Plant-based eating
Why plant-based eating?
There are so many good reasons to consider going plant-based, or at least to bring more plant-based foods into your diet. With positive health benefits, better land use, preservation of ecosystems and much lower emissions contributing to climate change, plant-based eating truly is planet-based eating. By moving away from meat-heavy and dairy-heavy diets and going more plant-based, you can help 'take a bite out of climate change', reducing land degradation and land needed to produce food, allowing natural ecosystems to heal and helping to build more resilient food systems in the face of a changing climate.
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On this page we hope you'll find some good inspirations, recipes and resources to help get you started on your own plant-based culinary journey. We also invite you to watch the two videos below, each exploring the benefits and joys of plant-based cooking and eating - while tempting your taste buds with some delightful recipes.
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Let's go plant-based!
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'Cooking for Climate' Videos
You can also view these two videos on the CKCKW YouTube channel here.
Making Pav Bhaji (Cooking for Climate, video 1 of 2)
Cooking for Climate Video 1 - Making Pav Bhaji!
The first of two videos exploring the joys of plant-based cooking and its links both to health and climate action, this introductory video shares some key points to think about and the steps to follow to make 'pav bhaji' (pronounced "pow bhaaji"), a delicious plant-based dish from northern India. You can download the recipe here
Potato Coconut Curry (Cooking for Climate, video 2 of 2)
Cooking for Climate Video 2 - Potato Coconut Curry
Exploring the joys of plant-based cooking and its links both to health and climate action, this video introduces a Kitchener-based volunteer group called 'Food Not Bombs', whose members walk us through cooking two delicious recipes. The main recipe featured is a plant-based Potato Coconut Curry (download here), as well as a Plant-Based Pasta (download here). Together, these give us some inspiring and delicious reasons to go plant-based!
Conversation Guide
We want the above videos to inspire your own journey towards more plant-based eating, and to serve as a prompt for further conversation and action. To help support this journey, our team put together a downloadable discussion guide that can be used to support and stimulate group discussions on plant-based eating, building from these two videos. Please find a link to download this guide below, and reach out if you'd like support for your group in hosting a community conversation on plant-based eating. Email: ckcoopkw@gmail.com
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Download the CKCKW Community Discussion Guide for Plant-Based Eating here.
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A further useful resource on how to talk with people about plant-based eating, produced by One Meal a Day for the Planet, can be found here.
Community plant-based recipes
Find below a few starting plant-based recipes shared by our community, recognizing that there are thousands more out there for those who are curious and would like to explore (see links in resources list below for many more). This starting list includes the recipes featured in the two videos above, and select recipes contributed by CKCKW members and the broader community. If you have some delicious plant-based recipes of your own you'd like to share, you can reach out using the form below or email us at: ckcoopkw@gmail.com. We hope you enjoy!
Downloadable community recipes
More recipes and resources!
Whether you're just getting started or continuing your journey in plant-based foods, there's many different resources out there to help. Here's some good places to start, recognizing that this list is incomplete and there's a lot more out there if you look for it! All of these include even more delicious plant-based recipes, and tips and inspiration to get started :)
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Challenge 22 (a supportive resource to try going plant-based for 22 days)
Eating Well - Plant-Based Recipes for Beginners
Food System Roundtable Waterloo Region
Forks Over Knives (what started as a documentary became a great place to explore plant-based recipes, techniques, and more!)
Happy Cow (a tool for finding plant-based restaurants and options near you)
Meal Planner with Elavegan (handy meal planner app)
Minimalist Baker - Plant-Based Dinner Recipes
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (includes nutrition advice, and great plant-based recipes)
Plant-Based Cooking Show (focus on easy whole-foods, plant-based diets)
Rainbow Plant Life (tips and recipes for plant-based cooking at home)
The No Meat Athlete (plant-based diets and strategies for athletes and getting fit)
Veganuary (supports and recipes for going plant-based)
Well Your World (fun video tutorials on making tasty plant-based foods)
Share your own recipes
If you have favorite plant-based recipes that you'd like to share, please send us a message with the reasons you like the recipe, it's basic steps, and what it means to you. If we like what we hear and the recipe seems like a good, unique addition to the site (not already covered in some form), we'll reach out for more information and some photos to use. If you prefer, you can also send us a message directly by email to: ckcoopkw@gmail.com. Thank you!