Ep. 73: Dreena Burton, OG vegan cookbook author - Dreena’s Kind Kitchen

Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series

“Sometimes we forget and fall into our routines. And food is totally a habit. Food is a learned habit. Our diet is very much a learned skill that we build over time and we grow with. We change, and we may start cooking with new ingredients. Or maybe we have a food allergy that comes up from time to time, and then we have to start using different foods because we are consuming one thing for a long time and our body's resisting it.

There's a saying that if you find one recipe in a cookbook that you use and love, then it has been worth the purchase. Because that can be something you return to weekly. Or [maybe it’s because] you found one thing that inspired you to cook something in a new way.”

👋🏽 Welcome, Dreena! 02:00

😎 Being vegan before it was cool--it wasn't a welcoming place to be. 03:15

🍽️ Her first cookbook was released in 2001, and a second one in 2004. 04:29

🧄 "Eat, Drink and Be Vegan" cookbook: all the different cuisines and flavor variations in veganism. 06:31

🥑 Dreena almost stopped writing but then she released "Let Them Eat Vegan" and "Plant-Powered Families" 07:12

🤔 The challenges of using a business approach when you are a creative person. 09:29

✌️ Finding the balance between a vegan life track and a vegan professional track, and what that means for building a vegan economy. 12:01

😇 Dreena has helped many families by introducing veganism and children's dishes. 13:27

👩‍🍳 Dreena’s Kind Kitchen cookbook is released in August: practical easily accessible recipes, FAQ section, nut-free recipes.16:31

💃 Eating healthfully can become part of our lives: batching, prepping, and Dreena's tips to help with everyday life are great.19:22

🍲 It’s important to shape solutions that are manageable for the everyday vegan lifestyle: not all people enjoy cooking. 21:03

🙃 The period of going from the old to new creates challenges for most people transitioning to veganism. 22:32

💎 "The only constant in life is change. We're always changing." 23:46

🤗 Cookbooks help us reconnect and look at food differently. 26:32

🥗 Food is a habit: Our family members remind us of the food traditions we have created. 27:27

❄️ Tips: freezing hummus, pasta sauce, or soups and remaking them with new flavors. 29:27

🥣 The best, most delicious meals in a bowl. 30:58

🖥️ Contact Dreena through her site. 32:25

💚 A lot of women struggle with worthiness: you really do have worthwhile gifts to share! 33:43

🤩 Seeing ourselves outside of ourselves is a great perspective for growth. 34:53

🥒Cucumbers for a snack will go great with hummus! 36:16

Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live streaming session so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired, but wondering how to take some actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo or Fix It.