Today’s show is all about eating a vegan diet, and my guest is cookbook author, blogger, and dietitian-to-be, Gena Hamshaw.
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Gena is a vegan lifestyle guru. She’s the voice behind The Full Helping and the author of several cookbooks including, Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals. She joins me with tips for getting started on eating a vegan diet, important rules of the road when it comes to getting the right balance of nutrients on a vegan diet, the scoop on all those plant-based milk alternatives popping up in supermarkets, answers to questions from the Podcast Posse, and lots of vegan recipe inspiration for you and your family. The featured recipes we discuss on the show include Gena’s Spring Panzanella Salad with Artichokes, Asparagus, Peas and Lemon Dill Vinaigrette and her Cauliflower Scramble, a tasty substitute for scrambled eggs.
“To remain vegan for the long-term, you have to make the balance work with plant-based ingredients. “
~ Gena Hamshaw
Book Giveaway NEWS!:
Who wants to win a copy of Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals? In the comments section at the end of this post, tell me about your favorite vegan recipe (something that’s always a “win” with your family) and/or why you’d love to win the book. I’ll pick one U.S. winner at random on June 12th. U.S. only, please. Good luck!
Here’s the cauliflower scramble we talked about on the show.
Cooking for a crowd? Gena’s got you covered with this one-dish today dinner.
I adore this spring panzanella salad made with chickpeas, asparagus, peas, and artichoke hearts.
Show Highlights:
- How and why Gena started her blog, The Full Helping, in 2009
- The juggling act between blogging, writing cookbooks and being a dietetic intern
- Gena’s new cookbook, Power Plates, and how she guides people to healthy and balanced vegan meals
- Gena’s ideal vegan meal: “A grain, a green, a bean, and a sauce”
- Other ideas for go-to vegan dinners
- How to use tempeh, which is a soy product and a cousin of tofu; one of Gena’s favorite recipes is Polenta with Balsamic Braised Tempeh and Vegetables
- Why vegan eating is not difficult, but it takes practice with “a whole new cast of characters”
- A plant-based diet vs. a vegan diet. What’s the difference?
- The nutrients that are of concern for vegans and the tricks for getting them: vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and iron
- A good starting point for vegan meals for kids: (some of Gena’s favorite recipes)
- Creamy Brown Rice with Shiitakes and Peas
- Pasta with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Soups
- Spiced Lentil Tamale Pie
- Baked Potatoes with Broccolini and White Beans
- Enchiladas
- Breakfast ideas for vegans include Tofu Scramble and Cauliflower Scramble, instead of eggs
- How to bake without eggs: Gena uses a “flax egg,” which is ground flax seeds with water; another idea is the liquid left from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba), which can be used in various ways.
- Gena’s advice for swapping cow’s milk with non-dairy alternatives:
- Soy milk is the most comparable to dairy
- Use soy, cashew, or coconut milk in soups
- Use almond or cashew milk in smoothies
- Use oat milk for coffee beverages
- Look for fortification and watch out for added sugar. Read the label!
- Favorite ways to use beans and lentils: salads, bowls, grain pilaf, pasta dishes, soups, and sauces
- Gena’s advice about pre-soaking nuts and seeds
- Gena’s Spring Panzanella Salad, with asparagus, frozen peas, greens, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and croutons
- Tofu and Greens: a hearty meal to feed a crowd
- Gena’s connection to Food52
- Gena’s #1 favorite vegan dessert: chocolate cake
- What’s next for Gena
LINKS:
My email: [email protected]
- The Parents On Demand Network
- www.superhealthykids.com
Find Gena Hamshow:
Gena’s Blog
Gena on Facebook
Gena on Twitter
Gena on Instagram
Gena’s Book
Have a question about the show or a suggestion for a future show? Ask away by posting a comment below or joining my Podcast Posse
We love sweet potato quesdilla from Simply In Season. I’d love to win this cookbook because I am wanting to cook more vegan meals.
You are entered into the giveaway. I’m not familiar with Simply in Season, but I’ll check it out!
I’m not familiar with vegan cooking. That’s why I would like to win the book
Vegan pasta alla puttanesca from “Cookie and Kate” is a favorite at my house!
My favorite vegan recipe is Vegetable Lasagna from the book “The Alzheimer’s Solution.” My fiancé’s favorite is Instant Pot Vegan Mac n’ Cheese from detoxinista.com, which I make every single week for him. I’d love to win this cookbook because it would be a lovely addition to my ever-growing vegan cookbook collection.
My daughter recently became a vegetarian and I’d like to add some vegan meals to my rotation. I’d especially like to try some new recipes using tempeh.
I would like to win for two reasons, I want to increase my intake of vegetables and since I am lactose intolerant I enjoy recipes that have alternative ways to make a recipe creamy.
My daughter has had 11 brain surgeries and is now expecting her first baby and my first grandchild. Would love to win the cookbook to help with my daughter’s health, and my grandchild’s health. You are never too young to start on a healthy lifestyle
This book looks really interesting. I would love to explore new vegan recipes to try with my family. Not everyone is on board with vegan cooking and I am on the lookout for a set of recipes that everybody can be happy eating.
Hello! My favorite vegan recipe is a super simple recipe and a family-favorite (even for the meat-eaters!). A quick fried rice using brown rice, any veggies we have on hand (usually carrots, bell pepper, and zucchini – low FODMAP!), edamame, sesame oil, and tamari. 🙂
My daughter is coming home from college next week and is now Vegan. We already eat Gluten free because one of my children has celiac disease. So I’m hoping to find some good vegan gluten free dishes to feed everyone?
Sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I love Power Plates. So many yummy ideas.
I would like to have more vegan recipes that I can serve my family. This cookbook sounds very helpful!
I’d love to win this cookbook because I am wanting to learn to cook some vegan meals.
I’d love to win this cookbook because I am wanting to learn to cook some vegan meals.
Our favorite vegan dishes is a cocoa coconut Chile from one of Drena Burton’s cookbooks. Loved the episode!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love millet and red lentil with mixed vegetable Khichdi – easy to prepare on stove top or in instant pot. Has bean ( red lentil, millet grain and vegetables with spices – all in one pot meal. Would love to learn some new vegan recipes from this cookbook.
Would love to win this cook book for my college age daughter who is a new vegetarian.
One of our favorite is is veggie stir fry with chickpeas and brown rice.
[email protected]
I love to make your Kale wild rice salad and add chick peas to it for a complete take to work lunch for a vegan meal.
I am interested in the nutritional messages behind eating a balanced and complete vegan meal. I’d love to try some recipes to move in the direction of more plant-based eating and with vegan being the most controlled version, it would be very helpful to have someone who tested the recipes to verify their quality, taste, and nutritional value. I’m a throw together kind of cook and it doesn’t always work out as I would have envisioned! : )
I recently checked this book out from the library and loved it so much that I really need to own it!
Lately my go-to is salads. I choose a store bought dressing, and add veggies, starch, and protein to match.
That’s what I love to do in the summer too!
My simple apple pie recipe is always vegan. And no one thinks of that. 🙂
I am a vegetarian but now have a wonderful daughter-in-law who is vegan. I would like to find more ideas for meals that don’t include milk and eggs.
We enjoy a vegan spinach lasagna. I replace the ricotta and egg mixture with a combination of tofu, mashed cannellini beans, and hummus and use a vegan parmesan made from ground cashews and nutritional yeast. Layer this with tomato sauce, noodles, spinach and any vegetables and you won’t miss the cheese. It works for my vegan son, vegetarian daughter and carnivorous husband. I could use some more vegan options for our hungry crowd..
Now that sounds like my kind of recipe!
Our favorite vegan dish is pasta with hummus. Instead of tomato sauce or cream sauce, we add freshly boiled pasta, to several tablespoons if hummus. We top it with toasted breadcrumbs. We all love it!
I’ve recently learned to incorporate more veggies into my diet that I historically didn’t care for, such as Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, by roasting them in the oven with spices. I’d love the book to get more great ideas for plant based meals.
I would love to win this cookbook. I’m trying to learn how to incorporate more vegetables in my diet and how to feel comfortable with cooking them deliciously. I think this cookbook would be a wonderful help with that pursuit.
My husband and I love anything with peanut sauce so I make slot of Thai salads. I love vegan cooking and discovering new flavors and recipes.