Introducing Tracy On, RD to the Zengarry Kitchen as our October Zen Chef of the Month! Through this monthly series, we look forward to celebrating chefs, foodies and nutrition influencers in the vegan food space.
As a vegan registered dietitian and blogger (Tracy's Nutrition Tips), Tracy has been a great inspiration to us since joining our Zenbassador program. She is best known for her decadent plant-based recipes, and lifestyle Reels that showcase just how easy sustainable cooking and living can be!
Here are 5 burning questions that we recently asked her:
1. What inspires you most when cooking?
When I’m cooking, I like to think back to some of my favourite meals that I’ve ever had when travelling and eating at my favourite restaurants. I think about flavour and ingredient combinations that were unique and surprising, and try to replicate that in my own cooking.
2. What is your number one piece of advice for someone seeking to practice a more plant-forward style of eating?
Start slow and don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect. Like anything in life, doing a complete 180-degree change in your diet is going to seem very daunting, difficult, and probably unsustainable.
Rather, try to incorporate 1 meal a day or week that is plant-based. Start experimenting with different plant-based dishes to find your favourites, and add that to your list of go-to recipes.
3. You share so many drool-worthy vegan recipes on your blog. Which one is your family’s favourite?
It would probably have to be my pierogi pizza recipe. I love making pizza from scratch at home and this pizza is inspired by one that I love to order from a cafe in Hamilton, Ontario. The combination of cheddar style cheese, dill, onion, and smoky coconut bacon is so flavourful and dreamy, my mouth is watering just thinking about it right now!
4. If you could cook and enjoy a meal with anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
It would probably have to be Claire Saffitz. I absolutely love watching the beautiful baking and culinary creations on her YouTube channel, and think that I could learn so much from her by sharing a kitchen and a meal with her. She is also hilarious and so charismatic.
5. What can we look forward to from @tracysnutritiontips?
So much! Now that I’ve started a full-time job as a registered dietitian, my content is transitioning to more casual, vlog-style videos, with a mix of drool-worthy recipes. With the holidays around the corner I’m definitely dreaming up some yummy dishes and desserts, so you don’t want to miss it!
6. What is your favourite vegan restaurant and/or dish?
My favourite vegan dish is from this restaurant called Very Fresh Noodles in the Chelsea Market in NYC. They have fresh, hand-pulled noodles and offer a vegan dish with mock duck meat, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms, and the most flavourful broth. I dream about it very often.
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