Original Recipe - Shelly's Vegan Parmesan

I don't make up recipes that often but when I do, I will post them here.


This is a recipe for a vegan 'parmesan' that you can use in caesar salads, on pasta or pizza and even veggies!

You'll want to use a high powered blender. I tried this in my food processor and I couldn't get it fine enough. Also, I made it kinda salty because to me, that is what parmesan is so if you don't like salt, cut back on it and add it in while you're taste testing. But.. you probably aren't eating this by the spoonful so salty is ok in that regard. LOL

I used a crystallized lemon powder in mine for tanginess but you could probably leave it out if you wanted to.

Shelly's Vegan Parmesan

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tsp Garlic Gold Nuggets (or sub in garlic powder or garlic flakes)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 sugar packet size True Lemon or citric acid
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Blend ingredients in blender until it is fine like parmesan cheese. Store in a jar.

Things You Should Make Yourself - Granola

Granola is a healthy and delicious snack and it can also double as a quick bowl of cereal with your homemade almond milk or as a topping for fresh fruit! Try it mixed into non-dairy yogurt!

Granola can be pricey if you buy it in a store but it's super easy to make and you can modify it to suit your individual taste. Plus, this makes your house smell amazing! This is a great thing to take traveling too. I take a container of this when I have to get on a plane.

I know that tastes vary when it comes to nuts and dried fruits so feel free to sub in whatever you like... just keep the measurements the same.  You want a total of 2 cups of nuts/dried fruit.

I do encourage you to try and do a nice variety of flavors and textures. It's good to expand your horizons and different nuts give you different vitamins, minerals and benefits. You may want to make this as it is written the first time and then decide how to change it later on.

Give it a chance.

If you like the salty-sweet angle... you may want to add large flake sea salt to taste. I like to get a nice spot of saltiness once in awhile so I do add larger flaked salt in addition to the 1 tsp of fine sea salt in the recipe.

Don't ignore the flax and wheat germ in this recipe. It's really good for you and you won't even know it's there!  Quick note about the syrup.. I prefer to use mostly brown rice syrup as it doesn't affect blood sugar like maple syrup does. The maple syrup is there for it's distinct flavor, not sweetness.
Don't you dare use corn syrup or I will hunt you down and kill you. Seriously. (wink)

I adapted this from Alicia Silverstone's granola recipe in 'The Kind Diet' book.

6 cups quick oats
Cinnamon (as much as you think you want)
1/2 cup flax seed (ground)
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup walnuts (I like to break these into halves.. don't use chopped, you want texture)
1/3 cup dried fruit of choice (raisins, cherries, cranberries - mix or match)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp sucanat or brown sugar
3/4 cup non-refined syrup (use real maple or brown rice syrup ONLY - I like a ratio of 2:1 brown rice syrup to maple syrup)
1 cup mini chocolate chips or carob chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Spread the oats on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 minutes.
2. In a LARGE bowl, combine oats, sugar, wheat germ, flax seed, cinnamon, nuts, fruits, salt and coconut. Mix well.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, syrup, and extracts and mix to combine.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
5. Using two large cookie sheets with sides, place half of the granola on each pan and bake for 10 minutes and then stir and keep baking in 5 minute increments, stirring after each session, until slightly browned but not overly done. Watch it carefully. Do not run off and read Facebook while it's baking!

Cool and then stir is the mini chocolate chips if you are using those. Store in an air-tight container.

Things You Should Make Yourself - Veggie Burgers

I think most people are first introduced to vegetarian or vegan food thru veggie burgers.

There are quite a few brands on the market - Boca, Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms, and Amy's, just to name a few.

They may tate ok but homemade burgers taste better, plus the price of boxed veggie burgers makes me insane. A box of veggie burgers runs $3 to $6 at the store for 4 patties.

Plus, they sometimes have ingredients that I'm really not interested in consuming.

Homemade is less expensive and 100% better tasting with no weird ingredients. Yes, you can even freeze them to reheat later! Plus, they are really simple to make.

The hardest part is deciding what type of veggie burger you want. There are a few basic varieties.

Grain based - these usually have brown rice or quinoa plus veggies and spices.

Bean based - these are most often black bean or chickpea based.

Veggie based - these are mostly veggies held together with a flour. A portabella mushroom can be a burger all on it's own!

Soy and TVP (textured vegetable protein) based -  tofu, TVP or tempeh burgers,

The reason I love veggie burgers is because they are versatile. I can eat them like a traditional burger, on a bun with fresh veggie toppings and a smear of vegan mayo, without a bun as my main dish or I can chop them up and use them as an ingredient is another dish, like black bean burgers are great in tacos!

You can google for hundreds of fabulous recipes for all different kinds of veggie burgers but here are two of my favorites from Josh at My Vegan Cookbook:

Black Bean Burger

Grain & Garden Burger

I like to make a double batch of the black bean burgers and then freeze them after I've cooked them.  Just put a piece of wax paper inbetween them and you can grab one anytime for a quick meal!

By the way, Josh has some fantastic recipes.. I don't think I've made a bad one yet!  In fact, his Chick Spread and his Vegan Meatballs are two of my most fave meals ever!

With the chick Spread, I leave out the tofu (and don't notice any difference) but i add in some nutritonal yeast and some vegan 'chicken' bouillon. The meatballs make a great meaty sauce by cooking the mixture up like burger in a pan and adding it to a pan of sauteed onions and mushrooms and a jar of your fave pasta sauce. I've also heard it's good in chili!

Most people would take the blue pill.

In the movie, The Matrix, Keanu Reeves’ character is given the choice between taking the red pill which will show him truth and reality or taking the blue pill, which will keep him in his dream-like world. Of course, he chooses the red pill and finds out that everything he thought was real and true .. isn’t.

I too have taken the red pill.  Once you take the red pill.. there is no turning back and you cannot stick your head back in the sand. You suddenly realize that everything you’ve been taught, doesn’t make sense anymore.

When it comes to the animals and animal products we eat, most people will happily take the blue pill so they can go on living in their idyllic fantasy world. It’s a world where cows frolic happily in green pastures on sunny days and wander lazily across open acres. It’s where pigs roll around in mud puddles and sleep the days away under big trees. It’s where chickens are allowed to run free, roost in nests and enjoy taking dirt baths.


In truth, 99% of the animals and animal products you consume come from factory farms.  ‘Life’ on a factory farm is anything but idyllic.

For cows that will become steaks and hamburgers, they are packed into muddy, grass free feed lots and forced to eat grains, which is not their natural diet.  They are pumped full of antibiotics to fend off the diseases they get from not eating a proper diet and are given growth hormones so they get bigger than normal to produce more meat. They are stressed and frightened. When slaughter time comes they are herded thru a building where they get a bolt to the head (and if they are lucky it will knock them out but that isn’t always the case) and are hung from their feet, throat slit and allowed to bleed out and they are disemboweled while still alive. Pigs suffer a similar fate. Breeder pigs are kept in a small cage where they can’t even turn around and are forced to produce babies that enter the system.

For dairy cows, the horrors are two-fold … in order for a cow to give milk, they must be pregnant (just like a human) so they are forcibly raped and impregnated by a man with a syringe only to have their baby stolen from them at birth so humans can steal the baby’s milk. Mother and baby are distraught at the separation. The baby girls are put into the system to become milk cows and the baby boys are tossed into small, dark crates to become veal. When dairy cows are ‘spent’ after about 5 years (even though the average life span of a cow is over is 20 years) they will  be slaughtered for meat.

Chickens you eat are fattened up with hormones so they can’t even walk. They are packed into cages and taken to slaughter where they are first hung by their feet and are passed thru a neck slicing station (many chickens manage to survive that part) and are then dropped into scalding hot water (some are still alive), their feathers are torn out and then they are butchered.

Egg laying chickens lead an even more horrible life. Packed by pairs (or more) into crates no larger than a piece of paper, they are injected with hormones to over produce eggs. Wild hens naturally lay about 17 eggs a YEAR. Hens in a factory farm lay daily. Chickens are debeaked, a horrific practice where the sharp tips of their beaks are sliced off in order to prevent them from pecking one another to death in their close quarters due to the stress. In the hatchery, boy chickens are removed from the group and considered ‘by product’ since they cannot lay eggs and they are not profitable. They are tossed into large hoppers and ground up alive and used as feed meal in dog food and very often are fed back to the other chickens in their feed.

You may think ‘free range’ or ‘cage free’ is better but it really isn’t. Chickens are never housed outside in the fresh air. All cage free means is that they are housed in a large, enclosed building.  

There is no such thing as ‘humane slaughter’. Perhaps if we euthanized feed animals as we do our beloved pets and death row criminals, (a drug that puts them to sleep and another that stops their hearts), then maybe that would be a little easier to swallow but that would be expensive and time consuming. Killing something is never humane.

Some people think it’s ok to eat animals if they come from independent family farms. While it’s possible the smaller farms aren’t injecting their animals with hormones and aren’t cruel to their animals and may even have them housed in an outdoor pasture with real grass, the fact remains that the butchering is usually done by the same slaughterhouses that do the factory farming slaughters. Even if it isn’t, that animal is still terrified and treated in a cruel manner in the final moments of its life. I just don’t know how anyone can justify eating a being under that kind of stress and fear. That can’t be ok for your soul or your karma.

It might make you feel better eating eggs from a local farm where they don’t feed their chickens hormones or keep them in cages but the reality is that eggs are not healthy and shouldn’t be eaten anyway. Consuming flesh, milk, cheese and other dairy products is bad for your health. It’s documented. It’s fact. It’s killing you and the ones you love.

Take the red pill.

Educate and enlighten yourself.  Be brave enough to step up and be willing to really learn about the food you put into your body. Don’t be the person that sticks their head in the sand and says “I don’t want to know!” I’m not saying you have to give up eating animals and animal products but I’d like you to see the truth and the reality and then make an informed choice. I’m pretty sure anyone that has done that has switched to a plant based diet. The horrors are real. The science is real. The reality is shocking and sad but you can make a difference in your life and in your health and you can find a quiet peace within yourself if you stop contributing to slaughter and fear and suffering and pain.

There is no reason to eat animals or animal products. There is no health reason to eat animals or animal products. Whatever it is you want to eat, there is a plant based alternative.  

What Going Vegan Has Taught Me.... Everyone is a nutrition expert.

In this multi-part series I will talk about things that I've learned since going vegan a year ago.

 I am very often stunned by how non-vegans are suddenly experts on vegan nutrition. “You won’t get enough protein if you’re a vegan!”, “How are you going to get your calcium?” and “you need meat to survive!” are just some of the comments I get on a regular basis.

I have questions for those people … “do you have any idea how many grams of protein a day you should consume?”, “Did you know calcium is in green, leafy vegetables and that excess animal protein leeches the calcium OUT of your bones?” and “Did you know that humans are not physically constructed to even eat meat? Take a look at your teeth and intestinal track”

Yes, it's possible you know a friend of a friend that tried to go vegan and got sick.. that is because there are many people that don't bother to find out what a healthy diet entails even if they aren't choosing to follow a plant based diet..... those folks are 'junk food vegans', people who live on soda, oreos and french fries.. all are vegan but all are unhealthy. Those people wouldn't be healthy no matter what. It has nothing to do with being vegan.

I am getting advice from people that can’t even tell me what their own nutritional needs are. To those people I need to say this “I’ve done lots and lots of research and I’m confident that I know exactly what and how to eat in order to maintain my health."

Open letter to everyone that has questioned my lifestyle:

I get that following a plant based diet is threatening to you. I get that it forces you to take a look at your own diet and your own health and your own ethics and to reevaluate everything you've ever been taught. I get that it's strange and new to you and weird.

I get that you have it in your mind that I must be deprived, starving, sad and depressed because I don't eat meat and I'm forced to eat icky food all day long.

I just ask that you educate yourself before attempting to take on someone who is following a plant base diet because chances are that person knows what they're doing and can most likely debate you off your feet regarding plant based nutrition.

I've read book after book and article after article. I've watched online lectures and I've spent hours online reading blogs and websites devoted to being vegan. I have a big library of books by the top experts in the medical, nutrition and fitness fields. I have it figured out. Now, if you have questions about following a plant based diet, I'm happy to help but please don't drag out the same old tired excuses for why I can't be healthy unless I eat animals and products that come from animals.

Science and research say otherwise. 

Also, I'm a foodie and I love to eat and my days are filled with amazing, whole, fresh and delicious foods that are not only good for me but are every bit as satisfying and tasty as the food you eat.  There is rarely anything in my diet that causes me guilt. I eat all day long as much as I want and I'm able to maintain my weight because I eat foods that are nourishing me instead of destroying me. I never miss anything because there is always a vegan substitute available.

Make tomorrow a meatless day!

Happy Anniversary to ME!

August 6, 2010 was the day I decided to go vegan after being a vegetarian for 7 years. When I went vegetarian I did it 'cold turkey' and I knew I had to do the same when I decided to go vegan. I know some people need gradual change but for me,  it's all or nothing when it comes to a lifestyle change. I don't handle some change well so my personality dictates that I either jump in or I don't do it at all.

I think many vegetarians eventually find their way to becoming vegan. I did it for a couple reasons. Ethically, I couldn't lie to myself any longer about egg production and how chickens are treated. It doesn't matter if they are 'free range' or 'cruelty free' or 'cage free' because egg production can't be anything but cruel unless you have your own chickens and gather eggs for your own family. Don't fool yourself into believing that the eggs you buy with the fancy certifications are ok to eat. Chickens naturally lay about 17 eggs a year so for chickens to lay eggs daily means they are being 'helped' and that is something I want no part of.

I also couldn't pretend that consuming dairy was ok because 'the cow isn't killed for it's milk.' Dairy cows endure something even more horrific - their babies are stolen. Cows don't just 'give milk', they are mammals, just like us, so in order for  mammals to produce milk they need to be pregnant so a cow is forcibly raped and impregnanted and then when they give birth, their baby is ripped away from them. Female babies go into the diary cow life to start the horrific process over again and male babies are tossed into a tiny crate, left alone and scared, to become veal.

Cows yearn for their babies and they bellow for them. Baby cows do the same. In order for you to drink that milk, the baby must be denied. I find that cruel and horrific. I cannot be a part of that. I especially cannot be a part of that knowing I don't have to be a part of it. There is no reason for humans to drink the milk of another species. Human babies need human breastmilk, yes... but only as long as it takes for them to grow and get on solid food. There are acceptable and yummy alternatives to dairy products.

Plus, not consuming dairy is healthier.... which leads me to my second reason for going vegan.

I've done a lot of research on the plant based diet.  I've read both sides and it is my belief that a plant based diet is the most healthy diet and the most natural diet for a human being. I won't get into the scientific explainations of how our bodies are not designed to process flesh and dairy products but you can research on your own if you are interested.

My original thought when going egg and dairy free was to see if my health improved. I decided to try going vegan for a couple weeks to see if I could notice any change, any differences. I actually expected to go back to eating dairy on a very limited basis, mostly because I had it in my head (like most vegetrians looking to go vegan) that I probably couldn't live without cheese.

I was wrong.

I can and I do live without cheese. Well, I still have 'cheese' but it's a homemade vegan version and it's fantastic and it's healthy so I can indulge and enjoy it, knowing I'm nourishing my body istead of harming it.

Once I had dairy out of system I felt lighter and better. A fog was lifted. I got a flatter stomach, I rarely have any stomach issues, my skin cleared up and my conscience was clear. I also no longer have rapid heartbeat, which was something I'd have a couple times a year.

Going vegan was pretty easy for me but when I decide to do something, I do it. I still struggle when I'm out in restaurants because I like to be in control of my food so it's hard when someone else is cooking for you and they don't share your beliefs or even understand them. I often take my own food to events like parties, cookouts or picnics. I do that because I want to continue eating the right foods and not compromise unless I absolutely have no other choice.

For me, the key to being successful at avoiding certain things is to make those things very undesireable. I did a ton of research to find out why eggs and dairy were so bad for my body. I found out what is actually in dairy (yuck) and that made it pretty easy to avoid it. Thinking about what an egg actually is made it simple to avoid those but the reason I'm successful is because I have a vast vegan universe at my fingertips - the internet!

Over the past year I've had a few food cravings that involve dairy so I've gotten online to do a search for things I want to make that are traditionally dairy and egg filled like mac & cheese, cakes, cookies, fudge, cheese and others. I have been successfully able to find a vegan version of everything I want to eat. I am not deprived nor am I starving. I eat and eat and eat and what I eat is fantastic and full of flavor and best of all it's good for me.

I've also found new friends, vegan friends that have taught me and supported me and have become a beacon in the non-vegan jungle. I've lost friends by going vegan but that just shows me who my true friends are. I've inspired people to try going meatless or making the move toward becoming vegan. I've opened the eyes of countless people who had no idea about cruelty or ingredients.

My heart led me to being a vegetarian (I wouldn't eat my dog so why would I eat a chicken?) and my head keeps me there (it's the healthiest way to eat) and my goal going forward is that I not become part of the system - the system of sickness, surgery and popping pills to manage diet and lifestyle related diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. I will not go willingly into the second half of my life as a victim of the government and a victim of processed food. I will take control instead of having choices made for me.

So, a year into being vegan has made me wish I started years ago but the truth is that you have to start somewhere and you have to make the choice to not take what you are given and to start questioning what you've been told and taught and brainwashed to believe.

You must sit down and do it. You can be free of pain and unwanted pounds, you can have energy and feel good. You can cure and stop the progression of disease. You can stop taking medications and start nourishing your body with the food that empowers it. You only get one body and you should take care of it instead of trying to sabotage it. You probably take better care of your car than you do your own body.

Finding true health is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genes. Exercise is for your cardiovascular health, muscle fitness and stress relief. You can't do anything about your genes but you can control your diet. You control what goes in your mouth.

Following a plant based diet isn't about giving things up, it's about finding new things and choosing to be selective about what passes your lips. A plant based diet is full of whole and fresh foods. You can eat a ton of food and still maintain a healthy weight when it's good for you and not processed and full of sugars and chemicals that your body can't process.

I am always here for anyone that needs guidance and advice. I am no expert but I've learned a lot over the past 8 years and I'd like to be a beacon in the non-vegan jungle as others have been a beacon for me.

So, happy anniversary to me. and yes, that's a vegan cupcake.

Diet is not a four letter word.

Well, techinically... it IS four letters but it isn't a swear word for me.

When I say the word ‘diet’, many people have a negative reaction to that word. The word conjures up thoughts of unhappiness, deprivation, starvation and feelings of inadequate willpower.

In my life, the word ‘diet’ simply means ‘what I eat’. I’m never on what people call a diet because 95% of the food I eat is healthy and good for me so you can’t really get fat on those kinds of foods, no matter how much you eat and that naughty 5% doesn't do too much damage! 

A clean, whole , plant based diet (ie: the foods you eat)  is the true secret to losing and maintaining your weight. You nourish your body instead of destroy it. Stop putting ingredients into your body that your body cannot recognize. 

Like many people, I currently have about 7 to 10 pounds I’d like to lose. That puts me where I feel most comfortable but because I’m currently in the ‘normal’ range for my height, I haven’t really been stressing over that last 10 pounds.

If you think being on a plant based diet is difficult, restrictive or boring then you need to do a little more research!

I eat all day long (every 2 to 3 hours) and I’m rarely hungry and I’m never deprived.  I can always find a vegan version of whatever I’m craving. (Thank you Google!) It makes me laugh when people think I have a limited diet because I'm vegan. I really don't. I just don't eat animals and I don't eat garbage.

That leaves an amazing array of foods I do choose to eat!

I make many things homemade so I can control the ingredients … almond milk, nut butter, veggie and bean burgers, soups, and salad dressings. I avoid processed foods as much as possible and I also avoid refined sugars, preferring to use maple syrup, brown rice syrup and sucanat. I also use evaporated cane juice for baking.

Here is a list of things I commonly eat and drink but there are so many more things I enjoy:

Every morning I start with a big glass of ice water with barley grass juice, Natural Calm (magnesium) and lemon juice to get my body going.  I sip plain ice water thru the day.  I very rarely drink anything besides water. If I do, it will be unsweetened caffeine free tea or almond milk.

Steel cut oats or old fashioned oats with dark chocolate and walnuts or a little nut butter stirred in. I also like it with walnuts and half a banana (freeze the other half for a smoothie!)

 A smoothie with almond milk, fruit, flax seed, spinach, maca, cacao and protein powder.

 An apple with nut butter.

Homemade soup, side salad and fresh fruit. I try and make some sort of soup every week. I also freeze it.

Night out – two veggie sushi rolls and a side salad with ginger dressing. (This is the only time I ever eat white rice. If your sushi place has brown rice, get that instead!)

Homemade cashew ‘cheese’ on Triscuits.

A handful of fresh fruit and a handful of nuts.

Whole wheat pasta with a tomato sauce and lots of veggies or with lentil ‘meat’ sauce.

Chickpea cutlet with mashed potato, gravy and a veggie.

Miso soup, stir fried rice with lots of veggies and a veggie egg roll.

Vegan nachos with beans, fresh tomatoes, onions  and a vegan queso sauce.

Hummus with Triscuits and veggies.

Roasted veggie plate (just toss a bunch of veggies in the oven and roast ‘em)

Night out – Thai food – veggies, sometimes a little tofu, brown rice and a vegan egg roll.

Chia seed pudding made with almond milk and cinnamon.

Low sugar, high fiber, natural cereals with homemade almond milk. (Grape Nuts & Shredded Wheat)

Whole wheat English muffin with nut butter or no sugar fruit preserves.

Night out – Mediterranean food - hummus, falafel, and salad.

Red beans and rice, homemade guacamole and a little salsa with chips for dipping.

Whole wheat pancakes with fresh berries, walnuts and maple syrup.

Vegan mac & cheese.

Vegan ice cream topped with vegan hot fudge or vegan caramel sauce.

Panini with vegan cashew ‘cheese’ , sun-dried tomato pesto and thin sliced veggies on sourdough bread.

Homemade granola.

A dinner salad with lots of veggies, homemade croutons, beans, and walnuts.

Baked sweet potato with cinnamon, maple syrup and walnuts.

Fresh stove popped popcorn with salt and my vegan ‘parmesan cheese’.

Homemade veggie or black bean burgers on a whole wheat bun.  I make these and freeze them!

Once in a while I’ll have vegan ‘meats’ like Field Roast sausages or Lightlife Tempeh but I try to only eat those a few times a year since they are processed. I’d rather eat clean.

Chickpea salad (it’s much like chicken salad) on whole wheat bread or in a salad.

Cookout – vegan baked beans, vegan potato salad, fresh fruit and some sort of veggie burger

Bean tacos or burritos.

Chili with vegan cornbread.

Baked potato topped with vegan ‘butter’, salt, fresh mushrooms and green onions.

Night out  - thin crust pizza with mushrooms, black olives and no cheese. I like to bring my vegan nut cheese to sprinkle on top instead.

Vegan cookies, bars, cakes and other yummies!  (but not every day!)

Warm brown rice with almond milk, a little maple syrup and some cinnamon.

Junk food – yes, even I eat junk food but it may not be as junky as you’d expect. My junk foods are vegan  baked goods, Fritos, non-dairy dark chocolate, cane juice sweetened organic frosted flakes, I even snack on Cap’n Crunch once in a while! If we are out someplace and I can’t find anything else, I might have some french fries. A few times a year I’ll buy vegan ice cream or sorbet but I’m not a big ice cream eater.

Does that list sound like I'm an unhappy, deprived and bored vegan? 

Note: Always remember that junk is ok if you rarely eat it. Junk should never be kept in the house if you have any sort of self discipline issue... instead, you should have to make an effort to go and get whatever junky food you are wanting to eat and then you should buy a single serving. Surround yourself with delicious healthy foods and you can't make mistakes!