I met Lauren at the Alchemy Academy Raw Vegan Cooking Course in 2024 in Bali, where she was teaching. Being accompanied by her creativity, light-heartedness, and joy for life was a pleasure. The beauty of creating these human connections, of being able to continue sharing reflections, visions, and actions on how to live increasingly sustainably in harmony with ourselves and the nature that surrounds us, is truly a privilege. I’ll leave you with the interview I conducted with her in Ubud in September 2025, shortly before returning to Italy, an interview that reveals how change always starts with us, with small, simple and beautiful things.
We know that organic and vegan food is good for our health, but we often fail to put what’s good into practice unless we’re sick and need it. So many women put family, commitments, and work first, but then they forget to take care of themself. How did you manage to incorporate a vegan diet and create balance in your life?
It’s so true. It’s really difficult. When you have a problem, you try to solve it and take care of yourself as best you can. You do it for a short time, but then you give up. I think it’s important to find a simple way to maintain a good routine. For example, I love taking medicinal mushrooms, and it’s something that’s been a constant presence in my life over the past few years because it makes me feel really good. I find it an easy and functional routine. So I use Chaga Powder in the morning instead of coffee, and in the evening if I’m having trouble sleeping I take a reishi tincture to relax… They have so many benefits but it’s all about finding options that feel easy.
Do you maintain this routine also when you travel?
When I come to Bali and teach cooking classes with Alchemy Academy, I have a more intense work schedule and struggle to maintain this habit. So I didn’t take Chaga for two months and went back to coffee. I immediately felt the difference, and this motivated me to find a simple way to get back into my healthy routine, such as setting a specific time to take it to recharge my batteries and feel better. I think it’s important to notice how we feel when we consume a certain food or drink, often we don’t take a minute to reflect or tune in.
In short, how can you make something positive easy to incorporate into your routine?
Find a reason, stay motivated and also make sure you enjoy the foods you are trying to include more of.
The same goes for food preparation, right? When we think we don’t have enough time to prepare vegan food, food that’s truly good for us, we can also experiment with new ways to make it sustainable for us.
Yes. If you love cooking but realize you don’t have as much time as you’d like to prepare certain healthy and nutritious dishes, you can figure out how to simplify and make everything more accessible. I talk about this in my new book too.
What are the main benefits you’ve gotten from a vegan diet?
Vegan food is super fun. Ten years ago, being vegan was amazing. The prevailing thought was, “I wish i could be more vegan” when i started i was amazing at how positively it impacted all parts of my life. In the past, my friends were super strict and only ate vegan. Now the new trend is to be super flexible. I see myself the same way. I’m now more relaxed in terms of eating at non vegan places and finding my own way to eat what i want to wherever i am but always with a focus on seeking out good ingredients. But I still realize how plant-based eating allows you to access a new level of yourself and life.
What do you mean by new level?
There’s a point where you eat normally. And there’s a point where you eat consciously. How can I bring more balance into my day? Think about the variety of colors of food, its function in the body, in the spirit… If you want to improve your digestion, there are certain foods that help, and so you can focus on that. So I mean eating not just for the simple act of satisfying your hunger, but with a deeper intention, a deeper awareness. Functional plants, for example tonic herbs and adaptogens, are fabulous for improving your life in this sense.
How can someone start exploring this world?
Eat more plants. Look around and add what you have available. And you can try specific and accessible medicinal remedies. I always come back to the idea of simplifying. Rosemary, for example, is excellent for memory. It can be added to many dishes. You can start with a need and explore how plants can satisfy it.
Your second book, Plant Academy, The Cookbook was recently released which is all about Plant-based Techniques & Recipes for Creative Cooking. Can you tell us about it?
In my first book, Mind Food, I focused more on how plant-based eating has changed my life and how it can also help your mental health. It invites people to reflect on what they eat and how they feel. “If I eat this, I feel this way…” I’ve experimented with many disciplines, such as Chinese medicine and yoga, to stay healthy, and I’ve explored how different foods and lifestyle practiced effect my day to day life.. The idea of my new book is more about step by step plant based teachings – like a mini course in a book. It helps us understand why we use certain things and also how to find simple ingredients around us, how to best use them, and how to make a particular recipe our own.
Your concept of simplification is what many are waking up to. Returning to the essence, to the origin, to nature. What direction do you see for vegan food?
I see at the moment plant based eating coming back to real food and a celebration of vegetables rather than mimicking and copying traditional dishes. Fake meats are becoming less popular and people seem more interested in hearty whole vegetable cooking. I hope this trend continues and we take even more pride in the ingredients that we use and where they come from as after all the future has to be the one that celebrated sustainable ingredients and the health of the planet. Shop local, seek out organic and get excited about the variety of plants growing around you!
RECIPE FOR BLOOM AS YOU ARE READERS
Chickpea pancakes
This is my ideal Autumn dish to eat morning, noon or night. The pancakes are an absolute staple in my kitchen as the batter can be made in a batch (3 x this recipe) to use throughout the week and you can mix and match the toppings always with a combination of leaves, vegetables and a tasty dressing. Sometimes I like to swap the crushed chickpeas for grilled tempeh, scrambled tofu or hummus and add different crunchy seeds or savoury granola. Whatever the combination this recipe is simple, seasonal and satiating to cultivate your energy for the season.
Serves 2
Prep time 30 minutes
Optional ferment time – overnight
Chickpea Pancakes
100g chickpea flour
75 -100ml water
1/2 tsp sea salt (smoked if possible)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
TOPPINGS
Crushed chickpeas
100g tahini
1 lemon, zest and juice
50ml olive oil
1 tsp white miso
1 tin (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked from the stem
1/2 tsp white miso
Candied Seeds
100g sunflower seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp maple syrup
Massaged kale
1 bunch (roughly 200g) kale, washed and dried
3 tbsp olive oil
1 – 2 tbsp tamari
Ribboned Roots
1 carrot, washed and peeled if needed
1 beetroot, washed and peeled if needed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
1 tbsp salt
Optional finishing touches
A drizzle of tahini
A good quality olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
Sprinkling of chilli flakes
Grated lemon zest
Fresh herbs
Method
Chickpea Pancakes
Whisk the chickpea flour and water together to make a smooth batter. Use just like this or for extra fluffy and digestible pancakes leave the mixture in a glass bowl, covered loosely with a cloth, to ferment for 8-12 hours ( you know it’s fermented when there are some bubbles in the mixture).
Crushed chickpeas
Mix the tahini, lemon, oil and miso together in a small bowl until smooth.
Put the chickpeas in another bowl and crush them with a fork and pour in half of the tahini sauce with thyme and mix through. Set aside
Candied Seeds
Warm a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the seeds and cook until lightly toasted and turn the heat to low. Whisk together the oil, tamari and then pour the mixture into the pan and turn off the heat. Keep mixing the seeds with the mixture until thoroughly coated and crisp.
Massaged kale
Strip the kale from the stems and finely chip the stems. Add the kale to a large bowl with the oil and tamari and massage until soft and darker in colour.
Ribboned Roots
Use a vegetable peeler to turn the roots into ribbons by topping and tailing the carrots and beetroot, peeling away the skin and then continuing to make ribbons with the entire root. Put the ribbons into a bowl and add the oil and salt and massage a little to soften them.
To serve
Cook the pancakes but heating a splash of olive oil in a sauce pan and cook a few coaster sized pancakes until you have used all of the mixture.
Place the pancakes on a plate (I used three medium sized ones) load with crushed chickpeas, ribboned roots, massaged kale, sprinkle with seeds and add extra tahini, lemon zest and chilli on top.
Add more leaves or herbs if you like and dig in!
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