Katrina lives a gluten-free vegan lifestyle in a picturesque little corner of Vermont with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, and their 16-year-old dog. Her blog is The Gluten-Free Vegetarian, where she shares recipes, as well as tools and resources for meal planning. Her recipes are primarily designed for busy parents who want to cook healthful meals that are also quick and simple to make. She became a vegetarian in 1992 and has dabbled with being vegan, ovo-lacto vegetarian and pescatarian. Katrina became very sick in 2018 and the general practitioner suggested she cut gluten from her diet. She has a severe sensitivity to gluten and it inspired her to learn new ways of cooking and enjoying food. She is grateful to feel healthy again.

Katrina, I want to know a little bit about the vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian lifestyle?

A vegan diet eliminates all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and other items such as a gelatin or honey. An ovo-lacto vegetarian diet omits meat but includes dairy and eggs. An ovo-lacto pescatarian diet includes dairy, eggs, and seafood, but no other types of meat.

I first went vegetarian in 1992. Since that time, I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian during different periods of my life, so on my blog, you’ll find different recipes that meet each of these dietary requirements. All my recipes are gluten-free.

From my perspective, the greatest thing about vegan and vegetarian diets is helping animals! In addition, there are wonderful environmental and health benefits of reducing your meat consumption.

You write a lot about a gluten-free vegan diet. Walk me through this diet?

Gluten is a protein found in foods including wheat, rye, and barley. Some popular foods that often contain gluten are bread, pasta, muffins, and pancakes. The great news is that a gluten-free diet is easier now than ever. Food manufacturers and restaurants are more aware of consumers who cannot eat gluten, whether due to a sensitivity or celiac disease (the autoimmune disease that causes an immune reaction to eating gluten). Therefore, we have more availability of gluten-free products and better product labeling than in the past.

In 2018, I became very sick for six months without understanding why. After much trial and error, I finally discovered that I have a severe sensitivity to gluten. At first, I saw this as a restriction on my diet, but over time it has inspired me to learn new ways of cooking and enjoying food. As I live a gluten-free lifestyle now, my health has vastly improved. My blog was born from my own journey of learning how to cook vegan and vegetarian food that is also gluten-free.

Talk to me about your favorite and the least favorite vegetables?

My least favorite vegetables are bell peppers and eggplant. It’s disappointing that I don’t like these vegetables, because they are staples in vegetarian cooking! Every once in a while, I try them again to see if my palette has changed, but so far it hasn’t. I hope that someday I will like them! Also, my husband has a deep dislike of mushrooms, so I only cook them when he is out of town.

I love a lot of veggies. For flavor, I love baby carrots when they are especially sweet, butter lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and the special blend of cherry tomato varieties that my husband grows in our garden. Lately, I’ve been enjoying beets and leeks more than I used to, so it’s fun to experiment with those.

In terms of nutrient-dense vegetables, it’s hard to beat kale, so I use it a lot! I also love using fresh spinach and toss it into all kinds of recipes, from smoothies to pasta sauce and salads.

Give me one of your favorite smoothies, snacks, lunch, and dinner recipes?

I really love all of these!

Smoothie: https://gf-veg.com/chocolate-grapefruit-protein-shake/

Lunch: https://gf-veg.com/beyond-burger-with-quinoa-salad-and-hummus/

Snack: https://gf-veg.com/maple-pumpkin-overnight-oats/

Dinner: https://gf-veg.com/maple-veggie-sausage-skillet/

Vegans are known to be healthy. What is one of your weaknesses? I love chocolate.

Chocolate is absolutely my weakness! Fortunately, it can be good for us too, at least in moderation, so I can enjoy it without guilt in many recipes. Protein smoothie bowls are one of my latest obsessions, and I almost always have a chocolate-flavored bowl. These make a wonderful meal because they’re quick and simple to make, and you can pack them full of nutritious ingredients. For my last smoothie bowl, I blended together vegan protein powder, vanilla soy yogurt, and some mixed berries, then poured the mixture into a bowl. I topped the bowl with banana slices, almond butter, fresh blueberries, coconut flakes, and chia seeds. It was delicious. As an added bonus, smoothie bowls also look beautiful and satisfy your sweet tooth.

How has marriage changed you? Did anything surprise you about it?

One of the most surprising turning points in marriage for me happened several years ago when I did a year-long exercise recommended by a pastor in a sermon I heard. Every day for a year, I wrote down one wonderful thing that my husband did or said. No matter how happy or how difficult the day was, without fail, I recorded one great thing my husband did. When I first started the project, my intention was that the journal I created would be Valentine’s Day present for my husband. It wasn’t long before I realized that the gift was actually for me. The exercise taught me to see my husband in a completely different light. It revealed how much he does for our family, how positive his intentions are, and how hard he works. It helped me to stop nagging (or at least do it much less often!) and to appreciate how much effort he makes. Honestly, I don’t think our marriage has ever been the same, and I don’t think I’ve ever been the same as a wife, in very good ways.

I see you have a beautiful daughter. How has motherhood made you look at life differently?

Thank you so much! Motherhood made me prioritize my faith. For years before I became a mother, I considered myself just a spiritual person without a particular faith. I thought I would figure out exactly what I believed in terms of God and my faith “later.” When my husband and I decided that we might become parents, I realized that “later” had come. I wanted to know what I believed before bringing a child into the world. I dug deep into a Bible study and asked myself the hard questions. I left no stone unturned and didn’t take any shortcuts or easy ways out. I found that my true faith is Christianity, and my belief and relationship with God have continued to deepen and grow over the years. My daughter is six years old now, and she’s starting to ask me questions of her own about faith and God. It’s fun, challenging, and engaging to try to answer them and explore them with her!

I have never heard about Proverbs 31 ministry. What is it all about and what was your role there?

Proverbs 31 Ministries is a wonderful organization. It is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that seeks to lead women into a personal relationship with Christ with Proverbs 31:10-31 as a guide. There are many facets to the organization, but I was involved with their Online Bible Studies. I volunteered with the ministry for almost three years. I served as a small group leader to work with online groups of around 20 women as they went through each Bible study. I also transcribed Bible study videos for hard of hearing and deaf study participants. I did the transcription work in honor and memory of my Gram, who was deaf and a woman of strong faith. I loved working with this organization and still benefit from their programs, including daily email devotionals and the First 5 app. The First 5 app is designed to help you spend the first five minutes of the day in God’s Word.

I want you to choose three women of your choice to have a meal with. What would you cook for each of them and you can ask only one question what would that be?

I would choose to have a meal with my mom and my two grandmothers. One of my grandmas (my “Gram”) is in heaven, and I live thousands of miles away from my other grandma and my mom, so I don’t see them very often. It would be amazing to have the four of us together for a meal. The one question I would ask them is this: how do they each pray for our family? I know our family has many blessings because of the faithfulness of each of these women. I would learn a lot from hearing about what their prayer lives look like and what they pray for.

Both of my grandmothers loved cooking and were excellent cooks, so I would be a bit nervous about preparing food for them! For the main course, I might make a gluten-free pasta dish with roasted vegetables, since it would be warm, hearty, and comforting. For dessert, I’d make a gluten-free, vegetarian lemon meringue pie. Lemon meringue pie was one of my favorite desserts my Gram made. Her meringue was a labor of love, and it was flawless. I’ve seen vegan versions online and would love to try one.

You made it to the pearly gates and you run into Deborah, Phoebe, Mary, and Martha. They ask you to prepare a 4-course vegan meal. Tell me about it?

What a great question, and what a great dinner party this would be! For fun, I’ve tried to come up with a meal using mostly ingredients that my guests would have been familiar with while they were here.

The first course would be a bread service with several types of gluten-free bread: unleavened, flatbread, and herb-crusted. I’d serve the bread with fresh olives, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

The second course would be figs with tahini sauce, drizzled with agave (a vegan substitute for honey).

The third course would be our main course: bowls with red lentils, quinoa, cooked apples, walnuts, and garlic.

The fourth course would be a grape sorbet for dessert.

Being in the company of these women would be an extraordinary opportunity to learn. I would ask Deborah what it’s like to hear directly from the Lord as a prophetess; I’d ask Mary and Martha to share what it was like to host Jesus; I’d ask Phoebe to tell some stories about Paul. Then at the end of our meal, I would encourage Martha to leave all the dishes to me.

The post A Gluten-Free Vegan Lifestyle appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

I have traveled to more than 30 countries. Indian food in England is the Balti dishes from Bangladesh. In Lisbon, it is Goan food. In Paris, it is food from South India and mainly from Pondicherry. I live in Toronto, and Indian restaurants are mostly buffet style from Punjab. As a result, I want to talk to Divyanshi to get a better understanding of Indian food.

Divyanshi is a Delhi-based food blogger who has an amazing Instagram profile. She believes that good food brings people together at My Delicious Plate.  She loves exploring homemade food and different food recipes from all parts of India rather than Indian restaurants. Her mantra is ‘Eat, Drink and Live Free because you get this life once and there is no telling what might happen tomorrow’.

Divyanshi welcome to my blog. Please tell me a little about you? What does your name mean?

Hello Jerry, first of all, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I have completed my graduation. I love to write. As a result, I decided to blog and have been doing it for a year.

My name ‘Divyanshi’ is made of two Hindi words. ‘Divy’ which means divine or spiritual and ‘Ansh’ means a part of. However, when combined, Divyanshi means ‘Part of a Divine thing’.

I love your IG profile. You showcase a variety of foods. Is it from all over India or only from the North?

Thank you! The variety of Indian food is a result of our diverse Indian culture. Because of this cultural mix, we have been lucky to enjoy the cuisines of the South in North India and vice versa. The food from all regions is popular all over India!  I have been eating many of this regional food since childhood and now I try to cook them too.

My IG profile displays food from all parts of India. It is easily available everywhere especially in New Delhi, which is the capital of India. New Delhi is a cultural mosaic of people from all over India who also bring their food with them.

Roti means bread. Please talk to me a little bit about the different kinds of Chapati, Poori, Naan, and Rumali roti?

In India, typically in northern parts, there are two segments of a meal. One curry and one bread and then accompaniments to this can be added. Roti, Poori, Naan, Fulka are all types of bread that we enjoy with a great variety of curries. They differ in their style of preparation and grain of which it is made.

For example, Roti is made by simply making a dough of wheat flour, flattening it, and baking it on a Tawa (a large flat pan). Poori on the other hand is a fried version of roti which is smaller in size. Naan is made from Maida (Refined flour) and is leavened with yeast. We also stuff roti and call it parantha. There is literally a huge variety of bread in India that one can enjoy and it all comes from our varied culture!

Talk to me about your favorite snacks?

I love having snacks. I think snacks are my favorite part of the day. Being an Indian foodie, I would say ‘Samosa’ which has become popular all around the globe now.  Initially, there was only potato stuffing in samosa but now we can get noodle samosa, cheese samosa, pasta samosa, and many more like these.

One more favorite snack of people living in Delhi is ‘Momos’. That is not Indian but we love it like it is ours. We make Indian versions of every snack around the world and that is something I love about India.

You have a decent following on IG. Does that put pressure on you?

No. I never felt the pressure. This is something I really enjoy doing. I feel grateful that people are liking my content on ‘My Delicious Plate’ and it motivates me to work harder. Also, I have my best friend, Vivek who helps me with the content and suggestions. I wish the number keeps growing so that I can share my love for food with more people.

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Women empowerment for me is about letting females choose what they want to do without any restriction. For years women around the world have been restricted to numerous things. Women have struggled and made their way to the top. However,  the situation has improved to only some extent, mostly in developed countries.

We need to create more opportunities for women and more space for them to choose their own path. Discrimination between genders should be eliminated and only we can do it by spreading awareness and telling women their worth and telling men to treat women equally.

I want to know your favorite dishes and why do you like them?

I have a long list of favorite dishes. I will choose three of my favorites. The first one is Rajma Chawal. Rajma is red kidney bean curry and chawal is rice. The kind of spices used in it makes it so tasty and special. Indian food is all about different spices and their style of blending.

Another dish is Paneer Butter Masala which is a cottage cheese served in a spicy gravy having lots of butter. The third one is Masala Dosa. I can really have it anytime with a good Sambar and Coconut Chutney. For a foodie like me, it was difficult choosing just three!

Is there a huge difference between vegan and vegetarian food in India? I mean if you cook with ghee it is vegetarian, if sunflower oil it becomes vegan?

The concept of veganism in India is not as popular as it is coming up in some parts of the world. There are very few people talking about it. The same reflects in our food habits. For example, cooking in ghee is still considered better and healthier than in oil. We have a huge population of vegetarians but being vegan is something we haven’t acknowledged yet.

What are your future goals? Where does Divyanshi want to be 5 years from now?

I started ‘My Delicious Plate’ as a page to show people my love for food, what I eat, and my kind of food. One thing I was sure of since the beginning, I didn’t want to restrict it to the Indian audience. I wanted to show people from all around the world the richness of food we enjoy in India, hence the English name.

I feel extremely happy when people from other continents message me saying they love Indian food and would like to try the recipes I share. In the future also I would be working on the same. Even in India, many people are unaware of foods from other regions, my intention is to take out food from all over India, especially the traditional food and display the diversity of Indian food and culture to the people of our country as well as globally.

You are chosen to represent Indian food on a trip to Mars and can take only 5 food items. What would they be?

If I have to represent India with five dishes then I will choose my favorites from all parts of the country. From the North, I will choose Paneer Tikka which is cheese marinated in lots of spices. Masala Dosa will be chosen from South India. From the west, I will take Dhokla which is a Gujrati Cuisine.

North-East India enjoys more Non-vegetarian cuisines which I don’t have but I will choose Fish curry of Bengal for those who eat fish. Fifth and the last one will be from Central India. and that is Khasta Kachori which is made with wheat dough stuffed with a spicy lentil mixture and then fried till it becomes crispy.

The post The Diversity of Indian Food appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

I am fascinated by art. I remember, as a teenager, taking the train to Paris to see the Louvre and the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper in Milan, David at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, The Creation of Adam at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, and the list goes on. I consider myself a curator of food photographs. To me, a photograph has to create an emotional response, curiosity, keep me captivated, allow me to create a narrative, and make me hungry.

Rainer Marekwia is a German vegan who has an amazing profile on IG. I am always amazed every time he posts something. He makes me want to make love to his photographs. He is also a vegan. I talk to him about his creative process and the amazing food he makes.

Rainer, a pleasure to have you on board. Tell my global audience a little about you?

I have been living in various parts of Germany. I am currently in the south near Stuttgart. I am an IT architect by profession. I have various interests related to nature and art. I am involved in urban gardening, beekeeping, food sustenance, playing the piano, and reading and writing books.

I have been blessed to be able to work with amazing people, on Instagram as well as in real-life. To help my community and spread my passions, I have co-initiated several local community projects. My latest project is a local vegan meetup.

I love your Instagram profile. Walk me down your creative process of how you come up with a food idea?

Thank you so much! I love to combine more than just one art form or technique with whatever I do. In my Instagram profile, I try to blend the idea of cooking simple and elegant vegan menus with the art of presenting them appetizingly and producing interesting photos as a result. By doing so I hope to emphasize that cooking a delicious dish is not merely reserved for a 5-star chef. I believe that dedication and patience will always lead to healthy and enjoyable results.

Are you a vegetarian? If so how did you become one and what are the benefits?

I became a vegetarian at the age of 15, and at that time it was an inner impulse leading to a sudden and drastic change in my diet. Another significant step in my journey to my current lifestyle and diet was my daughter becoming a vegan 5 years ago. She challenged me and questioned her upbringing regarding her diet. I explained to her that although we mainly gave her vegetarian meals – a natural result of two vegetarian parents, that we were hoping to enable her to make her own decisions one day.

During this process of discussing the topic with her during a summer holiday, we both became vegan almost automatically as a natural consequence of reviewing the pros and cons. Then we explored together with the options and possibilities and helped each other in a creative exchange of ideas.

The benefits of being vegan now are on the one side, that I feel much healthier and fitter even with less sleep. On the other side, it is clearly a benefit to others, animals in the first place, but also to nature, by drastically reducing the consumption of resources like water. Overall, it is a way to make the world a little better, while having benefits. Isn’t that fantastic?

I am not missing anything….

I love your colors, contrasts, and a variety of foods. Talk to me about one of your favorite recipes?

I like to play with colors and forms when creating a menu and later on when taking pictures. One of my favorite recipes is burgers of all kinds. It is for me the perfect combo of contrasts: sweet and sour, hot and cold, light and heavy, juicy and dry. As usual, I never cook a burger twice but rather experiment with different buns, patties, salads, and sauces. My last burger recipe included next to a seitan patty rocket salad, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, vegan mayonnaise, and ketchup, but also hummus and a hint of mango chutney.

I want to know three of your favorite vegetables and three of your least favorite?

There are a lot of vegetables I love, however, my three favorites are: Broccoli, for its color and flexibility on how to use it, Tomatoes, because good organic ones have such a rich taste on its own and  Garlic, as it is an all-round star: Healthy, tasty, can be used in almost any dish

My least favorite vegetable is the eggplant as it has neither taste nor texture.

Help me understand the city you live in? I want to know the food scene, the spices, the smells of the market, and some of your favorite restaurants?

I currently live in the south of Germany near Stuttgart. The food scene here consists of three parts. The first is the local Swabian cuisine, dominated by rustic meals often with potato salad, Swabian ravioli (called Maultaschen), or Spaetzle, a special kind of pasta often fresh self-made by families.

The second is the international cuisine here mainly influenced by Italy (pasta, pizza), Asia (soups and tofu dishes), Turkey (doner kebab), and Indian curry.

The third one is the upscale fusion of global cuisine which is emerging and quite new. There are some great new restaurants coming up with this approach, and the focus and emphasis are on sustainability, being spacious, and having a cozy atmosphere.

I love food. I love the way how it shapes our culture and brings us together. Talk about how food has influenced and shaped you?

Food is so essential for everybody. Some are aware of its important role, others less. Whenever I discover new locations, new friends, and new countries, I also try to discover their food culture.

An important influence has been my auntie living in London, she taught me the basics on how to cook an Indian curry. I still do so at least once a week. Then I have Chinese friends, who introduced me to Asian cuisine. I regularly cook dishes with tofu and I love Chinese noodle soup with fresh vegetables and mushrooms.

Even now during holidays, I take something back, and that is either a recipe of a typical local dish, a spice, or a way of nicely presenting a dish. I can grow by every single experience and enhance my own portfolio.

Is there a lot of vegan and vegetarian options in German cuisine?

In Germany ten percent of the population are vegetarians and two percent are vegan. Even though these numbers might look small, there are other facts that underline that there is currently a huge momentum of eating less meat. More and more families call themselves “Flexitarians”, which means they do eat meat, but not every day. They deliberately do vegetarian and vegan days during the week for their whole family. In addition, more and more teens in Germans have a plant-based diet. This trend is also reflected in our restaurant scene. Not only can we see more and more pure vegan restaurants with a variety of fantastic newly created menus, but also almost every restaurant does offer at least one vegan option, which is great.

You are chosen to go to Mars. You can take only 5 vegetables with you to grow. Which would it be and why?

That’s a great question. I would take garlic, potatoes, and tomatoes, for their great and rich taste plus their flexibility on how to combine them. Together with the local vegetables from Mars itself, certainly with the flavor of iron, this will put me in a good position to have delicious meals even on Mars.

The remaining two vegetables would be hops and yeast! Why? Of course, to brew my own vegan beer on Mars. I don’t want to miss this.

Photo Credits:  trevpunkt

The post German Vegan: Art & Food in Harmony appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

I was a vegetarian until the age of 13. A few years of boarding school and then the hotel school really exposed me to many foods. There was not much variety offered in terms of vegetarian food. I tried many different kinds of food from various countries. After backpacking and traveling to more than thirty countries, I am convinced that every country has offered something unique to cuisine.  In this series, I will talk to vegetarians and vegans from all over the world. Abdourahamane Ly is from Africa, has a British wife, and lives in China. I talk to him about his path to becoming vegan.

Fulanivegan, welcome to my series on vegans, please tell me a little about you?

I am from Guinea Conakry in West Africa. I left at the age of 19 and moved to China. I have spent the last 13 years living in Shanghai. I have recently come to Rwanda for work. I studied International Trade and Economics at the University in Shanghai and now operate an import/export business.

How did you become a vegan and what are the advantages of being a vegan?

My wife was a vegetarian and made me read Peter Singer’s book “Animal Liberation”. I initially converted to vegetarianism but once we learned more about the horrors of the dairy and egg industry we both became vegan. There are so many benefits to being a vegan, starting with the fact that you no longer have blood on your hands and can look an animal in the eye. After adopting a completely plant-based diet, my energy levels improved and I developed more stamina at the Gym. My digestion also improved greatly.

Talk to me about where you live, the culture, food, vegan restaurants, and why we should visit?

While I am currently in Rwanda, my China is my home in the long-term. China has some of the most delicious and diverse cuisines in the world. The food can be made vegan as there are so many plant-based dishes. My favorite are vegan Jiaozi (dumplings) and Suan la tu dou si (shredded hot and sour potatoes). Vegan restaurants are popular in Shanghai due to the Buddhist population. I highly recommend you visit them!

From your IG pics, it looks like you like traveling and culture. talk to me about that aspect of your life?

I love to travel. Leaving my native country at an early age taught me the importance of embracing different cultures and learning new languages. It is important to try and understand different viewpoints and be tolerant. Despite growing up a Muslim in Africa, I have been exposed to all sorts of ideas across the globe – it really makes you a better person. My wife is British and we like to travel together and are constantly learning new things.

Talk to me about your favorite and least favorite vegetables?

I love courgette, recently I seem to include it in most of my cooking! I am really not a fan of white eggplant; they use it a lot in Rwanda.

Indian food is known to have a huge variety of food for vegans. What other food has that kind of variety?

 I love Indian food, but Chinese food has a better variety of vegan dishes! Follow @vegansofshanghai on Instagram for some amazing vegan Chinese recipes.

Do you only eat organic or also GMO plants?

I eat GMO plants.  I prefer to eat organic most of the time, however, in China, this is very difficult. Even things labeled ‘organic’ are not necessarily organic.

If someone wants to transition into becoming vegan what would you say to them?

If you are thinking about transitioning to become a vegan, I recommend you do your research before. Explore the ethical reasons for being vegan. This will make you less likely to quit when you know the consequences for the victims of the animal agriculture industry. Follow some vegan bloggers on Instagram – they will give you great ideas for recipes and nutrition and help you remain excited about the transition. Also, buy B12 vitamins!

Vegans are sexy… please comment?

There is nothing sexier than compassion

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