THE EVERYDAY VEGAN WITH DREEN BURTON
By Claudette Vaughan

‘There are two ways to interpret the title of this book. In one way, The Everyday Vegan Everyday is for committed vegans looking for ideas, recipes and instructions they can use every day of the year. In another, the book is for average (i.e., everyday) people who want to start eating eating but don't know where or how to begin. In fact, The Everyday Vegan is a great resource for both.’ - The Everyday Vegan (pg 10).

Here is the Abolitionist’s interview with author and terrific vegan chef, Dreena Burton.

Abolitionist: Who is the Everyday Vegan?

Dreena Burton: Anybody, in a sense. When I wrote my first cookbook, The Everyday Vegan, I was sharing my vegan food with family and friends, all of whom were meat eaters. Some of them began eating vegan more regularly. They realized that eating vegan wasn't "scary" or odd or all that difficult. It made me think that while some of us eat vegan everyday, eating vegan should not be considered a radical thing. Anyone can eat vegan... even if some days during the week, but ideally everyday.

Abolitionist: How does one get started transitioning to a vegan diet in your opinion, Dreena?

DB: Start making changes instead of excuses. Excuses like "I like cheese too much", or "I would miss eggs". It's about making choices that are consistent with your values. If being healthy and vital is important to you, be vegan. If eliminating animal suffering is important to you, be vegan. If the state of our environment is important to you, be vegan. If any or all of these issues are something you care about, you need to be vegan. It's not hard. It's about having an open mind and being willing to make some changes. These changes may seem enormous at first, but once you've made them they won't seem like that big a deal anymore. It's comes down to eating vegan, and that can mean eating delicious, exciting foods. Start visiting some vegan websites and blogs. Pick up some cookbooks, and then check out your local health food stores and grocery stores for any new foods you will now be eating, like rice milks or nut butters. And remember that this new diet is not about what you aren't eating, but about all the new foods and ingredients you will be eating! There really is an entire world of food that most people don't know about. How many non-vegans know there are vegan waffles that you can buy, for instance, and how delicious these are with a thick spread of almond butter and a drizzle of agave nectar? How many non-vegans know just how sensational a burrito can taste with beans, veggies, spices, and topped with an avocado sauce or a big dollop of guacamole? Vegan food is fun and fabulous, and that's what I want to share with people.

Abolitionist: What special considerations have you encountered with vegan families, Dreena?

DB: One thing I have noticed the most it how much keener vegan parents are about their children's nutrition than most other people. We look at where they are getting essential fatty acids, different proteins, calcium, and different vitamins. I know for myself, I give our children protein from nut butters and legumes during the week, and a variety of breads from different grains like kamut. They also have some treats, but their amount of 'junk' is nothing compared to what most children eat. While other kids are eating sugary cereals, Kraft Dinner, and white-bread sandwiches during the day, I'm the parent thinking about the nutritional intake of our children. Really, these other parents need to take a good look at what's going into their kids' bodies and do a major dietary overhaul! But, I think as vegans, until our diet becomes more 'normal' in our culture, we will be very conscious of our nutrition and that of our children.

For us, eating vegan is normal, everyday stuff. The only trouble we sometimes have is eating at restaurants in our area - but that's just because our vegan dining options are very limited in our city. I send our kindergartner to school with a vegan snack, and for special party days where parents contribute a snack, I am quick to offer to bring in cookies (usually my Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Vive le Vegan!, since they are always a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike). When our children go to birthday parties, I send them with a snack and a cupcake, cookie, or piece of cake so they can have their delicious treat along with the other kids. Often their piece of cake looks better! So, it's just being a little prepared for those events, and otherwise it's all regular day to day living.

Abolitionist: How and why did you become a vegan?

DB: I became vegan after reading the book "Fit For Life". I had already cut red meat and chicken from my diet, and began reading about the consumption of dairy and eggs and our health. My husband and I took a test of sorts, and eliminated dairy for about a month. We were skeptical at first, because like most people we were very 'trained' to believe that dairy was necessary for good health. Eliminating dairy showed great improvements in our health, and we have never looked back. We feel better with lighter and more efficient digestion, we contract fewer colds with shorter duration, and we have more energy. My transition into veganism stemmed from health interests. Through our transition we learned about the animal suffering involved in meat and dairy production, and while this wasn't our impetus in becoming vegan, it is now also very important in our lifestyle and in encouraging others to eat vegan.

Abolitionist: What is it about vegan food you find particularly appealing?

DB: It's all about the food tasting great, and feeling great after eating it. You get so much variety and flavor from plant based foods, and your palate evolves once you start eating vegan. You notice for instance that you no longer want that cream sauce on your pasta, but rather a zesty tomato sauce with fresh herbs and other great seasonings... it's so much more flavorful, and you feel much better after eating it! When a meat-eater asks "but, what do you eat"... it's not easy to describe it all in one or two sentences! We have so many different, delicious vegan meals in the run of a week, and yet that same meat-eater probably has chicken 3 or 4 times a week for dinner (and likely prepared much the same way each time).

Abolitionist: Do you have a favourite vegan cuisine?

DB: It's not always a particular cuisine that I favor, but elements of that cuisine and ingredients that I love and can bring into recipes, and methods of cooking. For instance, I loved roasted and grilled vegetables, and can use those with just about any mix of ingredients and vegetables, and work into any dish and still love them!

Abolitionist: In The Everyday Vegan you have outlined some incredible lessons for living the vegan life. Kindly outline them here for readers at the Abolitionist?

DB: I tell a few stories about family and friends, as well as my own personal story about becoming vegan. I wanted to share these very short stories to show people that making the transition to a vegan diet is not as daunting as one may think. As with my good friend Tanya, foods like tofu that evoke a 'fear factor' can be enjoyed when prepared in ways that suit an individual's taste. Also, in addition to eating a diet that does not contribute to animal suffering, these stories show that this is a health-promoting diet that can improve our daily living through better energy, less illness and reduced risk for disease. Plus, this diet can be gradual for people, and they can incorporate vegan eating into their lives everyday until the changes become 'normal' and regular routine. Eating and living vegan is not the difficult thing that people perceive it to be!

Abolitionist: Is there such a thing as an easy transition for child of any age to turn vegan and how is it done with less fuss or tears?

DB: I think children are natural vegetarians. Many parents tell me their children don't like meat. Our food habits are learned, and just as my own children have come to love oatmeal with macadamia butter and chopped apples, and hummus and avocado sandwiches, other children come to love cheese as snacks, McDonalds for dinner a couple of times a week, greasy pizza with cheese and pepperoni, and drinking cow's milk. If my children tasted cow's milk now I'm certain they would think it tastes disgusting. It even smells awful!! Similarly, kids that drink cow's milk daily (and have done so since birth) can find the taste of soy or rice milk very odd. It's what our palates are accustomed to, and also learning our dietary choices from our parents. Often, I hear about older children (teens) in families that become vegan and then teach their parents about this healthier, more compassionate diet. The parents become the ones kicking and screaming against the changes! Unfortunately, our culture has trained our kids' palates to enjoy processed, fast foods, and these typically contain meat and dairy. When kids start eating real foods, they come to appreciate and love real foods, like fresh fruit, whole-grain breads, and vegetables. Not all vegetables, mind you! I also think most children are very sensitive to the bitter tones in greens and green vegetables, and so these take some getting used to! But, on the whole, if we expose our kids to natural foods, and if we eat these foods ourselves, it becomes 'normal' in a household. And kids can still have their treats. I'm not a mother that will keep a cookie or potato chip from my kids... the treats just have to be vegan, and my kids need to eat the healthy stuff too!

Abolitionist: What is your own experience of traveling as a vegan, when dining out, parties and times like Christmas and Easter when relatives visit and they aren't vegan?

DB: We don't travel too much, but when we do, I am sure to pack lots of small meals and snacks for the journey. We also to check out health food stores, cafes, and restaurants in the area ahead of time. Dining out is definitely a challenge for us because we have limited vegan options in our area. We can drive about an hour and have many more choices, but that's not practical for us, so for the most part I cook! Holidays are always brimming with lovely vegan food. I started making my "Holiday Feast Menu" (from The Everyday Vegan) many years ago, and we still make those recipes for our Christmas meal, and share the work and food with my sister and her family. As vegans, if we want to eat great holiday meals, we either tote a few dishes along with us to family gatherings, or host the entire meal ourselves, invite family members to join and cook all the food (as I did with our Christmas dinner) so no animal dishes make their way into the dinner.

Abolitionist: Please talk about your most recent new book.

DB: After Vive le Vegan! was published three years ago, I never expected to be working on another cookbook at this time. With two young children, my vegan plate is already full! But, after I began blogging, people asked when I'd be publishing another cookbook. I started to think about it, and before I knew it, I was compiling recipes for "Eat, Drink and Be Vegan!".

Eat, Drink and Be Vegan! is a celebratory cookbook. It's time to focus on all the fabulous food vegans DO eat, not what we "cannot" eat (or, what we choose not to eat). Our food is to be celebrated, not only because it tastes fabulous and is full of variety and exciting choices, but also because we can eat these delicious foods knowing they promote health and do not contribute to animal suffering.

The cookbook will be published in fall 2007, and will be chock full of fantastic recipes that are not at all difficult, and will have have beautiful color food photos. Many recipes are previewed on my blog at http://vivelevegan.blogspot.com.

Abolitionist: Please name some of your favourite vegan recipes from each book.

DB: This is always a hard question for me! From The Everyday Vegan, I very much love "Triple Layer Chocolate Cream Cake" (and it's MUCH easier than it sounds), "Spicy Thai Stew" (it looks quite different from the photo in the book!), and "Marinated Tofu Sandwich Filling".

From Vive le Vegan!, I particularly love "Chickpea Ratatouille", "Greek Basmati Rice", "Lemon Herb Tofu" (SO quick to make!), "Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies", and "Fudgy Brownies".

From my new cookbook, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, wow, I have a bunch... but I guess it's natural to be excited by a collection of new recipes. I have new hummus recipes that are dynamite, including "Chipotle-Lime Two Bean Hummus", a "Veggie Muffuletta" sandwich that is full of flavor and so much fun for picnics or brunch, a "Cashew-Ginger Tofu" dish that is easy and incredibly delicious, a couple of Chimichanga recipes and desserts, desserts... "5-star ice cream sandwiches" are amazing, and "Maple Pecan Sticky Blondies"... I'll stop here!

Dreena Burton
Author, The Everyday Vegan
Author, Vive le Vegan!
vivelevegan.blogspot.com
www.everydayvegan.com