Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, family! I hope you’re having a powerful 2012 so far.

Over the holidays, a friend served an absolutely delicious vegan carrot cake at her New Year’s gathering that had these words: Dream/Imagine, Make it Come True. I wish that for each of us during 2012.

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What is Vegan?

For the first e-newsletter of the year, I’d thought we go over a few basics about what vegan is, based on questions that people often ask me.

How do you pronounce vegan?

• “Ve” rhymes with “free” and “gan” is pronounced the same as in “organ.”

What is vegan food?

• Food that comes from plants. So foods like green smoothies, blueberry waffles, kale salad, curried chickpea stew with cornbread, and chocolate cheesecake would be made with plant ingredients from fruits, vegetables, nuts, or beans.

• Vegan food does not come from animals—no fish, chicken, turkey, duck, cow, pig, lamb, goat, milk, cheese, or eggs.

What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian food?

• Vegetarian food also comes from plants. The difference is that vegetarian food might also come from animal products such as milk, cheese, or eggs, but not from animal flesh.

What is raw food?

• In the case of vegan food, raw means food made from plants that have not been cooked or not heated above a certain temperature (which might include food prepared using a dehydrator, not an oven).

Why do people become vegan?

• Common reasons include for optimal health, compassion for animals, to save the planet, and spiritual growth.

What is vegan clothing?

• Clothes, shoes, and other wearable items made from plants (like cotton, hemp, and bamboo), and synthetic materials (which could be environmentally-hazardous or environmentally-friendly, fair-trade or unfair-trade…).

• Vegan clothing is not made from animal hair, skin, or products, which includes leather, suede, wool, fur, and silk.

What is the difference between vegan and cruelty-free?

• Products such as skin care, cosmetics, household cleaners, and medications are vegan if they do not contain ingredients from animals or animal products.

• However, if these products were tested on animals, they are not cruelty-free. So if you want to use products that do not contain animals or test on animals, then look for vegan and cruelty-free labels.

These are just a few of the basics. We have 51 more weeks to continue exploring the world of vegan living. And we will!

Don’t forget to send me your questions to tracye@byanygreensnecessary.com and I’ll answer them Q and A style in the e-newsletter.

Have a great day and I’ll talk to you next week!

Vibrantly yours,

 Tracye

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Hey, Family! Many of you may be making resolutions for the new year to eat healthier vegan foods–whether you’re an omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan.

So here are ten simple tips to help you eat well and feel great, wherever you are on your healthy eating journey:

• Enjoy what you eat (eat from a place of joy and inspiration, not guilt or fear)
• Eat and drink greens (like kale, collards, mustards, dandelions, spinach, chard, arugula, bok choy, turnip greens, beet greens)
• Blend more, juice less (eating whole fruit and veggies is best, but blending is next)
• Eat more food raw (for meal suggestions, check out thousands of raw vegan recipes available online and in books, including By Any Greens Necessary)
• Eat your grains whole (like quinoa, millet, barley, corn, oats, bulgar, wild rice, brown rice, spelt bread, whole grain pasta; kiss those white grains goodbye)
• Eat more essential fiber (health-promoting fiber is only found in plant foods; there’s no fiber in animal products, including beef, chicken, fish, cheese, eggs)
• Fix your own food (if you don’t fix food for yourself every day, start now, no excuses)
• Grow your own food (in a pot or in a plot, grow something, no excuses)
• Eat organic whenever possible (it’s not always more expensive; get the EWG shopper’s guide)
• Be still and move (the other two keys to welldom: meditating or otherwise quieting your mind, and exercising every day, starting with just 15 minutes)

Enjoy the holidays, everyone. Thanks so much for letting me share a part of your world in 2011. I’ll talk to you again in 2012!

Much love,

Tracye

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Hey, Family!

In 2012, one of the changes I’m looking forward to making is that I’ll be answering more of your questions on a regular basis in the weekly Ezine.

So feel free to email your questions to me at tracye@byanygreensnecessary.com, and I’ll answer them here for the benefit of all of our readers.

In the meantime, here’s a recent Q & A topic from a reader in Canada.

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What I Eat On a Typical Day

Q: Hi Tracye

I was wondering if maybe you could do a blog post on what you eat in a day or a week. You look absolutely fabulous and I would like to find out what you eat exactly in a week or day to stay looking so good.

Take care,

R.

A: Hi, R. Thank you for the lovely compliment. (I got your email soon after my 45th birthday and it made my day!)

This is a question that I get asked quite often, so I’m happy to get an opportunity to discuss it.

When I work from home, I have the absolute pleasure of making each meal from scratch just before I eat it.

But for this question, I’ll focus on what I eat when when I’m working away from home and need to pack my lunch.

Here’s what a typical day might look like:

Early morning

• 2 cups of green drink made with dandelion greens and water in my Vitamix. My goal here is to flood my body with nutrients and to be sure I have an elimination before I leave the house.

Late morning

• bowl of oatmeal with a chopped apple, walnuts, and cinnamon that I packed in a thermos from home and added hot water to at the office.

Lunch

• big raw salad of kale, avocados, tomatoes, garlic, red onion, cashews, olive oil, nutritional yeast, cayenne, and Bragg Liquid Aminos

• spicy black bean burger (Sunshine Burger brand)

• sprouted whole grains tortilla (Food for Life brand)

• fresh berries or other fruit

 Late afternoon

• raw chocolate bar

Dinner

• big pan of sauteed collards with pine nuts, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic

• curry quinoa

• sliced oranges or persimmon smoothie (with just water, persimmon, and banana)

So that’s what I might eat on a typical day. For an idea of what I might eat in a week, check out the 7-day vegan menu on page 95 of By Any Greens Necessary.

Thanks, again, for a great question, R!

Family, be sure to send your questions to me at tracye@byanygreensnecesary.com. I look forward to getting them.

Have a great day and I’ll talk to you next week!

Vibrantly Yours,

Tracye

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Hey, Family!

If you noticed that you didn’t get an ezine from me last week, my apologies!

I had a car-azy week–two flat tires, plus a super busy schedule that really requred a car. Sooo frustrating! But, hey…  Stuff happens. You just got to roll with it (hear that, tires?)

So with that said, let’s dive right into this week’s topic.

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Do You Drink It Straight, No Chaser?

Years ago at a raw foods retreat in Negril, Jamaica, I asked raw food guru David Wolfe how to make green drinks taste better. I was just getting into juicing dark leafy greens to magnify their enormous health benefits, including:

• protection against heart disease

• reduced risk of breast, ovarian, and colon cancers

• decreased risk of stroke

• improved memory

• strengthening bones

• and so many more, researchers have yet to study them all

The problem was that I didn’t like the taste of green drinks. I wanted to know the best way to mask the bitterness–with dates, bananas, anything–so I could drink it without shuddering.

I’ll never forget David’s answer. “When you can enjoy the taste of bitter greens, you’ve arrived.”

In the years since then, I’ve been drinking green smoothies almost every day, but they always have fruit in them.

Well, to celebrate my 25-year veganniversary coming up in January, I’ve decided it’s time to arrive. So during the past few weeks, I’ve been drinking my greens straight, no chaser.

I get my fresh green leafies at the farmers market on Sundays from my favorite organic farmer there, Heins of Next Step Produce.

So far I’ve made kale, collards, dandelions, and wheatgrass drinks. I’m working my way up to mustards and swiss chard. I blend one bunch at a time in my Vitamix with just enough water to make a smooth, less-pulpy drink (while keeping all the essential fiber).

And I’m actually starting to prefer the taste this way. I don’t miss the fruit. That’s a serious shift for me.

What about you? What’s your favorite green drink? Do you like it straight, no chaser?

Let me know in the comments section below.

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Have a great day and I’ll talk to you next week.

Vibrantly Yours,

Tracye

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I usually have two Thanksgiving celebrations each year. The first is with my extended family the Saturday before Thanksgiving, which we’ve been having for more than 40 years. This year, the vegan food my mother, middle sister, and I made was extra delicious!

We had Spicy Kale Salad, Sweet Potatoes, Breaded Tofu Cutlets with Mushroom Gravy and Stuffing, and Apple Pie with Coconut Ice Cream. We kept it simple this year, and it was absolutely divine!

The recipes for the kale, sweet potatoes, and tofu are in By Any Greens Necessary. The MOM’s Apple Pie and Coconut Bliss Coconut ice-cream were from My Organic Market (MOM’s) in Rockville, MD.

The second Thanksgiving celebration I have each year is with my extended vegan family and friends at the Vegetarian Society of DC’s Annual Life-Affirming Thanksgiving gala, which takes place on the holiday itself.

The feast includes Butternut Squash Soup, Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato and Fennel Broth, Savory Tofu-Tempeh Patties with Mushroom Gravy, Spicy Collard Greens with Sun-dried Tomatoes (from yours truly), and Vegan Pumpkin Pie.

So that’s what’s on my two vegan menus this holiday.

What’s on yours? I’d love to hear what you have planned.

Are you keeping it simple or going all out? Is this your first or fifteenth Thanksgiving holiday with vegan dishes? Is your menu part or all vegan? Will your dishes be cooked or raw or both? Will you be cooking at home or eating out?

Let me know what’s on your vegan menu for Thursday, and most importantly, send pictures of your fabulous dishes so I can share them in the next ezine!

Have a great day and a wonderful holiday, and I’ll talk to you next week!

Vibrantly Yours,

Tracye

P.S. A very warm welcome to all of our new subscribers this week. So glad you joined us!

(Food photo credit: fatfreevegan.com)

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Check me out in Black Enterprise magazine’s “A Passion for Food” November issue.

You can find me on page 83 and online in an article titled “Feast on This: A smorgasbord of ways to profit from your passion for food.”

Kudos to BE for a creative exploration of food, which includes an emphasis on food and health from the editorial pages to the feature articles. (I’m one of three vegan foodies spotlighted.)

Hope you’ll check it out!

Have a great day, and I’ll talk to you next week!

Vibrantly Yours,

Tracye

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Hey, Family!

Last week I gave you 7 tips on how to handle holiday gatherings as a new vegan.

This week, I’m giving you 4 easy and deelish vegan recipes to include in your holiday feast.

I dug deep into the recipes chapter of By Any Greens Necessary to find the perfect dishes to wow you and your family: Carrot Salad, Lovely Lentil Soup, Pepper Seitan, and Sweet Potatoes.

Enjoy… and let me know how much you and your family loved em!

Carrot Salad

2 cups grated carrot

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons raisins

2 celery stalks (including leaves), chopped fine

1 apple, cored and diced

¼ cup diced fresh pineapple

3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise (egg- and dairy-free mayonnaise)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

*****

Lovely Lentil Soup

1½ cups dried lentils, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained

4 cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon barley miso

Dash curry powder

Dash turmeric

Pinch dried basil

Pinch dried rosemary

Dash cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon Bragg Liquid Aminos

Place the lentils and water in a large saucepan and simmer until tender (about 1 hour). In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, add the sautéed vegetables and remaining ingredients to the lentils and stir. Makes 8 servings.

*****

Pepper Seitan

1 tablespoon coconut oil or grapeseed oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

½ orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

½ cup seitan pieces (try West Soy brand sold at health food stores)

¼ teaspoon Spike seasoning

½ tablespoon crushed garlic

1 tomato, cored and diced

2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Heat coconut or grapeseed oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the onion and peppers until translucent. Add seitan, Spike, garlic, tomato, celery if desired, and liquid aminos and stir-fry for about 10 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast last. Serve over whole grain pasta made from corn or whole wheat. Makes 2 servings.

*****

Sweet Potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon coconut oil

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a baking pan and bake until cooked but still firm (not mushy), about 45 minutes. Peel the potatoes and slice into ¼-inch circles or chunks.

In a skillet, heat the coconut oil over low heat. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and agave nectar and stir. Add the sweet potatoes and sauté for about a minute. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

*****

Have a great day and I’ll talk to you next week!

Tracye

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Hey, Family!

Last night I attended the DC premiere of Vegucated, the fabulous new documentary that follows 3 meat-loving New Yorkers who go vegan for 6 weeks, directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson (pictured). This film is a must-see!

(If you missed my interview with Marisa and producer Demetrius J. Bagley last week, check it out here.)

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7 Tips To Eating Vegan at Family Holiday Gatherings

If you’re a new vegan, you may be wondering how to answer those dreaded questions at family gatherings about why you’re no longer eating meat or dairy.

So here are some tips on how to handle those thorny issues with love and grace, while enjoying a healthy and delicious holiday season.

Tip #1:

A rule of thumb that I adopted years ago for family get-togethers is this: never answer a question at the dinner table about why I became a vegan. (That’s just not the best time to talk about feces on chicken.)

Plus I’ve found that folks don’t really want to know right then anyway. They may be feeling defensive about how they’re eating compared to you. Or if they genuinely want to know, other people at the table might not want to hear about it. So whenever I get this question, I just simply suggest that we talk about it later if they would like to. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. But I’ve found that this response has served me well.

Tip #2:

If you feel you have to say something right away, try a response like, “I wanted to eat healthier and I feel so much better!” or “I decided to change how I eat and it’s been great!”  If they press you further, that’s the time to say “I’m so glad you’re interested in this! Let’s talk about it some more after dinner.” If you do have that conversation later, share your story and be sure to recommend a few books and movies they can check out for more info.

Tip #3:

Don’t feel you have to adjust your new food choices to accommodate your relatives. Trust me, your relatives aren’t worried about changing their eating habits for you, nor should they be. The same applies for you. Make this your mantra.

Tip #4:

Be prepared so that you’re not tempted to eat the turkey and mac and cheese. That may mean bringing plenty of your own vegan food (from home or your favorite veg restaurant) so you have enough for seconds and dessert, like everyone else. That way you won’t feel deprived. Or that could mean eating first and coming a little later than usual, around the middle of dinner, so you don’t have to watch people eat but still have plenty of time to socialize.

Tip #5:

The questions (and teasing) will eventually go away.

Our extended family has been having potluck Thanksgiving dinners for more than 40 years. The first year that my mom, middle sister, and I showed up as vegans (24 years ago), we acted like vegan ambassadors, bringing special dishes that would feed lots of people, trying to prove how good vegan food could be.

The reactions of my relatives were mixed, but I most remember the teasing from a consistent few about this strange food we were eating. This went on for a few years, but after a certain point things started to change.

We stopped feeling compelled to convince them that our food was good, and the teasing stopped as well. I’m not sure which came first. But I do know that the three of us became easier and more nonchalant about how we ate, and our relatives began to take it in stride, too.

Tip #6:

Don’t be surprised to find some of your relatives coming to you for advice on how to eat healthier. That certainly happened with us, because the evidence of eating healthy versus unhealthy foods began to speak for itself over the course of two decades. Who knows, you may end up being a catalyst for health improvement and disease prevention in your family.

Tip #7:

Create a new holiday tradition by also hosting or attending a vegan “Thanksliving” celebration in your community. Here in DC, many of my friends and family will be attending the Vegetarian Society of DC’s annual Life-affirming Thanksgiving Gala. The menu includes two dishes from my book again this year–Spicy Collard Greens with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes!

Here’s a list of veg holiday celebrations happening in other cities around the country.

Have a great day, and I’ll talk to you next week!

Vibrantly Yours,

Tracye

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It’s World Vegan Day and what better way to mark the occasion than a special Q&A with the brains behind Vegucated, the best new vegan movie of the season.

This refreshingly funny, guerrilla-style, feature-length film follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to go vegan for six weeks. 

The film premieres in Washington, DC on November 9th (got your tickets, yet?), and in cities across the country this fall.

I met multi-talented filmmaker Marisa Miller Wolfson when she premiered Vegucated to a standing ovation at Vegetarian Summerfest in July.

I met producer Demetrius J. Bagley at an international vegetarian conference in India five years ago and I’ve been a friend and fan of this vegan renaissance man ever since.

I caught up with the dynamic duo a few days ago, during their whirlwind Autumn tour. 

What’s your personal story of becoming vegan?

MMW: I went vegetarian when I saw a documentary at church one Sunday that included footage of what goes on behind closed doors on farms. It felt like such a revelation to me. I remember thinking, “of courseI’m vegetarian.” It felt completely foreign but like coming home all at the same time.  At that screening I picked up a pamphlet called “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian” and grabbed it for reading material three months later when I was getting on a plane to go home to Indiana for my birthday. I read it on the plane and by the time I landed, I decided I was vegan.  The health, environmental, and ethical reasons were too strong. I just had to do it.

DJB: In the 90s, I began to reduce my milk use by 20%, and suddenly 36 hours later was milk-free. Over the next few months, I phased out all animal products and went vegan. Going vegan for me was driven by health and spiritual considerations, including better treatment of Nature in all its forms.

What’s the message of the film and what do you hope viewers will think about after watching it?

MMW:I set out to make a film that would help people explain to their friends and family why veganism isn’t just “not crazy,” but actually a natural, healthy, and rational response to some of the biggest challenges of our time. My hope is that this film is accessible enough to help start a dialogue between veg*ns and non-veg*ns and create more understanding at the dinner table.

DJB: Eating more vegan is possible, beneficial and fun! I would love if everyone who sees the film ate at least one weekly meal that’s vegan.

MMW: We chose our film subjects based on likability, and to me, humor plays a big role in that. The film ended up being very funny just because of who we picked. Then at the FilmShop, the filmmakers collective that helped shape and fine-tune the film, my peers suggested I add the funny Charlie Chaplin-style back story to the beginning of the film to help draw people in and to help them trust me as a narrator/filmmaker. I’m so glad they did!

How did the project develop and how long did it take to evolve from idea to film?

MMW: As a full-time vegan activist with Kind Green Planet, I used to travel around the country, showing other award-winning documentaries about veganism, and I met so many people whose lives were changed dramatically as a result of being exposed to these films. I wanted to capture that process on tape. Then when I saw Super Size Me, I realized that would be the perfect template for a film: treat it as an experiment with someone going vegan for a month. That made sense especially since Alex Jamieson, Morgan’s girlfriend in the film, helped him detox on a vegan diet. It took a year of planning before we started actually shooting, then it took six more years after that to complete the film.

MMW:I learned that I can run a marathon…figuratively. When you undertake such a huge project that has so many little parts, you have to focus on one little task at a time and celebrate the little victories along the way and not on how much further you have to go. It’s like when you’re running, and you say to yourself, “ok, I just have to make it to the telephone pole,” then once you’re there, you say, “ok, I made it! Yay! Now just to the stop sign…” and then you just keep on going, one little chunk at a time. If I thought about the 26 miles from the get-go when I started this project, I would have frozen right on up and not taken the first step. I also learned not to freak out when I don’t see the answer to a problem right away. Every stage in this process was new territory to me since I had never made a film before. At first I would freak out and say, “I can’t figure this out! I don’t know what I’m doing! What if I get it wrong?” Then, over time, I would remind myself, “remember when you didn’t know the answer to that old problem and then you figured it out and everything worked out?” That gave me confidence. The third thing I learned about myself is that I can be incredibly focused when I need to be, even if it means saying “no” to fun social occasions and not seeing close friends for months. But I know that there will be a time for socializing and “normal life” — it just might be a little while.

DJB: Great question! I’ve been surprised how many emails I can whip off in a day without pause.

MMW:This film is still very much on our agenda. Making a film is just half the work and money; releasing it is the other. We’re looking at about two more years of outreach with the film. The old model of “make a film, sell it to a studio, find a distributor, move on” is destroyed. Now indie filmmakers have to not just make our films but market, release, and distribute them as well. Demetrius uses this great analogy of building a slow fire. We don’t want this to spark and fizzle; we want to turn it into a whole grassroots movement, and we’re well on our way. We’ve had over 170 people sign up to host a screening of the film in 2012, and that’s even before we’ve launched our community screenings campaign. Our hope is that it will continue to grow and grow virally the more people see it.

DJB: We’re early days in this film’s release, so there’s plenty more to come here, including the goals of screening it in 20+ countries, getting it broadcast on TV, and being part of the coming vegan tipping point. That said, I’m considering a follow-up film, and TV projects – some vegan, and others astrology-focused.

MMW: Candle 79! But I love so many restaurants.

DJB: Horizons in Philly was my favorite high-end spot, with NYC’s Sacred Chow being my favorite everyday vegan joint.

What’s your favorite vegan meal and dessert?

MMW: Maybe some kind of kale salad, oniony soup, vegan mac n cheese, nut- and herb-crusted seitan with a savory sauce and mashed potatoes, followed by chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven with almond milk.

DJB: A great Thai green curry is an all-time favorite. Great cookies  are the express lane to this man’s heart, and stomach.

What’s your vegan specialty that you love to cook?

MMW: Lasagna with spinach and tofu ricotta.

DJB: My macaroni and cheese, which is great this time of year, soulghetti in the summer, or soulful collards any time of year.

So there you have it… Watch the trailer, below, and click here to find out where Vegucated is premiering near you!

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50% Off Special for World Vegan Day 

Another way I’m celebrating World Vegan Day is by offering 50% off personal telephone consultations.

It’s an opportunity to receive expert guidance for any questions and challenges you may have on your healthy eating journey.

This special price is only available through Nov 5th, but your telephone consultations can be scheduled up to a year from now. 

If this sounds like something you can use, then I encourage you to check it out!  Click here for all the details.

Have a great week!

Tracye

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