It feels like I’ve been vegetarian for my whole life

Celine is always missing the sun, the sea and especially the great salads. She’s also a big fan of chickpea and red lentil pasta. Visiting the weekly market and supporting local farmers is something she really enjoys doing. Meatless Movement recently had an opportunity to chat with her to find out why is she so obsessed with plants and veggies.

Tell us more about yourself, please

I’m a passionate cook and love everything about a healthy and varied diet and nutrition
@heavenssnacks

My name is Celine, and I come from northern of Germany. The nearest city is called Oldenburg (a very beautiful city!), Hamburg is 2h away, but it takes me less than an hour to arrive at the North Sea.

My town Bad Zwischenahn is rather small but we have a big lake, which I can see from my rooms window I grew up mixed raced as my mother is German, but my dad is originally Turkish and came to Germany in the 80s. I also have an older sister, but concerning food and nutrition we’re worlds apart. I’m a passionate cook and love everything to do with a healthy, varied diet and nutrition whereas she does not want anything else than ravioli and ketchup in her life. 🙂

My biggest inspiration and influencer guiding me to a plant-based diet and healthy cooking was and still is my grandmother. She is always very interested in trying different recipes and using seasonal products in her dishes, as well as including a variety of vegetables. She’s definitely one of the best cooks. I enjoy cooking or baking with her every single time!

In the past she has always taught me new recipes and more information about healthier options to use in the kitchen but soon the student became teacher and now we read together cooking magazines and I introduce her to falafel and hummus 🙂

The strawberries you see on this picture have just been freshly picked of the field from me and my sister 😏❣🙌

In the end I had to look away as I nearly puked across my table
@heavenssnacks

In November 2019 we watched a movie in ethnic class, called „our daily bread“, about the origin of our food and the industries food production.

Before that, I used to eat meat, not everyday but once in a while. I’ve always loved the idea of becoming a vegetarian or vegan in order to stop being the reason for others to kill animals only for our societies need.

The movie really opened my eyes. One sequence about how pigs got killed and processed kind of pushed the right buttons in me. I’ve personally always been and will be a very empathetic person which was probably the reason why I somehow could’t keep watching any longer.

Our teacher told us further that this movie is rather brutal and if there are „weak girls” among us we should better close our eyes at some point. This announcement got me very angry. It somehow made me more determined to prove him wrong and show him how bold we girls are. That we do not close our eyes from the truth. Well in the end I had to look away as I nearly puked across my table.

This distressing experience was a true game changer in my life and raised my awareness to what is actually behind the groceries we buy in our daily lives at the supermarket. So in the end I’m very grateful having watched this movie as I started to change my lifestyle since then.

Knowing about all the advantages of being vegetarian fulfills me with proudness and some kind of inner-peace
@heavenssnacks

As I mentioned before, I turned vegetarian in November 2019, so I’ll soon have my 2 year anniversary which is crazy because it feels like I’ve been vegetarian for my whole life! At first I was always afraid of eating meat by accident. This fear was so strong I even dreamed about it a few times.

@heavenssnacks – always in the mood for food

I’m vegetarian but I consider my diet as plant based as I’m almost vegan and eat vegan food unconsciously most of time.

I am so happy that my home country does offer a lot of vegetarian products and I’ve never struggled finding any. I love and know how to cook lots of different vegetables. When other people think of a vegetarian diet they usually only think about salads. Don’t get me wrong I do LOVE salads but there’s so much more!

Plant Power Bowl !🥦🐉🚀 Lets build this Bowl 🏋🏽‍♀️ Base: Salad+Argula, sliced cucumber and pepper with a balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing. Plants: Broccoli, smoked tofu and a korean oceansalad by @nordicoceanfruit Toppings: lots of hemp seeds and an awesome spicy africain sauce by @naturata_ag 🙌❤️‍🔥 Filling, high in plant protein and damn delicious!!!

I always pay attention that my meals include carbs, fibre, vegetables and plant protein! As I turned vegetarian I discovered my love for legumes, like chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, peas or soy products like tempeh…They are so convenient nowadays we can use them in a broad variety of dishes.

Chickpeas for example taste great as they are in a salad, but a creamy hummus is literally the best thing on earth! On the other side you can use the water aka aquafaba as a vegan substitute for whisked egg white or roast chickpeas in the oven for a crispy snack! You may realize by now that I’m an absolute chickpea fan 🙂

Additionally I’m very interested in a healthy diet as I’m a very sportive person and do care about a whole health approach. Therefore I decided to personally go without white flour like wheat flour and without refined sugar. This definitely led to more difficulties in my daily life than merely eating vegetarian. 🌾🥰

Recently many of my friend and people in my environment decided to eat vegetarian as well, this simplifies eating out or cooking with them. Another important aspect to consider is my family who completely supports me!

I have to admit that during lockdown due to the corona virus, I kind of become the house chef. I currently still cook dinner and lunch most of the days. That’s why my family members depend on me a bit. If there are no good foods in our fridge there will be no yummy dish on they plate when they come home. I’m so grateful that my whole family loves my healthy and vegetarian dishes and understands why I’m so interested in a balanced lifestyle and a wholesome nutrition. They rarely buy themselves a fish or a piece of meat but they always make sure there is enough in the kitchen for me to cook something vegetarian and i love this kind of acceptance and equality 😉

Living vegan or plant based opens up an intense relationship to nature and the planet

I know that to completely cut off meat is a major transformation for some who love meat. However, I think they may not be truly aware of the consequences for eating a plate of spaghetti bolognes or kebab. To me, there is an undeniable connection between the animal and the food on your plate.

I’m truly proud that I’ve been become a person that pays attention to what goes into my body and what consequences it has for the planet and myself. There’s a bigger affection on many more areas in life than most people notice. Living vegan or plant based opens up an intense relationship to nature and the planet in my opinion. This planet is my home and as silly as it sounds I’m so happy to be alive and to have this beautiful life.

A vegan diet actually shows gratitude
@heavenssnacks

For me life is something magical but we sometimes forget about all the wonderful things it brings. Our current lifestyle is so stressful and fast-paced that we turn blind to the things that really matter.

I don’t know what happens after live and therefore I don’t want to be the reason for ending an animals life just for my own hunger. I know there are so many fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables I could easily eat without harming any animals.

I would like to think that, a vegan diet actually shows gratitude. By switching to a meatless diet, we all could end extremely inhuman animal keeping and additionally contribute to stop the climate change too.

Although many restaurants in Germany still do not offer enough vegetarian options, but Oldenburg has some good places to visit. For example „Gustav Grün“, a complete vegetarian place that prepares you a vegetarian/vegan salad bowl or wrap with a hummus of your choice and veggies you can choose yourself. In addition you choose your vegan special which can be falafel, vegan shawarma (soy) or vegan kebab (seitan). Ahh I love this place!

Another recommendation is a restaurant called Vapiano in my town :), a place I go to for their salads.

Try eating a vegan breakfast at the beginning.
@heavenssnacks

I love to cook my meals by myself as I then know exactly what’s in them.

Believe me if I tell you that there exist so many delicious foods you need to try. It will utterly convince you how tasty a vegan/vegetarian diet can truly be. For example

Almond milk tastes much better in my opinion.
Dates dipped in dark chocolate make a great snack providing you with nutrients and sustainable energy.
Tofu/Tempeh can be so good if seasoned the right way.
What you really have to try is NUTBUTTER! I’m in love with almond butter until my death I swear!!!

Nowadays the grocery stores offer vegan yoghurt alternatives like coconut yoghurt, almond or oat yoghurt. And have you ever heard of nutritional yeast? You can use it as a parmesan substitution or add it to your melas to create a more tasty flavour. Even try out to include seeds and nuts it’ll make your diet more varied.

Things can’t change overnight, of that I’m conscious. Most success can be reached by taking little steps. And for beginners, I advice you to check your blood regularly to make sure you’re to lacking any important nutrients!

Share with us some recipes you love

What about a banana porridge ?
You’ll only need a banana, oats and nut butter of your choice + additional toppings if you have/want

Let your oats (4-5 tbsp) simmer on medium heat for 10-15 mins until they become a creamy consistency
Add in half a mashed banana und stir it under
Transfer the porridge into a bowl and top with slices of the other banana half
Pour one tsp nut butter like almond butter, peanut butter, tahini or hazelnut butter above the porridge
Maybe sprinkle pieces of chocolate, cinnamon or more fruits on the porridge if you want to pimp it even more 🙂

So easy can a vegan and filling breakfast be!

banana porridge – There’s nothing to say against some goood old banana flavour!

A very easy dinner/lunch I often cook because it does not take very much time is an oven-baked tray full of the veggies you have in your fridge with hummus and salad

You’ll need your favorite vegetables, hummus and salad + vinegar & olive oil.

Roast your veggies in the oven for 30-40 mins at 185°C
1. 1 Make a hummus by blending chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, cumin and one clove of garlic
Wash your salad, add sliced cucumber, tomatoes and bell pepper as well as the dressing, season right and maybe even add a little crunch like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Build up your plate and enjoy!

Easily adaptable to seasonal foods or whatever you are hungry for. You can even change the hummus for a kidney bean dip or guacamole 🙂