Plant based eating inspires a certain mindfulness about what you are consuming

Kat is passionate about foraging, plant based foods, creating, and documenting. She believes that one should nourish the space you inhabit. Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her to find out how she hopes to bring people together, and inspire others to adopt a more plant based lifestyle.

Tell us about yourself, please

My name is Kat (@littlecottagechef) and I live in St. Louis, Missouri. I am an artist (@art.kat_) and passionate about foraging, gardening, and cooking plant based foods.

Working in a Thai restaurant opened my mind to how delicious eating plant based can be.
@littlecottagechef

I love spending the day poking around the woods seeking natural treasures, from blackberries to oyster mushrooms. My roots stem from a small farm in Missouri, so I was constantly surrounded by nature and its’ fruits in my youth. Some of that was lost when I moved to the city and I simply did not feel quite the same.

Initially I stopped eating meat for environmental reasons. Eating other animals did not seem right, and meat heavy diets have destructive environmental consequences, including a rise in land degradation, illegal deforestation, biodiversity losses, and worsened soil erosion. Large amounts of energy are required in this industry for heating, cooling, feed production, and transportation. An awareness of these effects began my plant based journey.

However, an unintended consequence of this was that I realized that the flavor of meat that I used to like came from the seasonings, the sauces and the marinades. I began to cook, and experiment. I found that I had neglected so many beautiful vegetables, proteins and legumes. Things I hand never eaten before or heard of in my life! I started working in a Thai restaurant, which opened my mind to how delicious eating plant based can be. I dreamt of Phad kee mao and curries with tofu. Since then I have learned new ways to prepare foods in delicious ways, and have never looked back.

I needed something I could have control over, and that was my diet.
@littlecottagechef

I have been vegetarian for the past 10 years, and vegan from 2019-present.

2019 was a low point in my life for me. I had gotten out of a bad relationship and needed a change. I needed something I could have control over, and that was my diet. I initially was only going to try a vegan diet it for a few months, to get me out of a rut. I ended up loving it.

I had never felt better in my life. I was in college then so it was interesting to balance. It was certainly difficult at social events, with pizzas and desserts and all of the yummy things that come with parties and work events. It took a bit of discipline to meal prep. I was fortunate to have a roommate from Ghana who was also vegan. This made it a bit easier, and really brought us together, eating rice jollof together at 2am on the kitchen floor after a night out.

Dining out is also something I plan ahead for, looking at menus online and asking chefs to make some accommodations. I would say that the social aspects of being vegan are the most difficult, considering judgement and some of the obstacles present in society.

I love being vegan. I love how it makes me feel.
@littlecottagechef

Despite this, more and more places are offering plant based options. I keep trail mix in my bag and homemade protein bars for emergencies. Most restaurants are happy to accommodate, and it has been fun finding places that offer nice plant based alternatives other than salad. Another part of plant based eating that was a beautiful and unexpected outcome was the wonderful community who is supportive and can relate. sometimes I will bring my own pizza to parties, or a plant based version of a favorite snack.

My friends and family have been supportive and my wonderful (and traditional) Italian mother will modify some of the things she cooks for me (after 10 years of denial and saying I’ll grow out of it).

I love being vegan. I love how it makes me feel. Plant based eating inspires a certain mindfulness about what you are consuming and the act of eating that I was missing. I really take time to prepare and think about the food, the ingredients, where they come from, whether it be my garden, the woods, or the grocery store. Shifting focus from processed to whole natural foods was a large part of this.

Identify the flora around you is rewarding in its own way.
@littlecottagechef

I honestly believe that it helped me heal in mind and body. I love what plant based eating has taught me about cooking, and I love the connections it has brought me with other fellow chefs and vegans. I love knowing where my food comes from and that it is good for the environment. I have gained a wealth of knowledge of food and I am grateful. I eat much healthier, I feel much better, and I have a new perspective on food and life.

A misconception that is present in cooking is that the whole meal is the meat or protein. In some cases this is true, but you lose a lot of wonderful contenders for flavor, and creative ways of cooking other elements of the meal. I had never known there were more than 2 mushrooms prior to eating vegan and foraging, and now I can’t believe I had gone my whole life without even tasting a chantarelle mushroom. I did not even like mushrooms! I knew nothing about them. I did not know I liked barley, or the versatility of oats. I was blind to a world of ingredients, flavors, and possibilities.

Foraged chantarelle mushrooms sautéed in vegan butter

Combining a vegan lifestyle with foraging has been an incredibly fun and delicious challenge. For someone who is interested in a vegan lifestyle, I would recommend doing research on plant based proteins, other than just soy, and how to prepare them in ways you like. Looking for inspiration from other cuisines, such as Thai and Indian as well as Japanese is a great start.

This Dish is called a Buddha Bowl. I make it myself and it has teriyaki marinated tofu, vegetables, rice, and avocado.

And for meat eaters and non alike, simply expanding your realm of flavor opportunities is worth a less meat dense focus (and is quite cost effective). Learning to identify the flora around you is rewarding in its own way. Foraging is not for everyone, but a great place to start is gardening. Grow some herbs in your kitchen windowsill! It is satisfying, rewarding, and free(!) flavor. Become acquainted with endless unknown flavor possibilities! You might just find something you like.

I have found joy and love in sharing this passion with others, and am documenting my present journey. Food is beautiful because if brings people together, whether it be rice jollof or my mothers modified meatless spaghetti.

In creating there is love. My hope is to bring people together, to inspire others to adopt a more plant based lifestyle, and to create a mindfulness around food, about where food comes from and how people can feel their best, in mind and body. Nourish the space you inhabit.

All images courtesy of @littlecottagechef