— Afke Teunen

Well, first of all, uh, there's meatless Monday and Meatless Monday has everything in the world that you would ever need for introducing a plant-based way of life. I don't like to use the word diet, but a plant-based life or way of life. And I say that if you have one really good savory dish, perhaps one of my favorites is raise the roof lasagna by Rip Selten or our vegetable taji is always a crowd pleaser because it's got a side of rice or quinoa, and it's got artichoke hearts and beautiful raisins and lots of delicious vegetables. And don't use the word vegan or plant-based when you are arriving to a potluck. And then the next one is a fabulous dessert because everyone loves a dessert. And there are so many easy ways nowadays to convert a conventional recipe into being a delicious and wonderful plant-based dessert that looks delicious and tastes delicious. And if I were to give you an example, um, I make black bean brownies and they're loaded with walnuts and I have my little tricks and they look delicious and they taste delicious. And I might serve them with a little scoop of a, a nice cream that I make with frozen bananas. So a good savory dish, a great dessert, you'll be the hit of the party. And then from that, gradually introduce other things that people might enjoy, you'll become known for. Oh, here comes ake with her famous vegetable tag. I love it so much. When somebody asks you for the recipe, you know that you have made a mark. And I think, um, I've often discussed this on other live events, that there are two kinds of people. There are people who jump into the deep end of the plant-based pool, and I'll raise my hand for that. And then there are some who hold onto the railing and slowly step down, but they get into the pool and start to enjoy some of the many benefits of following a plant-based way of life. And that includes not just feeling better, but seeing a decline in your grocery bills. Because buying a pound of brown rice or a pound of beans or whatever you're going to use, or seeing that great sale at the grocery store where they sell four cans of no salt added garbanzo beans for $5. So you can certainly make meals and desserts and soups and other things out of that. So I say define your dishes and then just forge ahead and do what you love to do.