Quick & Easy Low Cal Vegan Comfort Food

Last summer I started working on photographs for Alicia Simpson‘s new cookbook in her Vegan Comfort Food Series, fufilling a dream so outrageous to me that it always made me sigh when I saw it on my bucket list. Can you believe that? It’s a prime example of shooting yourself down before you’ve even had the chance to try.

Doing the photos for Quick & Easy Low Cal Vegan Comfort Food was an amazing experience for me. Alicia was more than I’d hoped for – professional, kind, and enthusastic. I couldn’t have hidden my enthusiasm about the recipes or the cookbook photos even if I’d tried. (But I didn’t.) I really hope that I can work with her again- I feel like I learned so much- by the end of the cookbook I was thinking of tweaks I could have made or things I could have done differently. Several years ago when I was acting, it wasn’t uncommon for me to finish a role and think about it months later about how I could have improved it or what I would have done differently. I found myself doing the same for the cookbook- and not in a negative way either, just that I learned so much and now I know what I want to do for next time. I’ve gone from shooting myself down to hopeful for the future, which is how we all should be about our dreams for the future. The whole experience has made me re-evaluate how I approach and feel about dreams.

I’m trying not to ramble too long about this, but I do want to say these recipes were so delicious, and I’m not just saying that. I haven’t stopped thinking about the ceasar salad- which tasted so much like the non-vegan version that I was almost in disbelief. There are so many favorites from this cookbook that I honestly couldn’t pick just one- and I can’t wait to try the recipes I didn’t get to photograph. I was trying to wait until the book was available in Canada to share this post- just so I could make my family go buy it- but I can’t wait any longer. It’s out, I put it on my bookshelf last night and barely stayed composed, and I just want to share this moment with you all. (PS: Alicia’s blueberry lemon cake or personal strawberry shortcakes are to die for.)

On the left is my “happy blogable face” – and on the right is an instagram photo of me right after I opened my mail. I like the one on the right better.