Did You Bring the Hummus?

...April is here and so is another Ultimate Blog Challenge ! If you've been around here for a while you know that every April I typically focus my blogs on Earth Month, this year is no different! The theme for Earth Day 2026 is Our Power, Our Planet . Progress does not happen in silence. It happens when people show up. I am really excited about the theme this year. I am feeling called to show up more regularly and in different ways. Really get the message out, if you will. So

This is kinda how I feel inside having reached the end of the UBC this month Ahhhh, you guys!!! (FYI, guys is one of the New Jersey all-gender terms) I did it!!! You might remember that on day 1 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge I was very unsure that I would be able to complete 31 blogs in 31 days as the last two rounds I didn't get close. Here I am, 31 blogs complete. What made this time different? I planned ahead. I wrote blogs the night before and scheduled their release. T

I know, this is not a photo of a quesadilla but all of the tortilla photos I could find were definitely not vegan friendly I was on YouTube last night and came across a new Nard Dog Cooks video for buffalo quesadillas. Of course, this looks delicious but what blew me away was how he made them on a sheet pan instead of one by one!! I know, right?!?!?! Blew my mind! (If you read yesterday's blog , you know I am loving a good sheet pan meal!) This video is only about 6 minutes

As we wind down Veganuary I just want to remind my readers who used this month to begin their journey, especially those worried about how to make the food piece of it work, meals do not have to be complicated to be delicious and interesting. Here is a taco bowl I recently had for lunch. This freshly made bowl came together in about 30 minutes (including time to cut the tofu and veggies! I was so pleased with myself.) Here's how I did it: Rice: I started first with the rice s

A recent prompt from the Ultimate Blog Challenge is to share a story, it made me think of one I hear a lot in groups where self-development is a significant piece like business masterminds and even Toastmasters. It's the story of the elephant and the rope. In the story a man walks by a circus and sees a large elephant tied to a small post so he asks the trainer why this big powerful elephant doesn't just break the rope. The trainer explains that he started tying the elephants

What an exciting start to the week for me! Yesterday, Season 7 of Did You Bring the Hummus launched with Episode 125 - Vystopia with Clare Mann and then an hour later Jen and I were joined by Anna Ferguson of World Peace Yoga on That Vegan Morning Show . In our chat with Anna we talk about the connection of yoga, veganism, and ahimsa. Anna helps us see and understand how yoga is for everyone, or, as she likes to call her practice "yoga for people who breathe." Check out the

Click the image to listen to Clare's episode Season 7 is here and I while I am so incredibly excited in my little bubble about the amazing conversations I've had lately, I just wish it wasn't coming at a time when our democracy is in a nose-dive and people are terrified every single day. The way we humans treat animals enables us to treat fellow humans the same way. We have to stop normalizing the violence on our plates, the terror that meat eaters consume multiple times a da

A recent prompt for The Ultimate Blog Challenge asked if you or your business had a theme song, what would it be, here Is one I would consider, Silvera by Gojira. When you change yourself you change the world - Gojira, Silvera Veganism is a revolution, food is political, until all of us are free none of us are free. I have a sick feeling in my stomach since yesterday. It's been building, of course, every time I open my phone it is just as likely that I'll see the video of the

I typed tofu into the stock photo search and "soap on tray" was one of the options lol I go through phases of watching vegan chefs on YouTube and my absolute favorite chef to watch is Derek Sarno. His food and videos are beautiful, the recipes are delicious, and most importantly, he is so kind. His soft voice, love for vegan food and his dog Frankie, make every video one worth watching. I thought I would share his 5 minute tofu sandwich video. I know for me, I will never have

Last year I led a small book club via Zoom to discus the book Hungry Beautiful Animals with the author! We were lucky enough that Matt Halteman made the time to hear out thoughts, answer our questions, and help us dig deep into the various concepts presented in his book. Listen to Matt on Did You Bring the Hummus here . I enjoyed leading that book club so much that I sought out another author who would like to do this with me. Next week I kick off a second installment of The

I have noticed in comments on blogs about veganism, even those when I'm not writing about food, speak about the vegan diet or someone changing their diet. So, I thought I would write a blog today about the definition of vegan and all it entails. First, here is the definition as created by Donald Watson and his team in 1944 for the then named - The Vegetarian Society, now The Vegan Society . Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possib

We're 21 days into Veganuary and no doubt you've been making some changes in the meals you are having, products you're buying...etc. but you might be wondering what to do about the stuff that isn't so easily replaced. First, I will tell you that you are not alone, a lot of new vegans (and some not so new vegans) spend some time thinking about this. I will share my story and offer another option as well. When I went vegetarian in 2001, I was living with my parents, had very fe

Not too long ago I made the decision to step away from something that had brought so much joy to my life but at this point it was causing me more pain and frustration than it was giving me joy or growth. So, I sat with all of my feelings, expectations, expectations of me, where I had felt unappreciated, and how things had changed. I also heard from some in my life who had seen the dip in my enthusiasm, seen that the light had gone out around the thing. I stepped away and I fe

In today's Ultimate Blog Challenge prompt the email starts with that question " is it getting easier for you?" Of course, that question in the email is asking about the blog challenge, is it getting easier to write each day? I'd also like to take that question and apply it to being vegan too. First, I am actually finding writing blogs to be harder right now. I think it makes sense that there will be some peaks and valleys over the course of this challenge, I mean, that's why

Part 3 - the cookbook edition! My favorite cookbook author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz Long-time vegan and cookbook author legend, my first cookbooks were Isa's and she is a significant reason why I was able to find a love for cooking and how I started understanding what I was doing in the kitchen when I first went vegetarian. Below are her books that are on my kitchen bookshelf but you really can't go wrong with any of them. Isa is great at including lots of information, such a g

...in pictures Writing 31 blogs in 31 days is no easy feat and sometimes, you have to simplify and accept when the words just aren't coming to you. So today, I am going to share some food photos from some incredible vegan restaurants I had the opportunity to visit last year. First up, The Baklava Lady in Englishtown, NJ. OMG is all I have to say about everything. The cafe is so cute, the staff is really friendly, and the food....well, see for yourself Strawberry matcha, I al

Season 7 is almost here so I thought I would write a little bit about my podcast, Did You Bring the Hummus . If you'd like to know the origin of the name or how the podcast itself came to be you can read about that here . First, wow, I just wrote the words season 7 in the opening sentence of this blog, I can barely wrap my head around it! I really had no idea I would have so much to say nor did I anticipate interviewing some of the most inspiring people I've ever had the chan

It's been a while since I've pulled together quotes for a blog. I love quotes! I am so moved by words on almost a daily basis. When I was in high school I started writing down in a journal quotes that stirred me. I took the journal to college and continued to add to it through my 20's. Then, I lost it...or so I thought! My parents recently moved, which meant I had to finally go through some things in their basement I hadn't touched in 20+ years and lo and behold, I found the

Today, I thought I would share some photos from 2 visits to 2 different farmed animal sanctuaries over the years. I encourage you to visit the websites of the sanctuaries and learn the stories of the residents. The photo above is not mine but from the free stock photos on my website. The rest below are mine. Farm Sanctuary , Watkins Glen, NY, August 2021 Hanging out with some cows at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY. Click the picture to visit their website. Farm Sanctuary,

I'm back with more reading resources for your vegan journey!! Today, let's focus on health/food books (not cookbooks, they'll get their own blog) Here are some books I encourage you to check out if you're excited to understand the nutrition of eating vegan, want to have a response when a non-vegan asks you "but where do you get your protein," or you're just not quite sure how to eat healthfully, these books will absolutely help you. This list is in no particular order. Health