Hi, I’m Lekshmi!

Welcome! I am so thrilled you are here! I live in the Seattle area with my family. We’ve been a vegan household for over a decade now, and Smart n Compassionate was created shortly after we went vegan, as a way to share our journey.

I am originally from a sliver of land on the southwestern coast of India called Kerala. The traditional vegetarian cuisine there is almost entirely plant-based, and that includes desserts too! So we were very fortunate to have a decent base to jump off into this new journey.

In addition, I was reading voraciously about topics pertaining to our exciting new lifestyle and I was cooking up a storm in the kitchen exploring and experimenting with new ingredients and learning mind-blowing new ways to use seemingly boring everyday ingredients! Recreating our favorite dishes from around the world using entirely plant-based ingredients became one of my full-time hobbies. We also love traveling and were so pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to travel as a vegan with a little bit of research and planning. 

It was a remarkable period of learning, self-discovery, and growth, and I was bursting at the seams wanting to share everything I was learning. And so Smart n Compassionate was born! 

My educational background is in psychology and social justice, and I’ve also attained a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition.  Some of my favorite activities include hiking, backpacking, biking, camping, stargazing, gardening, cooking, and photography. I hope to use this platform to share the things that my family and I’ve learned and continue to learn on our path to a more compassionate, healthier, and sustainable life, and I hope to learn from you through your comments and participation simultaneously.

As Charles Darwin said, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” I hope you will join me in my quest to learn, understand, and optimize our lifestyle with minimum impact on our biosphere. Here’s to critical thinking and compassion!


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