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Plant Chat: Laura Theodore

Sharon Palmer

I am so excited to have fellow plant-powered lover and author, Laura Theodore, on my blog today! Laura is a recent inductee into the 2015 TASTE Hall of Fame and a 2014 Taste Award winner. Laura is a recognized television personality, vegan chef, radio host, compassionate cookbook author, award-winning recording artist, and author of Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease: An Easy Guide to Enjoying a Plant-Based Diet, Jazzy Vegetarian Classics: Vegan Twists on American Family Favorites and Jazzy Vegetarian: Lively Vegan Cuisine Made Easy and Delicious. It is so exciting to see the work she is doing in the plant-based world, and I had to have her on my blog to share more details about her fabulous career!

In fact, Laura was kind enough to interview me for her popular radio program Jazzy Vegetarian. Check it out here.

Check out Laura’s input on her own journey, as well as her best tips and recipes!

What is your plant-based mission? 

To make the world a better place, one plant-based recipe at a time!

What inspired you, and how long have you been vegan? 

My inspiration comes from my life-long love of animals. I started on my vegetarian journey in the 1980s, when I stopped eating red meat. I was vegan on and off over the next 20 years and became fully vegan 8 years ago.

Tell us a bit about your radio program. 

Jazzy Vegetarian Radio focuses on healthy and tasty, plant-based recipes, eco-entertaining tips, celebrity interviews, and upbeat music, served up with a bit of fun on the side! The show speaks to health conscious people of all ages, by reaching out to dedicated vegans and omnivores alike, who are on the path to wellness through seeking compassionate food choices. Each week, we feature a celebrity guest to chat about scrumptious vegan food and sustainable solutions for everyday living.

What is your goal with the radio program? 

The goal is to share tips, recipes and ideas from leading plant-based doctors, chefs, cookbook authors, dietitians, nutritionists, musicians, actors and so many more, in order to help anyone who is seeking or following the path to embracing a vegan lifestyle. What do you think some of the barriers are for taking on a plant-based lifestyle? Great question! Getting started! It is often overwhelming to start thinking about cooking with only plant-based foods, so often people just do not give it a try in the first place. Plus, plant-based can be thought of as boring – like salads and steamed veggies…but it is so much more! Eating a plant-based diet encompasses endless opportunities to turn fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains into delicious and satisfying meals!

What are your favorite tips for taking the plant-based plunge? 

1. If you are new to vegan eating, start by serving one, non-meat, plant-based meal each week for dinner. Try preparing hearty and satisfying favorites like Chili, Lasagna, Soup, Pasta, Easy Casseroles or Meatless Burger.
2. Use mashed bananas, ground flaxseeds mixed with water, or whipped organic tofu to replace eggs in many baked goods recipes. This works especially well when making muffins, brownies and many cakes. (If a baked goods recipe calls for just one egg, in most cases you can leave the egg out and your recipe will still be perfect!)
3. Now widely available in most supermarkets, purchase rice, soy, almond, cashew, coconut or oat nondairy milk for topping cereal, or as a substitute for dairy milk in almost any recipe.
4. Got a sweet tooth? Organic, dairy-free, fair trade dark chocolate is available in most supermarkets and health food stores. Use for desserts, baking and snaking!
5. When food shopping, take a moment to explore the rainbow of colors and tastes that fresh produce has to offer. Try adding one new vegetable or fruit to your cart every time you shop. This will make your journey toward a vegan diet more flavorful and fun.

From hearty main dishes, to decadent desserts, the vegan diet offers a wide range of options. And best of all, you’ll be making the world a better place, one tasty recipe at a time.

Tell us a bit about your book. 

I created Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease to share how anyone can easily, and economically, create delectable, vegan, plant-based meals to be enjoyed by any foodie, whether omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan, offering every cook an easy, fresh approach to compassionate, mindful – and healthy! – eating. Each recipe is ranked with an Ease-Factor to make it easy to choose dishes that fit into any busy schedule.

What inspired you to write it? 

I strongly believe that eating “animal-free” is healthier for us, the planet and, of course, the animals. The easier it is to adopt a vegan lifestyle, the more people will choose it. Many home chefs are now looking to add more vegetables into their weekly menu plan, serving at least one wholly plant-powered meal each week. So making it ease-ier is the first step toward inviting more people to embrace plant-based! So I felt that writing a book based upon my personal need for quick-to-prepare recipes would help others too!

What do you want to accomplish with this book? 

My goal was include all that readers need to know to embrace cost-saving, healthy, and delicious plant-based meals for menu planning year ‘round – whether cooking for casual weekdays or elegant holiday get-togethers! Here is one of Laura’s favorite holiday recipes!

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Holiday Rosemary Smashed Potatoes (Vegan, Gluten-Free)


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Description

These little darlings are a fun and flavorful way to present potatoes. The inside pulp stays nice and tender while the outside gets crispy. Serve these on the side for any party meal, even breakfast! 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 35 to 40 ounces fingerling or baby potatoes, scrubbed
  • 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed 

Instructions

  1. Fit a steamer basket into a medium-sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 to 3 inches of cold water to the pot and then add the potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Steam the potatoes for 10 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and let cool 10 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes cool, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
  3. Add the olive oil, rosemary and sea salt to the cooled potatoes and toss to lightly coat, using a large spoon, letting the excess olive oil and rosemary run to the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the potatoes about 1⁄2-inch apart in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sturdy, flat spatula, “smash” each potato so it is slightly flattened. Brush the tops of the flattened potatoes with the seasoned oil that settled into the bottom of the mixing bowl.
  4. Roast for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and slightly crispy. Season with more sea salt, if desired, while still hot. Let cool 10 minutes and serve warm. 

Notes

Amount per serving, based on 8 servings: 139 calories, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 8 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 0 g sugars, 3 g protein

Recipe from Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease: An Easy Guide to Enjoying a Plant-Based Diet © Laura Theodore (Jazzy Vegetarian, LLC 2015), reprinted by permission.

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