vegan columbus: vegan living in central ohio

(Eating dairy-free ice cream at Lulu's Sweet Apothecary in NYC)

Current Area: Columbus, Northwest? I don't think where I live has a cool name.
Hometown: I come from divorced parents, sooo it's Santa Barbara, CA AND Elk Grove, CA. But I mostly identify with Berkeley, CA, where I went to college.
Occupation: As of now, a receptionist at a Grandview-based accounting firm and author of www.columbusvegan.com. Also, aspiring vegan chef, artist, etc. I'm not really sure what I will be doing next.
Other interests: Practicing kung fu and yoga, cooking vegan food, throwing pottery, photography, planning crazy stunts for my magician husband, etc. I do many things.

How long have you been vegan?
I've been vegan almost 2 years now. I tried once in high school, but didn't make it past a week. I've got a crazy republican mom & step dad. Not too supportive.

What made you decide to go vegan?
Well, it was a bet actually. I was visiting my then-boyfriend in Ohio, and we went out to a bar for some food and drinks. I got a little drunk and bet him being vegan was SO easy that I could do it for a whole month and not complain. That night I ate a big ass plate of beef and cheese nachos. I wound up getting madd helicopter head and puking all over his parents floor. The bet turned me onto veganism so much (you learn a lot researching on the web), that wound up being my last meal as a meat eater.

What made you decide to start your sweet blog?
When I first moved here I had no friends and no job. I was sitting at home all day pretty bored, so I decided to start chronicling all the vegan food I made. Actually, Andrew (my hubby) was a part of the blog at first before I kicked him out and took over. I have a job now and stuff, but I keep doing it. Food photography and cooking have become huge passions of mine.

Favorite restaurants?
I have so many. If we're talking strictly Columbus restaurants, I'd say: Taj Palace @ Mill Run (aloo chana), Aladdin's Eatery in Grandview (mujadara plate), Tip Top in the Short North (Italian beef w/ soy cheese & soy beef + sweet potato fries), Northstar in Clintonville (northstar burger made vegan), & PF Changes @ Tuttle (ma po tofu, brown rice). Those are all heavily in my weekly food rotation.

Favorite vegan places on the internet? (e.g. blogs, forums, stores)
Veganstore.com - I get all my vegan vitamins & vegan makeup from there; mooshoes.com - I get my fancy vegan shoes from there, like Olsen Haus; happycow.com for when I travel; and all the blogs listed on my website rock.

What's your best dish?
A creamy creole pasta with crispy seitan and broccoli. I make a soy & white wine based cream sauce with creole seasoning, whole wheat pasta, onions, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and browned seitan chunks. It's my favorite.

What are your top three most common meals?
1. That creole pasta I just mentioned
2. BBQ tempeh, avocado, & tomato sandwich on ezekiel bread with spicy Brussels sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes
3. Tofu scramble with spinach, toast, and hash browns/potatoes

Any vegan pet peeves?
People who call themselves vegetarians but still eat fish and chicken. Oh, and vegan baby-talk like "nom-nom". Why do all internet vegans talk like that?

What advice or tips would you give a new vegan?
Andrew sold me on veganism by giving me this vegan chicken patty sandwich with vegan ranch. It was amazing how much it tasted like real chicken and ranch. Those patties aren't vegan anymore (damn boca) but there are a lot of fake meat products that really help you ease into being vegan. I'd recommend Gardein or Health is Wealth chickun nuggets. A lot of people aren't going to love the "really vegan" food right away. I used to hate tofu. So, to adjust, it's good to ease your way into it with lots of fake meat and fake dairy products.

Anything you want to add?
Being vegan doesn't make you skinny. This may sound weird, but I think a lot of people go vegan to get healthier and it's pretty easy to be unhealthy (weight-wise) as a vegan. I gained about 20 lbs when I first went vegan, just because I thought vegan cookies were not as a bad as dairy cookies. But I was wrong. If you eat a healthy vegan diet with LOTS of vegetables and whole grains, you'll feel loads better. Plus, working out doesn't hurt either. :)