Thriving in northern Colorado 101: making vegan food at home

There is an abundance of vegetarian options along the front range; at most restaurants there is something edible for those who are passionate about not eating animals. As a vegan and a whole-food advocate, however, the food found at home is by far the best.  In the homes of Colorado vegans, you'll find some ingredients you've never heard of as well as ingredients you have at home, and of course some of the freshest produce you've ever seen.

In the winter, many organic and family farms like Grant Family Farms, a Fort Collins Organic Farm that is especially popular for its CSA program, have winter shares of stored vegetables. There is also Happy Heart and D&H in Ault, to name a few. In Boulder, there are a multitude of organic farms around, including Cure Organic Farm, Abbondanza, Beyond Organic Farm, and Pachamama in Longmont. Cooking with fresh organic and local vegetables is a great healthful upgrade to your vegan diet. Winter months can become a bit boring with squash and potatoes only to eat, but with stored veggies from your summer CSA or a winter share that the farm stores themselves, there are no boundaries to eating healthy and vegan in Colorado.

Some recipes made around the house lately:
(not completely made with seasonal or local foods, but we try our best)
Click on the name of the dish for the recipe.

• Vegan sushi (with kabocha nimono, mango and wasabi)

• Butternut Squash soup

• Thai Green Curry with tofu

• Brazilian black bean stew (from vegetariantimes.com)

• Portobello cheeseburger with yam oven fries

Need help finding new vegan recipes or people to cook or eat with?

There is an amazing community of vegan people and ideals here in sunny northern Colorado. Having visited and participating in two vegan meetup groups, both in Boulder and Fort Collins, the support here for a vegan lifestyle is unique and widespread. The ever-helpful vegcolorado.com website lists restaurants, events and vegetarian/vegan resources for all ages. Its a great idea to poke around on the internet and read the amazing vegan food blogs (meetups and blogs are listed on the bottom right of this page under red headers).

Also, don't hesitate to follow your local Examiner's articles and feel free to ask anytime about anything you need, regarding the vegan lifestyle, diet and community.