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Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Dinner

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

Butternut Squash Shells and Cheese

Dinner

Butternut Squash Shells and Cheese

Chickpea and Chard Shakshuka

Dinner

Chickpea and Chard Shakshuka

Spicy Poblano and Sweet Potato Chili

Entrees

Spicy Poblano and Sweet Potato Chili

FAST, SAVORY VEGAN BREAKFASTS A lot of would-be

FAST, SAVORY VEGAN BREAKFASTS

A lot of would-be vegans struggle with the idea of a plant-based breakfast. So many traditional menu items are off limits! Thankfully, there are countless dairy-free recipes now for pancakes, waffles, crepes, French toast, oatmeal, smoothies - but what about savory options, especially if you’re looking for something A) fast and B) not dependent on products like @justegg or @beyondmeat sausages?

I love savory toasts. I’m not a big breakfast person, but when I do wake up hungry, they are almost always the answer (who wants to bust out the pots and pans before 8 AM? Nope nope nope.) Minimal dishes, fast, delicious, and you load them up with vegetables to really start the day off strong.

Choose sourdough, rye or whole wheat toast as a base. A slather of hummus or avocado is next. Now, avocado toast or hummus toast is far from revolutionary, but don’t stop there! Finely chopped kale, red cabbage, raw sauerkraut, red onion, sprouts, grated carrot, sliced radish, kimchi, sautéed greens or mushrooms… those are just a few of the things I’ve topped my breakfast toasts with. I see them as a delicious vehicle for getting in more servings of greens, sprouts and the other good stuff. You can top everything off with Everything Bagel seasoning, Dukkah, sumac, chili flakes, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, flaky salt, black pepper, hemp seed, nutritional yeast, gomasio…whatever your favorite spices/spice blends are, throw them on.

It might seem odd to be eating salad on toast for breakfast, but it’s something you’ll eventually crave. Get creative!

Guess what? 10 years ago today, I swapped my Wall

Guess what? 10 years ago today, I swapped my Wall Street business casual attire for a chef’s coat and knife kit. I started the full-time Chef’s Training Program at @naturalgourmetinstitute (in its original curriculum/location) on December 5, 2011. I was a newlywed, eager, hopeful, energized, a little scared. It was one of those big life decisions that makes your stomach flip, in the very best way.
I can confidently say that aside from having children, nothing has positively impacted my life more than the choice to go to NGI. It gave me a career I love, kickstarted my curiosity in veganism, allowed me to learn how deeply food impacts our health (which has served me many times over since then), and paved the way for me to become the truest, most authentic version of myself.
I stressed about the decision to go to culinary school for 2 years. I am so grateful that my intuition led me on this path that just keeps on giving, giving, giving…a decade, and sometimes I feel like I’m just getting started.
Pinch me! And if you ever feel a strong, unshakeable, can’t-ignore-it feeling that you’re being called to do something, listen! Wild, crazy, wonderful things await on the other side of fear and uncertainty.
#naturalgourmetinstitute #ngialum #ctp208 #veganchef #culinaryschool #dreamjob #veganrecipedevelopment #foodasmedicine

👩🏻‍🍳 Tempeh Sausage Stuffing “Meatbal

🌟 Holiday Gift Guide 2021 🌟 It’s here! Ev

I love adapting my cooking to go with the seasons.

If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know

If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know about the large benign cyst that was discovered in my chest & surgically removed in March 2020, days before the world shut down. What I never shared was that shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with cancer: a rare, aggressive Stage 1 form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, discovered incidentally during post-surgical pathology on other resected tissue.

Initially optimistic that the worst was behind me (it was early stage, removed in surgery, etc.), I learned that my medical team – including over a dozen oncologists at a world-renowned cancer hospital – unanimously recommended an intensive chemotherapy regimen due to the highly aggressive nature of my NHL subtype.

After more consults & testing, I made the agonizingly difficult decision to forgo formal treatment and instead take an “active surveillance” approach while implementing alternative healing strategies on my own. I found a brilliant board-certified oncologist who closely monitors my health (he supports my choice with the perfect blend of vigilance and cautious optimism), and I’ve voraciously consumed every book & podcast on holistic cancer healing that I could get my hands on.

I’m celebrating 18 months without evidence of disease. I’m not sure if it’s luck, or the life-saving work of my surgeon, or the lifestyle & dietary changes I’ve implemented, but I’m beyond grateful.

For the record: chemotherapy is a Godsend; I’m ecstatic that this medicine exists to both save and extend the lives of so many, including several of my loved ones. Still, navigating cancer is highly personal and there is no one size fits all approach. There’s no easy, “correct” route, and anyone who has walked as a patient through a cancer center, sat in an oncologist’s office hearing their diagnosis in plain English, stared in disbelief at pathology reports, been cut open, poked & prodded, Googled survival rates, discussed chemo regimens, lay in bed each night terrified, experienced “scanxiety”,…knows what I’m talking about. It’s excruciating, and there’s no room for judgment when it comes to cancer. Period.
(Cont. in comments).

WANT TO USE LESS PLASTIC AT HOME? ♻️ 🌍 Ho

WANT TO USE LESS PLASTIC AT HOME? ♻️ 🌍

Hooray! Reducing our single-use plastic consumption is fantastic for the environment, and better for our health.

When you decide to pare down on plastic, it can feel overwhelming, but it CAN be done with dedication, some small initial investments, and resourcefulness.

Here are some suggestions to get started:

🌟 Replace food storage vessels (plastic containers, Ziploc bags) with reusable options (like Glasslock containers and @stasherbag bags). Purchasing these items can get expensive, so consider purchasing a few pieces at a time, as your budget allows. It’s a worthwhile investment, especially in the case of reusable bags - they reduce so much waste, and result in overall savings since you won’t need to buy plastic storage bags anymore! I stopped buying Ziploc bags cold-turkey once I had reusable bags and haven’t looked back.
🌟Avoid purchasing basic household cleaners that come in plastic bottles, and instead make simple, nontoxic homemade solutions that you can store in glass spray bottles. I also stopped buying body wash in plastic bottles, and use bar soap instead.
🌟Consider ways to store food without plastic wrap. I store food in containers that come with dedicated covers, or put random bits and bobs of food (such as half avocados, half citrus, etc) in my reusable bags.
🌟Re-use! Plastic invariably makes its way into my home, and I do my best to re-use it when possible. Ziploc bags, sliced bread bags, cereal bags and the like are washed and dried and used again. Used berry containers are washed & repurposed for storing sprouts and herbs. Plastic shopping bags are used for picking up dog 💩 and getting rid of dirty diapers.

🌟How are you cutting back on plastic at home? Tell me below! Always looking for new ideas 💡
#zerowaste #ecofriendly #plasticfree #earthfriendly #earthdayeveryday

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