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On today’s episode of the Brown Vegan Podcast, I’m joined by Jessica Carter for a conversation about veganism, recipe development, and gluten free-eating.
Jessica is a vegan recipe creator and wellness educator on a mission to make vegan living more accessible and sustainable. She went vegan in 2016 after beginning her transition to more plant based eating in 2011. She is the creator of Love Vegan Soul, a food brand focused on exploring global flavors and plant-based traditions. Her recipes have been featured on Good Morning Washington, Fox 45 Baltimore, and Let's Talk Live. She is the Director of Programming at Afro-Vegan Society where she develops digital content and resources to educate and engage communities nationwide on the importance of vegan living.
In this episode, we’re startin’ out how we usually do around here: discussing Jessica’s vegan journey and what her transition into veganism looked like back in 2016.
These conversations are always interesting because they’re so relatable to most long-time and beginner vegans.
For Jessica, her health journey began a couple of years before going fully vegan when she–like sooo many millennials out there–watched the documentary Food Inc. on Netflix.
After learning how devastating the industrial food systems are and wanting to make bigger changes around her health and contribution to the world, Jessica started eating mostly organic plant-based food (as best as she could on a small budget).
Five years later, the documentary Cowspiracy opened her eyes to the cruelty of animal agriculture and the role it plays in environmental destruction.
Jessica decided to make the leap and go full on vegan.
In our conversation, we talk about what that time in her life looked like as a new vegan, and her strategies for cooking delicious vegan meals as a beginner.
Jessica shares that initially, she was so intrigued by experimenting with new vegan recipes that she didn’t think much of trying to veganize old favorite meals. When “missing out” on food is such a common worry for so many vegan-curious people, I loved hearing Jessica’s different approach.
We also dive into the business side of things for all my listeners who are interested in becoming a vegan content creator or food photographer.
Jessica takes amazing photos of all her recipes, and I asked her to share her secrets with us here on the podcast.
In this episode, we chat about:
Experimenting with recipes as a new vegan
Documentaries about industrial food systems
How Jessica began creating content online after being an observer for years
Food photography, food styling, and the best equipment to take great photos easily
Jessica’s secrets for making plating simple
Virtual live vegan cooking demonstrations on Kiitch
The process of recipe development
Jessica’s gluten sensitivity and the symptoms she experienced before finding out
The search for the best gluten free pasta, and the brands to avoid
On top of Love Vegan Soul, Jessica is also the Director of Programming for Afro-Vegan Society where she helps create resources about going vegan, provides support for staying vegan, and offers education on the impacts of animal agriculture on black communities. The work of Afro-Vegan Society is amazing, and all my listeners should absolutely check them out!
Contact Jessica:
Resources Mentioned:
Food Inc. documentary
Cowspiracy documentary (Netflix)
Happy Cow - app to find vegan-friendly restaurants and grocery stores around the world
Jovial gluten-free pasta (most of their products are vegan)
Explore Cuisine - gluten-free pasta
Jamila Anahata (Multi-Media Marketing Director at Afro-Vegan Society)
