About

Contact Me: vegparadise at socal.rr dot com

I have started this totally nutty blog because I simply can’t help it! I am deeply enamored with nuts and am shamelessly compelled to admit my dedicated passion for them. I love them raw—I love them roasted—I love them all by themselves as a snack—and I love them tucked into all sorts of yummy dishes. I know I probably sound like a ditzy nutcase, but my admiration for the entire nut kingdom is not without good reason.

Yes, I love their wonderful flavors and have even noticed that each variety of nuts has its own unique sweetness and earthy savor. And each nut claims its own incomparable crunchy or buttery texture that makes them almost impossible to resist.

And, oh! What they contribute to our health! As you can clearly see, I am rather fond of nuts—so fond, in fact, that I’ve even written a cookbook called The Nut Gourmet: Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion!

My true love for nuts is not a secret and how I became so enthralled with them was pure happenstance! I am co-publisher of Vegetarians in Paradise It’s a vegan online monthly magazine.

While I was writing food articles and delving into the health benefits of each food I was featuring, I came across a few health studies that described how researchers learned that people who eat nuts have lower cholesterol than those who don’t.  That was a WOW!

A new door opened and I began specifically researching the health benefits of nuts. The mountain of data that turned up nearly knocked me over. From that moment on, I knew my path would guide me to learning more about nuts.

While I tout the exceptional goodness of nuts, I do want to say that I truly believe there is no single miracle food. All of Mother Nature’s earthy food treasures are packed with great things like vitamins, minerals, and a ton of phyto-nutrients, some we know about and others that are yet to be discovered. But nuts are pretty high on the list of foods often called superfoods.

In this blog I plan to share a multitude of facets about nuts. I won’t hold anything back because nuts are such an important and healthful food source. I’ll tell you about their many health benefits discovered through new and past health studies featuring nuts.

I’ll share delicious recipes, some from my cookbook and new ones I continue to create, and I’ll try to include a photo of the recipe so you might be tempted enough to want to make the dish yourself.

Don’t be surprised if I include a bit of fascinating nut folklore. It’s amazing how some traditions have gotten started because of strange or unusual beliefs. And now and then I’ll offer little suggestions for introducing nuts into your daily meals to boost your health. Because I find food history rather intriguing, a bit of nut history might show up from time to time, too.

I invite you to participate in my nutty adventure—share your nut experiences, nut knowledge, and recipes that include nuts. My book and my dietary preference and lifestyle are vegan. I hope this blog will be a comfy place for everyone to discover how delicious and healthy vegan food can be.

Click to order this book now!

Because I am a dedicated foodie and adore the adventure of creating new recipes, I found myself exploring the wonderful foods of the holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Years.

Foods like fresh cranberries, chestnuts, persimmons, pomegranates, winter squashes, and wild rice, all harvested in early autumn, are exciting to work with. The intriguing kitchen adventures culminated in my second cookbook, Vegan for the Holidays. I’m delighted to share these recipes and will be posting often. My goal is to leave happy faces at the table and fond memories of great tasting dishes that make the holidays special.

If you would like to get in touch, you can email me at vegparadise at socal.rr.com

And I’ll conclude this introduction by wishing you Nutty Pleasures always, from one nut lover to another!

–Zel Allen

Click to order this book now!