If you're a brown vegan interested in being featured on the blog, send me an email and I'll send over the questions. :-)

This week, Naomi is sharing her story....

*How long have you been a vegan?  I have been a vegan for almost a year now, since December 2012.

*What made you decide to embrace a plant-based diet? I made the decision to be a vegetarian in May 2012 because simply, I felt I wasn’t creative enough to eat meat. I didn’t know what meals to make other than meat, starch and veggies. Once I became vegetarian I saw the wide variety of healthy meals I could make with food that could be eaten raw or cooked and I loved it. After living in Texas for two months I decided to become vegan. We have a huge vegan community here (it helps that the mayor and his wife are vegan and have made a campaign and festivals for their lifestyle), and I’m already lactose intolerant, but once I saw what is done to cows and chickens (thanks milkiscruel.com) I decided to completely give up all meat and animal byproducts.

*What was the hardest food (meat, dairy, eggs, etc) to move away from?  The hardest for me was eggs and milk, just because I have a major sweet tooth and LOVE cake. Seriously. It’s a disease! Once I found that I could make my own cake without dairy and eggs, it was a tad bit easier to get away from.

*Any advice for new vegans?  Don’t get discouraged easily or fall into just one meal that you always make (beans and rice or spaghetti and sauce) because you think there’s nothing else out there. Explore! Find a vegan/vegetarian community on Twitter or the internet or in your area, buy cookbooks, buy DVDs, search for recipes on the internet, but DON’T GIVE UP. Connect with other vegans and that’ll help a lot!

*What are some of your favorite books/websites on veganism?  Happy Herbivore Abroad is by far my FAVORITE vegan cookbook and The China Study is really life changing, if you want a better understanding of why you should be vegan and the history/background/science of it all.

*Please share a recipe you enjoy. Festive zucchini lasagna from the Jazzy Vegetarian. It combines zucchini, mushrooms, vegan meat, vegan cheese, crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce and tofu for a party in your mouth! 

 *How can we reach you? Social media, blog, etc. You can follow me on Twitter @naomiprioleau

Thanks for sharing your story, Naomi!