By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Looking for a friendly, upbeat vegan cookbook to inspire you in the kitchen?
Look no further!
The Friendly Vegan Cookbook is a new e-book packed with 14 delicious plant-powered recipes to get you cooking up a storm! Recipes include—
Hella Healthy Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Bodacious Black Bean BBQ Burgers
Tofu Scramble
Herbed Polenta Fries
Poppin’ Jalapeño Poppers
PB&J Chia Pudding Parfait
2-Way Cookie Dough
…and so much more.
The book—by our very own Vegan Outreach Social Media Manager, Michelle Cehn, and former VO Food and Lifestyle Coordinator, Toni Okamoto—features their favorite recipes along with their vibrant food photography.
The best part—40% of all proceeds benefit Vegan Outreach! Just make sure you use the link we’ve included in this post!
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We couldn’t contain our excitement about this e-book, so we’ve decided to give you a taste!
The following recipe, Garlicky-Ginger Tofu Triangles, is for tofu fans and non-tofu fans alike! We promise—even the most skeptical meat-eating friends of yours will love these flavorful tofu triangles!
Garlicky-Ginger Tofu Triangles
Serves about 4.
Ingredients
12 oz extra firm tofu, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 stalks of green onion, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
¼ cup water
Directions
Cut tofu into ⅓” thick triangular slices, place in a large casserole dish, and set aside.
To create the marinade, thoroughly mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl and pour over the tofu. Allow tofu to sit for a minimum of two hours, or overnight for a richer taste. Flip tofu halfway through the time allotted for marinating.
Once tofu is marinated, place a large sauté pan over high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add as many tofu slices as will fit in one layer. Cook until tofu is browned on the bottom, 2-3 minutes. Flip the pieces, and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes. Pour in the marinade mixture, and cook until tofu darkens slightly, about 45 seconds. Flip tofu and repeat.
Garnish with remaining thinly sliced green onion and enjoy!
By Jamila Alfred, VO Maryland/DC Events and Outreach Coordinator
Gregory Brown, Naijha Wright-Brown, and Jamila Alfred
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Baltimore, Maryland power couple Naijha Wright-Brown and Gregory Brown, owners of the scrumptious vegan soul food restaurant The Land of Kush.
Located conveniently near the highway, this restaurant attracts more than hungry vegans looking for a yummy fix—it also brings in curious foodies and those who appreciate the taste of Southern cooking done right. Needless to say, this place has something for everybody!
When I lived in Baltimore last year, I’d always stop by The Land of Kush before class to grab a juice and then again afterwards for dinner. I can confidently say that the food, along with the laid-back, Afro-futuristic atmosphere, kept me coming back for more.
I was also very impressed with their choice of staffing, which consists mostly of Black, inner-city youth. This creates wonderful community support and helps keep Black businesses alive and thriving.
Naijha and Gregory are an absolute delight! Who’d have known that such busy people could be so down-to-earth? Their stories aren’t only entertaining, but also inspirational. Let’s get to know them!
Jamila Alfred: Where did you grow up?
Naijha Wright-Brown: South Bronx, New York.
Gregory Brown: Baltimore, Maryland.
Jamila: What are your professional backgrounds?
Naijha: Well, I’ve been working since I was 14, with several years of customer-facing, administrative and technical work, management, entrepreneurship, and putting together shows—whether it be comedy or talent shows. I also did some acting in my late 20s!
Gregory: I went to Morgan State University in Baltimore and graduated with an accounting degree. I used to work for MCI and Verizon Wireless, and now I own a restaurant.
Jamila: What do you do for fun?
Naijha: We love swimming, bike riding, going to comedy shows. I’ve loved comedy ever since I saw Chris Rock. I love to travel! Before we opened up, I was traveling a lot—about four times a year. About a week away wherever I went.
Gregory: Yeah, those are common interests for me, too.
Jamila: When and why did you go vegan?
Naijha: I went vegan in 2006, but I was fully into the game in 2008 because I was doing the fish thing before 2008. My journey started through health. I had high cholesterol and I didn’t know anything about veganism or vegetarianism.
Before I met Greg, I researched ways to lower cholesterol. Then when I met him where we both worked he would bring in these exotic dishes. That’s how I started getting educated on the vegan lifestyle. The whole movement with the animal rights and stuff, I didn’t get into that or learn about that until we opened The Land of Kush in 2011 or 2012.
Gregory: So I’ve been vegan since ’98, and got into it for the health reasons. I used to listen to the rapper KRS-One and he always talked about a vegetarian diet. That’s the route I took.
Jamila: What organizations are you involved in?
Naijha: I’m actually a reading partner for Reading Partners, so I help elementary school children with their reading. During the school year, I’m assigned a student and I help them read. I am also involved in the Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland (BVSMD)!
Gregory: I sit on the board of Farm Alliance of Baltimore—it helps urban farmers kind of put stuff together and sell their produce collectively at farmers markets.
I also sit on the board of the Visit Baltimore Education & Training Foundation—that’s basically an organization that gives scholarships to Baltimore city youth in the hospitality industry, so whether it’s culinary or working with hotels or the convention center. It gives them scholarships to get degrees and work experience. I am also involved with the BVSMD.
Jamila: Do you organize events in Baltimore?
Naijha: I co-founded Vegan SoulFest and we are now in our third year! It’s a vegan soul food festival. We say that because we have a lot of Black vegans and ethnic vegans in the area, so we wanted to reach out to that market and create a festival for them.
We’ve also helped with the Hip Hop Is Green Dinners. We’ve thought about venturing out on our own and doing some meatless meal dinners—anything that is going to reach and bring the community in to try plant-based food and teach them about the benefits of veganism.
Jamila: How was The Land of Kush born?
Gregory: I was working for MCI and I didn’t like working there because I wasn’t using my degree. Someone asked me to write down all of my questions to God, listen for answers, and then write the answers down. I wrote down that I wanted to own a restaurant. I was going vegan at the time, so I was like, “Why not a vegan restaurant?”
Then I began the journey of trying to get the restaurant open when, lo and behold, a friend asked me to find a vegetarian vendor for her company’s free jazz festival called Jazzy Summer Nights.
When I asked a couple of people that owned restaurants they were like, “Naww—there’s too many Black people out there at the festival. They don’t like vegetarian food. You’re not going to make any money.”
But I went back to my friend and told her I’d do it. I sold out of food at the festival, but I didn’t really make a profit because I didn’t know what I was doing.
I went to work for Verizon Wireless so I could recoup my money. I met my lovely wife there and we served food at a couple of events together. We served food at the African American Festival in Baltimore in 2008, Artscape in 2009, and then we opened up the restaurant. I left Verizon Wireless in 2010 and we opened up the The Land of Kush in 2011.
Naijha: I was interested in the The Land of Kush once Gregory introduced the idea to me. I had come to Baltimore from New York and I was always involved with something in New York, like talent shows or anything dealing with producing and promoting things.
I didn’t know anybody in Baltimore outside of the folks that transitioned with me through work. When Gregory proposed the idea of what he was trying to do, I wanted to help him because it seemed like something new and different. It was really exciting because I was just getting into the vegan lifestyle. I contributed to the website and the menu.
People were loving the food. The numbers started going up month after month. Then I was thinking, “What’s next?” I’m always in that producing mode!
Jamila: Tell me about your experiences as Black business owners.
Naijha: It’s an experience! Being in customer service for Verizon Wireless and actually the quality assurance aspect of it—I’m talking about consumers, corporate, and government—I understand the importance as a Black business with customer service.
The stigma perceived by some customers who patronize Black businesses is that you’re going to a Black business and the service isn’t going to be up to par, so that’s a constant focus. When we’re bringing in employees, we ingrain that into them—that is, the importance of service to our customers. A lot of them are from the community and it might be their first job. They’re not used to customer-facing. We have to teach them all of that and the importance of being a Black business and delivering that.
It’s also relationship-building. It’s not like you’re waiting for people to come in. We actually spend a lot of time going out, whether it’s to corporations, or companies, or tastings. We find out what to do out there and how we could assist. We’re so little, so we can’t help everybody, but we try to collaborate with people to see what they need from us.
Gregory: It’s not just a business—it’s social outreach as well. Obviously we conduct a business for profits and to further our lives and create wealth and an opportunity for ourselves, but it’s also an opportunity to go out into the community and educate Black youth about veganism. That is something, a lot of times, that’s somewhat foreign to them. Going out teaching, doing cooking demos, teaching them about produce and fruits and vegetables, and things like that. It’s just a part of the cause for us.
Jamila: What advice do you have for young people of color who want to start a business or get more into vegan advocacy?
Naijha: Disregard the naysayers and what they think. People are going to laugh about a lot of things. Gregory’s family even laughed about him wanting to open up the restaurant. But do it anyways—disregard the naysayers and take the risk—because there’s nothing better than the experience. In order to succeed you have to fail, but failing is learning so you can move on to the next level.
Gregory: Set a goal for yourself, you know? Have a vision for yourself and work towards it. Don’t be afraid of the obstacles. A lot of people stop because they’re afraid of what might happen and it’s okay to run into obstacles. Go run into them so that you can learn about them and overcome them.
Jamila: What future projects do you have?
Naijha: BVSMD is in its infancy. The first thing we did was the Hip Hop Is Green Dinner at Northwestern High School in Baltimore where we served over 200 individuals at that dinner. We used entertainment and lectures and we want to do more of that coming into 2017.
We also want to bring veganic wine and beer, entertainment, semi-fine dining, and carry-out to our business. [Veganic being a word combination of vegan and organic meaning organic plants farmed without the use of animal products or by-products.]
Gregory: The other thing we wanted to do is look for a second location for the The Land of Kush—so we want to franchise and look into those options. We want to expand the The Land of Kush because we’ve done well and want to spread that hopefully across the country.
Jamila: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me, Naijha and Gregory! And readers, if you ever find yourself in or near Baltimore, make sure you stop in and say hello to the folks at The Land of Kush. VO wishes the best of luck to the dynamic duo in the future!
By Brenda Sanders, VO Community Engagement Coordinator
VO’s Brenda Sanders
It’s been more than a week since this year’s 3rd annual Vegan SoulFest and I’m finally starting to feel like myself again.
Organizing an event of this magnitude—even with the help of the amazing volunteers who worked with us this year—definitely takes a toll. After all the post-festival wrap-up, I’ve had a few days to recharge and reflect on the whirlwind that was Vegan SoulFest and I’ve come to a few realizations.
First, Vegan SoulFest is a pretty big deal, and not just because it takes a half of a year to plan and thousands of dollars to execute.
As the Vegan SoulFest co-founders and co-organizers, Naijha Wright-Brown and I have been able to bring together healthcare professionals, chefs, speakers, performers, businesses, and non-profits from all over Baltimore, Maryland and the surrounding areas to provide life-saving information, resources, and inspiration to motivate people to explore the vegan lifestyle.
As if that weren’t awesome enough, we bring all this to a community that’s been systematically ignored by the mainstream vegan movement.
By making information about better health, compassionate choices, and environmental awareness available to marginalized people in Baltimore, we’re creating an opportunity for a seismic shift in the way that an entire group of people see, experience, and engage with the rest of the planet.
Being from this community and having a vested interest in creating positive change for people in Baltimore, I realize how important this work is! I’m extremely excited about Vegan SoulFest’s potential to re-shape the current landscape of these communities.
In addition to reflecting on Vegan SoulFest, I’ve also had a chance to think about the recent decisions I’ve made regarding my activism.
Since I started doing food justice and animal advocacy work, I’ve gone from conducting a one-woman vegan cooking demo in any and every community center and church that would have me to organizing large programs and events with the support of individuals, businesses, and organizations who believe in and support our mission.
One particular organization—Vegan Outreach—has been on my mind a lot these last few days.
I was introduced to Vegan Outreach a few years ago when I first started doing animal rights work. All I really knew about them was that they did a lot of leafleting and seemed to focus much of their advocacy on college campuses. Since I work with a completely different demographic, I rarely crossed paths with VO folks.
That all changed in April of this year when I met Vegan Outreach’s Alex Bury and Lauren Sprang at the Intersectional Justice Conference in Washington State and I learned something remarkable—VO was planning a diversity initiative that sounded suspiciously like an actual diversity initiative.
VO’s Motivational Speaker and Diversity Specialist, David Carter
They were talking about hiring people from diverse backgrounds, paying them salaries with benefits, offering people of color leadership positions in the organization, listening to the opinions and perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds, and, oh yeah, redirecting resources to those of us who are struggling to fund vegan advocacy in marginalized communities.
As I talked to Alex and Lauren, I became more and more convinced that this was real—that an overwhelmingly white animal rights organization was going to take a crack at a genuine diversity initiative.
After I’d spent years scraping by organizing programs and events on little or no budget and being pretty much ignored by the bigger animal rights groups, it seemed unreal that one of the more popular animal rights organizations was moving in this direction.
When I was offered a position with Vegan Outreach, I was happy to accept it and be a part of this wonderful thing that was happening. The VO employees, board members, and volunteers are such warm, thoughtful, and sincere people who are eager to take this organization into unfamiliar territory. They’re open to considering points of view they’d never thought about before, and willing to acknowledge missteps and make changes as they grow through this process.
VO Supporter, Brian Ottens, and VO’s Maryland/DC Events and Outreach Coordinator, Jamila Alfred
I’m proud to be able to say that I’m involved in this exciting journey Vegan Outreach has set out on!
As I’ve contemplated the future of vegan advocacy, I can’t help but see an awesome opportunity to give a platform to diverse perspectives, experiences, and voices.
People from diverse backgrounds have such a wealth of lived experiences and accumulated knowledge to contribute to this movement. As the focus begins to shift away from the traditionally dominant perspectives and more room is made for the rest of our voices, the result will inevitably be a blossoming of new thoughts and ideas that will expand veganism forward for everyone.
I’m honored to be one of those voices and I’m thankful for the support from Vegan Outreach in helping me to bring information about the vegan lifestyle to my community!
Last month, over 300 VO supporters ordered this limited-edition “Eat plants, love animals” shirt design, raising $2,801 dollars for our work to end violence towards animals. Thank you!
Since then I’ve heard from dozens of people who wanted to buy a shirt but didn’t make the deadline. So, we’ve decided to offer these shirts again—through Tuesday, September 13.
In 2012, I attended the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. There, a mixture of health professionals and concerned animal advocates gathered to hear information on plant-based health and initiatives. When the audience members were asked what they did to further promote health, a physician stood up and declared that she often cooked with her patients.
I was stunned. What kind of physician does that? She explained that it was one thing to tell a patient what to do, but another to show them how to do it. The practical application reinforced the way to better health. The combination of teaching and immersion in cooking together as physician and patient forged a better relationship, a better understanding of healthy food, and ultimately solidified the habits for healthy eating.
I was delighted to encounter this book, recognizing author Dr. Ana M. Negron as the physician who stood up and talked about her unconventional method of treating her patients. In the book, Nourishing the Body and Recovering Health, she confirmed that she has been cooking with her patients since 2003. The book is comprehensive and thorough, covering the well-known illnesses (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia) associated with the Standard American Diet, as well as the lesser known ones, or less life-threatening illnesses, all of which would be ameliorated by a plant-based diet.
She writes with a warm, enthusiastic and kind voice, going over the basics of nutrition, what is needed in a plant-based diet, and furthermore, addresses the challenges there are when changing one’s entrenched eating habits and lifestyle. She covers how the government promotes processed foods and meat, the misguidance of the current dietary guidelines, and how this further impairs people’s health. She acknowledges the difficult situations that many people face when changing eating habits, and offers solutions to overcome them.
The health data provided is substantiated by references that include the abstracts so that the studies can be understood. There are recipes with beautiful colorful photos depicting easy-to-make dishes. Another interesting and unique aspect to the book is Dr. Negron’s inclusion of her patient case studies towards the end of the book. These are interesting to read, because it highlights that everyone is on a different path to their road to health, with their own unique environments. Readers will find these stories inspiring, and will find it humbling to see that others encounter similar roadblocks.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Kim Sujovolsky, founder of Brownble, is here today to offer a few tips on how to successfully transition to a plant-based diet.
If you or someone you know is in the process of cutting out animal food products, this short video will be a non-intimidating, and helpful resource!
And another big shout-out from VO to Kim for her ongoing support!
In this video, Kim references the earlier “Veggie Bowl Brownble Style!” video she made for VO, which can be viewed here.
Kim also speaks in this video of the vital importance of “Finding Community” as one of her tips. Another way to do so—not mentioned in the video—is through VO’s Vegan Mentor Program where you can get one-on-one support to make the transition to go vegetarian or vegan.
By Jevranne Martel, VO Canada Outreach Coordinator
This recipe is for one of my favorite meals—so delicious and easy to make!
It’s one of my go-to meals when I’m cooking for people who aren’t vegan, and they’re always extremely impressed.
Jev’s Delicious Tacos
Serves about 2.
Ingredients
Walnut Taco Meat
2 cups walnuts, soaked for at least 4-6 hours (or overnight)
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne
Easy Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
½ cup tomatoes, diced
3 tablespoons red onion, diced
Juice of ½ lime
Salt to taste
Pico de Gallo
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced into small pieces
½ medium red onion, diced
¼ cup cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
Salt to taste
Cashew Sour Cream
1 cup cashews (soaked 6-8 hours)
½ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Walnut Meat: Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well-combined. Don’t overprocess—you’ll know this is happening if a paste starts to form.
Guacamole: Mash all of the ingredients together to your preferred guacamole consistency.
Pico de Gallo: Simply combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Cashew Sour Cream: Combine cashews and water in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until well-combined.
Using soft or hard taco shells, assemble all components of the tacos. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips/Variations
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is soaking the walnuts and cashews. I’d recommend soaking them the night before you plan to use them.
In addition to the meal components included above, I encourage you to add whatever other toppings you’d like—lettuce, tomatoes, vegan cheese, cilantro, corn, etc.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Kim Sujovolsky with Brownble is back with us again! And this time she’s demonstrating how to make these delicious looking Tempeh No-Chicken Salad Stuffed Pitas.
I love that Kim chose tempeh for this meal! I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that tempeh is a somewhat lesser known and used plant-based protein. And for anyone who’s unfamiliar with it, let alone unsure how to prepare it, this video does an excellent job of demonstrating how easy it is to use!
A huge shout-out to Kim for providing Vegan Outreach with this cooking demonstration and a tasty new meal idea!
Tempeh No-Chicken Salad Stuffed Pitas
Yields 6 small pita sandwiches.
Ingredients
1 package tempeh
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 large green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
¾ cup red seedless grapes, halved
6 small whole wheat pita pockets
Dressing
⅓ cup eggless mayonnaise
2 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
4 tablespoons non-dairy milk (unsweetened)
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
A few cracks of pepper
Directions
Cut the tempeh into slices, and then each slice into smaller squares.
Steam the pieces in a steamer basket over boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pieces and place them in a bowl.
To make the dressing whisk all the ingredients together in a smaller bowl.
Add the celery, green onion, walnuts, chives, and grapes to the bowl that has the tempeh, toss well and pour the dressing on top. Toss everything until well coated with the dressing.
If you have time to chill the no-chicken salad for a bit it really makes the flavors come together; otherwise continue to assemble your pitas.
Toast your pitas in the toaster and then cut a small piece at the top. This will make the pita pocket open and form a sort of envelope for your filling.
Stuff each pita with the no-chicken salad, serve, and enjoy!
Brownble is an online resource program for vegans or veg-curious people. It is a wonderful program featuring a wide variety of video cooking demonstrations, meal plans, and other helpful tools for navigating a vegan lifestyle.
This initial video will kick off one of several in which Kim will be sharing fun and informative videos with Vegan Outreach. You can look forward to future videos where Kim will be demonstrating easy-to-make vegan meals and treats, and discussing easy tricks and tips for maintaining a vegan diet.
This week we began with recommendations on how to make a yummy veggie bowl. Click on the picture below to see the video courtesy of Kim at Brownble on How to Make the Perfect Veggie Bowl!
I’ve had the opportunity to spend time looking at the Brownble program, and I’ve been so impressed. In addition to the program offering invaluable information, the website itself is absolutely beautiful and very easy to navigate.
Moreover, members will instantly feel supported and loved by Kim. To say that she radiates compassion is an understatement. It’s obvious that Kim’s love for helping others embrace a healthy and cruelty-free lifestyle is her passion.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
When I got word that an 18-year-old had written and published a vegan cookbook, I immediately had all sorts of questions—Who was the author? What was her story? Was she really only 18 years old?
After doing a little research, Whitney Lieberman—a recent high school graduate—and I got in touch. Without a second thought, I ordered her cookbook, Freshly Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes for Beginners, and asked her if she’d be willing to talk with Vegan Outreach about her background, her cookbook, and her plans for the future.
Thankfully, my enthusiasm didn’t scare Whitney away. She graciously answered all my questions and recommended a recipe we could share with you all.
I wasn’t disappointed by her Peanut Butter Poppers recommendation. These quick and delicious snacks will be gone before you know it, especially if you’re a peanut butter fan!
Get to know Whitney before you scroll down to check out the recipe! I guarantee you’ll be just as inspired and impressed as I was by this young, ambitious vegan.
Lori Stultz: How old are you and where do you currently live?
Whitney Lieberman: I am 18 years old. I’ve spent my entire life living in Sunnyvale, [California].
Lori: Tell us a little about your hobbies and interests.
Whitney: I absolutely love to cook (I know, a huge surprise), especially with friends. I enjoy introducing my non-vegan friends to my favorite recipes by preparing them vegan brunches and dinners.
I’m also fond of many types of fitness. I frequently run, box, mountain bike, attend fitness boot camps, and practice yoga.
The wilderness is my favorite place to be. My enthusiasm for nature fuels my interest in landscape photography. A favorite pastime of mine is taking long hikes with plenty of stops for scenic shots. In the winter, I ski and snowboard with my family.
Lori: You just graduated high school. What’s next for you?
Whitney: This fall I’m attending Claremont McKenna College. My major is currently undecided, but I’m interested in eventually studying Biology-Chemistry.
Lori: Tell us about your vegan journey. When was your awareness heightened about animal abuse, the health benefits of a vegan diet, the environment, etc., and what has your road been like between that point and now?
Whitney: My vegan journey began in first grade after I overheard my parents discussing factory farming. I had a pet chicken at the time, so learning about the atrocities that birds raised for food endure was absolutely traumatizing. I immediately decided to give up chicken meat, and I fully committed to vegetarianism later that week.
My meat-free lifestyle evolved into veganism during ninth grade. While researching dietary trends, I encountered many articles that explained the health benefits of a vegan diet. At first, my transition into veganism was catalyzed by teenage vanity—I read that dairy consumption worsens troubled skin. However, as I learned more about veganism, I better understood the factory farming industry’s catastrophic impact on the environment. A promised reduction of my carbon footprint was the final influence that pushed me to give up all animal products.
Going vegan was relatively easy since I was already vegetarian. My parents were incredibly supportive. They never once questioned my lifestyle changes and accommodated all of my dietary changes into our family’s meals.
My friends are just as supportive as my family. With the exception of some lighthearted teasing, almost everyone I know applauds my commitment to veganism and seems genuinely interested in learning more.
Also, after I released my book, members of my school’s administration were incredibly encouraging. Specifically, my principal played an enormous role in forwarding my book’s publicity. Multiple staff members went out of their way to help organize an on-campus book signing and to put me in touch with local newspapers.
Lori: What sparked the idea of putting together a cookbook? Was it a difficult process? Did you self-publish or seek out a publisher?
Whitney: I decided to create my cookbook after realizing that my peers were interested in learning more about my lifestyle. Throughout high school, I carried a reputation as a vegan “health-nut”—a title I am proud of. For this reason, many people reached out to me with questions. During the first few months of 11th grade especially, friends asked for advice about transitioning into a vegan lifestyle and for my favorite vegan recipes.
Interestingly, the “aha moment” for my project occurred when I explained this situation to my mom. Because of the high demand for vegan recipes from my peers (and the misconception that all I ate was kale), I realized the easiest way to showcase veganism to friends was to condense as many delicious recipes as possible into a book!
I’ve always cooked with my mom, and she taught me everything I know about it. During the summer before 11th grade, we spent a lot of time “veganizing” old family recipes and experimenting to add more variety to our family dinners. These recipes provided the baseline for my book, and the next year was spent imagining and experimenting with new ideas and flavors.
After creating the 74 recipes in my book, I sent the manuscript draft to a cookbook editor. I was fortunate to find someone willing to volunteer her services to my project. In addition to helping me improve recipe consistency and clarity, she offered her input on the recipes themselves.
I published my cookbook with CreateSpace, Amazon’s self-publishing platform.
Whitney Lieberman with Her Cookbook Freshly Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes for Beginners
Lori: Knowing that your living/cooking environment is going to change as you move onto college, what are some of the tips and tricks you plan to take with you?
Whitney: One trick I plan to take to college with me is making overnight oats for breakfast. They’re easy to prepare in a college dorm because they don’t require any cooking. The ingredients I use are very similar to those in the “Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal” recipe in my book.
To make this nutrient-packed breakfast, I combine rolled oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, peanut butter, almond milk, bananas, and cinnamon in a small Tupperware and refrigerate it overnight. When I wake up the next morning, I have a creamy and nutritious breakfast waiting for me.
Lori: Lastly, what is your favorite vegan food or meal?
Whitney: I can’t choose only one favorite, so I’ll give my top three!
The first is my “Easy Chick-Peasy Falafel Bites” recipe. I enjoy these patties on top of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with a drizzle of lemon juice.
I also love cooking stuffed bell peppers. If I’m in a rush, I’ll stuff a raw bell pepper with chopped vegetables and top it with a bit of guacamole or salsa.
And my favorite snack is my “Peanut Butter Poppers” recipe. My family always has a bag of them prepared in our refrigerator!
Lori: Thank you for taking the time to tell us about yourself, Whitney!
Readers, especially those who like quick and simple meals and/or are new to the vegan lifestyle, I highly recommend checking out Whitney’s book! Her meals are simple to prepare and will leave you wanting to try another one of her delicious creations.
Peanut Butter Poppers
Yields about 15 poppers.
Ingredients
1 jar smooth peanut butter
3 cups crushed flake cereal
1 cup raisins
½ cup ground flax seed meal
½ cup agave
Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Roll the mixture into ping-pong ball sized spheres and place them onto a cookie sheet.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
In 2012, I attended the 
