Spotlight: Compassionate Cooks

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, creator of Compassionate Cooks sat down with VeganConsultant.com to discuss her vegan journey, quick and simple recipes for vegan newbies and what she is cooking up next. Her videos, podcast, website and books have inspired people to leave animals/animal by products out of the kitchen and teach them about the wonderful world of vegan cooking.  This interview made me hungry to get creative in the kitchen, hope it does the same to you.

1.  When & why did you start living a vegan lifestyle?

Although I had always been a compassionate person, I was also raised in a family and in a culture that dulled my innate compassion when it came to animals, compartmentalizing them into those we love, those we eat, those we exploit for our own pleasure and entertainment, etc. reading John Robbins book, Diet for a New America about 20 years ago is what planted the first seeds to reawaken my compassion and put me on this path to learn everything I could about our violence towards animals and to do everything I could to stop it. The more I read, the more I changed, and the more I reached out to other to raise awareness. The book that ultimately inspired me to become fully compassionate (i.e. vegan) was was Slaughterhouse, by Gail A. Eisnitz. I was so devastated by the realization that by consuming any animal products – whether they’re meat, dairy, or eggs – I was helping to create and support a culture of violence that is the slaughterhouse industry. I didn’t want to be part of paying people to commit acts of violence, and it was a very natural and easy decision to stop participating by becoming vegan.

2.  What is your favorite meal to make for someone who is just learning about vegan food?

Because everything I do is to take “veganism” out of the box and help people recognize that it’s food that it’s made up of food that is already familiar to them (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, mushrooms, herbs, and spices), I tend to make things that I know they already eat so they say, “Oh, of course – this is vegan; I just never called it that.” One of my favorites is my African Peanut Stew, which is absolutely delicious – made up of sweet potatoes, peanut butter, kidney beans, and a touch of cayenne for some spice. Just delicious. And then of course, I’m on a mission to inspire everyone to love kale as much as I do, so I’d most likely make a kale salad as well.

3.  What are some quick and easy recipes for a vegan newbie?

I think soups are the easiest thing in the world to make, and people can often just make their favorite soup using vegetable broth instead of animal-based broth. Soups and stews tend to just require throwing all of the ingredients in one pot (or slow cooker) and letting everything cook together. My Garlic and Greens Soup (you can even see a video of me demonstrating it on my website at www.compassionatecooks.com) is incredibly easy and delicious. My No-Queso Quesadillas (Vegan Table) features hummus instead of dairy-based cheese spread between two tortillas and browned on both sides in a dry pan until crispy. These are a favorite, and they’re super easy. Also in The Vegan Table, I have a recipe for a wonderful spread called Muhammara, which is fabulous to take to parties along with crackers or raw veggies (it also makes a fantastic sandwich spread). It’s just roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, bread/cracker crumbs

4.  How has veganism inspired you in your personal and professional life?

Veganism inspires me and shapes my life every second of every day. On both a personal and professional level, I’m inspired by each and every person who writes to me to tell me about their transformation to becoming awake to theirown compassion. It’s such an honor to be part of people’s journey. We often hear people cynically assert that “people don’t change,” that “people aren’t going to stop eating animals,” but I just don’t agree. I see people change every single day. I hear from people every day who want to change but just need some guidance to do so. If I didn’t hear from the most remarkable people every day who share their stories with me, I think it would be very challenging to hold onto any hope for humanity in general or the animal rights movement in particular. But I do have hope. It fills my heart every day.

On a personal level, the joy I find in being vegan informs every aspect of my life. Being vegan, I’m able to fully manifest my values of nonviolence, of kindness towards others, of compassion, of empathy, of simplicity. After all, what’s the use in having values if they don’t manifest themselves in our behavior? It’s nice to say that we’re against violence and cruelty. Most of us are. But how many of us actually reflect these values in our every day choices? Being vegan is a perpetual opportunity to put our abstract values into concrete action, and that’s a pretty fantastic way to live.

5.  What’s next for Compassionate Cooks?

I’m immensely proud of my three cookbooks (Joy of Vegan Baking, Vegan Table, and Color Me Vegan), but I’m so thrilled to move on from cookbooks. My fourth book (and first non-cookbook), Vegan’s Daily Companion, was just released last month, so I’m babying that one a bit until The 30-Day Vegan Challenge hits the shelves in August 2011, published by Random House.  Although I have several other books in my head that are bursting to come out, I’d like to focus on a different medium next, so I’m working on a couple pilot episodes for television. In the meantime, I’m continuing with my audio podcast, Vegetarian Food for Thought, and have started a web video series, called The Compassionate Cook, which can also be found on iTunes or YouTube.

Through the website, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter, learn more about our special Compassionate Cooks Club, get access to the community message boards, read articles and interviews, and find out more about how to listen to and watch my audio and video podcasts.

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