6 Friday, August 3, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com Guess what: The best-selling plant-based cook-book, Angela Liddon's Oh She Glows, has now outsold 50 Shades of Grey. Interest in plant-based eating is rising and few people have contributed as much to the movement as its author. She also writes a popular blog at ohsheglows.com that's packed with recipes and tips. The wave is building. Starbucks will soon launch a line of plant-based take-out foods. WeWork, a New York City company employing 6,000, says it'll no longer pick up the tab for expensed business meals with meat. Meanwhile, Farm Boy continues to introduce new vegan products. With more research supporting the fact that it's healthy, it's getting easier to make the choice to reduce meat in your diet. Last year, Olympic weightlifter Kendrick Farris, a vegan, broke the American record in the men's 94 kg clean-and-jerk. I mention this is because for ages it was believed that, to get strength and muscle gains, you needed to eat meat - lots of it. Local restaurants Brooklin is lucky to have Copper Branch restaurant which offers plant-based power foods. This is a great starting point for someone who's curious about it all. Another of my favourite local restaurants, Rawlicious in downtown Whitby, offers vegan raw foods and smoothies while a few blocks away, Lil Organic Kitchen also has a great selection of plant-based choices. I've heard from people who have tried to cut back on meat and couldn't stick to the plant-based diet. That's because it's hard in the beginning; you no longer have your "go-to" recipes. You're also changing deeply ingrained habits, which is why in this column I try to supply fast, easy recipes like the one below. Recently I was making a pasta dish from a "Canadian Living" magazine recipe from 20 years ago. I thought, it would be great to have a flavour similar to parmesan cheese, or at the very least a sharper-tasting type cheese. I searched for "vegan parmesan cheese" and this recipe came up. It's also an Oh She Glows recipe and was part of a Caesar salad one. It's easy and fast to make. Nut and Seed Parmesan Cheese 1/3 cup raw cashews 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds 1 small garlic clove 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder fine grain sea salt, to taste Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least a few hours. Drain and rinse. Add the cashews and all other dressing ingredients (except salt) Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson How to join the wave The other day, my daughter was mouthing off and giving me a little sass. We had recently established that walking to the park without parental supervision was permissible as long as she was going with a group of friends. On this occasion, she wanted to go alone, reasoning with me that her friends were already at the park. I offered to walk her over but she rolled her eyes and said, "M-o-o-o-m, you're ancient. I'm not a baby!" While slyly glancing in the mirror at my emerging crow's feet, I quickly ackowledged her frustration . Ages 7 to 9: Seeking independence At this age kids are challenging authority. They may call you "stupid" (or "old"). These are all ways kids attempt to show their independence. But don't worry. If you think about it, stretching their wings at home is a safe way to go. My daughter knows I still love her even when she acts out. While kids are better able to understand others' feelings at this age, they also know how to use words for maximum impact, perfecting the attitude from listening to peers and watching TV. They know it's mean, but they do it anyway, especially when they feel something is unfair. As well, outbursts get worse when children are tired or defensive. Before answering back, wait it out so your disciplinary tactics will carry weight. If you get reactionary (eg. "Don't you dare talk to me that way!"), it will only escalate the situation. Instead look for the root cause of her outburst. Perhaps she's upset because a requested chore cuts into time she'd rather spend with friends. Acknowledge the feelings, and then help show her a better way to speak up: "You seem angry, but the way you're expressing it makes it hard for me to respond. Do you want to talk?" Or, show her that a better way to say might be, "Can I play with my friends now and clean my room in a little bit?" Ages 9 to 12: Changes in the wind While preteens realize mouthing off is wrong, they're not yet emotionally mature enough to check their behaviour every time. They may develop a sarcastic tone ("As if! Not happening!") because their friends talk that way. Wanting to appear older can lead to even more defiant comments. Throw in the hormonal changes and moodiness of puberty and your little princess's language can become shocking. When my daughter uses that snotty tone and a fight erupts, we take a break. I'll say: "I need to cool off. So we'll try talking about this again in a little bit." That helps her calm down and gives me some time to decide if I'm approaching the situation the right way. Later I get her to take responsibility for part of the solution in- stead of feeling dumped on. Asking "What's up?" when the child is calm helps a child who feels she's listened to. She's more apt to accept the times when you simply have to lay down a "because I said so" rule. Remember, pre-teens become teens. So think of this as laying the groundwork for a respectful young adult who is able express their feelings in and calm and thoughtful way. When good kids get sassy Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown into a high-speed blender, and blend on high until the dressing is super smooth. You can add a splash of water if necessary to get it blending. Add salt to taste and adjust other seasonings, if desired. Set aside. I personally find the taste of nutritional yeast to be strong so use about ¾ of a tablespoon rather than the full tablespoon. Sheree's Hack: Pre-soak and then freeze raw unsalted cashews so you always have them on hand for last minute recipes or to use in smoothies to replace nut milk.