Last weekend I went to Athens, OH for a "Herbivore in the Hills" event.
*If you'd to purchase one of these shirts (the proceeds help support a program that brings the plant-based diet to the local Athens community), please email athenschip(at)gmail(dot)com).
I had a blast! Athens was beautiful, everyone was awesome, and I met so many Herbies!!
*Buckeyes! Now I get what they mean by the "Buckeye state," though I have to say, the chocolate version looked a lot more appetizing ;)
My favorite part: Watching a bunch of Herbies that had been social on Facebook meet in person. That's always so cool to see and be a part of. I also met three long-time HH fans and friends I "met" via Twitter : @the_book_addict , @rugratchow , and @stephiefaith ! (Stephanie also brought me a fancy chef's knife to use in my demo since I couldn't fly with my own! xoxoxo! And extra hugs to her hubby, who took most of the pics in this post! Also a special thanks to the poor OU student I stared at until he agreed to take photos with my iPhone).
It was also a real treat to meet Pragati , who tested for my new cookbook, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean and she was also a Herbie of the Week ( Read Pragati's story ). Actually, I got to meet TWO Herbies of the Week! Love!
Herbies in the house! After a 2-hour dinner and 2-hour book signing, I learned there is a downside to my job: My cheeks hurt so bad from all that smiling :P
On Saturday night, I taught how to make a few recipes and the guests got to eat 'em! It was a Happy Herbivore 5-course dinner!
When I first saw the room, I said, "I feel like I'm getting married!" <3
Here's the menu! P.S.: Athens is committed to "no waste" and the entire event was "no waste!" Everything could be recycled or composted. I was very impressed by their green commitment!
Here I am on stage doing my thing with chickpeas.
Backstage: How cool is this? All those slow cookers and pressure cookers keepin' all the food warm for 100+ guests! Who needs a professional kitchen!
Dinner started with a Fall Salad & Maple Dressing from my upcoming book, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean with Apple Biscuits . Next was Pumpkin Chili (from the Reboot & Cleanse ) and Harvest Cornbread from EHH .
The main course was Corn Pudding from HHC with Moroccan Vegetables from HHA , and a Chickpea Patty from my upcoming book topped a lemon-dill dressing I created on the fly. Basically, it's the potato salad from HHC without the potatoes ;)
Finally, Apple Fritters from EHH for dessert!
Then on Sunday, I gave a lecture ("How to Live Plant-Based in a Non-Plant-Based World") with a Q&A .
(I based a good bit of Tuesday's blog post based on that lecture: How I Stay Plant-Proud: Emotionally, Spiritually, Socially, Physically & Mentally )
I think this picture really captures my in-person likeness. Big smile, mouth open, tongue out. and laughing.
Thanks a million to all the sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible! They are the real stars! I'm just the dancing monkey :)
This was easily one of my best and most memorable trips!