Vegan for Life (32 page)

Steaming vegetables is one of the most healthful ways to cook them, but it doesn’t work for leafy greens like collards, kale, mustard, and turnip greens. Here is a good technique from the cookbook
Greens Glorious Greens
.

As we directed for the vegetables above, you can give the greens a quick sauté in a bit of olive oil and season them. Here are tasty flavoring ideas for leafy greens:

Sauté onions with a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir in the cooked greens.

Sauté chopped onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ¼ teaspoon of ground cayenne (more or less to taste) and salt and black pepper. Add a pound of cooked greens.

If you find that the taste of fresh greens is too strong at first, try tempering them with something creamy and bland. Puree silken tofu and mix into the greens with salt and pepper. Or mix in leftover mashed potatoes and soymilk.

Thank you to our team of experts at Da Capo Press—editor Renée Sedliar, editorial assistant Erica Truxler, project editor Collin Tracy, designer Trish Wilkinson, and copyeditor Nancy King—for their skillful editing, patient guidance, and enthusiasm for this project. We couldn’t imagine a better publishing experience and are grateful to our agent, Angela Miller, for believing in this book and helping us find the perfect home for it.

Thank you to Matt Ball, Anne Green, and the rest of Vegan Outreach, who have stood by my nutrition recommendations and writings when my perspective has not always been the most popular.

Ginny Messina was my first mentor in vegan nutrition, and I am honored to have written a book with her. Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Stephen Walsh, Dr. Paul Appleby, Dr. Reed Mangels, Dr. Mark Messina, Tom Billings, and Brenda Davis have all helped me with research and understanding nutrition. Thank you!

My brother Eric was the first person in my family to boycott the products of factory farms, and I am thankful for all the support and friendship he has given me. I greatly look forward to meeting his and his wife, Thea’s, baby, Dylan, who is due to arrive right before this book is published. My brother Todd is one of my best friends, and I am thankful that while our roots are 2,000 miles away in Cincinnati, only the San Francisco Bay separates us now.

My parents, Jack and Sylvia Norris, have given me their unconditional love and support and have always put my happiness ahead of theirs. You inspire me with your zest for life and genuine kindness towards everyone you meet!

Thank you to Eric Marcus for all the valuable help you have given me with my blog and all you do to promote compassion to animals.

Thank you to my friends who work so hard on behalf of farmed animals. You are moving mountains:

Jon Camp, Joe Espinosa, Eugene Khtoryansky, Casey Constable, Vic Sjodin, Stewart Solomon, Brian Grupe, Nikki Benoit, Eileen Botti, Rick Hershey, Fred Tyler, Phil Letten, Rob Gilbride and Eleni Vlachos, Leslie Patterson, Jeff Boghosian and Dawn R, Star Sevadar, Nick and Anna Lesiecki, Nick Cooney, Aaron Ross and Kate St. John, Lana Smithson, Barbara Bear, Amanda Schemkes, Darina Smith, Lauren Panos, Steve Kaufman, John and Fany Borger, Michele and Chris Christensen, Mark and Kristie Middleton, Keyur and Shilpa Shah, Vicky and Charlie Talbert, Dan Phillips, Rebecca and Ariel Nessel, Dave Bemel, Bruce Friedrich and Alka Chandna, Paul Shapiro, Erica Meier, Josh Balk, lauren Ornelas, Kim Sturla, Eugene Patrick, Kath Rogers and Bryan Peas, Jodi Chemes, Armaiti May, Lisa Shapiro, Gene Baur, Jason Matheny, and Nathan Runkle and all the amazing MFA activists.

To my good friends Mark Foy and Eric Roberts, I’m so glad you ended up in the Bay Area! And to the rest of the local heroes: Tammy Lee and Chris James, Shani Campbell, Michelle Cehn and Dan Miller, Henry Chen, and the rest of the Oakland PETA crew. To my out-of-towner friends Tony Hannemann, Clint Buttler and Ruby Mani, Charlotte Markee, Monica Engebretson and Philip Wright, and Phil Murray and Shari Kalina.

Thank you to Ingrid Newkirk of PETA and to Peter Singer, whose writings and activism initially inspired me to get involved in animal protection. And to my early animal activist mentors: Tim and Sue Huesken, Jayn and Tom Meinhardt, and Alex Hershaft.

To Kevin Gallagher: Thank you for your friendship, your support, and your insanity. It has been a pleasure, sir.

To my wife, Alex: Your love for animals shines. Thank you for believing in me.

In my twenty-plus years as a vegan dietitian, I’ve been honored to work with some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated vegan nutrition professionals. Thank you especially to Dr. Reed Mangels for her friendship and collaboration over the years and for reviewing parts of this book. She and dietitians Dr. Suzanne Havala-Hobbs, Dr. Winston Craig, Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, and the late Cyndi Reeser have been true pioneers who established vegetarianism as an area of practice in the field of nutrition. It is a privilege to know these extraordinary people as colleagues and friends. And a special thank-you to Jack Norris for his dedication to sharing the best and most accurate nutrition information and for inviting me to write this book with him.

Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman of the Vegetarian Resource Group earned my ongoing appreciation twenty years ago, when they gave me an opportunity to develop my skills as a vegan dietitian and invited me into their community of activists and educators.

Erik Marcus is committed to finding the absolute best ways to advocate for animals and is a daily source of inspiration and information. I’m grateful for his work, his friendship and his enthusiasm for this book.

Thank you to Matt Ball and Anne Green of Vegan Outreach for their support of my work and for the wisdom and insight they bring to animal advocacy. They are among my personal heroes.

Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, gave me my first job as a vegan dietitian and taught me a great deal about writing and advocacy. My work with Neal and PCRM opened many doors and put me on a professional path I would never have imagined. I am forever grateful.

My former agent Patti Breitman championed this book from the start and worked hard to help us find an agent. Her efforts to make sure that vegan books find publishers has had a far-reaching impact on animal lives.

Dr. Michael Klaper is the best kind of physician—one who uses his extensive medical knowledge to advocate for compassionate food choices and to protect the health of vegans. He has been a role model for as long as I’ve worked in this field.

Dustin Rhodes and Lee Hall of Friends of Animals, and Leah McKelvie are among the kindest people I know. They encourage respect and helpfulness
within a community encompassing divergent views, and I’ve learned a great deal from all of them.

Louise Holton, president of Alley Cat Rescue, has long been my model for compassion. She has done more to help feral cats than any person in the world, and she continues to be an advocate for farm animals and veganism as well.

To my buddies at goodreads.com, especially Lisa Herzstein: Thank you for sharing my passions for the most important things in life—animals and books—and for proving that online social networking can produce meaningful and gratifying connections.

My friend Kate Schumann has collaborated with me on projects beginning with our vegan cookbook-writing days at PCRM through our work on behalf of companion animals in Port Townsend. She is not only a wonderful friend but also a brilliant cook, gardener, educator, and designer, and she shares her knowledge generously. She also belongs to a group of the hardest working women I know—the board of directors of Olympic Mountain Pet Pals: Phyllis Becker, Pam Gray, Robin Hake, Pam Kolacy, Carolynn Moody, Donna Regester, Erica Springstead, Marsha Wiener, and Randi Winter. My experience as part of this organization has been an amazing education in grassroots advocacy and fund-raising.

And a special thank-you to Dr. Ginny Johnson for her work with local rescue groups, her devoted care of my own family of cats, and her commitment to veganism and justice for all animals. There is not a more generous animal advocate anywhere.

My fourth-grade teacher made it a point to instill confidence in the shyest kid in class by praising my reports and essays and encouraging me to work hard on my writing skills. I listened to your advice, Mrs. Kellogg, and have never forgotten your kindness.

Thank you to my dear family and friends, whose love and support are blessings beyond measure: My brothers, Bill Kisch and Steve Kisch; sisters-in-law, Irma Kisch, Agnes Kisch, and Pat Gordon; beautiful nieces, Sarah Gordon, Christen Kisch, and Heather Kisch; wonderful nephews, Noah Gordon, Bogart Kisch, Chris Kisch, and dear little Reid Ellie Kisch. And thank you to Debbi Zabel, Joan Petrokofsky, Lynn Myhal Zornetzer, and Diana Longo for being my BFFs and filling my life with fun, laughter, comfort, and love. And to Paige Pettit, the world’s best cat nanny, and Kathy Ostgaard for all those exhausting (but fun) garage sale fund-raisers.

To my mom and dad, Willie Schrenk Kisch and Bill Kisch, who are temporarily gone from my sight but always in my heart. A list of their gifts to me could fill a whole book.

I don’t know how anyone gets any work done unless they have at least three cats snoozing on their desk. Thank you to the beloved kitties who kept me company during the long hours spent writing this book and to all the ferals, fosters, and spoiled house cats who have graced my life and home over the years.

Finally, I am blessed and grateful every day to be married to Mark Messina. He holds me accountable for every single thing I say about nutrition, makes me laugh, and (almost) never complains when I bring home stray cats.

1
W. J. Craig and A. R. Mangels, “Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets,”
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
109, no. 7 (2009): 1266–82.

1
R. Elango, M. A. Humayun, R. O. Ball, and P. B. Pencharz, “Evidence that Protein Requirements Have Been Significantly Underestimated,”
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care
13, no. 1 (2010): 52–57.