. Dried basil is also a good choice for this recipe. I sometimes add a combination of both dried and fresh basil.

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6) I like to add fresh spinach leaves. Or you can stuff the spread into endive or other lettuce leaf and serve for a beautiful and delicious appetizer!

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¡Arepas ¡Arepas!!

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by Cathy Katin-Grazzini

Photos by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

Crispy, creamy, corny Venezuelan Arepas are a delicious gluten-free alternative to rolls and buns and transform every meal into a fiesta! Happily, corn is a low emitter of greenhouse gases. Easy to make and delightful to eat, fill them with your favorite chilis and salsas for a tasty, healthy appetizer or snack or party dish. Everyone will come running!

Prep time 5 minutes | Cook time 20 minutes | Makes 6-8 arepas depending on size

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you like your arepas) and whether or not you intend to split and stuff them or top them with your filling. Repeat with the remaining balls.

Ingredients • 2 cups yellow or white masarepa flour or farina de maiz precocida (precooked), available in the Hispanic aisle of your supermarket or online. Do NOT use Mexican masa harina or American corn flour.

• 1 teaspoon shiro (mild, white) miso powder (optional) • 2 ½ cups warm water

Directions 1) In a bowl add the masarepa. Dilute the miso paste, if using, in the warm water. Make a well in the center and add the water-miso mix, stirring very thoroughly to hydrate all the meal.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Knead the dough for several minutes and divide dough into 6-8 balls.

2) Take a ball and cover the remaining 7 with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

With your palms, flatten it into a disc ½ - ¾” thick (depending on how thick

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3) Heat a good quality nonstick pan over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Cook your arepas covered for about 4-6 minutes.

The longer you cook them, the crisper their exterior and drier, and less creamy, their interior will be. It’s a matter of taste preference. Flip and repeat, uncovered.

Transfer to a cooking rack to cool.

Plating Venezuelan-style: Slice open ALMOST all the way, so the arepa acts like a hinge. Stuff with your hot chili or whatever you are choosing as a filling, layering toppings on like avocado slices or baby greens or grilled vegetables, salsa, and cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime. For arepas Colombian-style, don’t slice them. Just layer on your toppings.

Either way, they’re fun to eat and great at a party. Serve warm.

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Mississippi Vegan’s

Fried Caper Panzanella Salad

by Timothy Pakron Here we have the classic Panzanella salad but with some special Mississippi Vegan magic. The most important takeaway from this recipe (aside from the fact you’ll want to make it again and again) is the fried capers. Oh my goodness, the fried capers. If you’ve never had them, you are very welcome indeed. What happens to be green, unopened flower buds, capers pack a big punch of flavor. They are bright and lemony with some olive notes, and because they are pickled, they are salty and briny. When fried- they become crispy and even more delightful than they already are! For the dressing, we’re sizzling up some vegan butter with fresh oregano, fresh thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, and lots of garlic and shallots. All of this tossed with juicy ripe, heirloom tomatoes and thin slices of pan-fried focaccia bread? Forget about it!

Photo by Timothy Pakron

Prep time: 15 | Cook time: 10 | Serves 4 to 6 INGREDIENTS • 3 Tablespoons olive oil • ½ cup capers, drained and patted dry • 7 oz. sourdough focaccia bread, thinly sliced into 2-inch pieces, ½” thick • 3 heaping Tablespoons vegan butter • 1 large shallot, sliced • 3 cloves garlic, chopped • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like spicy!)

• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar) • Freshly cracked black pepper + salt, to taste • 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 2-inch pieces, ½” thick INSTRUCTIONS 1) In a large skillet, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once hot, throw in the capers and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring every so often, until crispy. Taste one to make sure they are crispy and then remove from the skillet. Set them aside to garnish at the very end.

2) Next, place sliced bread in the same skillet with leftover oil and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side. Drizzle in a little bit more oil, if needed. You want the slices to get toasty brown but still remain somewhat chewy on the inside. Once done, add the bread to a beautiful large salad bowl and set aside.

3) For the dressing, in a separate small pan, add the butter and bring to medium-high heat. Throw in the shallots, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano leaves, thyme leaves, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bring to a sizzle and cook for a few minutes until the shallots and garlic are tender and the oregano leaves are crisped and curled. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) Time to assemble! Add the sliced tomatoes to the large salad bowl with bread and gently toss. Add a few splashes of red wine vinegar (about 1 tablespoon).

Using a spoon, spread the dressing over the bread and tomatoes and then pour every last drop out. Gently toss again. Right before serving, sprinkle the fried capers over the top and a bit of flaky salt, to taste.

Eat immediately.

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Cinnamon Applesauce

D O N U TS

by Vicki Brett-Gach

Photo by Vicki Brett-Gach

These donuts are soft and delicate – plus quick and easy. They are oil-free, gluten-free, and sweetened only with fruit! The perfect companion to an afternoon cappuccino or cup of hot tea, these rank among my favorite baked goods ever.

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Prep time: 10 minutes | Baking time: 16 minutes | Servings: Makes 9 donuts

Ingredients

poon the batter into a large plastic 3 S zippered storage bag, and seal to close. Cut a 1/2-inch opening in the corner of the bag with scissors, and carefully pipe batter into the donut pan. With the back of a spoon, smooth the tops of each one to make sure batter is evenly distributed.

1 3/4 cups, plus 2 tablespoons, rolled oats 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 cups pitted dates, tightly packed 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, non-dairy milk

4 B ake 12-16 minutes, or until donuts are firm to the touch on top. Allow to cool on a baking rack.

Topping: 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, plus additional cinnamon

5 T o serve, “frost” each donut with about 1 tablespoon of applesauce and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Instructions 1 P reheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a nonstick donut pan. (I use a silicone donut pan and love how beautifully it works.)

2 A dd the oats to a high-powered blender. Briefly turn up the power to grind the oats into flour. Then turn power off, remove the lid, and add the baking powder, cinnamon, dates, water, and milk. Process for a few moments to combine well.

Recipe adapted from The Plant-Based for Life Cookbook: Deliciously Simple Recipes to Nourish, Comfort, Energize and Renew by the creator of Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen Vicki Brett-Gach. Copyright © 2022. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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SUMMER FEAST with BBQ Skewers Recipe and photos by Cathy McLellan Serves 4 | Prep Time 45 minutes | Cooking Time 5-10 minutes When you look up camping feast in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you are going to find a picture of BBQ Skewers. Fun, heat, flavor – a perfect combination for any summer adventure.

This dish is easy to make; you can prep ahead of time; sit back and enjoy the fun of creating a sizzling dish for your family and friends. The cool thing is that you can be super creative with this dish and include all your favorite components. Add a big fresh salad and hot baked potatoes, and you are set to go.

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Let’s get at it.

BBQ Skewers are fun to make, delicious to eat, and can be totally customized to your taste and the taste and preferences of your friends and family. Choose veggies and components that can be pierced relatively easily and hopefully not break apart easily. Choose veggies that are in season, organic if possible, and ones that you love. Think variety of color, texture, and flavor to make your skewers sing!

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Ingredients • • • • • • • •

2 small onions – red, yellow, or white, cut in quarters 1 red and one green pepper – hot or mild, cut into squares 6 mushrooms – So many varieties to choose from 2 zucchinis – cut into thick rounds ½ fresh pineapple – fresh or one can of chunky, add a bit of sweetness 12.5 ounce (360-gram) package of medium to firm tofu – cubes 12-15 baby tomatoes 8-10 skewers, wooden or metal will work, soak if wooden

Directions 1) G ather and prep your veggies and other components 2) Soak your skewer in water for at least one-half hour, if using wooden skewers 3) Marinate all or some of your components in BBQ sauce or your favorite dressing (like a Mediterranean style dressing – lots of spices, oil, and vinegar) 4) Prep your sides – potatoes to bake, salad, other veggies 5) Put the prepped components on the soaked skewers, carefully sliding them on, leave a bit of space so that they will get a good cook on each piece.

6) Place skewers on a hot fire. This is where it gets tricky. Pay attention and at the same time, be patient.

7) Turn skewers regularly to manage the char and cook evenly on each skewer.

8) Continue to baste (with your marinade) to intensify the flavor.

9) When cooked to your liking (somewhere between 5 to 10 minutes), take off the BBQ and serve with your sides. Garnish with fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro). Enjoy!

Alternatives and Tips • Y ou can cook the skewers on an open fire or in the oven for a more controlled cook • Blanch veggies that take a long time to cook prior to adding to the skewers • Leave space for heat and air to circulate • Have your guests make their own skewers – totally customized to their tastes

Other Ingredients you could add to the above or swap out for your favorites • B roccoli and Cauliflower – blanch florets to soften before adding to the skewers • Corn on the Cob – cut into small rounds • Seitan strips – woven onto the skewers • Tempeh – braised and cut into cubes • Squash – cut into cubes

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Ital Curried Button

‘Shrooms

by Chef Troy Levy

As a young Rasta in Jamaican West Indies, we had a lot of options when it came to beans. For a Rasta, especially, beans and nuts were where we got a lot of our protein and we ate plenty of kidney beans, pinto beans with an orange-pink color with rust-colored specks, pigeon beans, and many others. But one of my favorites is lima beans, which are just awesome and great in this dish.

Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 7 minutes | Serves 2

Photos by Taste Of Ital TV

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Ingredients • 1 cup cooked lima beans and cooking water • 2 bay leaves • 2 to 3 cloves of garlic • 2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil • 1 medium white onion, chopped in medium dice • 1 cup button mushrooms, cut in a medium dice • 1 /2 cup carrot, cut in a medium dice • 1 /2 cup red and green bell peppers, cut in a medium dice • 1 Scotch Bonnet peppers, add to taste • 1/4 teaspoon kelp power • 1/4 teaspoon fresh turmeric • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced • 1/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice • 1 to 1½ cups freshly juiced coconut milk • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves • Himalayan pink salt, to taste • Young celery leaves or fresh herbs to garnish

Directions 1) You can cook the lima beans ahead if you want. Presoak them for at least 7 1/2 hours to allow them to expand in size and soften, which results in a faster cooking time.

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2) Fill a large pot with water. Add the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and some Himalayan pink salt. Simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes (unsoaked lima beans can require up to 2 hours to be fully cook).

3) Cool. Drain but reserve a few cups of the cooking water. If you cook the lima beans in advance, freeze them until use, and thaw for a few hours before adding them to this dish.

4) Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onions, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, and Scotch bonnet pepper.

Stir to coat with oil and sauté until the onions start to take on a sheen, in 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

5) Add the kelp, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Cook for another minute. Then add the curry powder and cook for 2 minutes. Now add the allspice.

6) Add the coconut milk, stir, and allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add thyme and cooked lima beans with some water leftover from cooking them. Stir well.

Add salt to taste.

7) Turn off the heat and served garnish, if you like, with young celery leaves or fresh herbs.

Fuljoy.

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Photo by Lindsay Dorka

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

by Del Sroufe

French toast always feels like a special treat, but it’s not hard to make. Turning it into a casserole is even easier because it bakes in the oven, so you don’t have to cook each slice on the stovetop. If your kids have mastered pancakes, French toast can be their next breakfast cooking achievement. Recipe from The China Study Family Cookbook by Del Sroufe (BenBella Books) Prep time 15 minutes | Bake time 40 minutes | Serves 6 to 8

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INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 (1-pound) loaf crusty whole-grain bread,

1. Scatter the bread cubes all over the bottom of a nonstick 9×13-inch baking dish.

cut into 1-inch cubes 1 (12-ounce) package extra-firm silken tofu 4 Medjool dates, pitted

2. In a food processor, combine the silken tofu, dates, plant milk, applesauce, vanilla, arrowroot powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt. Puree the mixture until it is smooth and creamy.

1 cup unsweetened plant milk

3. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes.

Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

5. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the casserole until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Serve warm, with fresh fruit or maple syrup, if desired.

1/4 cup arrowroot powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Fresh fruit (such as berries or sliced bananas), for serving (optional) Pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)

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NOTE FOR THE COOK

There are two types of tofu used in cooking.

Silken tofu has a creamy texture, making it good for dishes where you want a custardlike texture, such as this one. Chinese-style tofu is the firm kind you are used to seeing sold in blocks, packed in water. This type holds its shape and is better suited for marinating, grilling, and baking. Take the kids shopping and show them how to read labels.

It will help them identify healthy foods and distinguish between different types of tofu.

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