Ep. 137: Nisha Melvani - Practical, Approachable, and Affordable Plant-Based Meals

If you’re new to plant-based cooking and feel overwhelmed because you think it’s complicated, expensive, or maybe even boring, think again. Registered dietitian, nutritionist, and author, Nisha Melvani makes a whole foods plant-based lifestyle simple, sustainable, and delicious in her debut book, Practically Vegan - More than 100 Easy, Delicious Vegan Dinners on a Budget. Hundreds of thousands have already flocked to her "Cooking for Peanuts" blog and Instagram because of her relaxed, flavor-focused approach. She also uses easy-to-find ingredients that can be used in the kitchen for multiple meals, making her style budget-friendly for busy families. Nisha has one of the most colorful and interesting backstories, with a rich diversity of culture, language, career, and education – all of which have influenced her life’s latest chapter as a cookbook author. She and Rip discuss: Growing up in a non-traditional household that included boarding schools, multiple moves, and a diversity of language and culture How she initially developed her love of food, flavor, and cooking The origin of her "Cooking for Peanuts" blog and Instagram Her favorite spices and herbs Cooking for three teenage girls Her favorite ways to prepare tofu and tempeh dishes Her go-to grains and legume dishes - (Hint: Lentils are the bomb!) Practically Vegan is just that - a practical, approachable, and affordable guide for plantstrong meals. Episode Resources Watch the Episode on YouTube PLANTSTRONG Podcast Episode Page Nisha Melvani - Cooking for Peanuts PLANTSTRONG Coaching - Our PLANTSTRONG Coaching Program is designed to help you to apply the principles of whole food, plant-based nutrition: removing all animal products, oil, refined sugar, and excess sodium from your eating plan. In addition, we will provide dozens of tools to elevate and accelerate your success while surrounding you with one fiercely supportive and nurturing community. Now through April 5th, 2022, our annual program is $60 off PLANTSTRONG Meal Planner - Perhaps our most powerful tool - the PLANTSTRONG Meal Planner is packed with hundreds of our favorite whole foods plant-based recipes and your membership allows you to curate a personal collection of menus so your family favorites are always at your fingertips. The integrated grocery list makes shopping a snap and our meal planning experts are on hand seven days a week to answer questions to chat about food. Save $10 off the annual membership with the code PLANTSTRONG PLANTSTRONG Foods - shop our official plantstrong foods including pizza crusts, granolas, cereals, popcorn, soups, chilis, and broths! Visit plantstrong.com for all PLANTSTRONG Resources, including books, recipes, foods, and the PLANTSTRONG Coaching Programs Join the Free PLANTSTRONG Community with over 26,000 members Visit PLANTSTRONG.com for all of our resources including books, coaching, podcast, foods, retreats, and more Shop for your Favorite Plantstrong Foods Join the free PLANTSTRONG Community Theme Music for Episode Promo Music: Your Love by Atch License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)