I had the pleasure of interviewing the Happy Herbivore, Lindsay Nixon earlier this year. So I was psyched when I saw she was doing another book tour to promote her new cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore! I asked Linsday five questions about her favorite recipes, cookbooks, and advice for a new vegan. Check it out below!
1) I’m SO EXCITED for Everyday Happy Herbivore, I’ve been cooking through the first cookbook religiously. What is your favorite recipe from the new cookbook?
Asking a chef to pick their favorite recipe is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child 🙂
2) What’s your go-to recipe when you’ve had a long day and want a quick and easy dinner on the table?
Our “Defaults are either the 6-ingredient black bean burgers (in Everyday) or Tofu Scramble (also in Everyday). I particularly like the Scramble because I can throw in whatever we have in the fridge — leftover veggies, beans, etc.
3) My husband and I recently “came out” to our families about our switch to vegan eating. Do you have any advice for how we can educate the family about veganism so it doesn’t seem so scary to them?
I believe in leading by example and answering questions without getting mad or offended or frustrated — a cool head is important. If you can get them to watch Forks Over Knives, that would be a big help too! It’s also important to think about your audience and cater the message to them. For example, my mom lost her mom to cancer, so I always talk about food and it’s relationship to cancer because I know she won’t tune that out, like she’d tune out if I rambled on about how pigs are smarter than dogs and she shouldn’t eat them.
4) You’ve featured your own parents on the blog and mention some of their favorite recipes. Do you have any holiday recipe suggestions that are most “omnivore-friendly”?
My advice is to always go for something that is inherently vegetarian or vegan — pasta casserole, nice grain salad, vegetable dish or soup, rather than mock meats and fake cheeses. It’s also important to think about your guests and pick foods you know they’d like. For example, I know my parents love cornbread, so I always serve that. I also know that my dad doesn’t do raisins, and my mom is scared of tofu, so I keep these quirks in mind when planning our menu.
5) Do you have any favorite cookbooks (other than your own)? Or any cookbooks you can recommend to a new vegan cook?
I do own other cookbooks, and I’m friends with a few cookbook authors, but I tend to stick to my own recipes. The problem with other cookbooks is I have to heavily adapt the recipes. We don’t use oil, or added fats, or white flour, and my sister is allergic to the pepper family, so it’s often time consuming for me to figure out substitutes or how to change cooking methods, etc… and often it doesn’t go right with all my changes and then I’m just frustrated. I do like 30-Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld a lot, though — and Vegan Celebrations by Alicia Simpson is handy during the holidays. I also know Mark & Alicia — they’re amazing and so talented.
Lindsay also graciously shared a recipe with us for her Quick Burgers. I’m all about anything that’s quick and easy, that I can slap together at the end of the day!
Quick Burgers | makes 4I developed these burgers in a hotel room: they’re quick, easy and require very few ingredients. (In fact, except for the beans and a seasoning packet, I sourced all the ingredients from the complimentary “breakfast bar”). I make these burgers any time I need a super fast meal or I’m really low on ingredients.
15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder (granulated)
1 tsp garlic powder (granulated)
1/3 c instant oats
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mash black beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half beans and bean parts are left. Stir in condiments and spices until well combined. Then mix in oats. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties with your hands. Bake for 7 minutes, carefully flip over and bake for another 7 minutes, or until crusty on the outside. Slap into a bun with extra condiments and eat!
Chef’s note: If you only have rolled oats, chop them up in a food processor or blender so they are smaller and more like instant oats. Rolled oats left whole tend to make the burgers fall apart.
Per Burger: 109 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 17.6g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 2.2g Sugars, 5g Protein
Thanks Lindsay! I can’t wait to try Everyday Happy Herbivore!!
Former Fish Taco Fanatic 
These look amazing 🙂
thanks for having me!