UNPROCESSED by Chef AJ: Book Review & Giveaway!

We're all looking for help in some way or another.  Advice from a family member or a friend.  A film to allow us to escape.  A book to shed some light on a topic or provide valuable information.

We're always looking for a new tool to add to our personal toolbelt, a new skill for our repertoire, a new resource to make sure we have everything we need for our heads, hearts, bodies, and spirits.  

My most recent resource that I added into my life was Unprocessed: How to achieve vibrant health and your ideal weight by Chef AJ.  I've only known Chef AJ for a short time but have learned so much from her, in person and through her book.  She has really worked her way into becoming one of the premier plant-based/vegan chefs and is incredibly accessible with information and recipes.  Currently, in addition to her website, Chef AJ's Healthy Kitchen, where you can sign up for cooking classes, workshops/events, and more, you can find her teamed up with The Plant-Based Dietitian, Julieanna Hever, in the fun and tasty videocasts, "The Chef and the Dietitian," where you can follow the two making recipes from soups to salads to smoothies to dinners to desserts.  It's a big delicious video experience.


So I recently read Unprocessed, and what I love about it is that Chef AJ leads you, the reader, through simple, relatable, easy-to-understand steps to benefit your mindset and journey toward eating an unprocessed, or whole-food, plant-based diet.  Starting with her very own life story - which you'll have to read yourself! - Chef AJ takes us through what easily could be your life experience or your life experience or your life experience.  Let me tell you, I was surprised to find out a lot about what's happened in her life. AJ definitely had to overcome some major obstacles in order to discover her passion, optimal health, and happiness.  Though many challenges were thrown her way, she succeeded - and the value of plant-based eating was definitely at the core of it.

After Chef AJ connects with you, as an author, as a friend, she continues on as a guide, a teacher, and a coach, breaking through the initially-legitimate (but ultimately flimsy) excuses for not wanting to or "being unable" to eat plant-based and unprocessed.  Once you realize "She's right!" and begin to think "Well, what do I do now...?" she swoops in like a superhero(ine), providing all of the basic information on why eating an unprocessed, plant-based diet is best for you - and then helpful tips on how to make it work in your life or your life or your life.  Finally, AJ opens up the vault and you get to cash in on over 100 delicious nutrient-rich and gluten-free recipes!  


That Chipotle Corn Salsa sure looks Smokey!
(courtesy of Forks Over Knives)
Unprocessed is personal, informational, fun, and so helpful in relaying how unprocessed, plant-based eating is valuable for everyone - yes, even you and you and you.  And when you're done, you can jump right in and enjoy with simple recipes that will wow your taste buds and contribute to (and not against) your health.

Here are some favorites that I've tried or that have caught my eye and will most likely end up in my tummy sometime in the near future:


Mmm mmm soup.
(courtesy of Forks Over Knives)

That's only 8.  Which means there are over 92 more for you to enjoy. How to do that?  Well, get the book, of course!  And I'll give you a head start!  

We're giving away one signed copy of Unprocessed to the lucky raffle winner of this last giveaway of the year.  It's super simple - you may already be a pro at this - just go to the Rafflecopter widget below, sign up for free if you need to, and follow the easy directions. The more items you complete, the more raffle entries in your name, the better chance you have at winning!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE 3RD ANNUAL TERRIFIC THANKSGIVING TURKEY PLEDGE!


Hello my loves!

First of, please enjoy the photo on the right of me snuggling with Russell the rescued turkey at Farm Sanctuary. Ain't he handsome? :-)



Well, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with that, the hustle and bustle of finding just the right food to display on the table for everyone to munch on. Stuffing! Mashed Potatoes! Cranberry sauce out of a can! Hey, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you can't take the New Jersey out of the girl...



This Thanksgiving, I will be eating plenty of yummy vegan food with the hubby and my mama who will be in town next week, along with tons of veggie friends in LA, and I couldn't be happier. 

Okay, here goes: I am challenging you - YES YOU! - to 

Kiss Me, I'm Vegan's



3rd ANNUAL TERRIFIC THANKSGIVING 

TURKEY PLEDGE!!!

We've done this fun tradition for the past two years with fabulous success - nearly 100 pledges on the blog!

Here's how it goes:

In the comment section below, 

please make a firm commitment NOT 

to eat turkeys this Thanksgiving.  

You can say something as simple as "No turkey for me!" or as long as "I would never dream of consuming turkeys because their too cute to eat, pass the tofurky please!" 

I would love to see if we can get at least 100 pledges by Thanksgiving this year. And don't worry - you can be a vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eater-slowly-transitioning-to-kiss-worthy-vegan and still post a comment below. 

AND PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH JUST ABOUT ANY FRIEND YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON!

Here’s to a delicious, compassionate 
holiday season.

For vegan Thanksgiving recipe ideas, check out last year's holiday post, and if you haven't yet, give a Tofurky roast a whirl. I was skeptical at first, but oh my goodness are they amazing!

Jorge Garcia and I would like to wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Happiest of Halloweens to you my dears! 

In honor of the holiday, please enjoy a Halloween themed short I co-wrote with my dear friend and vegetarian, Jorge Garcia (yes, Hurley from LOST!). Many thanks to Jordan Epstein, Ian Woods, and Diego Giovanni Tovar for helping to make this a reality.


 May today be filled for each of you with yummy vegan goodies, costumes galore, and the childlike wonder that makes Halloween so special. :-)

A Thought As You Go Through Your Day.

My husband posted this passage of a story on his facebook wall this week. A FB friend of his had posted about a recent experience he had, and it definitely bears repeating. An absolutely lovely summation of the slow, but steady progress our movement of compassion is making. Read on:

"A beautiful moment occurred today. While standing outside my art gallery in California eating a sandwich, the elderly Brazilian landlord of my building stopped and asked what kind of sandwich I was eating. "Veggie patty and avocado," I said. He asked me if I ate animals. I said no. He said, "Neither do I." I said to him, "Really? Why not?" He said "Because I hate to see them suffer." Meanwhile a third person stepped up, overhearing our conversation - an Italian artist from Rhode Island, he said to both of us, "I can't believe people still eat animals." I said, "Are you vegan too?" He said, "Hell yeah." 

So there we stood, three men who barely know each other: an old Brazilian man, an artist from Rhode Island, and me, a California former stoner/skater - all with one thing in common: compassion for the oppressed. I thought to myself, is this really happening? I thought it was only on FB that three vegans would randomly intersect. Is the world changing? Maybe it is. At least in small moments here and there. Like the moment I experienced today." 
- Al Jackson, vegan activist

Farm Sanctuary's LA Walk for Farm Animals!

It's that time of year again! In fact, it's been that time of year for a little over a month now!  It's time to Walk for Farm Animals!

Every year, the leading farmed animal protection organization in the United States, Farm Sanctuary, leads Walks all over the country to help raise awareness about the plight of the millions of farmed animals who are abused, confined, and lose their lives every day for the food and clothing industry.  The Walk becomes a rally, a force of good, a massive community gathering to provide a voice for these voiceless beings and help others connect more closely with their values & beliefs (especially when 97% of Americans oppose cruelty to animals).  The Walk allows an opportunity to bring a visual of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, sheep, goats, horses all in an open, free natural environment - living, breathing, playing, thriving.  The Walk opens up opportunities to raise funds that go to rescuing farmed animals, providing urgent care and lifelong refuge, and education and advocacy efforts.

We've been a part of three Walks so far, in Rehoboth Beach, DE, New York, NY, and Santa Monica, LA, CA, and are excited for the possibility of our fourth!  Overall, we're excited to raise money for such a powerful, valuable cause close to our hearts.  The Walks started at the beginning of September and will continue through the beginning of November.  Our Los Angeles Walk is coming up just next week (yeeps!)                                      on Saturday, October 27th in Pasadena.

Team Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!/Ahimsa Life Coaching asks you, our lovely KMIV family, for your support and to please help us contribute to the animals. A sponsorship donation as little as $1 or $5 is amazing, and anything beyond is absolutely tremendous.  


You can check out our Walk sponsorship page here.  Please leave a note if you contribute so we can say thank you (or not, if you like the whole anonymous benefactor thing).
If you live in or around the LA/Pasadena area, maybe we'll get to see you!  As of this post, there are still Walks happening in Louisville, KY, Atlanta, GA, New York City, NY, Sacramento, CA, Phoeniz, AZ, Austin, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, Philadelphia, PA, and Tampa Bay, FL.  If you don't have one in a city near you or you just can't make it, there's an even easier way to get involved with the Sleep In for Farm Animals on November 3rd.



Since its inception in 1986, Farm Sanctuary, headed by founder Gene Baur, has paved the way for opening the hearts and minds of millions of people to true compassion.  This year, Peter Dinklage, of Boardwalk Empire and other television/films, is the WfFA Spokesperson.  Please join Gene, Peter, the thousands of people walking around the country, and, of course, us!, in support and celebration of our beloved farmed                                        animals. 

Oh my gosh... it's been 4 years. And I almost missed it.

I've been out of touch. 

Winnie has forgiven me. Can you?

I've been really  ridiculously, shamefully, what's wrong with her? out of touch.

I know that some of your favorite posts on here are the personal ones, and they've been few and far between the last couple of months. Life has been a beautiful whirlwind this past year - of acting (check out my episode on HBO's Enlightened in January!), singing (yay open mics), working my butt off (i heart vegan kids), and enjoying family time whenever i get the chance (thank you iPhones and understanding husbands). All of this has made one of my favorite pastimes - blogging - nearly obsolete. With the exception of my hubby's stellar posts about vegan nutrition and food giveaways, I've been distant with you guys. Until today. Because today, I will share some stuff, hit "publish" and you, my kiss-worthy readers, will be able to enjoy a personal post from yours truly. And hopefully a little balance will be restored. 

So, what have I been doing with my little vegan self since I last shared? Well,I...

Farmer John's = obscene cruelty.
Visited Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres and snuggled with Winnie the goose.

Attended a protest at Farmer John's slaughterhouse (aka hell on Earth for pigs and piglets alike, unlike the mural to the right suggests). 

Helped a friend with some non-dairy alternatives so he could cut back on his cow's milk consumption (yay!).

Got interviewed for an upcoming article in Bazaar about vegan women.

Watched the vegan hubby run a 10K Gladiator Run. Alongside Positively Bliss yoga teacher Ashley Platz. Go Team V!

Enjoyed wayyyyy too much yummy vegan food with my now - you guessed it - vegan! - brother when he came to Los Angeles recently with his lovely GF.

Discovered The Sexy Vegan. Check him out HERE. 

Gave a vegan cookbook to a non-vegan friend.


And hugged my cats. A lot.

And then there's the reasons to smile list, which I am bringing back today. You know, the one I used to write a while back every few posts? Here's a refresher for those who have no idea what I'm talking about.

Today, I only have one thing to list. Because my biggest reason to smile is... 
YOU GUYS. 

Thank you so much for continuing on this kooky, smile-inducing, humbling journey with me. Because it's been 4 - count em, FOUR - blissful years of living 100% vegan. Yep, that's right. Four Octobers ago I got the idea to fully commit myself to a lifestyle I am still head over heels in love with. Check out my 2010 post about the "vegan glow" to get an idea of the magic I've experienced since.

Thank you for being accepting, for being supportive, for being patient, and for being understanding. Thank you for being like my own little vegan family!

I love you and am tremendously grateful to have you as a part of Kiss Me, I'm Vegan!. Here's to many more years of compassionate blogging! 

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