We ask our Facebook fans their most burning questions ...
Question: I live in a rural community without access to a Whole Foods or health food market, which makes following vegan cookbooks very difficult. What’s a girl to do? Help!
- Julie Hildebrand
Answer: Oh, Julie. If I had a quarter for every time this question popped up, I wouldn’t have so many damn parking tickets.
It’s a travesty that we don’t have more natural health food stores in smaller cities and rural areas. It’s not like city slickers are the only ones that enjoy putting good stuff into their bodies. But until someone makes me God and grants me the power to replace every Starbuck’s with a Mother’s Market, we need to get creative.
Here are some tips to discovering hard-to-find ingredients so you can bring your healthy vegan recipes to life:
Explore your local grocery store. You would be surprised how many healthy and/or vegan foods have made their way to your local grocer. Look near the produce section and you can usually find meat and cheese alternatives. Nowadays there are even health food sections in grocery stores—though they are usually small, you can often find what you’re looking for.
Shop online. Buy your perishables at your local grocer, and look to the Internet for everything else. Some of my favorites are veganstore.com, veganessentials.com, cosmosveganshoppe.com, bobsredmill.com, arrowheadmills.com, edenfoods.com and edwardandsons.com.
Seek out a local farmers market. Dig around in the community listings to see if there is a weekly farmers market in your area. Even if it’s 45 minutes away, make it a day trip! Farmers markets are surfacing in the most inconspicuous of places due to the rise of the health food movement. You can get pesticide-free produce, herbs, spices, jellies, and florals, while connecting with local farmers to understand where your food comes from. Also, farmers market finds are often cheaper than what you will find in the grocery store.
Visit localharvest.org to find a farmers market in your area. Eatwellguide.org also gives great information on farmers markets, co-ops and restaurants.
Did you hit the jackpot when it came to finding uncommon ingredients and/or vegan foods? Share with our community by commenting below and you could win a signed copy of Kim's Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook!
Kim Barnouin
After five years atop the Skinny Bitchphenomenon, author Kim Barnouin has grown as a cook, a nutritionist and a momma. Now she delivers the “Ultimate” cookbook for everyone looking for a healthier way to feed themselves, their families and friends.
