July 11, 2023 • 37 mins
In this episode, we are joined by Joanne Lee Molinaro—aka The Korean Vegan! Plus we dish on the hottest headlines, explore the wonderful vegan world of seafood, answer listener Q&As, and hear all of the exciting things happening at the VegNews HQ.
Get all of the show notes at VegNews.com/podcast
Get a special VegNews deal on Mud\Wtr at VegNews.com/mudwtr
Visit VegNews.com for the latest vegan news, food, travel, and more
Become a VegNews VIP at VegNews.com/vip
Follow VegNews on Instagram at VegNews.com/instagram
Get all of the show notes at VegNews.com/podcast
Get a special VegNews deal on Mud\Wtr at VegNews.com/mudwtr
Visit VegNews.com for the latest vegan news, food, travel, and more
Become a VegNews VIP at VegNews.com/vip
Follow VegNews on Instagram at VegNews.com/instagram
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Straw Hut Media, food news, celebrities, and more from the
world's number one plant based food and lifestyle magazine.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's the veg News Podcast and here's your host, Jasmine Singer.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the veg News podcast,
brought to you by the coffee free alternative mud Water.
I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and on this week's episode,
we will be joined by Joanne Lee Molinaro aka the
Korean Vegan I know. We will also be hearing from
our new products editor, Sarah McLaughlin, and we'll be answering
(00:45):
calls from the veg News Halline, and we'll also check
in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland. But first, here
are your headlines. Our first story today, your vegan burgers
just got a.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Whole lot It's easier.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
After a successful test launch in Cleveland last year, Vegan
Craft singles are rolling out nationwide. This marks the first
product born from the partnership between Craft and chilean company,
the Not Company. Now only one question remains Cheddar Provolone
or American Our second news story today. You may know
(01:22):
Halle Bailey from the musical duo Chloe and Halle or
maybe you've watched her grasing the big screen as Ariel,
where she stars alongside her side cakes Flounder and Sebastian.
Earlier this year, Hallie was asked a startling question, if
you had to eat Flounder or Sebastian, who would you eat?
I know, I was shocked to the vegan superstar responded,
(01:45):
I would not eat either of them.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
They're my friends.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Way to go, Hallie. Our third story. We've long heard
that carrots are good for the eyes, but did you
know they can also help prevent heart disease and it's
all thanks to their partines. A new study found that
individuals with a high amount of carotenes in their blood
are likely to have a lower degree of plaque build
up and lower thickening of the arteries, consequently reducing the
(02:12):
risk of cardiovascular disease. We'll be snagging on baby carrots
and hummus all summer long. Our fourth story. Today, artificial
intelligence is quickly transforming every aspect of human life, and
while the idea of a robot takeover might feel uneasy,
there are a number of companies using it for good.
(02:33):
One such company is Climax Foods, with the help of
AI technology. The company has uncovered a plant caseine that
mimics dairy in more ways than one.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
But what's so special.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
About this discovery caseine is the functional protein that gives
dairy cheese its signature stretch, melt and browning properties. Vegan
Cheese three point zero has officially arrived and our fifth
and final story Today, in the Carolinas, where meat centric
barbecue is the name of the game, there is one
(03:05):
vegan restaurant giving meat a run for its money. Based
in Durham, North Carolina. Pure Soul was named yelp's number
one restaurant vegan or otherwise across North and South Carolina.
Locals can't resist the eateries Soul Bowl, big Kale, Caesar salad,
hot honey, chicken sandwiches, shrimp po boys, and of course
(03:28):
mac and cheese. Time to book that summer vaca. And
that's a wrap for this week's stories. All of our
headlines of the week will be linked to in the
show notes at VegNews dot com slash podcast. Let's get
(03:48):
to our interview. Joanne Lee Molinaro is an attorney, blogger, author,
and marathon her but you probably know her as the
Korean Vegan Her blog by the same name is a
place to find plant based takes on traditional Korean dishes
and also hear more about her experiences as a Korean
American woman. We will hear from Joanne right after this.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
I'm so excited. I've been really looking forward to this.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
I'm a big fan and just I think the way
that you do your work is just truly extraordinary.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
So everyone at veg news is jealous of me.
Speaker 6 (04:29):
Oh that's so sweet. Thank you. I've been a fan
of vegeties for a very long time now.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
I know in a previous interview that you gave for
veg news dot com, you stated that your recipes aren't
fusion food, but are an interpretation of your combined cultures
presented through meals and stories. So I'd love to start there.
Do you think you could tell me a little bit
more about how your Korean and American cultures come together
(04:55):
in your recipes?
Speaker 7 (04:56):
Sure?
Speaker 6 (04:57):
So, I think that.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
There is this really understandable temptation to say that hey,
I'm you know, Korean American of Korean descent, and therefore
the way that I make you know a particular Korean dish,
for example, like milk wuk, which is you know, seaweed
soup very popular on someone's birthday. When I make that,
(05:22):
that's Korean food, right.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
I made kimchi fried rice a few months ago when
my sister in law, who was born and raised in
South Korea and recently immigrated to the United States. I
made kimchi fried rice for her and my brother, and
as I finished making it, I told her to try some,
and she tried it, and she said, this is very delicious,
but this is very Korean American style, and so already.
(05:49):
You know, that made me very aware of the fact
that when I say that my food is Korean, that
might be somewhat flattening for people who were born and
raised in Korea. They're going to taste my food and say, well,
actually it isn't. And you know, I'm not saying again
one way is better than the other. And I just
don't want to in any way flatten Korean food. And
(06:12):
I want to recognize that there is an inherent difference,
and that difference should be celebrated as opposed to dismissed.
I guess is sort of the idea. I think the
other notion of it is, of course, my way of
veganizing Korean food is probably very different from a way
that a Korean person born and raised in Korea might
(06:33):
veganize their food. There's such a long tradition of temple
cuisine in Korea, which I don't have access to here
in the United States. I didn't learn about temple cuisine
growing up. I don't know how Buddhists eat in Korea.
But recently when I went to Korea and I got
to spend time with my sister in law's mother, she
(06:55):
is very connected with the Korean Buddhist area, and therefore
she created these amazing dishes. My husband said it was
the best meal he's ever eaten in his life, and
that again speaks to just a very different vocabulary when
it comes to veganizing cuisine. I feel like almost she
does it in a very organic way, like this is
(07:16):
just the way that they eat, whereas for me, I
always have to I feel like I have to translate
the food first instead of just organically creating dishes. So
that also, I think speaks to just you know, I
don't have access to Korean ingredients necessarily, and I also
don't have access to their culinary vocabulary, and that creates
(07:37):
a sort of difference in the way that I make
the food. And then finally, just you know, I'm married
to an Italian American man. I also, you know, was
a working professional for much of my career, which meant
that I really did in cook a lot, and I
learned everything that I know from Rachel Ray. So there
is a heavy like Italian American bent to my cuisine
because that's how I learn how to cook, like youse,
(07:59):
eat oh oh for everything you know, deeply red wine
vinegar for everything you know, and like pasta and stuff
like that. So you'll see a lot of like pasta
dishes that use Korean flavors in my cookbook, and that
is very, very endemic to the way that I cook.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
I love that as someone who is of Italian American heritage,
I love to hear the way that that your husband's
influencing your food as well.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I know that you mentioned you're known for veganizing Korean
food and koreanizing everything else.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
You already talked a little bit about.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Your favorite ways of veganizing Korean food, or is there
anything else you want to add about, like some things
you love about veganizing Korean food.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
I think veganizing Korean food is just being creative with
you know, replacing the meat or asking yourself whether it
even needs to be replaced. Many times it does not.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
Right right totally? And what do you mean about uh,
koreanizing everything else? Can you give me an example?
Speaker 6 (09:03):
So I have this like compulsion to add Korean soy sauce,
Korean tindung or quota dum or quochukatu to like everything.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
That I may.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
So that's kind of what I mean. You know, of course,
I'm not saying that I'm actually taking non Korean food
and turning it Korean. It's more just adding Korean flavors
and the flavors that I grew up on into almost
everything that I cook.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
Oh, you're getting me hungry. I knew that would happen. Now.
Although you were hesitant to give veganism a try out
of fear that it would strip you of your connection
to your Korean culture, it seems to have helped you
further connect to your roots.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
How has it?
Speaker 5 (09:41):
How has veganism strengthened your cultural identity?
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Well, I mean, you never know what you had until
you lose it, or face the prospect of losing it,
And that is me. I took everything for granted. I
really took my identity for granted. I took my Koreans
for granted. I took my family for granted, all of
these things. I mean, and I'm not judging myself, I can,
(10:08):
but I know a lot of people fall into that trap.
We get so busy with life, you know, everything that's happening,
especially nowadays, it's easy to get like kind of stuck
in ourselves and take those things for granted. I certainly did.
It is very difficult to eat vegan as a Korean person,
(10:30):
and so I knew that going into it, and I
was like, well, that's just not acceptable to me, And
especially because I was partnered with a non Korean person,
it became even more threatening to me. I was like, oh,
so this white guy, Oh yeah, I'm gonna go vegan. Okay,
so easy for you, you know what I mean, That's
(10:51):
kind of how I felt. And I was like, and
now you're asking me to do it without having an
iota of understanding of what that means to me, you know,
and how much my food is a connection to my heritage, right,
And so that's why I was like, Okay, I got
to do something and Ultimately, it is easy to veganize
(11:12):
Korean food, right, but it is not easy to be
a vegan Korean, I guess is the way I would
describe it. I've been to Korea. It's not easy visgatens
both in New York and in la It is probably
the only time in my life where I am very
tempted to be.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
Like, oh, nobody will notice if I just eat regular.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
So what has been your experience talking with other Korean
Americans about giving up meat when it is considered such
a status symbol in Korean culture.
Speaker 6 (11:47):
It is very hard. It is very hard because I
feel like that initial like sort of like f you,
I'm not going vegan, like reluctance that I had when
my you know, white American husband asked me to join him.
(12:09):
I get that, you know too, at least I'm not,
you know, at least I'm Korean American. Like, so there
is that. But I think that many Korean Americans might
orige like initially think oh, she's just you know, she's
just a whitewashed Korean.
Speaker 8 (12:27):
I think there is a lot of people who might
think that about me and thus give me no credit whatsoever.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
And I'm pretty sure there are people like that, and
that's fine, Like whatever, I feel like I'm comfortable with
my koreanness now or I don't need to prove it
to other people. I think that there are others Korean
Americans in particular, who realize that, you know, either for
health reasons or for the environment, that perhaps switching out
(12:56):
their regular or hamburger or meat sauce on their pasta
with an alternative is you know, might be good, or
even their culinary vocabulary when it comes to other proteins
as in tofu or not do or tempe, these things
that we grew up eating. So it's not hard for
(13:17):
them to say, you know what, today we're gonna eat
tofu instead of you know, chicken, because that's normal, like
we eat it all the time, you know. But I
do think that to the extent that there is that
sort of like, well, if you're asking me to give
up carribe and humyupsa and you know, fish and shrimp,
are you asking me to give up my Korean ness?
(13:38):
There is that, and that's a much harder conversation to have,
and it's not one that's going to be had over
a cup of coffee, Like that's that's just not something
It needs to be a longer conversation.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
I'm glad you brought that up because I think that's
something a lot of people can identify with Black, Indigenous
and vegans of color off and face a similar fear
when deciding to become vegan. And they fear, like, you know,
losing the foods they grow up with, losing connection to
their culture and their roots. So what advice might you
have for bipoc considering veganism who are struggling with this fear.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
I think number one, validate the fear. It's a legitimate fear.
Like it is a legitimate fear. It's it's frustrating because
in so many ways, because food has.
Speaker 8 (14:32):
Historically been one of the weapons that have been used
to marginalize and exclude bipocs and you know, the indigenous communities,
you know, people of color, whatever you want to call it,
it is a tool that has been used.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
To exclude and now we're at a point, you know,
for the past two three decades in the culinary world
where we're saying we're we're taking ownership of our food,
something that you weaponize to exclude us, we are now
taking it back for our power, right so then now
shifting the conversation into third gear and saying, okay, so
(15:14):
now you're asking me to give up the thing that
I took back. You know, well, then how do I
maintain my power?
Speaker 8 (15:22):
Right?
Speaker 6 (15:22):
And by power, I'm not using that in like a
threatening way. I'm using that in like a self actualized way.
And so that is a legitimate fear, and it needs
to be understood. And you need to meet those people
where they are. Just Simply telling them no, just stop
eating meat is never going to be effective in that situation.
I think the other thing, once you have understood, legitimized,
(15:45):
validated their reluctance, their anxiety, their fear about giving up
these kinds of foods, is to show them well, first
of all, nobody's saying you have to do it one
hundred percent right now this second. Okay, Like say, whatever
your pace is towards what you think needs to happen,
whether it's for your health, whether it's for your ethics,
whether it's for the environment, the climate, or anything else,
(16:07):
it doesn't need to be those three things, right, whatever
it is that's already nudging you in that direction, do
it at the pace that is comfortable for you.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
And then finally, the other piece of advice is look
at people like me, look at people like Tabitha Brown,
look at people like you know, my friend Nishe. There
are so many, you know, people of color, you know,
bipops who have been able to strengthen their ties to
(16:38):
their heritage and culture, notwithstanding going beaming. In fact, because
they went plant based, you know, their decision to go
plant based gave them an opportunity to explore their culture
in a totally different and productive way.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yes, absolutely, I just have one more question for you.
Given the current shape of the world and the many
ways that your platform intersects with political and food advocacy,
where do you go from here?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
What's next?
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Oh? Well, that's a really good question. I think that
you know, like where I go from here is so
much a function of who I become right over the
next three five years. And you know, one of the
interesting things about this is, you know, and with your audience,
I'm very candid, Like I don't like if you hate
(17:33):
me for this mine, I don't care. I mean, I'm
because my boyfriend wanted to go vegan. I was like
it wasn't because like I had I like had this
overwhelming love of animals, or because I felt like powerfully
compelled by what was happening in animal ad to our planet,
or even for my health, Like those are all certainly
like kind of rumbling around in the background. But at
(17:54):
the end of the day, if my boyfriend hadn't been like,
you need to go vegan with me, then I probably
would not have. Like that's just the you know, that
is the butt for you know, proximate cause of my
decision to go vegan.
Speaker 8 (18:05):
Right.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
The interesting thing about it is I quickly turned into
a health based vegan, Like I was like, I'm doing
this for my health, right. I was, you know, a
long distance runner, and I mean that was very much
tied to you know, how I operated through my veganism.
And then you know, I opened my heart to the
fact that, wow, we need to be greener, Like we
(18:26):
could be greener. It's not just about eating plants, Like
there are other things Joanne that you should be like,
start cutting out the plastic, be mindful of how much
you're traveling and where. You know, these are things that
I started opening my heart to. And then of course
the animals, you know, like I couldn't sit there and
watch a video about what goes on to animals, you know,
when I want a fried chicken sandwich until I became vegan,
(18:50):
you know. And so it's so interesting how my one
decision that was so you know, in some ways trivially made,
has opened my heart to so many other kinds of
advocacy and self actualization that I am very grateful to
(19:11):
that decision. So it's hard for me to say, like
where I'm going to be in five years. My hope
is that, you know, all of these feelings that I
have about compassion, whether it's for animals, for the planet,
for ourselves, you know, as human bodies, will continue to
grow and thus direct me in the direction that I
need to be. But right now, it's really just about
broadening the reach and making sure that as many people
(19:35):
as possible are provided access to a vegan way of
eating and living.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
Thank you so much. I'm so inspired when people go
vegan for like whatever reason, whether it's their boyfriend or not,
and then it's sort of like unlocks this whole world,
like this whole world view, this whole way of relating
to the world, and then yourself. Thank you so much
for spending the time with us.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
Thank you so much, Jazmine.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Sea life not seafood. This is a popular saying among vegans,
but with the abundance of new plant based products, we
can now have our sea life and eat our seafood too.
Today we are welcoming back veg News is new product
editor Sarah McLachlan to do a deep dive into the
(20:31):
newest vegan seafood options out there. Nice to see you again, Sarah.
Speaker 7 (20:37):
Thanks Jasmin.
Speaker 9 (20:37):
It's great to be back and I'm excited to talk
about all the innovation and cool things happening in the
world of vegan seafood.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Yeah, just like a few times ago when you were on,
I know, we were talking about it a little bit
and I said, you know, it hasn't really been available
to vegans, and.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Now it is. There's vegan seafood kind of popping up
left and right.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Is this a trend you're seeing?
Speaker 9 (21:00):
Definitely. I Mean we all saw the trend of like
beefy burgers happening in like twenty eighteen or so, and
beyond meat and impossible foods and all of them, we
love them, but everyone was doing burgers and then we
kind of saw a chicken in the last two years
just pop up everywhere.
Speaker 7 (21:17):
So it's really.
Speaker 9 (21:17):
Exciting to now see this launch of like being in
salmon's and crab cakes and shrimp and tuna in all
of those things, because it offers now that option for
people who do really like seafood to have like a
cruelty free, plant based version of that that's not impacting
our oceans.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
So really exciting.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Amazing, Yeah, super exciting, and we can leave the darling
fish alone and then we could go out for our
favorite little seafood meals while living our ethics and eating
our ethics.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
So what have you got for us today, Sarah?
Speaker 9 (21:49):
So, first we're going to talk about Ocean Hugger Foods
and they were the first one to pop up at
Whole Foods a few years ago with their tomato based
salmon that they were using in the sushi bar. And
then during twenty twenty, like many companies, they had to
pause production just due to financial things. But they're coming
back and they're going to be available in a lot
(22:10):
of food service like restaurants and things like that with
their tomato based salmon. And also they're making an egg
plant unagi, so they're doing like that version of it
with eggplant instead of tomato. But it's going to be
cool because now you'll be able to go to sushi
restaurants and things like that, and their products will be
offered as an option at the sushi restaurants, which will
(22:32):
be really exciting.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
That's super cool. You know, I've always wondered how much
more is possible with eggplant. It's something that I feel
like is ammaleable food. Maybe not as much as mushrooms,
but it's cool to see that something's going on there.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
All right, what else do you have for us?
Speaker 9 (22:48):
So next we have Current Foods and they're making tuna
and salmon, vegan tuna and salmon, and they are replicating
like the poke texture of those product and they're hoping
to be in different poke bars, like when you go
to Sweet Fin or Sugarfish or places like that that
are kind of like chain restaurants that do sushi and poke,
(23:12):
and they're now offering their products is like marinated versions
that are just ready to go and put on top
of a bowl or things like that. And they're using
like seaweed and ingredients that are from the ocean, but
like much kinder with a lower impact and obviously no animals.
Speaker 7 (23:28):
Are involved.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
You know, I know a lot of people who are vegan. Well,
I guess you would say they're pescatarian.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
I was going to say vegan except for fish, but
obviously the word for that is pescatarian.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
And I think now maybe we'll start.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
To see a shift away from that, especially as products
like the one you just mentioned start popping up in
places that they go.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 9 (23:49):
I think if you present people with an option that's easy,
it's just like an exchange of like ordering something different
on the menu, it makes it seem like really simple change.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
And obviously supply is driven by demand, So when you
see the vegan item, order it.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
So what is next on your list?
Speaker 7 (24:06):
Next? We have Good Catch.
Speaker 9 (24:08):
They are also one of those vegan companies that people
really know and love and one of the first to
kind of get into the seafood space. But they have
lines of packaged vegan tuna that's just like ready to
make and mix with like vegan male and other ingredients
to make a tuna salad. They have crab list cakes
and they're available at hundreds of locations around the US,
(24:30):
at Whole Foods and Gelson's. Even Veggie Girl has used
some of their products and menu items and Wegmans and
stores like that. So it's cool because it's a very
commercially available product. And they're even talking about launching vegan
clam chowder, which is a rare, like hard to find product.
I don't know anyone that is not a restaurant that's
(24:52):
currently making a vegan clam chowder, So that would be
really cool to see.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Definitely, I kind of want to have like a seafood party,
but make it all vegan and invite all those pescatarians,
those pesky pescatarians and see what they think.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Okay, amazing, What else is on your list today?
Speaker 9 (25:08):
Next we have New Wave Foods shrimp, And when talking
about replicating animal products, it's the texture of shrimp often
stumps many chefs and innovators. It's like a very particular
texture versus other fish products, and New Wave Foods is
actually using algae as the base to create their vegan shrimp.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
It's was the first of its.
Speaker 9 (25:30):
Kind when it came out, and it mimics that like
chew that shrimp has when it's cooked perfectly, which is
kind of like a weird thing to talk about as vegans,
But we want to make like the best equivalent to
the products you can because then people will be excited
to try it. And they just recently closed an eighteen
million dollar finance rounds, so there they have a lot
(25:54):
of funding now to hopefully make a big splash in
the food world.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
And I saw what you did there with the splash. Yeah, funny,
well done.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Did you say eighteen million dollars?
Speaker 7 (26:05):
Yeah, eighteen million dollars.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Oh my god, which is cool to see.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
It shows that investors really recognize the potential in plant
based foods and even really plot seafood.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So I cannot believe we're not at the end of
the list yet, Like, what planet are we living out
right now?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
I'm so excited. What else do you have?
Speaker 9 (26:25):
So next, we have Conscious Foods, which we talked about
in an earlier segment. But they're making thun Eat vegan
sushi on a gary pokey sashimi and a lot of
product other products like that. And they're making their vegan
seafood from Konjak, which is a seaweed based product.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
But it's really cool.
Speaker 9 (26:43):
I mean they even pitched it to us as like
you could put your frozen sushi in your bag and
go for a hike and it would all while you're hiking,
and then you would eat the sushi, which sounds odd,
but it does. It actually tastes so good, so it's
kind of cool. Then it's like a little thing you
can carry along with you and it just and then
it's ready to eat.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Okay, someone in their marketing department is genius. Like someone
in their marketing department did that and was like, oh
my god, I've got it, and now that's what I
want to do. I have all of these hikes planned
for the summer, and I want to have my frozen
vegan sushi with me that is not frozen by the
time I stopped to take in that view have fun.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
Yeah, okay, what else do you have on the list, Sarah?
Speaker 9 (27:22):
So next we have plant based foods cave Art, So
they're making vegan caviar, which is like obviously a luxury product,
and they make their little salty unami pearls from seaweed, water, salt,
spice extracts and stabilizers that give it that, like fish
a texture that people seem to really like. I never
really got the caviar thing, but it's cool because, like
(27:46):
fish eggs are rare fined in stores and you can
actually buy this vegan caviar at Vegan Essentials, which if
people don't know what vegan Essentials is, it's like an
amazing online grocery store that has a bunch of hard
to find vegan products. You can just order them from
their website and they'll ship them to you anywhere in
the country. And so if you're really craving vegan caviar
(28:07):
I want to feel fancy at a party or something
like that, it's an option, something to buy and put
on cockers.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
That is so true that I've also been so confused
by the idea that someone once thought I want to
eat some fish eggs, like then they ate it and
then they made it a delicacy, like what But the
fact that plant based foods is creating literal art out
of it, cavy art, which is such a genius name.
(28:35):
Oh my gosh, I'm glad you also gave a shout
out to Vegan Essentials.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
Little known fact.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
If you don't know what to get someone for a present,
get them a gift card to Vegan Essentials, because everyone
loves that.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
All right, one more item, what is it?
Speaker 7 (28:50):
So last?
Speaker 9 (28:51):
We have vegan z Star which is making realistic slabs
of tuna and salmon sashimi really cool. It made a
big slash on social media. It's like one of the
first things where you could see, like visually looks very
similar to sushimi, and the textures and flavors of it
(29:11):
make a great addition to like sushi rolls and things
like that. But they're also launching shrimp and crispy lemon
and crispy chili flavors, so again getting in on that
vegan shrimp train, and they have plans to launch calamari
and cod and things like that, so hopefully expanding into
a whole line of vegan seafoods. And yeah, they're they're
(29:32):
cool company.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
So that is super interesting to me, the fact that
there are like realistic slabs of tuna and salmon, because
a lot of times when we get the vegan version
of something, it sort of looks, i don't know, for
lack of a better word, I'm going to say, sometimes
it looks vegan. But then every now and then something
that is a little too realistic pops by and you're
like asking three times if it's vegan, and it sounds
(29:56):
like this is one of those things.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
And obviously that's what I.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Want for everyone else, for everyone else who consumes animals
and see animals to be able to have access to
the tuna and salmon that they want, but make it,
you know, ethical and.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Not based in animal cruelty. So that's exciting.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Yeah, it's really great.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
So before you go, I might throw you with this question,
so I apologize in advance if I do. But some
of these foods are unique. They're different.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Have you had anything that you did not think you would.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
Like, whether it was like see you know, see vegan animals.
You know what I'm trying to say, see life but
the vegan version.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Or anything else.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
As your role as the new Products editor, what has
surprised you and then become part of your regular eating routine.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
I was really surprised by Conscious Foods San Eat Vegan
sushi line. I mean I was kind of like the
idea of frozen sushi kind of screw me at first.
But when I tried them at a natural Foods convention,
I went to where they are sampling them. I just
kept going back for sample of the sushi rolls and
things like that. They're not quite out yet, so it
(31:08):
hasn't become like a regular part of my routine. But
I feel like when they do, and when they're at
Whole Foods and things like that, I'll definitely be buying
all the sushi rolls and on garie and all of that.
And I'm always a big fan of the classic good
old Guardian Crispy Fishless Blaze.
Speaker 7 (31:25):
They make really good vegan fish sandwiches.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
So something that my cat Stella wants to add to
this conversation is that we got this like seaweed extract
that's liquid and we drop it on her food. It
just adds this fishiness, but it is not animal derived.
Speaker 4 (31:43):
She really enjoys that.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Oh that's super interesting. I should try it for my cat.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Definitely let us know next time you come back, and
you must come back because I want to keep picking
your brain.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Thank you so much, Sarah, I'll be back.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
The veg News podcast hotline is open for business. Give
us a call at eight eight eight nine to one
Vegan with any questions you might have. This week's question
is from Erica in Seattle.
Speaker 10 (32:14):
Hey, Jasmine, I am actually wondering now that it's summer,
what kind of food should we be eating that make
us feel kind of lighter and healthier. So if you
could give me some meal tips, that would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Thank you well, Erica, thank you for this question. I
think a lot of people share it. Summer is basically
my time to shine because, as everyone may know by now,
I am not the best cook or even a person
who mildly enjoys cooking. So basically this season is a
terrific excuse for me to repurpose the oven as a
very chic storage unit. It's true, okay, but all joking aside.
(32:53):
I really do love a great chilled dish during the summer,
and it's pretty easy to whip up something light and
with fresh summer fruits and veggies. Think of a cucumber
salad that is made much more hearty and filling by
including some tomatoes and a mild flavor beans such as
navy or black beans. Or you can keep it light
(33:15):
and refreshing by adding watermelet and tofu. A nice chilled
couscous salad with tomato and olives and basil is a
really terrific option. Or even a cold quene was salad
is always a nice filling option as well, especially when
you throw in some chickpeas.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
Or lentils.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Pasta salad is always great, but to keep it light,
you can opt for lighter on the pasta and heavier
on the veggies. Another thing that can be your best
friend when it comes to preparing easy meals is a
high speed blender. Even I do this, you can quickly
create smoothies, bowls, soups, and even ice cream. Check out
vegnoos dot com for our brand new story on the
(33:55):
fifty must make vegan summer recipes you can whip up
in your vitamins. Yeah, we share the fifty best recipes
for easy summer cooking, and we really want to make
sure that you're all set up for success, so we
will link to it in the show notes. If you
are looking to fire up the girl this summer, or
maybe you're as lucky as I am to have a
partner that handles such daunting tasks him more, A perfect
(34:20):
healthy option is to grill up some veggies such as
eggplant or a zucchini, to include in a rap, along
with some hummus and fresh tomatoes and basil. You can
also marinate and grill up some tofu for either a
rap or even a burger. If you're looking for something
that feels more substantial but still isn't you know, super weighty,
and be sure to pick up our hot off the
(34:41):
press Summer Food issue, which is jam packed with amazing
plant based summer recipes. We're talking a Jamaican feast, mushroom calamari,
Thai coconut curry soup, ginger dumplings, lemon braised garliky chickpeas,
a rum soaked strawberry sunday. Oh my god, I'm getting
so hungry, and there's so much more too, So get
(35:04):
your copy on newsstands now or by subscribing at VegNews
dot com slash subscribe. It is such an incredible issue,
you guys. You seriously don't want to miss it anyway.
Thank you for calling in Erica, and don't forget to
call in and ask your vegan questions at eight eight
eight nine to one Vegan. That's eight eight eight nine
one v eg An.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
We can't wait to hear from you.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Let's check in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland to
hear the latest on all of the exciting things happening
at veg News.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
HQ.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Hi, Colleen, tell us what's going on this week at
veg News.
Speaker 11 (35:42):
Hey, Jasmine, hope you and all of our wonderful listeners
are having a great summer and had a great July
for holiday.
Speaker 6 (35:49):
So on July.
Speaker 11 (35:50):
First, it was veg News's twenty third birthday. I can't
believe it, twenty three years after July first, two thousand
when we launched the very first.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
Issue of veg News. So what are we going to do.
We're going to celebrate all month long.
Speaker 11 (36:05):
We're having a big subscription sale, a sale on VIP memberships,
a back issue sale, lots of fun giveaways with our
favorite products, and.
Speaker 6 (36:15):
So much more.
Speaker 11 (36:16):
You can check it all out at us dot com
slash Birthday. You'll also see it all over our website.
Speaker 6 (36:22):
And social media.
Speaker 11 (36:23):
Just as we just want to have a fun vegan
party all month long, celebrate our birthday, but also just
have a lot of fun with readers. So check it
out best news dot com slash Birthday and thanks for
listening to the veg News podcast.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Thank you so much for joining us for this week's
episode of the VegNews Podcast. Head over to VegNews dot
com slash podcasts for all the show notes, and be
sure to check out VegNews dot com each day for
the latest and plant based news, recipes, taste tests, guides,
and so much more. And don't forget to subscribe to
(37:06):
our award winning magazine to have the best of the
vegan lifestyle delivered straight to your doorstep. I want to
send a special thank you to straw Hut Media, Colleen Holland,
Eddie Garza, Sarah McLaughlin, Jocelyn Martinez, Vicky Beechler, and Lorie
Johnston for their work in the production of this podcast,
(37:27):
and a huge thank you to our wonderful podcast sponsor, Mudwater.
I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and I'll see you next week.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Bye for now.
Straw Hut Media, food news, celebrities, and more from the
world's number one plant based food and lifestyle magazine.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's the veg News Podcast and here's your host, Jasmine Singer.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the veg News podcast,
brought to you by the coffee free alternative mud Water.
I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and on this week's episode,
we will be joined by Joanne Lee Molinaro aka the
Korean Vegan I know. We will also be hearing from
our new products editor, Sarah McLaughlin, and we'll be answering
(00:45):
calls from the veg News Halline, and we'll also check
in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland. But first, here
are your headlines. Our first story today, your vegan burgers
just got a.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Whole lot It's easier.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
After a successful test launch in Cleveland last year, Vegan
Craft singles are rolling out nationwide. This marks the first
product born from the partnership between Craft and chilean company,
the Not Company. Now only one question remains Cheddar Provolone
or American Our second news story today. You may know
(01:22):
Halle Bailey from the musical duo Chloe and Halle or
maybe you've watched her grasing the big screen as Ariel,
where she stars alongside her side cakes Flounder and Sebastian.
Earlier this year, Hallie was asked a startling question, if
you had to eat Flounder or Sebastian, who would you eat?
I know, I was shocked to the vegan superstar responded,
(01:45):
I would not eat either of them.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
They're my friends.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Way to go, Hallie. Our third story. We've long heard
that carrots are good for the eyes, but did you
know they can also help prevent heart disease and it's
all thanks to their partines. A new study found that
individuals with a high amount of carotenes in their blood
are likely to have a lower degree of plaque build
up and lower thickening of the arteries, consequently reducing the
(02:12):
risk of cardiovascular disease. We'll be snagging on baby carrots
and hummus all summer long. Our fourth story. Today, artificial
intelligence is quickly transforming every aspect of human life, and
while the idea of a robot takeover might feel uneasy,
there are a number of companies using it for good.
(02:33):
One such company is Climax Foods, with the help of
AI technology. The company has uncovered a plant caseine that
mimics dairy in more ways than one.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
But what's so special.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
About this discovery caseine is the functional protein that gives
dairy cheese its signature stretch, melt and browning properties. Vegan
Cheese three point zero has officially arrived and our fifth
and final story Today, in the Carolinas, where meat centric
barbecue is the name of the game, there is one
(03:05):
vegan restaurant giving meat a run for its money. Based
in Durham, North Carolina. Pure Soul was named yelp's number
one restaurant vegan or otherwise across North and South Carolina.
Locals can't resist the eateries Soul Bowl, big Kale, Caesar salad,
hot honey, chicken sandwiches, shrimp po boys, and of course
(03:28):
mac and cheese. Time to book that summer vaca. And
that's a wrap for this week's stories. All of our
headlines of the week will be linked to in the
show notes at VegNews dot com slash podcast. Let's get
(03:48):
to our interview. Joanne Lee Molinaro is an attorney, blogger, author,
and marathon her but you probably know her as the
Korean Vegan Her blog by the same name is a
place to find plant based takes on traditional Korean dishes
and also hear more about her experiences as a Korean
American woman. We will hear from Joanne right after this.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
I'm so excited. I've been really looking forward to this.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
I'm a big fan and just I think the way
that you do your work is just truly extraordinary.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
So everyone at veg news is jealous of me.
Speaker 6 (04:29):
Oh that's so sweet. Thank you. I've been a fan
of vegeties for a very long time now.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
I know in a previous interview that you gave for
veg news dot com, you stated that your recipes aren't
fusion food, but are an interpretation of your combined cultures
presented through meals and stories. So I'd love to start there.
Do you think you could tell me a little bit
more about how your Korean and American cultures come together
(04:55):
in your recipes?
Speaker 7 (04:56):
Sure?
Speaker 6 (04:57):
So, I think that.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
There is this really understandable temptation to say that hey,
I'm you know, Korean American of Korean descent, and therefore
the way that I make you know a particular Korean dish,
for example, like milk wuk, which is you know, seaweed
soup very popular on someone's birthday. When I make that,
(05:22):
that's Korean food, right.
Speaker 6 (05:24):
I made kimchi fried rice a few months ago when
my sister in law, who was born and raised in
South Korea and recently immigrated to the United States. I
made kimchi fried rice for her and my brother, and
as I finished making it, I told her to try some,
and she tried it, and she said, this is very delicious,
but this is very Korean American style, and so already.
(05:49):
You know, that made me very aware of the fact
that when I say that my food is Korean, that
might be somewhat flattening for people who were born and
raised in Korea. They're going to taste my food and say, well,
actually it isn't. And you know, I'm not saying again
one way is better than the other. And I just
don't want to in any way flatten Korean food. And
(06:12):
I want to recognize that there is an inherent difference,
and that difference should be celebrated as opposed to dismissed.
I guess is sort of the idea. I think the
other notion of it is, of course, my way of
veganizing Korean food is probably very different from a way
that a Korean person born and raised in Korea might
(06:33):
veganize their food. There's such a long tradition of temple
cuisine in Korea, which I don't have access to here
in the United States. I didn't learn about temple cuisine
growing up. I don't know how Buddhists eat in Korea.
But recently when I went to Korea and I got
to spend time with my sister in law's mother, she
(06:55):
is very connected with the Korean Buddhist area, and therefore
she created these amazing dishes. My husband said it was
the best meal he's ever eaten in his life, and
that again speaks to just a very different vocabulary when
it comes to veganizing cuisine. I feel like almost she
does it in a very organic way, like this is
(07:16):
just the way that they eat, whereas for me, I
always have to I feel like I have to translate
the food first instead of just organically creating dishes. So
that also, I think speaks to just you know, I
don't have access to Korean ingredients necessarily, and I also
don't have access to their culinary vocabulary, and that creates
(07:37):
a sort of difference in the way that I make
the food. And then finally, just you know, I'm married
to an Italian American man. I also, you know, was
a working professional for much of my career, which meant
that I really did in cook a lot, and I
learned everything that I know from Rachel Ray. So there
is a heavy like Italian American bent to my cuisine
because that's how I learn how to cook, like youse,
(07:59):
eat oh oh for everything you know, deeply red wine
vinegar for everything you know, and like pasta and stuff
like that. So you'll see a lot of like pasta
dishes that use Korean flavors in my cookbook, and that
is very, very endemic to the way that I cook.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
I love that as someone who is of Italian American heritage,
I love to hear the way that that your husband's
influencing your food as well.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I know that you mentioned you're known for veganizing Korean
food and koreanizing everything else.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
You already talked a little bit about.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Your favorite ways of veganizing Korean food, or is there
anything else you want to add about, like some things
you love about veganizing Korean food.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
I think veganizing Korean food is just being creative with
you know, replacing the meat or asking yourself whether it
even needs to be replaced. Many times it does not.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
Right right totally? And what do you mean about uh,
koreanizing everything else? Can you give me an example?
Speaker 6 (09:03):
So I have this like compulsion to add Korean soy sauce,
Korean tindung or quota dum or quochukatu to like everything.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
That I may.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
So that's kind of what I mean. You know, of course,
I'm not saying that I'm actually taking non Korean food
and turning it Korean. It's more just adding Korean flavors
and the flavors that I grew up on into almost
everything that I cook.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
Oh, you're getting me hungry. I knew that would happen. Now.
Although you were hesitant to give veganism a try out
of fear that it would strip you of your connection
to your Korean culture, it seems to have helped you
further connect to your roots.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
How has it?
Speaker 5 (09:41):
How has veganism strengthened your cultural identity?
Speaker 6 (09:45):
Well, I mean, you never know what you had until
you lose it, or face the prospect of losing it,
And that is me. I took everything for granted. I
really took my identity for granted. I took my Koreans
for granted. I took my family for granted, all of
these things. I mean, and I'm not judging myself, I can,
(10:08):
but I know a lot of people fall into that trap.
We get so busy with life, you know, everything that's happening,
especially nowadays, it's easy to get like kind of stuck
in ourselves and take those things for granted. I certainly did.
It is very difficult to eat vegan as a Korean person,
(10:30):
and so I knew that going into it, and I
was like, well, that's just not acceptable to me, And
especially because I was partnered with a non Korean person,
it became even more threatening to me. I was like, oh,
so this white guy, Oh yeah, I'm gonna go vegan. Okay,
so easy for you, you know what I mean, That's
(10:51):
kind of how I felt. And I was like, and
now you're asking me to do it without having an
iota of understanding of what that means to me, you know,
and how much my food is a connection to my heritage, right,
And so that's why I was like, Okay, I got
to do something and Ultimately, it is easy to veganize
(11:12):
Korean food, right, but it is not easy to be
a vegan Korean, I guess is the way I would
describe it. I've been to Korea. It's not easy visgatens
both in New York and in la It is probably
the only time in my life where I am very
tempted to be.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
Like, oh, nobody will notice if I just eat regular.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
So what has been your experience talking with other Korean
Americans about giving up meat when it is considered such
a status symbol in Korean culture.
Speaker 6 (11:47):
It is very hard. It is very hard because I
feel like that initial like sort of like f you,
I'm not going vegan, like reluctance that I had when
my you know, white American husband asked me to join him.
(12:09):
I get that, you know too, at least I'm not,
you know, at least I'm Korean American. Like, so there
is that. But I think that many Korean Americans might
orige like initially think oh, she's just you know, she's
just a whitewashed Korean.
Speaker 8 (12:27):
I think there is a lot of people who might
think that about me and thus give me no credit whatsoever.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
And I'm pretty sure there are people like that, and
that's fine, Like whatever, I feel like I'm comfortable with
my koreanness now or I don't need to prove it
to other people. I think that there are others Korean
Americans in particular, who realize that, you know, either for
health reasons or for the environment, that perhaps switching out
(12:56):
their regular or hamburger or meat sauce on their pasta
with an alternative is you know, might be good, or
even their culinary vocabulary when it comes to other proteins
as in tofu or not do or tempe, these things
that we grew up eating. So it's not hard for
(13:17):
them to say, you know what, today we're gonna eat
tofu instead of you know, chicken, because that's normal, like
we eat it all the time, you know. But I
do think that to the extent that there is that
sort of like, well, if you're asking me to give
up carribe and humyupsa and you know, fish and shrimp,
are you asking me to give up my Korean ness?
(13:38):
There is that, and that's a much harder conversation to have,
and it's not one that's going to be had over
a cup of coffee, Like that's that's just not something
It needs to be a longer conversation.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
I'm glad you brought that up because I think that's
something a lot of people can identify with Black, Indigenous
and vegans of color off and face a similar fear
when deciding to become vegan. And they fear, like, you know,
losing the foods they grow up with, losing connection to
their culture and their roots. So what advice might you
have for bipoc considering veganism who are struggling with this fear.
Speaker 6 (14:16):
I think number one, validate the fear. It's a legitimate fear.
Like it is a legitimate fear. It's it's frustrating because
in so many ways, because food has.
Speaker 8 (14:32):
Historically been one of the weapons that have been used
to marginalize and exclude bipocs and you know, the indigenous communities,
you know, people of color, whatever you want to call it,
it is a tool that has been used.
Speaker 6 (14:49):
To exclude and now we're at a point, you know,
for the past two three decades in the culinary world
where we're saying we're we're taking ownership of our food,
something that you weaponize to exclude us, we are now
taking it back for our power, right so then now
shifting the conversation into third gear and saying, okay, so
(15:14):
now you're asking me to give up the thing that
I took back. You know, well, then how do I
maintain my power?
Speaker 8 (15:22):
Right?
Speaker 6 (15:22):
And by power, I'm not using that in like a
threatening way. I'm using that in like a self actualized way.
And so that is a legitimate fear, and it needs
to be understood. And you need to meet those people
where they are. Just Simply telling them no, just stop
eating meat is never going to be effective in that situation.
I think the other thing, once you have understood, legitimized,
(15:45):
validated their reluctance, their anxiety, their fear about giving up
these kinds of foods, is to show them well, first
of all, nobody's saying you have to do it one
hundred percent right now this second. Okay, Like say, whatever
your pace is towards what you think needs to happen,
whether it's for your health, whether it's for your ethics,
whether it's for the environment, the climate, or anything else,
(16:07):
it doesn't need to be those three things, right, whatever
it is that's already nudging you in that direction, do
it at the pace that is comfortable for you.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Right.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
And then finally, the other piece of advice is look
at people like me, look at people like Tabitha Brown,
look at people like you know, my friend Nishe. There
are so many, you know, people of color, you know,
bipops who have been able to strengthen their ties to
(16:38):
their heritage and culture, notwithstanding going beaming. In fact, because
they went plant based, you know, their decision to go
plant based gave them an opportunity to explore their culture
in a totally different and productive way.
Speaker 5 (16:57):
Yes, absolutely, I just have one more question for you.
Given the current shape of the world and the many
ways that your platform intersects with political and food advocacy,
where do you go from here?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
What's next?
Speaker 6 (17:12):
Oh? Well, that's a really good question. I think that
you know, like where I go from here is so
much a function of who I become right over the
next three five years. And you know, one of the
interesting things about this is, you know, and with your audience,
I'm very candid, Like I don't like if you hate
(17:33):
me for this mine, I don't care. I mean, I'm
because my boyfriend wanted to go vegan. I was like
it wasn't because like I had I like had this
overwhelming love of animals, or because I felt like powerfully
compelled by what was happening in animal ad to our planet,
or even for my health, Like those are all certainly
like kind of rumbling around in the background. But at
(17:54):
the end of the day, if my boyfriend hadn't been like,
you need to go vegan with me, then I probably
would not have. Like that's just the you know, that
is the butt for you know, proximate cause of my
decision to go vegan.
Speaker 8 (18:05):
Right.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
The interesting thing about it is I quickly turned into
a health based vegan, Like I was like, I'm doing
this for my health, right. I was, you know, a
long distance runner, and I mean that was very much
tied to you know, how I operated through my veganism.
And then you know, I opened my heart to the
fact that, wow, we need to be greener, Like we
(18:26):
could be greener. It's not just about eating plants, Like
there are other things Joanne that you should be like,
start cutting out the plastic, be mindful of how much
you're traveling and where. You know, these are things that
I started opening my heart to. And then of course
the animals, you know, like I couldn't sit there and
watch a video about what goes on to animals, you know,
when I want a fried chicken sandwich until I became vegan,
(18:50):
you know. And so it's so interesting how my one
decision that was so you know, in some ways trivially made,
has opened my heart to so many other kinds of
advocacy and self actualization that I am very grateful to
(19:11):
that decision. So it's hard for me to say, like
where I'm going to be in five years. My hope
is that, you know, all of these feelings that I
have about compassion, whether it's for animals, for the planet,
for ourselves, you know, as human bodies, will continue to
grow and thus direct me in the direction that I
need to be. But right now, it's really just about
broadening the reach and making sure that as many people
(19:35):
as possible are provided access to a vegan way of
eating and living.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
Thank you so much. I'm so inspired when people go
vegan for like whatever reason, whether it's their boyfriend or not,
and then it's sort of like unlocks this whole world,
like this whole world view, this whole way of relating
to the world, and then yourself. Thank you so much
for spending the time with us.
Speaker 6 (20:01):
Thank you so much, Jazmine.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Sea life not seafood. This is a popular saying among vegans,
but with the abundance of new plant based products, we
can now have our sea life and eat our seafood too.
Today we are welcoming back veg News is new product
editor Sarah McLachlan to do a deep dive into the
(20:31):
newest vegan seafood options out there. Nice to see you again, Sarah.
Speaker 7 (20:37):
Thanks Jasmin.
Speaker 9 (20:37):
It's great to be back and I'm excited to talk
about all the innovation and cool things happening in the
world of vegan seafood.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Yeah, just like a few times ago when you were on,
I know, we were talking about it a little bit
and I said, you know, it hasn't really been available
to vegans, and.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
Now it is. There's vegan seafood kind of popping up
left and right.
Speaker 4 (20:58):
Is this a trend you're seeing?
Speaker 9 (21:00):
Definitely. I Mean we all saw the trend of like
beefy burgers happening in like twenty eighteen or so, and
beyond meat and impossible foods and all of them, we
love them, but everyone was doing burgers and then we
kind of saw a chicken in the last two years
just pop up everywhere.
Speaker 7 (21:17):
So it's really.
Speaker 9 (21:17):
Exciting to now see this launch of like being in
salmon's and crab cakes and shrimp and tuna in all
of those things, because it offers now that option for
people who do really like seafood to have like a
cruelty free, plant based version of that that's not impacting
our oceans.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
So really exciting.
Speaker 5 (21:35):
Amazing, Yeah, super exciting, and we can leave the darling
fish alone and then we could go out for our
favorite little seafood meals while living our ethics and eating
our ethics.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
So what have you got for us today, Sarah?
Speaker 9 (21:49):
So, first we're going to talk about Ocean Hugger Foods
and they were the first one to pop up at
Whole Foods a few years ago with their tomato based
salmon that they were using in the sushi bar. And
then during twenty twenty, like many companies, they had to
pause production just due to financial things. But they're coming
back and they're going to be available in a lot
(22:10):
of food service like restaurants and things like that with
their tomato based salmon. And also they're making an egg
plant unagi, so they're doing like that version of it
with eggplant instead of tomato. But it's going to be
cool because now you'll be able to go to sushi
restaurants and things like that, and their products will be
offered as an option at the sushi restaurants, which will
(22:32):
be really exciting.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
That's super cool. You know, I've always wondered how much
more is possible with eggplant. It's something that I feel
like is ammaleable food. Maybe not as much as mushrooms,
but it's cool to see that something's going on there.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
All right, what else do you have for us?
Speaker 9 (22:48):
So next we have Current Foods and they're making tuna
and salmon, vegan tuna and salmon, and they are replicating
like the poke texture of those product and they're hoping
to be in different poke bars, like when you go
to Sweet Fin or Sugarfish or places like that that
are kind of like chain restaurants that do sushi and poke,
(23:12):
and they're now offering their products is like marinated versions
that are just ready to go and put on top
of a bowl or things like that. And they're using
like seaweed and ingredients that are from the ocean, but
like much kinder with a lower impact and obviously no animals.
Speaker 7 (23:28):
Are involved.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
You know, I know a lot of people who are vegan. Well,
I guess you would say they're pescatarian.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
I was going to say vegan except for fish, but
obviously the word for that is pescatarian.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
And I think now maybe we'll start.
Speaker 5 (23:41):
To see a shift away from that, especially as products
like the one you just mentioned start popping up in
places that they go.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 9 (23:49):
I think if you present people with an option that's easy,
it's just like an exchange of like ordering something different
on the menu, it makes it seem like really simple change.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
And obviously supply is driven by demand, So when you
see the vegan item, order it.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
So what is next on your list?
Speaker 7 (24:06):
Next? We have Good Catch.
Speaker 9 (24:08):
They are also one of those vegan companies that people
really know and love and one of the first to
kind of get into the seafood space. But they have
lines of packaged vegan tuna that's just like ready to
make and mix with like vegan male and other ingredients
to make a tuna salad. They have crab list cakes
and they're available at hundreds of locations around the US,
(24:30):
at Whole Foods and Gelson's. Even Veggie Girl has used
some of their products and menu items and Wegmans and
stores like that. So it's cool because it's a very
commercially available product. And they're even talking about launching vegan
clam chowder, which is a rare, like hard to find product.
I don't know anyone that is not a restaurant that's
(24:52):
currently making a vegan clam chowder, So that would be
really cool to see.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Definitely, I kind of want to have like a seafood party,
but make it all vegan and invite all those pescatarians,
those pesky pescatarians and see what they think.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
Okay, amazing, What else is on your list today?
Speaker 9 (25:08):
Next we have New Wave Foods shrimp, And when talking
about replicating animal products, it's the texture of shrimp often
stumps many chefs and innovators. It's like a very particular
texture versus other fish products, and New Wave Foods is
actually using algae as the base to create their vegan shrimp.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
It's was the first of its.
Speaker 9 (25:30):
Kind when it came out, and it mimics that like
chew that shrimp has when it's cooked perfectly, which is
kind of like a weird thing to talk about as vegans,
But we want to make like the best equivalent to
the products you can because then people will be excited
to try it. And they just recently closed an eighteen
million dollar finance rounds, so there they have a lot
(25:54):
of funding now to hopefully make a big splash in
the food world.
Speaker 5 (25:57):
And I saw what you did there with the splash. Yeah, funny,
well done.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Did you say eighteen million dollars?
Speaker 7 (26:05):
Yeah, eighteen million dollars.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Oh my god, which is cool to see.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
It shows that investors really recognize the potential in plant
based foods and even really plot seafood.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
So I cannot believe we're not at the end of
the list yet, Like, what planet are we living out
right now?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
I'm so excited. What else do you have?
Speaker 9 (26:25):
So next, we have Conscious Foods, which we talked about
in an earlier segment. But they're making thun Eat vegan
sushi on a gary pokey sashimi and a lot of
product other products like that. And they're making their vegan
seafood from Konjak, which is a seaweed based product.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
But it's really cool.
Speaker 9 (26:43):
I mean they even pitched it to us as like
you could put your frozen sushi in your bag and
go for a hike and it would all while you're hiking,
and then you would eat the sushi, which sounds odd,
but it does. It actually tastes so good, so it's
kind of cool. Then it's like a little thing you
can carry along with you and it just and then
it's ready to eat.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
Okay, someone in their marketing department is genius. Like someone
in their marketing department did that and was like, oh
my god, I've got it, and now that's what I
want to do. I have all of these hikes planned
for the summer, and I want to have my frozen
vegan sushi with me that is not frozen by the
time I stopped to take in that view have fun.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
Yeah, okay, what else do you have on the list, Sarah?
Speaker 9 (27:22):
So next we have plant based foods cave Art, So
they're making vegan caviar, which is like obviously a luxury product,
and they make their little salty unami pearls from seaweed, water, salt,
spice extracts and stabilizers that give it that, like fish
a texture that people seem to really like. I never
really got the caviar thing, but it's cool because, like
(27:46):
fish eggs are rare fined in stores and you can
actually buy this vegan caviar at Vegan Essentials, which if
people don't know what vegan Essentials is, it's like an
amazing online grocery store that has a bunch of hard
to find vegan products. You can just order them from
their website and they'll ship them to you anywhere in
the country. And so if you're really craving vegan caviar
(28:07):
I want to feel fancy at a party or something
like that, it's an option, something to buy and put
on cockers.
Speaker 5 (28:14):
That is so true that I've also been so confused
by the idea that someone once thought I want to
eat some fish eggs, like then they ate it and
then they made it a delicacy, like what But the
fact that plant based foods is creating literal art out
of it, cavy art, which is such a genius name.
(28:35):
Oh my gosh, I'm glad you also gave a shout
out to Vegan Essentials.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
Little known fact.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
If you don't know what to get someone for a present,
get them a gift card to Vegan Essentials, because everyone
loves that.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
All right, one more item, what is it?
Speaker 7 (28:50):
So last?
Speaker 9 (28:51):
We have vegan z Star which is making realistic slabs
of tuna and salmon sashimi really cool. It made a
big slash on social media. It's like one of the
first things where you could see, like visually looks very
similar to sushimi, and the textures and flavors of it
(29:11):
make a great addition to like sushi rolls and things
like that. But they're also launching shrimp and crispy lemon
and crispy chili flavors, so again getting in on that
vegan shrimp train, and they have plans to launch calamari
and cod and things like that, so hopefully expanding into
a whole line of vegan seafoods. And yeah, they're they're
(29:32):
cool company.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
So that is super interesting to me, the fact that
there are like realistic slabs of tuna and salmon, because
a lot of times when we get the vegan version
of something, it sort of looks, i don't know, for
lack of a better word, I'm going to say, sometimes
it looks vegan. But then every now and then something
that is a little too realistic pops by and you're
like asking three times if it's vegan, and it sounds
(29:56):
like this is one of those things.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
And obviously that's what I.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Want for everyone else, for everyone else who consumes animals
and see animals to be able to have access to
the tuna and salmon that they want, but make it,
you know, ethical and.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Not based in animal cruelty. So that's exciting.
Speaker 7 (30:12):
Yeah, it's really great.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
So before you go, I might throw you with this question,
so I apologize in advance if I do. But some
of these foods are unique. They're different.
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Have you had anything that you did not think you would.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
Like, whether it was like see you know, see vegan animals.
You know what I'm trying to say, see life but
the vegan version.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Or anything else.
Speaker 5 (30:40):
As your role as the new Products editor, what has
surprised you and then become part of your regular eating routine.
Speaker 9 (30:48):
I was really surprised by Conscious Foods San Eat Vegan
sushi line. I mean I was kind of like the
idea of frozen sushi kind of screw me at first.
But when I tried them at a natural Foods convention,
I went to where they are sampling them. I just
kept going back for sample of the sushi rolls and
things like that. They're not quite out yet, so it
(31:08):
hasn't become like a regular part of my routine. But
I feel like when they do, and when they're at
Whole Foods and things like that, I'll definitely be buying
all the sushi rolls and on garie and all of that.
And I'm always a big fan of the classic good
old Guardian Crispy Fishless Blaze.
Speaker 7 (31:25):
They make really good vegan fish sandwiches.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
So something that my cat Stella wants to add to
this conversation is that we got this like seaweed extract
that's liquid and we drop it on her food. It
just adds this fishiness, but it is not animal derived.
Speaker 4 (31:43):
She really enjoys that.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Oh that's super interesting. I should try it for my cat.
Speaker 5 (31:47):
Definitely let us know next time you come back, and
you must come back because I want to keep picking
your brain.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Thank you so much, Sarah, I'll be back.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
The veg News podcast hotline is open for business. Give
us a call at eight eight eight nine to one
Vegan with any questions you might have. This week's question
is from Erica in Seattle.
Speaker 10 (32:14):
Hey, Jasmine, I am actually wondering now that it's summer,
what kind of food should we be eating that make
us feel kind of lighter and healthier. So if you
could give me some meal tips, that would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
Thank you well, Erica, thank you for this question. I
think a lot of people share it. Summer is basically
my time to shine because, as everyone may know by now,
I am not the best cook or even a person
who mildly enjoys cooking. So basically this season is a
terrific excuse for me to repurpose the oven as a
very chic storage unit. It's true, okay, but all joking aside.
(32:53):
I really do love a great chilled dish during the summer,
and it's pretty easy to whip up something light and
with fresh summer fruits and veggies. Think of a cucumber
salad that is made much more hearty and filling by
including some tomatoes and a mild flavor beans such as
navy or black beans. Or you can keep it light
(33:15):
and refreshing by adding watermelet and tofu. A nice chilled
couscous salad with tomato and olives and basil is a
really terrific option. Or even a cold quene was salad
is always a nice filling option as well, especially when
you throw in some chickpeas.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
Or lentils.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Pasta salad is always great, but to keep it light,
you can opt for lighter on the pasta and heavier
on the veggies. Another thing that can be your best
friend when it comes to preparing easy meals is a
high speed blender. Even I do this, you can quickly
create smoothies, bowls, soups, and even ice cream. Check out
vegnoos dot com for our brand new story on the
(33:55):
fifty must make vegan summer recipes you can whip up
in your vitamins. Yeah, we share the fifty best recipes
for easy summer cooking, and we really want to make
sure that you're all set up for success, so we
will link to it in the show notes. If you
are looking to fire up the girl this summer, or
maybe you're as lucky as I am to have a
partner that handles such daunting tasks him more, A perfect
(34:20):
healthy option is to grill up some veggies such as
eggplant or a zucchini, to include in a rap, along
with some hummus and fresh tomatoes and basil. You can
also marinate and grill up some tofu for either a
rap or even a burger. If you're looking for something
that feels more substantial but still isn't you know, super weighty,
and be sure to pick up our hot off the
(34:41):
press Summer Food issue, which is jam packed with amazing
plant based summer recipes. We're talking a Jamaican feast, mushroom calamari,
Thai coconut curry soup, ginger dumplings, lemon braised garliky chickpeas,
a rum soaked strawberry sunday. Oh my god, I'm getting
so hungry, and there's so much more too, So get
(35:04):
your copy on newsstands now or by subscribing at VegNews
dot com slash subscribe. It is such an incredible issue,
you guys. You seriously don't want to miss it anyway.
Thank you for calling in Erica, and don't forget to
call in and ask your vegan questions at eight eight
eight nine to one Vegan. That's eight eight eight nine
one v eg An.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
We can't wait to hear from you.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Let's check in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland to
hear the latest on all of the exciting things happening
at veg News.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
HQ.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
Hi, Colleen, tell us what's going on this week at
veg News.
Speaker 11 (35:42):
Hey, Jasmine, hope you and all of our wonderful listeners
are having a great summer and had a great July
for holiday.
Speaker 6 (35:49):
So on July.
Speaker 11 (35:50):
First, it was veg News's twenty third birthday. I can't
believe it, twenty three years after July first, two thousand
when we launched the very first.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
Issue of veg News. So what are we going to do.
We're going to celebrate all month long.
Speaker 11 (36:05):
We're having a big subscription sale, a sale on VIP memberships,
a back issue sale, lots of fun giveaways with our
favorite products, and.
Speaker 6 (36:15):
So much more.
Speaker 11 (36:16):
You can check it all out at us dot com
slash Birthday. You'll also see it all over our website.
Speaker 6 (36:22):
And social media.
Speaker 11 (36:23):
Just as we just want to have a fun vegan
party all month long, celebrate our birthday, but also just
have a lot of fun with readers. So check it
out best news dot com slash Birthday and thanks for
listening to the veg News podcast.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Thank you so much for joining us for this week's
episode of the VegNews Podcast. Head over to VegNews dot
com slash podcasts for all the show notes, and be
sure to check out VegNews dot com each day for
the latest and plant based news, recipes, taste tests, guides,
and so much more. And don't forget to subscribe to
(37:06):
our award winning magazine to have the best of the
vegan lifestyle delivered straight to your doorstep. I want to
send a special thank you to straw Hut Media, Colleen Holland,
Eddie Garza, Sarah McLaughlin, Jocelyn Martinez, Vicky Beechler, and Lorie
Johnston for their work in the production of this podcast,
(37:27):
and a huge thank you to our wonderful podcast sponsor, Mudwater.
I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and I'll see you next week.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Bye for now.
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com