Those of you who have been around for a while already know that Lindsay has been an inspiration to me on my quest toward eating a 100% plant based diet. I have purchased both of her cookbooks and HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is looking to switch over to a vegan diet, wants to add more plant based food into their diet or even the seasoned vegan looking for new and exciting recipes to add to their collection. Her recipes are amazing, simple and delicious!
Her newest book makes transitioning to veganism even simpler - with easy, quick, tasty meals anyone can cook! I hope you will pick up a copy - believe me, you won't regret it!
I had a few questions for Lindsay that I wanted to share with you:
1) What inspired you to start HappyHerbivore.com?
When I adopted a plant-based diet, there weren't many cookbooks out, or even online resources. Blogs were still so new back then and not many people had them... I didn't know anyone that was vegan or even eating a low fat, whole foods diet and so I created this blog to share information I learned and recipes I tried or came up with... just in case there was some other person like me somewhere. I thought maybe I could help them. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my little blog would have a reader, let alone turn into two books!
2) Which recipe from your new cookbook is your favorite?
asking a chef to pick a favorite recipe is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child :-)
3) I personally have found that I struggle the most with portion control. Do you have any tips for portion control?
I'm of the persuasion that if you eat healthy foods -- low fat, whole foods, you don't need to worry about portions so much because the food is healthy, filling and low in calories. That's one of the reasons why I love eating a low-fat plant-based diet because I can finally eat as much as I want to, I can eat until I feel full, without worrying about weight gain. I also really liked the book Mindless Eating and recommend it to anyone who has portion control or overeating tendencies.
4) What advice would you give to someone who is setting out on a long journey of weight loss and also transitioning to veganism?
Remember to keep veg in vegan. Focus on whole foods - fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Whole grains are fine too but they're high in calories so make sure they accent the meal rather than make it up. Limit fats and other high calorie foods like fake meat and fake cheese. There's also the Happy Herbivore Meal plans -- which are based on how I eat (I'm maintaining a 30lb loss) -- low cal, but very filling. So many people have had great weight-loss success on the plan.
Lindsay was gracious enough to send along a free recipe from her new cookbook
Everyday Happy Herbivore
, for you fabulous Shrink to Fit readers. This recipe is one of my personal favorites!
Thanks Lindsay!
Quick Burgers | makes 4
About the recipe:
"I developed these burgers in a hotel room: they’re quick, easy and require very few ingredients. (In fact, except for the beans and a seasoning packet, I sourced all the ingredients from the complimentary “breakfast bar”). I make these burgers any time I need a super fast meal or I’m really low on ingredients."
Ingredients:
15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/3 c instant oats
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mash black beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half beans and bean parts are left. Stir in condiments and spices until well combined. Then mix in oats. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties with your hands. Bake for 7 minutes, carefully flip over and bake for another 7 minutes, or until crusty on the outside. Slap into a bun with extra condiments and eat!
Chef's note: If you only have rolled oats, chop them up in a food processor or blender so they are smaller and more like instant oats. Rolled oats left whole tend to make the burgers fall apart.
Per Burger: 109 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 17.6g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 2.2g Sugars, 5g Protein
More About Lindsay:
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
After vegan chef Lindsay S. Nixon wrapped up her popular cookbook The Happy Herbivore Cookbook last year, she went back to her kitchen in her new home of St. Maarten. Island living encouraged Nixon to come up with simpler fare, which led to a follow-up cookbook focusing on recipes that bring tasty back to quick-and-easy.
Now, in Nixon's much-anticipated follow-up cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore, readers will see, once again, that just because plant-based eating is optimal for health, it doesn't have to also be expensive or time-consuming.
Everyday Happy Herbivore includes more than 175 doable recipes--recipes that are so quick and easy, you could cook three healthy meals from scratch every day like Nixon does.
Each of Nixon's recipes are made with wholesome, easy-to-find, fresh ingredients and include no added fats. With additional notes indicating recipes that are ideal for preparing ahead of time and those you can whip up with just a few dollars, Everyday Happy Herbivore will be the must-have cookbook for anyone desiring a healthier, happier menu!
