Kathleen Henry - Pure & Beautiful Vegan Cooking: Recipes Inspired by Rural Life in Alaska

writer and photographer of the vegan food blog Produce On Parade

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ToddMy loving husband. We ventured forth on our vegan adventure due to your rheumatoid arthritis. Its unbelievable how healthy youve become since implementing a plant-based diet, free from meat, eggs and dairy. Who could have imagined that veganism would be such a huge part of our lives? I want to thank you for beseeching me to start a food blog; an idea that took several years of convincing before I finally conceded. Youve always advocated my talents and have been my cornerstone throughout this vegan enlightenment. Always encouraging, always aiding, always patient and always so willing to try new foods and the recipes I develop (even when copious amounts of beets are involved). My true love, thank you.

Family & FriendsYouve always been so eager to accommodate Todd and I in our new lifestyle: Habitually offering vegan versions of dishes, ensuring that we always had something to eat and being so incredibly supportive to us both. Im awed by all that you do and how much love you have in your hearts. Were so lucky to have such benevolent, loving and thoughtful family and friends, thank you.

Produce On Parade ReadersWithout you, none of this would be possible. Youve been with Todd, Bailey and I on our Alaskan adventures through uncharted vegan territory since 2013. The online community at Produce On Parade is such an inspiration and a beautiful support system for me. Youve showed me that caring too much or having too much empathy is never a flaw and should be celebrated. Ive discovered so many friends and like-minded fellows in this bright and beautiful, tight-knit group. You all mean the world to me. Thank you for your unwavering encouragement and praise throughout the years.

All Sentient BeingsI hope this cookbook blooms compassion in the heart of the cook. All living creatures, from a human being to a wee mouse, deserve to lead happy and peaceful lives free from suffering. I hope one day we can achieve this; it seems as though were moving in the right direction.

I read youre supposed to dedicate your book to only one or two people; otherwise you risk lessening the specialness of such an honor as that of a book dedication. Whatevs. You are all my champions and I dont know where I would be in this world without such kind and loving people to encourage me, inspire me and support me. Thank you, from the deepest corner of my heart.

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The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

J.R.R. Tolkien

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I was born and raised in the small, rural town of Palmer, Alaska. Growing up on a mountainside in the fertile, agricultural belt of Alaska, I spent my childhood outside in nature. Padding playfully down our driveway and across the dirt road, Id wind my way through the forest trail to my grandparents home, a short half mile away.

My grandparents werent farmers, but you wouldnt have known it. Cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, peas, carrots, asparagus, even corn, were among some of the vegetables that I remember plucking and munching on. My grandma showed me how to use the giant rhubarb leaf as a hat when it was raining out, warning me not to eat the leaves, as they are poisonous. In the summer wed harvest huge, plump Canby raspberries as well as the smaller, sweeter variety. There were the most delicious strawberries youve ever eaten, and even juicy currents. My brothers and I would spend our summer days picking raspberries, rows upon rows of the little jewels. We would seek shade and sneak a break whenever we could, hidden in the never-ending tangles and thorns.

This wasnt a little garden, no; this was a monster of a thing. And it all had to be picked. This was my introduction to fruits and vegetables. However, my diet wasnt vegan. Far from it, because in the wilderness of Alaska I grew up eating moose, caribou, rabbit, grouse, salmon, halibut and pickled pike. Most food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, has to be transported up to Alaska and that makes it expensive. Many folks up here do a lot of hunting and fishing to help them subsist, filling up their deep storage freezers to the brim for winter. Many families live on game meat and fish alone, as opposed to buying store-bought meats. My dad likes to joke that when my brothers and I first had a beef hamburger (as opposed to a moose hamburger), we exclaimed that it was the best hamburger wed ever eaten and wondered why it tasted so good. Except it was never really a joke we had never eaten beef! Such is the life of a native Alaskan.

Im not unaware of the fact that Alaska and veganism dont necessarily go hand in hand. The Last Frontier is bountiful in wild animals that people often kill for meat. Not to mention that the harsh winters and short growing season dont really allow the state to teem with a steady abundance of fruits and vegetables like others do. We dont have a Trader Joes or a Whole Foods Market and the entire state has only one Costcoin Anchorage, a 50mile drive from where I live. Many people already view veganism as an expensive way to eat, now imagine being vegan in Alaska, where things are already so expensive! However, I am here to tell you that it can be done beautifully and its not in the least more expensive than a traditional carnivorous diet.

I obtain most of my produce from Full Circle, an organic community-supported agriculture (CSA) cooperative that the Northwestern states participate in and that carries Alaskan-grown produce. This is where I acquire most my fruit (nonberry related), like apples, peaches and plums. Also, farmers markets and our grocery stores carry local broccoli, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. This is where, when in season, I acquire most of my vegetables. Nuts, seeds, pantry items and vegan alternatives to cream cheese, sour cream and so on. I purchase from our local Fred Meyer and Safeway grocery stores. More elusive items that I find necessary in my vegan kitchen, such as kombu, agar agar powder, matcha and so forth I find online at Amazon and Vitacost.

There can still be a plethora of healthy, vegan food options even if you live in a quaint, rural Alaskan town and happen to be vegan. All it takes is a little know-how and some culinary skills. If I can make my way being vegan with seemingly limited ingredients way up here in the Last Frontier, then I know you can, too. One doesnt have to be next door to a specialty health food store or have a pantry full of odd ingredients. This is great