Turned 40 and became vegan.....

It's been exactly 5 weeks since I became vegan, and I feel amazing!

I’m so excited to launch Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s “Seitan in the City” blog! As CAS’s Director of Outreach based in New York City, I hope you’ll enjoy, and find useful, the brief highlights of my vegan adventures as I travel the five boroughs in search of delicious vegan/vegetarian restaurants and grocery stores, educational films, informative panel discussions, cruelty-free retailers, and cool health and wellness centers.
Seriously, I feel more energetic, bright, and alert, and my heart and mind feel more peaceful, knowing that I'm being kinder to my animal friends. I happily gave up eating land animals two years ago, but in all honesty, I thought giving up seafood (there was a stool with my name on it at an oyster bar in Chelsea) and cheese (my second home was a wine bar with a vast cheese selection in the West Village) would be a herculean effort. Instead, it has been an exciting adventure exploring a whole new world of ingredients, textures, spices/herbs, and ways of cooking.

Going vegan does not mean you have to give up delicious food! Now, to be fair, I have an advantage being vegan in NYC -- there are countless restaurants, bakeries, and cafes that serve up innovative and tasty vegan creations ("SuperVegan" maps vegan-friendly establishments by neighborhood and is indispensable). Some of my favorite joints so far include: Counter in the East Village (the grilled artichokes with vegan rosemary aioli are excellent), Peacefood Cafe on the Upper West Side (the chickpea fries are divine), and Quintessence (a raw food restaurant with fabulous vegan bean tacos topped with cashew cheese and sour cream) on the Lower East Side. Butif you don’t have dozens of vegan restaurants at your doorstep and/or prefer cooking at home, I’m told that “Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” is a must-have, among others. Buying it is at the top of my to-do list.

I'm also grateful that there are thousands of vegans and vegetarians in NYC that, like me, love to stuff their faces and throw back a few vegan cocktails at dinner ("Barnivore" is a useful guide to vegan friendly drinks). I’ve already met dozens of wonderful and amazing people through a bunch of Meet Up groups, and I learn something new from them every day.

But the ones who led me to even contemplate embarking on this fulfilling, and sometimes challenging, journey are the animals and people of CAS. These innocent and beautiful animals, like countless others across the planet, who have endured unspeakable cruelty and misery, but have managed to trust again and live joyfully, are my deepest inspiration. And Kathy Stevens, the Founder and Director of CAS, is my true heroine. I’m forever grateful for everything they teach me.