Farm to Vegan with Gene Baur

“This book is a how-to,” says Gene Baur, right, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, a haven for rescued farm animals in upstate New York and California, and author of Living the Farm Sanctuary Life (Rodale; 2015) with Gene Stone. “It assumes people recognize there’s a problem with our food system and want to do better than supporting a system that’s destroying the planet.”
Baur, an outspoken advocate for the plant-based diet, became a vegetarian in high school when his grandmother explained how veal calves are raised. In the 1980s, he hitchhiked around the U.S., became involved with Greenpeace and recognized “it was possible to live well without causing harm.” Baur started selling veggie hot dogs at Grateful Dead concerts in 1986 to finance the launch of Farm Sanctuary, and has been a vegan advocate for animal rights “in alignment with compassionate values” ever since.
“We’re bombarded with messages that meat gives you strength and you need cow’s milk for calcium,” he says. “In the U.S., we drink a lot of cow’s milk and still see a lot of osteoporosis. We need to debunk those beliefs, and the belief that animals are here to be eaten,” says Baur, “which cause us to act in an unhealthy, inhumane and dehumanizing manner.”
His new book features lifestyle tips and delicious vegan recipes like Alicia Silverstone’s Coffee-Infused Brownies, Chef AJ’s Berrylicious Fruit Tart, Matteo Silverman’s Sprouted Buckwheat Tabbouleh and more. Eating animal products, according to Baur, is destroying the planet and harming our bodies, and it is not necessary. “If we can live well without causing unnecessary harm, why wouldn’t we?” farmsanctuary.org 
 
Berrylicious Fruit Tart

Chef AJ, chef and author of Unprocessed
Says Chef AJ: “I made this in an Iron Chef competition where I had three surprise ingredients and only 20 minutes, and won! If persimmons are out of season, use 1 pound of strawberries. If they aren’t sweet enough, add a few dates to sweeten.”
MAKES ONE 10-INCH TART
Crust
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + 2 tablespoons for garnish
1 cup raw walnuts
12 ounces pitted dates + more if needed (about 1-½ cups)
2 tablespoons lime juice
Grated peel of 2 limes
Sauce
8 ounces hulled strawberries
8 ounces Fuyu persimmons (about 2 persimmons or ½ cup)
¼ cup chia seeds
Filling
2 pounds fresh mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), about 4-5 cups
To make the crust: Combine the oats, 1 cup coconut and nuts in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Process into a flour. Add the dates until the mixture clumps and you can form a ball, adding more dates, if necessary. Add the lime juice and peel. If the mixture becomes too wet, knead in a few more oats and more coconut by hand.
To make the sauce: Combine the strawberries and persimmons in the food processor and puree. Add the chia seeds and blend again.
To make the filling: Place the mixed berries in a large bowl. Pour the strawberry-persimmon sauce over the berries and stir gently. Pour the filling mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with shredded coconut.
Sprouted Buckwheat Tabbouleh

Matteo Silverman, Sonoma, California-based executive chef of Chalk Hill Cookery
Instead of using bulgur wheat, this tabbouleh recipe uses sprouted buckwheat groats. Sprouting buckwheat increases its nutritional content and digestibility and makes this recipe gluten free. It is a simple recipe to prepare, but you will need to plan ahead in order to soak and sprout the buckwheat. Everything else comes together quickly. The flavors remain classic with a tangy olive oil and lemon dressing. The mint and parsley add freshness and harmony to the dish.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS TIME TO MAKE: 15 HOURS 10 MINUTES
1 cup buckwheat, soaked for 6 hours in filtered water
2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes
2 cups diced cucumber
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch or two of cayenne
Drain the buckwheat in a sieve and allow it to sit overnight to sprout. The next day, dry the buckwheat with a clean towel to remove excess moisture.
In a large bowl, combine the sprouted buckwheat, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, and green onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, and cayenne until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the buckwheat mixture and toss it all together. Serve immediately or marinate up to 1 hour prior to eating.

Recipes reprinted from Living the Farm Sanctuary Life by Gene Baur and Gene Stone. (c) 2015 by Farm Sanctuary. By permission of Rodale Books. Available wherever books are sold.