So today we asked, have you considered going vegan
but were deterred by the costs? More than 3000 people weighed in 5% said I am vegan.
8% said I like vegan recipes. That's what I voted. 8% said it's too expensive.
And 79% said, well, I haven't considered it.
If you've ever thought about it or
recently been grocery shopping for fresh vegetables.
You probably noticed that yes, it can be pricey but being vegan doesn't have to be.
So I'm joined by Tony
Akimoto,
also known as the blogger plant based on a budget who's here to help
us create vegan fall focused foods to keep our stomachs and our wallets.
Happy Tony. We got your amazing cookbook right here and we get to try some things.
Ok.
So we were chatting before the break and I was saying, you know,
especially as the weather gets cooler.
I love plant based. Why is it something
good for people to consider?
I'm hoping to change that majority answer of the people who haven't
considered it because there are so many benefits to eating plant based.
My favorite have
include reversing type two diabetes, reversing heart disease,
saving money in the kitchen, eating a diet that will help you feel good and
it's also good for the planet and kind to the animals.
So there are so many benefits and I have
seen these benefits in action throughout my career.
I love that. Ok. So everything smells amazing. We have a stuffed squash right here.
Perfect for the fall holiday. What's going on here?
I had this for the first time when I was a
new vegetarian and I had never had an acorn squash.
So I get it,
it
can be new to some people, but basically you roast it
and
you know what I do, I simply toss the whole thing in the oven, turn it on to 400
°F and roast it for about 45 minutes and then you
cut it in half and you mix together some cooked quinoa
chickpeas,
some mint and cranberries and it's so simple and delicious and also filling as a,
as an entree for people you might be dining with who are healthy eaters or are
vegetarian. I feel like
you could also eat this quinoa
mix on its own. It looks so delicious. Yes.
And you can also, if you don't have butternuts, if you don't have a corn squashes,
you can use butternut squash, you can even put it in a little pumpkin.
Ok? I like that.
Um So we might come back to those. Let's talk about this broccoli salad up here.
That looks delicious. Thank you.
I love how colorful it is and it's something healthy to bring to the holiday table.
There are a lot of beige foods on the table for Thanksgiving.
And what I like about this one is that
it's
reversal today.
We're using broccoli,
but you can use some cauliflower florets or you can use
some shaped Brussels sprout and I'm going to have you.
Ok.
Oh, yeah, I like it. Ok.
So I do cook vegan meals sometimes that you're going to give me the real tips here.
That
in great, we're using walnuts and pumpkin seeds today. But
it
raw sunflower seeds which are even cheaper than
pumpkin seeds and any nuts that you have on hand. We're also going to put in some mint.
Yes,
you can use raisins which are sometimes
cheaper than dried cranberries and also delicious.
I love it.
And I got a simple vinaigrette right here
and that you can even use a store bought dressing.
So if you don't have time to make your own vinaigrette,
just simply buy us a store about balsamic vinaigrette.
Yeah, this smells really nice. Not too heavy, which is what I like.
And I have to be honest, as someone who embarrassingly always gets food in my teeth,
what I love about broccoli is, it's not,
is kale.
Oh, yes. You know
what I,
especially around the holidays, especially if you're enjoying this,
with family, with friends. Something as a bit of entertainment.
I think that this can be a really good option.
We just mix it all together and mix it all together. And that was simple.
No time you can even buy the bagged broccoli
that in there and it saves you time from washing chopping and all of that.
Now, you know, one thing that I see often in
preparing vegan food is that Walnut
are a pretty common ingredient.
What are some of the benefits of walnuts that do exist in this
salad that they are high in omega threes and also their heart healthy.
So you can toss those in.
And as I mentioned,
if you don't have walnuts on hand or if
they're a little bit expensive at your grocery store,
simply add in some,
um,
well, almonds that would be fantastic to, especially in the slivers.
They're really pretty. Ok. I like that. Ok. So now I can, I fill one of these squash
was
so beautiful. Well, I feel this based on how you told us to prepare it.
I even see some red onions in here. Is that correct? Yes.
You can add in either raw onions, like very
finely chopped or you can saute some garlic and some onions and
put that in there cooked. Yeah.
And what I love about onions and garlic is that I could bottle up the scent.
Yes. And like where it is so appetite
to me and something that I like to have in
the background of my house when my guests are arriving.
Ok. This looks amazing.
Um Another thing that I see you cook with a lot here obviously is like some sort of,
was it parsley in this one?
We've got some mint, mint. Ok. That's right. So it smells delicious.
So here's a question and I hope I'm not alone
in asking this when eating a beautiful dish like this.
What is the best way to do it without embarrassing yourself?
Like had you just cut it? Do you slice it
or do you scoop it with a spoon?
My mom always jokes that I am a messy eater like I eat like
uh the food is going to be taken away from me in moments.
So I am the bad person to ask about this but simply just take
a spoon and what I like to do is get a little bit of the
acorn squash with
it
and simply scoop it.
Yeah. And you can OK. So let's try that.
Oh, it's so soft. It's like literally like butter.
OK. So I would take a big bite out of this, but I don't wanna, you know,
get something in my teeth but like look how easy
that is actually, that's amazing. Right?
Sometimes I can be intimidated, you know, how do you eat these foods the right way,
whether or not they are actually vegan.
Um But that's what I love about it and for anyone at home I mean,
you are the expert but I love the way that squash feels in your belly,
especially on
a cold day.
It's, it's, it's filling but it's not going to make you feel like I need to take a nap.
Yeah.
Ok. We've got your amazing book here. People can find this. I'm sure online.
Any other tips for anyone who's interested?
Yes. Eating, as I mentioned, a plant based diet is so healthy for you.
It's going to save you money in the kitchen and the benefits are
very present almost immediately delicio.
So I'll call it that delicious. That's my way of saying delicious.
Uh Tony, such amazing
uh items here. Thank you so much for your time and your insight. Thank you.