I am pleased today to introduce to you another blooger/foodie who has successfully launched her first cookbook, The Happy Herbivore.
Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Lindsay’s recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women’s Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies. You can learn more about Lindsay and sample some of her recipes at happyherbivore.com
Here is what Lindsay had to say:
What is a Happy Herbivore?
I make a point not to tell anyone, especially my readers, what to
believe or what/how to eat. Happy Herbivore is a safe space where
anyone can feel welcome and not judged. I do, on occasion, share my personal beliefs (mostly because people ask me about them) but never in a “you should agree with me” way. I know I don’t like being
preached at.
I would describe my diet as very strict. I’m careful to source
everything, make sure the product I’m buying is not only vegan, and not tested on animals, but that the parent company doesn’t either. I also take care to avoid cross-contamination. For example, I wouldn’t buy a veggie burger cooked on the same grill as meat. I don’t drink wine or beer that has isinglass, etc. I wasn’t always this strict, it used to be as long as it didn’t contain animal parts, I was fine… but I’m much more militant now.
How long have you been eating and cooking this way?
I’ve been eating vegan since Dec 2006 (so almost 4.5 years) and I
adopted the no oil/low fat practices in late 2007 (so 3.5 years). I
was never really into food with a lot of fat to begin with; I
generally tried to stay on the healthy side of things, but I
eliminated oil and most added fats from my diet a year or so later.
What is your favourite recipe in the book?
I don’t think I have just one. I’m really obsessed with the nacho
cheese, the cornbread and the queso; but I go on kicks and favor one over another. Recently I was going gaga for the enchilada sauce.
What are your top 3 pieces of wisdom to someone who is just getting started with eating healthier?
1. Keep positive, a good attitude is everything.
2. Focus on what you can eat rather than what you’ve given up or now deem “off limits”.
3. Use this as an opportunity to explore new flavors, cuisines, etc. I
eat a much wider variety now on a low fat vegan diet than I ever did
as a SAD omnivore.
I have to say that the extremely restricted “no oil/fat” rule concerns me a little bit but that is not to say there aren’t some great vegetarian and vegan recipes in this book, like the Red Lentil Dal pictured below:
