With about 2% of Americans practicing a plant-based diet, it’s no wonder many feel making healthier changes don’t relate to their lives. Most people don’t even know anyone practicing a plant-based lifestyle.

I’ve decided to start a series to spotlight past and present brown vegans (famous and non-famous), who have made a change in their lives for health and/or ethical reasons. Enjoy!

How long have you been a vegan? Summer 2009

What made you decide to embrace a plant-based diet? I am very interested in health and maintaining a healthy weight.

What was the hardest food to give up? Dairy was my number 1 food group. Yes, I love the entire group.

Any advice to new vegans? If you relapse, it is not the end of the world or your road to veganism. Evaluate how you failed and what made you fail, and try to make changes and improvements from there.

What are some of your favorite books or websites on veganism? Skinny Bitch, By Any Greens Necessary, The Joy of Vegan Baking

Please share a recipe you enjoy.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup vegan, non-dairy butter

3/4 cup strawberry spreadable fruit ( jam, jelly, etc.)

1 cup dried blueberries

1/2 cup chopped cashews

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 8 or 9 inch square pan or 2 loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine light brown sugar, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and quick cooking oats. Stir it all together well.

Next, add in vegan butter. Start by stirring the vegan butter into the dry ingredients. Eventually, your going to have to get dirty and combine it with your hands. The ingredients should come together to form a dough with no dry/floury parts. Use 3/4 of the dough to cover the bottom of the pans and reserve 1/4 the dough for later. Layer on strawberry spreadable fruit, then dried blueberries, cashews, and then crumble the remaining oatmeal dough on top. Lightly press all of the components together to make sure they form a cohesive bar. Bake for 30 minutes, until bars are browned and fruit parts are bubbly. Allow to cool before cutting and serving. Enjoy your vegan oatmeal and all cookie bars.

Tasha is a full-time graduate student in Public Health

Reach her:

Email: thesweetestvegan@yahoo.com

Theo and I love mushrooms!

When I saw The Sweetest Vegan making these stuffed mushrooms, I was all over the recipe. The mushrooms were super easy to assemble and so good that I ended up making about 25. Is it bad that Theo and I ate most of them? Enjoy!

Ingredients:

24 oz baby portabellas mushrooms
2 tablespoon vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 medium size onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/3 cup vegetable stock (I used water)
8 oz vegan cream cheese
¾ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup Panko breading

I used Tofutti vegan cream cheese

It doesn't taste anything like conventional cream cheese but was very good in this recipe.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and take the stems out. Place mushroom caps, open side up, on a greased cookie sheet.

Prepare vegetables to sautee. Chop onion, mince garlic, and chop mushroom stems.

Heat vegan butter in a skillet over high heat until melted. Add in the onion and mushrooms, and when almost soft, add in the minced garlic. Season vegetables with salt, pepper, and oregano.

Once onions are translucent, slowly stir in vegetable stock to de glaze the pan. Continue to cook until liquid is reduced to about half of the original amount.

Remove the vegetables from heat and stir in vegan cream cheese until fully incorporated. Next stir in ½ cup nutritional yeast and ¼ cup Panko breading.

Use the remaining nutritional yeast and panko breading to top the mushrooms.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Watch The Sweetest Vegan make this great dish.

Other Brown Vegan: Tasha Edwards~The Sweetest Vegan

Ready in about 30 Minutes: Stuffed Mushrooms