Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, of Compassionate Cooks, with a rescued cow at a farm sanctuary. Photo: Courtesy Of, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau / SF

For many years, I have been a faithful listener to the podcasts by vegan cookbook author and animal advocate, Colleen Patrick-Goudeau.  Colleen’s podacasts, called Vegetarian Food for Thought, available on itunes and her website, cover every single topic you could think of concerning veganism.  

In fact, before I made the switch from vegetarian to vegan, I pointedly ignored the episodes that concerned eggs and dairy!  Colleen is so clear and true that I knew if I listened, there would be no going back.  When I was finally ready to let eggs and dairy go, I then listened to those episodes to educate and motivate myself.

I was delighted when Colleen gave me an opportunity to review her new membership program!  I was even more excited when after I had tested the program and given my feedback, she thanked me by giving me a free membership to hand out to one of my readers!

We are going to raffle this free membership off right here, right now!  But first allow me (and Colleen herself) to tell you about the program.

Here is a list of topics that are covered day-by-day in The 30-Day Vegan Challenge:

Day 1 – Taking “Vegan” Out of the Box (turns out veganism isn’t as fringe as you thought!)
Day 2 – Stocking a Healthful Vegan Kitchen
Day 3 – Reading Labels 
Day 4 – Getting to Know the Grocery Store
Day 5 – Eating Healthfully Affordably 
Day 6 – Trying New Foods 
Day 7 – Making the Time to Cook 
Day 8 – Starting the Day off Right: A Bevy of Breakfast Ideas
Day 9 – Eating Out and Speaking Up
Day 10 – Packing Lunches
Day 11 – Rethinking Meat Cravings: Fat and Salt Taste Good
Day 12 – Discovering there IS Life After Cheese 
Day 13 – Cutting out the Middle Cow and Getting Calcium Directly from the Source
Day 14 – Plant-Based Milks
Day 15 – Putting to Rest the Great Protein Myth 
Day 16 – Better Baking without Eggs
Day 17 – Strong Like Popeye – Increasing Your Iron Absorption 
Day 18 – B12 – A Bacteria-Based (Not Meat-Based) Vitamin
Day 19 – Finding Abundant Options while Traveling 
Day 20 – Skipping the Middle Fish: Getting Omega 3s from the Source
Day 21 – Keeping Things Moving with Fiber
Day 22 – Demystifying Tofu: It’s Just a Bean
Day 23 – Special Considerations for Particular Groups 
Day 24 – Eating by Color
Day 25 – Eating Confidently and Joyfully in Social Situations
Day 26 – Finding Harmony in a Mixed Household 
Day 27 – Compassionate Fashion: It’s Cool to Be Kind
Day 28 – Understanding Weight Loss – Part One – Calorie Reduction
Day 29 – Understanding  Weight Loss – Part Two – Calorie Expenditure
Day 30 – Keeping it in Perspective: Intention Not Perfection 
Day 31 – Wrap Up and Reflection 

Seriously, Colleen leaves no stone left unturned here.  Material is delivered entirely online.  You can log into the website at any time day or night and read the material, listen to audio, watch video, and interact in the member forums.

And some of the recipes you receive:

Creamy Leek Polenta
Simple Bean Burritos
Lentil Mushroom Barley Stew
Panzanella (Bread Salad)
Tofu Scramble
Black Bean Squash Quesadillas
Southwestern Quinoa Pilaf
Mexican Chocolate Cake 
Green Smoothies 
Lemon Artichoke Tapenade
Tofu Cacciatore
Coconut Red Lentil Dal 
Spicy Red Bell Pepper Soup
Soba Verde Salad
Truffle Popcorn
No-Bake Apple Crumble
Un-Split Pea Soup
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins 

By and large, Colleen’s recipe are simple and use easy-to-find ingredients, even for those of us outside of North America.  

While I felt that The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, was probably best for a new vegan just learning the ropes, I did listen to every single day’s material and even learned a few new things, such as the trick to making the tastiest tempeh and how to make fluffy vegan biscuits (which I will eagerly save until Israel gets healthy vegan margarine!  Speaking of which, I did find the grocery store tour a little depressing.  American vegans, you have some seriously amazing choice of food products!)

Here are some of the FAQ’s from the website:

I’m vegan already. Will I get anything out of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge™?

Absolutely! The vast amount of information provided in this program is perfect for vegans who want to arm themselves with the knowledge they need to answer questions, debunk myths, and guide others. Colleen is continually told by long-time vegans that they continue to learn through her work, which encompasses so many aspects of living thoughtfully and well. Colleen’s no-nonsense approach will quite literally have you walking away each day with succinct, relevant, compassionate responses to the typical questions and challenges vegans hear. In addition, her nutrient-dense recipes and resources and tips for eating as healthfully as possible are helpful for everyone, whether they’re vegan or not, brand-new vegan, or long-time vegan!

I already own the book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Is the content of the online program different from the book?

All of the recipes are completely different from the now out-of-print book. They are brand new, created for The 30-Day Vegan Challenge™ online! Though some of the content is similar to the out-of-print book, it has been re-worked to suit different mediums: print, video, and audio, making it very fresh and new. For instance, the online program enables Colleen to share video cooking demonstrations and messages, which is impossible to do in a book.