My Favorite Vegan Dinner, the Food Empowerment Project, and a Film Called ‘More Than Honey’

Last night’s dinner at the community farm was really nice. A great group of people all doing great work. I particularly enjoyed the roasted beets with radish, arugula, coriander seeds, and coconut milk yogurt. My husband hates beets, so I ate his too! See a few pictures from this beautiful farm-to-table dinner above.

I just submitted this recipe to the Food Empowerment Project for distribution to its members. FEP distributes yummy vegan recipes free of charge. A friend and I created this vegan dinner dish years ago. I was a vegetarian, but neither of us was vegan at the time. We were going for deliciousness, and we nailed it! It’s simple and nourishing. This is my stand-by comfort dish when I want something super filling. My Mom is addicted to it.

Brown Rice Pasta with Chick Peas, Garlic, and Broccoli

Note: Use angel hair or thin spaghetti brown rice pasta for this recipe.

1 box brown rice pasta

1 large can organic chick peas, drained

1 large bunch of organic broccoli, rinsed, chopped into bite-sized pieces, and steamed for a few minutes (it should retain some of its crispness)

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Small bunch fresh basil, chopped

¼ cup organic olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling

Himalayan pink salt

Black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil, then add garlic. Sauté garlic for one minute. Do not brown. Add chick peas and broccoli and stir. Stir and cook for about two minutes.

Drain pasta and add the chick pea/broccoli mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Plate the pasta. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Top with chopped, fresh basil. If you’d like, top with nutritional yeast or a grated cheese substitute, and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

The Food Empowerment Project is a very hip group of people who disseminate truth and offer ongoing support for anyone who wants to make the righteous lifestyle choice of a vegan diet.

I'm now a volunteer worker for FEP. I'll do public relations and recuitment, and some tabling at FEP Connecticut and Massachusetts events. Part of my new vegan lifestyle is activism. I don’t say that activism is a necessary component of veganism, but spreading the right information spares lives and eases suffering, so I can’t imagine not merging activism into my choice to go vegan. Anything I can do to help change the way we think about the cruelty and destructiveness of land- and ocean-based animal agriculture is something I’m going to try.

The bottom line is, you can’t say that you care about animals and recognize the fullness of their integrity, and then kill and eat them. It’s a non-sequitur - it just doesn’t work.

You can’t say that you care for the welfare of the next generation of humans and then ignore the altogether disastrous impact that animal agriculture has on the planet (for more on that, check out the film ‘Cowspiracy’). That’s shallow, inane thinking.

I spent a lifetime eating dairy, honey, and eggs, but not meat, and thinking it was OK. It was not, and I’m grateful to those who showed me that truth. Eternally grateful.

We saw another great documentary last weekend. ‘More Than Honey’ is a look at the domestication of honeybees for human use, and the recent collapse of global bee colonies.

Pollinating bees are dying in droves as a result of several factors, all of which point back to human action. They’re critical to food plant fertility. Without the bee’s pollination, plants don’t have sex. When plants don’t have sex, no fruit or vegetables are produced.

This film also takes a compassionate look at African ‘killer’ bees, who, after all, were bred by humans from the start.

Think about this: nearly one half of our global food supply wouldn’t exist without the presence of bees. Einstein calculated years ago that when the day comes that the last of the bees dies, humankind will follow only four years later. That’s how intense our connection is.

Live in peace.