MEDLEY POTATO, CAULIFLOWER, and LEEK CASSEROLE
Casseroles are the epitome of comfort food to me. A collection of delicious ingredients, a flavourful sauce, and some kind of special topping to finish things off. I just love the concept and the end result is even better. This casserole is wonderful because we've got colourful medley potatoes, cauliflower florets, and leeks, coming together in a creamy, bechamel style sauce, and baking under a layer of parmesan, breadcrumbs, and pesto. The resulting casserole is flavourful, creamy, and wonderfully hearty. The potatoes and cauliflower become so tender and pair perfectly with their creamy sauce. It's casserole day as often as possible at my place!
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Reading this story really hit home for me as I've also been on the receiving end of what I like to call, "Vegan aggression". Vegan aggression comes in many forms, whether it's sharing shocking and disturbing videos, demeaning meat eaters, or attacking vegetarians for their dairy consumption. All of these situations are hurtful and unfortunately, work against the message veganism intends to portray. In this particular story, the girl mentioned shared a recipe for a tofu dish she prepared on a vegan group. After one member discovered she was not a vegan, they unleashed fury on her for "stealing" tofu from vegans and vegetarians. The member demeaned and attacked her for her apparent appropriation of vegan culture for her own benefit and tried to have her removed from the group. This is unfortunately quite normal in the vegan community and in my experience, can be extremely hurtful and actually work against the morals of the group. Vegans want to be seen as compassionate, caring individuals and yet in the same token will take the opportunity to demean and discredit other people for not being vegan. This reputation for being snotty, self assured, and aggressive, is not the reputation I believe vegans want for themselves. I also do not believe all vegans are this aggressive so please don't think that I am insinuating that, I'm simply pointing out that there are extreme vegans much like a religious extremist. This aggressive and forceful approach to veganism is not conducive to a message that should be about compassion and empathy for living creatures. I follow so many animal welfare groups on social media and one thing they all have in common is their approach to veganism. There is one particular quote that stuck with me and it reads, "We must win hearts, not arguments." This resonates with me greatly and ties into my own personal approach. Sharing the positive things about going vegetarian / vegan and demonstrating compassion are the best methods for conveying our message. I've learned that people are far more receptive to a positive message rather than a negative one and when it comes to a lifestyle change, a positive approach is the only option.
If this journey I've been on has taught me anything, it's that saving animals is much more than forcing people to go vegan. It's about opening people's eyes to the injustices of the industry and helping them make their own choices through being informed. It's about celebrating the successes of anyone who is willing to make a conscious effort to reduce their meat consumption. Caring about animals and their well being is what this is all about and what these extreme vegans forget is even the smallest victories are still victories. Celebrate the meatless mondays, the new vegetarians, and everyone in between. Enough with the shaming and demeaning, it's working against our message of compassion and frankly, painting a negative picture of all vegans and compassionate folks.
What are your thoughts? Have you been on the receiving end of vegan extremism? Are you a vegan who feels that aggressive approaches are the only way? I want to hear from you guys! Comment or message me on fb / twitter! HAPPY VEG
I am so excited to be partnering with Healthy Mama for our first ever can drive benefiting the downtown mission. The downtown mission provides a slew of services to those who are in need including hot meals and emergency shelter, which is why it was so important to me to help them out this year.
Bring your cans and non perishables in to Healthy Mama and enter yourself into our raffle for a $50 gift card. Just a little incentive to help others so it's a win win! I hope to see you guys at Healthy Mama's sometime soon for a delicious lunch or dinner and some canned goods to boot! HAPPY VEG
I'm notorious for making resolutions that are challenging and even more notorious for falling short and beating myself up over it. I'm sure I'm not alone on that one! There's absolutely nothing wrong with setting goals for yourself, it's a great way to challenge yourself to be the best version of yourself that you can be.
With that being said, I want to turn a big 2017 negative into a positive for 2018. As you all know, I had to return home shortly after arriving in Ireland because I felt uncomfortable with my savings and the financial details surrounding my stay. This was a huge blow to my ego and I was quite upset for a couple days after arriving home. I was so disappointed but I made sure to celebrate the successes of the situation as well which is really all you can do! I want to make sure that I make the best of my time home before I head back to Ireland for round two of my working holiday. So, I'm challenging myself to do as many acts of charity / volunteering I can possibly do this year! Instead of resolutions that are for me, I want to challenge myself to do as much good as possible this year! It will not only make me feel better at the end of 2018, but it will also turn my negative situation into a massively positive one. Make sure to check back often for details on my Challenge for Charity 2018 events and all the things I'll be trying to do this year! HAPPY VEG |
Hey everyone, Jonathan here and I'm the Happy Veg! I love creating vegetarian recipes that everyone can enjoy, whether you're going vegetarian for the first time, or giving meatless Monday a go! Thanks for visiting the blog and have a great day xo
--Jonathan Archives
March 2024
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