Featured Interview: Happy Herbivore Abroad! [ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!]

by Emma Larocque - November 30, 2012

Lindsay Nixon is JUST about to come out with the third book in her Happy Herbivore series, Happy Herbivore Abroad, (release date December 4th!). Vegan Mainstream had the chance to dish with Lindsay recently about her new book, why she wrote it, what’s in it – and why YOU should buy it! Read on to find out more about Lindsay and the Happy Herbivore series.

And now’s your chance to enter our Happy Herbivore Abroad giveaway: Enter NOW by posting a comment below. Tell us about your transition to becoming a happy herbivore! (even if you’ve been plant-based for years) You have until Tuesday, Dec 4th!

Vegan Mainstream: Tell us about your new cookbook, coming out in December. What are the cool things about it that fans can look forward to?

Lindsay Nixon: One feature that really sets Happy Herbivore Abroad apart from the previous two books (other than the international cuisine) is that I’ve included memoir bits—stories and pictures of my travel. This book is very personal in many ways.

VM: Will this book help vegans who want to travel, or mostly help them introduce international vegan cuisine into their own kitchen?

LN: Happy Herbivore Abroad is mostly about bringing international cuisine to your home kitchen, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people get bitten by the travel bug after reading and cooking from my new book. For traveling tips, check out my Kindle book Broke Backpacker.

VM: Why did you decide to take this particular focus for your third cookbook? How did you prepare to write it?

LN: I’m a bit of a jetsetter—I don’t seem to stay in one place for too long and spend a good bit of each year traveling. I wanted to write a cookbook that celebrated my lifestyle. I also wanted to replicate international dishes in a healthy, plant-based way, using everyday ingredients. I’ve purchased international cookbooks in the past only to be discouraged because they called for ingredients I could never find—or afford! Happy Herbivore Abroad makes tasting the world easy.

VM: What is the release date?

LN: December 4, 2012

VM: What is your favorite recipe in the book?

LN: Asking a chef to pick their favorite recipe is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child

VM: Can you talk about your own veg story – why did you initially decide to become vegan?

LN: I grew up largely a vegetarian out of a love for animals. I fell out of it for a few years in my late teens (peer pressure) but a serious health scare brought me back to a vegetarian diet in my early 20s. During that first year as a vegetarian I became aware of the horrors of the milk and egg industries and learned that all animal products (not just meat and fish) are unhealthy, so I adopted a plant-based (vegan) diet. That was almost 6 years ago.

VM: Do you have any tips for people who are transitioning to veganism, to make that transition easier, and their new lifestyle easier to stick to?

LN: Take it one meal at a time. Know that meals don’t have to be expensive or complicated. A bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, brown rice and a splash of soy sauce is an easy and delicious meal.

VM: How did you come up with the name Happy Herbivore (is there a story behind that?)

LN: When I first started blogging (back in 2007) I was trying to come up with a name—I tried a few different names involving “herbivore” when a friend suggested I try “happy herbivore.” It just stuck. I acknowledged Kiki in my first cookbook Without her, Happy Herbivore would be a rose by some other name!

VM: There are many vegan cookbooks out on the market these days; what is different about your cookbooks, that makes people want to pick them off the shelf over other books?

LN: The Happy Herbivore series is focused on being low fat, using whole foods and no oil. There are a lot of vegan cookbooks on the market, but most of them use oil and margarine, all purpose flour, refined sugar, fake meats like gardein or fake cheese like daiya. I don’t use those foods—I focus on making food plant-based and healthy as opposed to just vegan. I also find a lot of vegan cookbooks use obscure ingredients and I focus on using everyday ingredients sold at the average supermarket. I’m very down to earth with my cooking method and home cooks can relate to that.

VM: Where will you go from here? Do you have another book in mind? A book tour?

LN: I’m currently working on my fourth cookbook, and I’ve signed on to write a total of six books. Everyday Happy Herbivore was also just translated into Finnish, and I’ve heard rumors that my book might be translated in other languages too, which is exciting. When I’m not writing recipes or running my companion meal plan website (getmealplans.com), I fly around the country speaking and demonstrating at conferences and Whole Foods stores. I’m very busy, but it’s a good problem to have!

———————

Don’t forget to enter our Happy Herbivore Abroad giveaway: Enter NOW by posting a comment below. Tell us about your transition to becoming a happy herbivore! (even if you’ve been plant-based for years) You have until Tuesday, Dec 4th!

About the Author

Emma Levez Larocque is an author and photographer living on the west coast of Canada. She has been veg for 18 years, vegan for 3. Her passion is working to make veganism mainstream to promote a better, kinder world for all beings.

You May Also Like

Facebook Comments

Disqus Comments

Judy

If I won The Happy Herbivore Abroad cookbook, it would help me continue my dedication to living a holistic healthy life by eating vegan. I am 60 years old and my husband is 57. We have been married for 30 years. I have lead a healthy life and always “thought” I was eating healthy, exercising and living a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, I have several health issues that I have been seeing doctors, both MD’s and naturopathic. I recently was tested for bone density and now have osteoporosis along with arthritis, migraines and osteoarthritis. After watching Forks over Knives, I am determined to stick to a plant based diet and truly believe that by eating vegan, my body will heal itself. I am not going to take bone density medication and believe that if I eat a plant based diet and exercise, my body will rebuild my bones, my migraines will go away and I will get stronger and live a long and healthy life. However, I do need to expand my knowledge and preparation of delicious new recipes for myself and my husband on our new journey to looking and feeling great. Thanks for listening and I hope I am the winner of your cookbooks.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Terri-Jones-Cole/1514543136 Terri Jones Cole

I’m 52 and just became vegan in March of this year. I was a pesctarian for many years and thought I could NEVER give up cheese! One day, after reading “Veganist” I just made the decision and became plant-based overnight. It was much easier than I thought it would be, cheese doesn’t even smell good anymore!
Inês

I have been vegan for an year and it was a realy smooth process for me. After reading about veganism, I really thought that this was the only way to go. I have never felt so empowered and I have never felt something so right
Amalie

I became vegan after watching Planeat. I had been vegetarian for years so the transition wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I thought it would be impossible to give up cheese and yogurt but the vegan versions I’ve found or make are just as good to me, even better! I love exploring new foods and recipes!
skibrec

I’m new to this as of a little over two months. Been following the engine 2 diet. With proper prep work, its getting easier. Now I just need more recipes.
Jamie

I just ordered my 3rd week of meal plans from Happy Herbivore, and I have to say it has definitely made my change to vegan/plant-based just about two months ago go so much smoother. I had watched FOK, and my eyes were open to the wonderful world of plants but I had little info to go on, other than the idea of looking up vegan recipes (and several recipes that are on both FOK’s website and E2) but once I hit HH, I knew I hit the mother load! the transition to Vegan/Plant-based was simple and easy especially with the well thought out and planned out meals of Happy Herbivore. What a wealth of ideas, and Lindsey makes it easy to want to “stick to the plan” as I have noticed less desire for “bad” foods, and I enjoy everything I have made from her meal plans. I am so excited to see this girl continue to make people so happy with her recipes, and her encouragement. I haven’t known of HH for too long, but I guarantee that it will be a staple in my kitchen for a long time.
andreacats

One day I woke up as a pig. A round, chubby, pink baby pig. I was in a barn surrounded by other farm animals. They all looked at me with such tenderness, I felt the love and soul of each and everyone of them. I felt I belonged amongst those creatures, we were all a big family. As I woke up from this dream and felt the warmth of my two house cats who slept in my bed, I realized there was no difference between domesticated and production animals. They all feel pain, fear, hunger, cold and LOVE. So I went herbivore. And lived happily ever after in the barnyard of my heart.
http://www.facebook.com/kathy.kale.5 Kathy Kale

So nice that sites like Vegan Mainstream make it so easy to transition into a compassionate vegan lifestyle and diet! Lindsay’s new Happy Herbivore Abroad , would be wonderful to have and share.
Aimee B.

My kids and I became vegetarian because of our love for animals and after doing an in depth study for school. We all say it was the easiest and best decision we ever made. I am now working towards becoming vegan. I’d say I’m probably at least 80% there.
http://www.facebook.com/gertrude.vanvoorden Gertrude van Voorden

Watching some documentaries about slaughterhouses caused me to make a total shift from a mostly meatfree diet to going vegan. I just cannot morally afford to be an accomplice in this process. Learning about how many bacteria are spread into innocent people by the way slaughtering is processed, made me even more furious. I thought it might be difficult, but was surprised how easy it was. Familybrunches/dinners are still somewhat difficult though. Or having to refuse a friend’s cooking. That might take some time. In the beginning i bought the meatreplacements, but found i preferred my own cooking with lots of tasty herbs.
Bean Breath

I’ve been vegetarian since I was 8 years old when I found out that I didn’t have to eat animals. I never liked the taste or idea of eating animals; I would often just push meat aside or only take a bite. I’ve never strayed from my vegetarianism. For a long time I just told people I aspired to become vegan. I had my doubts, as I loved the taste of eggs and cheese and I didn’t want to burden loved ones and friends with my dietary restrictions. Eventually, when I was 20, I decided I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I couldn’t ignore the animal cruelty I was endorsing. I’ve been vegan for 5 years now…. it hasn’t always been easy, but I can say with 100% certainty that it’s worth it and continually rewarding. I know that I’ll stay vegan for life.
Amber

I’ve been a vegetarian for over 18 years. My brother became a vegetarian before me and paved the way. Since I was still living with my folks and they were open to eating without meat, we all were vegetarian for quite a few years (with my parents going back and forth a bit). I LOVE that my choices make less of an impact on the earth. For my 19th anniversary I have decided to go vegan for awhile and see how it goes. Lessen the impact even more!
Merry

I was a vegetarian most of my adult life. And then finally gave up dairy just over 10 years ago. I discovered Lindsay when she first started her blog and have been following her ever since. She cooks a lot like I do. I’d love to have her newest book but being twice widowed, I have to watch my budget closely. It’s on my wish list!
tina p

I went Vegan 1 1/2 years ago. It started as a “detox”, My husband and I did a 10 day Raw Vegan diet. After the 10 days there was just no going back! Best decision I ever made for my health.
Tracy Minton

I went vegan just over a year ago. I had a love of vegetarianism growing up. My first taste of natural foods~the earthy textures of whole grain breads and brown rice~came in high school when The Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park (neighborhood of Chicago.) It was the 70′s, and local grocery stores still didn’t stock much variety of produce. Whole wheat bread was a new wonder, and many people considered it dry. I loved it. I worked in a co-op in college, and a natural food store in my 30′s while living in Aspen, CO. I had been eating a lot more animal protein for the last decade or so, mostly on the advice of practitioners to help with hypoglycemia, brain fog, allergies, etc. It seemed to help. But I have since learned of my folly, better understanding now how I wasn’t eating enough and creating problems that didn’t need to be resolved by eating animals, tho at the time I believed what I was told. After a health scare, and watching many videos including Forks Over Knives, Earthlings, et al…I no longer cared if my health depended on eating meat. I didn’t feel like I was somehow more important. I love being vegan, and only wish I had the info I have now all those years earlier, so I could be writing that I had been vegan for 30+ years by now!
Linda D

I went Vegan October 1st of this year. I am 5 months away from turning 50, I lost both of my parents 10 yrs ago, they died 3 months apart. Dad was 70 and Mom 68 yrs young. Mom had a massive stroke at 56 which caused them both to retire early for her care. Both had diabetes and heart disease. I want to have better odds. I watched Forks over Knives and Food Inc, both of which have changed my views on eating to live. It has been pretty easy, really, knowing I am making a positive change for my life and will be around for my daughter and her future family.
greenearth

I’ve been vegetarian for 8 years and for 2, I’ve been vegan-ish… after developing intolerance to lactose, it made choosing vegan dishes way easier and I didn’t have to struggle with cravings because I knew my body would hate me for it lol. I was lucky in that sense… now I just have to learn how to cook great vegan food!
http://www.facebook.com/eaglejlynn Jessica Lynn Clary

I have not gone vegan yet, but after watching several documentaries recently I would like to change me and my families diet. I don’t yet have a clue how to make simple tasty filling meals they will eat, which is why I would love a copy of your book. Good luck and Thank you.