And so it begins.....

The thought of vegan food for most meat eating individuals is heart wrenching.  When I tell people I'm a vegan, most roll their eyes and ask..."So you just eat salad and tofu right?"  Oh, ye of little knowledge of the vegan world.  It's not as if meat eaters haven't been exposed to vegan food, heck even Oprah has praised it's benefits, but the joys of it end there.

The rock star chefs of the vegan world, are well, like the rock stars of the fitness world. [This is the world I currently reside in as a fitness instructor and personal trainer].  Those who work and live within the circle know who they are, but outside of realm, no one knows or cares about them. Many, are innovators of vegan culinary arts.  Names like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Chloe coscarelli, Tal Ronnen, Beverly Lynn Bennet and so many more have shed a new light onto vegan cuisine making them accessible to carnivores and herbivores alike.  

Rock star chefs write cookbooks, and cookbooks are like dictionaries, you buy them with the preconceived notion you will use them but, truth be told, they sit on the shelf, collect dust only to be used when absolutely necessary.  

So, how do you get beyond the cookbook collection, beyond the stigma of bad vegan food?  Well, you've already taken a step in the right direction.  Simple recipes, using obtainable ingredients, and techniques you can build on.  That's it.  Vegan food is more than grocery store veggie burgers and prepackaged meat analogs [truth be told, I LOVE some of the meat analogs...but I digress].  It goes beyond the ethic cop-outs of Indian, Mediterranean, or Asian cuisine.  To be vegan, a TRUE vegan, you have to embrace the gifts mother natures has to offer and exploit them to their fullest potential.  

Your mission...if you choose to accept it, is to take a moment...browse around the website...pick a recipe or two...cook..eat..and enjoy!  You'll thank me later..or as I tell my fitness classes..."I promise you'll enjoy or I'll refund the price of admission!" [So...how much did you pay to get log onto this website?]

Happy Cooking!!