My name is Maida and I live in Northern California with my husband, Matt, and our daughter, Emma. About a year ago, I decided to go vegan after having been vegetarian for 7 years. Emma and Matt are mostly vegan and the purpose of this website share with you some tasty recipes as well as interesting bits of information that I come across relating to a vegan diet. It’s a chronicle of my journey to show you that (1) it is very possible to be vegan (or to at least incorporate more meat-free dishes into your daily life) and (2) it’s not that hard to do.

The reason I decided to eliminate meat from my diet in the first place was because I actually learned about common practices on factory farms and what happens at the slaughterhouse. It’s incredibly sad and qualifies as the worst form of animal abuse.  The problem is, there’s nothing illegal about it. You may not even be aware of this, but laws regarding animal abuse don’t extend to factory farmed animals. This is what initially got me on the track to vegetarianism.

For many years, I was content with that, feeling that I was doing my part. Then, I learned that the “free range” eggs that I paid extra money for because I thought they were better weren’t exactly “free range.” And the organic dairy products that I was buying didn’t necessarily ensure a better life for the cows that they come from. The time came for me to give those up as well. AND I ABSOLUTELY DON’T MISS IT AT ALL.

It’s a step-by-step process and I’m still stumbling along the way. The most important thing for me is to do the best I can and (1) not be too hard on myself and (2) allow little slips now and then. By little slips I mean buying non-vegan soy cheese, not by eating a giant burger or something.

My hope is that some of my recipes will inspire you to have a veg*n meal one or two days a week!