Reasons to Smile.

 1. Tomorrow I post my interview with the incomparable Jenny Brown - co-founder of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! (Photo courtesy of Derek Goodwin.)

(Also, keep your eyes out for next week's interview with critically acclaimed cookbook author and Post Punk Kitchen co-founder, Isa Chandra Moskowitz!)

2. My brother taking a veg pledge this month and his girlfriend being on round 2 of her veg pledge!

3. Alicia Silverstone being honored with a "Voice of Compassion" Award this weekend at The Art of Compassion Gala, which is being hosted by one of my favorite organizations, The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.  (Photo courtesy of Ecorazzi.com.)

4. The new show, "Unlikely Animal Friends", on the National Geographic Channel. You gotta check these unbelievable stories out! (Thanks to Trista Norton for sharing this show with me.)

5. Jim's Organic Coffee (my favorite coffee brand) for being both fairly traded and shade grown. Go Jim! I love your coffee, man!

6. For you New Yorkers - The Veggie Pride Parade next month (on May 16th), and maybe even more exciting...

7. The chance to attend a prom that is way cooler than your highschool's was at Veggie Conquest's Veggie Prom 2010! It all goes down the night before Veggie Pride. I'll be there in a rockin' party dress - will you?

 

 

 8. A yummy brunch yesterday with my hubby that consisted of tofu scramble with spinach, quinoa with salsa, tofurky sausage, and corn, and sweet potato hash browns. Mmm.... 

9. The new "About Me" and "My Favorites" features on my blog - check 'em out!

10. The fact that, despite having an entire apartment to roam around and stretch out in, my three kitties decided to all camp out together for a nap on the edge of our couch. Too cute.

11. Benjamin Franklin (quoted below), for realizing all the way back in the 1700's that vegetarianism was the best way to eat and live. Love you Mr. Franklin!

"My refusing to eat meat occasioned inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension."


What are your reasons to smile today?

Interview Series #5: Hilary Detwiller of Plate+Simple

Last month, I found an email in my inbox entitled "Spreading the Vegan Love" from a follower of my blog. Below is an excerpt from that email:

I just wanted to send you a quick note to tell you what an inspiration you've been to me. I've been hooked on Kiss Me, I'm Vegan! for several months now, and I just love the energy and passion that goes into your writing.

I have found your site so inspiring, in fact, that I went vegan myself in February, and I've even just launched my own healthy-vegan-living website at www.plateandsimple.com.

Keep spreading that vegan inspiration! I love it!

The author of the email was Hilary Detwiller, founder of Plate+Simple, an awesome new vegan website. In addition to her work on P+S, Hilary is a 33-year old wife, mother, and student living in Vancouver, B.C. After reading Hilary's posts on her blog, it is clear to see that this lady is a vegan force to be reckoned with - she is a talented, passionate, and generous individual with many gifts to offer the vegan community. I am so happy our paths crossed last month and and even more so because we've remained in touch ever since that email.

Since Hilary started out as a follower of the blog just like you guys and gals, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share her journey here through my interview series. Hilary is just one of many people who have reached out to me since starting Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!, and it is because of your inspiring, thoughtful, and kind emails and comments that I continue to do what I do.

Read on to learn a little bit more about this rockin' lady...

Kiss Me, I'm Vegan: What was the turning point in your life that led you to veganism? Was it one huge moment, or a collective group of small moments that changed you?

Hilary: I found veganism quite by accident. I had always been fascinated by the vegan lifestyle, and I never really ate much meat to begin with. But I never pursued a vegan life, because I mistakenly thought it would be too difficult. Last October, my naturopath put me on a 2-week cleanse, whereby I omitted, among other things, all animal-derived foods. Within a few days, I was feeling totally amazing. By the end of the 2 weeks, I was absolutely, positively GLOWING. I felt light, efficient, radiant and so healthy! I started cluing in that perhaps this vegan diet might really be working for me! So, I started reading, researching and educating myself about becoming a vegan. I quickly realized that a vegan diet was the best possible thing I could do for my health, and I've been dedicated to it ever since. It's been several months now and I'm still glowing!

KMIV: What have been the greatest rewards of your vegan lifestyle? What have been the greatest challenges?

Hilary: The greatest reward of my vegan lifestyle has definitely been the radical change in my health. Prior to becoming vegan, I struggled with my weight, suffered from terrible digestion issues, had low energy, and was mentally foggy. I felt all around dull. Now, I am the picture of great health, my digestion issues are a thing of the past, I have energy to spare, and strangers on the street stop me all the time to comment on how gorgeous my skin looks. I am absolutely thriving. And P.S. - I never even think about calories, carbs, or fat anymore. Veganism has brought my weight into a perfect healthy balance, right smack dab in the middle of the "normal" BMI for my height. No suffering or deprivation necessary!

The greatest challenge for me has been cooking for my family. My husband and daughter are vegetarian, and it is sometimes difficult preparing multiple meals at dinner time to suit all our diets.

KMIV: Tell me a little bit about Plate+Simple - what inspired you to start the blog?

Hilary: My daughter Maya is my first baby, but Plate+Simple is my second. It has been such a labour of love for me to create this website. I am touched beyond words that people are reading it. The reason I launched Plate+Simple is because I have been so excited about my vegan lifestyle that I needed to put that energy somewhere. My poor husband and friends have been so patient, listening to me ramble on and on and on about all things vegan. I seriously have not been able to shut up about it! I decided I needed an outlet in which to channel all my vegan enthusiasm, and I loved the idea of creating a forum that would allow me to talk about all the things that inspire me to be vegan, in hopes that it might inspire others to take control of their own health too.

KMIV: From the beautiful pictures on your website, people can see that you have an amazing family (Hilary lives with husband, Dennis, and daughter, Maya). What has been the experience of balancing your vegan lifestyle with your family?

Hilary: The balance between my family and my vegan lifestyle can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Dennis and Maya are vegetarian, not vegan. So this usually translates into my having to cook a few variations of our meals at dinnertime. On the other hand, since becoming vegan, I have had more energy than I know what to do with, so this means that Maya has a mom who loves to play with her, run around with her, take her on adventures, and keep up with her. And Dennis has a hot wife who can totally rock a pair of skinny jeans.

KMIV: What advice would you give someone who is interested in veganism, but afraid of taking the leap?

Hilary: Great question. I would say that the fact that a person is interested in the idea is such an amazing first step, and that should be congratulated on its own. My advice would be to try having a vegan meal once a day, and if you like the food and you love how you feel then take it further. Don't be afraid of cooking. Force yourself to experiment with one new vegetable per month (at least!). Use the vegan resources available out there - and they're everywhere. Cookbooks, blogs, forums, books, websites - they all make a vegan's life so much easier. Through Plate+Simple, I've realized that vegans are all over the place, and connecting with a few like-minded individuals makes the journey so much more enjoyable.

KMIV: Okay - you're stuck on a deserted island with three vegan food items - what are they?

Hilary: Wait - is there tropical fruit on this island? If the answer is no, then I would say short grain brown rice, almond butter, and pink lady apples. If there is tropical fruit, then I'd scrap the apples and go for the 5-bean salad in the deli at my local natural food store. Wait - is that 5 things? 

My deepest thanks to the inspiring (and inspired) Hilary Detwiller for making this interview possible. For more information about Hilary, visit www.plateandsimple.com.

Tarra & Bella

Tarra is a large, majestic, gray elephant, recently rescued and living the rest of her life at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.  Bella is a little, white dog, also rescued and living at The Elephant Sanctuary.  Two animals who you would never suspect to live peacefully together,  and yet, they are best friends.

Stories like Tarra and Bella's remind me why I went vegan in 2008 - because animals of all shapes, sizes, and species are intelligent, loving beings who are not here on this Earth for our wants and needs. They have just as much will and desire to live - and love each other - as you or I. And their lives are just as precious.

Maybe you don't agree fully with my feelings towards animals. If that's the case, then please watch Tarra and Bella's story below and see if it doesn't change your mind. Whatever your stance on animals, I'm sure you will be as touched and moved by their unique relationship as I am.

If you aren't vegan, why not try eating vegan for the rest of the day today in honor of Tarra and Bella?

To learn more about Tarra and Bella's story, click here. Thanks to Robyn Lazara for sharing this beautiful story with me today, as well as Steve Hartman for having the courage to cover this on CBS last year.

Reasons to Smile.

1. April flowers. 

2. Feeding my grandma some messy, cheesy, and vegan lasagna this Easter weekend and her loving it.

  My lasagna.

My grandma after eating eat my lasagna.

3. Traveling with my mom from her Delaware home all the way to Maryland just to visit their Whole Foods, then proceeding to stay there for two hours, and spending a pretty penny on a ton of delicious vegan food.

4. Meeting Chef Gretchen from my Mom's first Meat-Out and dining at her beautiful Rehoboth Beach restaurant, Hobos. Check out some of the food!

So yummy...

So delicious...

 

 I know you want to eat the pictures...

My mom and her friend Keith agree - this food is good! 

5. Plate+Simple, a new vegan blog by a very awesome lady and KMIV follower named Hilary. Check it out guys and gals!

6. My grandma making the same (vegan) salad on Easter that she's made for years and years.

7. Missionary Chocolates, an adorable vegan chocolate company with a great story. After visiting their website, check out the blog!

8. The fact that it's visiting season for the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Get in your cars (or buses or zipcars) people, and go visit those cute and cuddly rescued farm animals!

9. Receiving so many inspiring thank-you notes in my email inbox from readers of the blog. Thank you for continuing to show me not only the reasons to keep smiling, but also the reasons to keep working to make this blog better. You rock!

10. Rini (Steve and my first rescue kitty).

11. Vicki (our second).

12. Guster (our third).

 13. Elie Wiesel and his beautiful words:

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."

I

I second that, Elie!

 

What are your reasons to smile today?

Interview Series #4: Peter K. Lu of Peacefood Cafe

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of Steve and mine took us to what would become one of my all-time favorite dining experiences - 4-Course Vegan in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What set this apart from anything else was that this delicious evening of food all occurred within the four walls of a chef's loft - specifically, the loft of Chef Matteo, a tremendously talented vegan chef with a leaning towards raw cuisine. The food was delectable, rich, and satisfying, and everything was made on the spot from local, sustainable vegan food.

 With Chef Matteo

As we waited for our first course, I got to talking with the rest of the people at our table and found myself in conversation with a very engaging, kind, and enthusiastic man - Peter K. Lu. I would soon come to learn that Peter is co-owner of Peacefood Cafe, an awesome vegan restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Having already dined there once myself and having had the delight of meeting Peter's partner and co-owner, Eric, when I visited, I was overjoyed to hear about Peter's path toward veganism. Turns out Peter and I not only share the same love for food and animals, but we also have the same mentor - vegan superstar Colleen Patrick-Goudreau! 

Peter and me

Peter is one of the warmest people I've ever met, and his kindness and light is reflected not only in his beautiful restaurant, but also in the journey that has led him to opening Peacefood Cafe.  Meeting him at 4-Course Vegan was a tremendously serendipitous moment in my life, and I am so stoked to share his words with you. Enjoy! 

Kiss Me, I'm Vegan: What was the turning point in your life that led you to veganism? Was it one huge moment, or a collective group of small moments that changed you? 

Peter: My partner Eric adopted a Buddist diet at the turn of the millennium because he was following a spiritual group led by Supreme Master Ching Hai. The group follows what is similar to the Buddhist teaching and advocates for “non-violence” in life. The disciples must follow the five precepts of Buddhism in order to practice meditation which is the means to find one’s true self. A Buddhist diet is almost vegan – dairy is permitted (since the doctrine was written a long time ago, and milk was obtained in a much different way than today), but absolutely no eggs nor cheese are allowed, unless the cheese is made with vegetarian rennet. I started eating vegetarian food with him when we were spending time together. I was a big vegetable fan, so I did not find it very difficult to not have meat in my meals.

The big moment had to be the day of September 11, 2001 – I witnessed the tragedy, and the city seemed to come to a halt. Many lives were lost on that day and people were angry, sad, worried, and confused. The loss of lives can lead us to this mix of negative emotions – all lives are precious, human or animals. I turned vegetarian that day. However, it did not occur to me that being a vegetarian was not enough. I was having an almost guilt-free time eating eggs, cheeses, and pastries. In 2006, I stumbled into a few vegan podcasts – among them were the “Compassionate Cooks” podcasts by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (**who we recently interviewed!). Her eloquence and sincerity really touched me. I could not stop listening to her podcasts and finally urged myself and my partner (he ate very little dairy at the time) to go vegan on New Years Day 2007. I remember telling him that dairy was even more evil than meat. I could not believe that I did not know all these facts until I started listening to all these podcasts! How well the dairy industry was keeping the true information from their consumers and still is. I know a lot more now, but I am still working on getting rid of all animal products in our lives. 

KMIV: What have been the greatest rewards of your vegan lifestyle? What have been the greatest challenges? 

Peter: To know that you are contributing to a better life - there are just so many benefits to being vegan: environment, health, and most importantly, truthfulness - one knows that he or she is not contributing to suffering anymore.

The most important aspect of being a vegan for me is ethical, and the others are just the benefits that come with it.

Challenges? Yes there are some - like going out to dinner with friends and clients, traveling to a different country, visiting with family on holidays. But none of these should really be a challenge when you know that what you do is right and truthful. In fact, being a vegan myself is hopefully helping people to pay more attention to veganism. 

photo courtesy of www.peacefoodcafe.com

KMIV: Tell me a little bit about Peacefood Cafe - what inspired you to open it? What has the experience of running a vegan restaurant in NYC been like?

Peter: Um, we like to eat! After my partner closed his antique business in 2006, we were looking for something for him to do. He has always cooked for me all these years and wanted to have a restaurant (by the way, he earned a Restaurant Management Degree from college). It was difficult since we had to fund the whole project mostly by ourselves, and the budget was really tight; most landlords thought that we could not make money with a vegan restaurant. After months of searching and numerous rejections by landlords, we found our current location on 82nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue in NYC.   

I remembered "seeing the restaurant” the moment I walked into the space. I knew what it should look like (I am an interior designer by profession), and we went ahead to get the project underway in January 2009.

 

I should say - we almost abandoned the project in 2008 because of the bad economy and so many people including our family advising us against from the project. I remember Eric saying to me that we actually had a much more profound and meaningful reason to forge ahead with this project despite of all the set-backs: his spiritual master advised him that there was (and is) an urgency to promote vegan food and to raise the "no kill" awareness to the general public. If it was not for the animals, we would not have done it.

 

It took six months to put the place together, and after a very difficult first few months in business last year, we can say that we are here to stay. It took a lot of effort - Eric has not taken a day off for nine months since the restaurant opened, and I am spending most of my free time helping out on the weekends, and of course, there's book work and some PR. 

photo courtesy of www.peacefoodcafe.com

We were very lucky to be written up by the NY Times and Time Out New York (my sincere thanks to the editors!). Oh, and I should mention to you that, on her podcast, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau read the email I wrote to her about opening Peacefood Café! I was so excited - it was the best gift that I could ever ask for. In fact, one time a customer said that he was listening to her reading my email on her podcast while he was walking on the street, and then he looked up and there was Peacefood Café! 

KMIV: What advice would you give someone who is interested in veganism, but afraid of taking the leap?    

Peter: Know that it only takes three weeks to change a habit. You can start like me by going little by little. Listen to these vegan podcasts, they are so informative. Think of the animals - think how human they are; think of your pets - think of them in these horrid situations, how desperate and cruel. Think of Life, as I was thinking about lives on the day of 9/11.  

KMIV: Okay - you're stuck on a desert island with three vegan food items - what are they? 

Peter: Oh, this is a hard question. You know the menu of Peacefood Café is based on the food that Eric and I both enjoy to eat, so it runs a pretty good gamut. If I am stuck on a deserted island, I will want to have kale (or broccoli rabe), quinoa and olive oil. These three ingredients make my favorite dish, and they will also take care of my beauty!  

Many thanks to Peter K. Lu and Peacefood Cafe for making this interview possible. To learn more about Peter's restaurant, please visit www.peacefoodcafe.com.

My Guest Blog on The Kind Life!

Hey folks,

So, a few weeks ago, I met the lovely Alicia Silverstone, and while we were chatting, she mentioned that she was looking for a vegan wedding story/article to post to her blog. Well, I got to writing the few days after our meeting, and I sent her over a story.  I am happy to say she just posted it last night on her website, The Kind Life!

To check out the post, which I've titled "My Big, Fat, Vegan Wedding", you can click here!

Thank you sooooo much for all of your support guys and gals - and be on the lookout for my next interview - with one of the founders of Peacefood Cafe in NYC!