Who am I? Tamiko Garner, also known as the Plant-Based Vegan Sistah who loves shoes, to dance, snack, and laugh:) along with a glass of wine, a spicy Moscow Mule or a sweet Lemon Drop Martini from Kincaids.
Why did I decide to go plant-based/vegan? I wanted to change my health story from what traditionally happens in my family with diabetes occurring after the age of 50, high blood pressure, and digestive type cancers. So, after being a vegetarian for over 30 years and picking up a book by Micaela Cook Karlsen called A Plant Based Life, I decided to start eating a plant-based diet giving up my faves of cheese, eggs, milk chocolate, and ice cream(thank goodness dark chocolate and vegan nut cheeses are delish). On this journey, not only did I released over 30 pounds, but I also let go of all the emotional stuff that came with those extra pounds as well as being able to wear my heels again. Can you relate?
Why did I decide to write this blog? One afternoon, I was talking with my friend Rhonda and she said, “You should start a blog about your journey, I believe people will want to hear your story.” Hmm, that was a thought…I went home, thought about it more, and felt this was the answer to how I could give back to my community of sistahs over the age of 50 as I am one of those sistahs. I want to share what I’m learning, the recipes I’ve tried(giving the real results and not just the pretty), who to follow online, how to eat out at non-vegan friendly restaurants, and other tidbits of information I discover to making my plant-based vegan lifestyle fun, real, relatable, and exciting.
So, come join me along this journey and subscribe to this blog and follow me on social media. Feel free to ask questions and make comments, I want this to be an authentic, real, and relatable blog. I look forward to traveling with you.
Hi Tam, I really enjoyed reading your blog…. you are on a beautiful journey. Is cashew butter vegan? If so, do you have a great tasting recipe?
Also, do you have problems finding plant based vegan dishes at restaurants?
Hello Rhonda,
I am glad you enjoyed reading my blog:) and thank you for your AWESOME support. Yes, cashew butter is vegan as it is made from raw cashews and likely coconut oil. I have not tried to make cashew butter just yet, but I do make cashew cheese which can be made either savory or sweet.
Sometimes, it is a bit challenging to find vegan dishes in restaurants especially the fast food type restaurants, but more and more places are starting to more options – yeah!. The key is to ask questions and clarify vegetarian vs. vegan because sometimes servers confuse the two. So be specific and ask if there are any animal products in the dish.
Thank you for your support!
Hi Tamiko!
Im not a sistah but my soul sister Catherine K. is a sistah! She told me I should check out your blog. I’m a veggie/vegan/pescatarian…I try to be as veggie as possible all the time tho. AND I love to cook so I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience and maybe picking up a few new recipes by the way. So, I hope you don’t mind that a white boy (formerly from Oakland but now in LA) is subscribing to your blog! Btw, Brownies and ice cream are my number one favorite dessert so I’m gonna give your version (with recommended changes) a try.
I’ve really enjoyed the other posts too, except for the one about the GS Thin Mints! Don’t burst my bubble! I bought 5 boxes a couple weeks ago and they were all gone in 3 days. I just finished a 3 day fast tonight so any and all residue from them is hopefully gone!
BUT, what if you found a vegan version of thin mints and tried it then posted about your experience? OH and don’t forget the recipe!
Speaking more of recipes… Please do a post about making vegan cashew cheese and do a recipe. I’ve not ventured into vegan nut cheese making yet but maybe you’ll give me the inspiration. Who knows?
Anyway, congrats on the blog. So far so good. Keep going! Oh and congrats on the weight loss! You look good girl!
Hopefully we’ll meet in person sometime in the near future at a gathering at Catherine and Jeromes.
Good Luck,
Michael
Hello Michael,
First, thank you so much for subscribing to the my blog and of course everyone is welcomed:)!
I definitely plan to share all of my experiences as a matter of fact my next post will be about my fail in creating my own vegan sausage. The flavor was delish but for some reason the third go round they didn’t firm: boo:(.
I look forward to hearing how your brownies come out. I will be uploading the recipe on the blog this weekend.
The Girl Scout Thin Mints are vegan just not plant based and I have already had my box – they are my absolute fave!!!
I will post my favorite cashew cheese recipe as well. It is surprising how easy and flexible it is to make. My next goal is to tryout making a vegan hard cheese.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make a comment and I do hope I am able share info that is valuable, fun, and relatable:)!
By the way, make sure to follow me on social media where I share food pics an other tidbits.
Welcome and I look forward to experiencing the journey together.
Be good to you,
Tamiko