Hi and welcome!
I'm Connie Edwards McGaughy - a wife, mom, home cook, blogger, artist & animal advocate.
I created The Carrot Underground🥕because I believe the most effective way to protect animals begins with changing our attitudes and appetites for what we put on our plates. By replacing meat and dairy with all vegan ingredients, we are helping animals, the planet and ourselves. It’s a win-win-win! My goal is to inspire others to discover just how easy it is to enjoy delicious plant-based, cruelty-free foods. Our recipes are tried and true, each one fine-tuned & taste-tested until we know it’s a winner.
Some of our most popular recipes are:
- Stuffed Shells with Spinach & Cheese
- Simple Vegan Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Garden Zucchini Squash Casserole
- Best Vegan Spinach Mushroom Quiche
- Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake
- Vegan Shepherd's (Gardener's) Pie
Here's my 'CliffsNotes' version about me.
My passions are: Sharing the goodness of vegan living, animals, art, and my latest obsession, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP).
Vegan Living
For as long as I can remember, I have felt a connection and tremendous empathy for animals. Even as a child, I would question why we ate animals like cows, pigs, lambs, chickens, tuna and shrimp, but wouldn't think of causing harm to our dogs, cats, parakeets, or tropical fish. I couldn't understand why we 'loved' some animals, but not the others. Weren't they all essentially the same?
I began my journey toward vegan living four decades ago. At that time, dining out was darn near impossible. Even my friends were reluctant to invite me over for dinner as they had no clue what foods to serve. I soon realized the only way I was going to maintain a social life was by creating meals my friends would enjoy. Fortunately, my beloved mom, aka “Mama Love”, was an amazing home cook. She taught me everything I needed to know to find my way around a kitchen. With her help, I learned to successfully replace animal-derived ingredients with entirely plant-based foods.
Here is a helpful article with a few tips I've learned along the way on my path to vegan living- Being an Effective Vegan.
I love preparing beautiful and deliciously satisfying meals everyone can enjoy – vegans and non-vegans alike. I can truly say that choosing to be vegan was the best decision I ever made. Well, other than accepting my wonderful husband’s marriage proposal!
Animals
As an animal advocate, I’ve dedicated myself to be a voice for the voiceless. My volunteer work has involved the rescue of domestic, wild, and exotic animals, including hundreds of feral goats and burros. I've also helped care for abused captive tigers, lions, and leopards.
I’m extremely proud to have served on the Board of Directors of the Zambia-based Nsefu Wildlife Conservation Foundation, an anti-poaching organization working to protect elephants, lions, and endangered wildlife from extinction, while helping the local community rise from poverty through education and economic empowerment.
Art
I’ve worked as a commercial and fine artist, interior designer, art consultant and instructor. I’m married to the most gifted artist I have ever known. Like art, I believe food should be beautiful and appealing. I love to share simple tips for creating eye-catching dishes from preparation to plating.
SUP
I grew up in coastal Southern California and live at the beach in sunny San Diego. It wasn’t until I was in my late 50’s that I discovered my all-time favorite recreational activity, stand-up paddle boarding (aka SUP). I guess it's never too late to find a new passion!
When I’m not busy creating a new blog post, you can often find me at the beach on my board.
🥕FAQ's
What is my favorite recipe?
Easy answer - my mom's fabulous famous vegan lemon meringue pie! 🍋 It's pure lemony bliss!
How did The Carrot Underground🥕get its name?
When my children were young, I started a journal I called The Carrot Underground - Raising Compassionate Kids in a Carnivorous World. In it, I wrote about the challenges my kids faced as the only vegetarian/vegan students in their school. Years later, I ran across the journal tucked away in a drawer and was inspired to create a vegan recipe blog, titled The Carrot Underground. The rest is history!
Why and how did I become vegan?
If you would like to learn more about my journey to vegan living, visit: My Story - Why I Became Vegan
What advice would I give to encourage other people to be vegan?
After starting my journey to veganism more than four decades ago, I've learned the most effective way to influence change is living by example. By modeling the goodness of vegan living through the foods we eat, the products we consume, and the way we treat animals, our actions speak volumes about the positive aspects of being compassionate human beings.
How can you work with me & The Carrot Underground🥕?
I love collaborating with like-minded people and brands! If you have a product or service that would be a good fit for my readers and followers, let's chat! There are many ways we can work-together, including sponsored posts, reviews, social media, backlinks, guest blogs, affiliate links, promotions and newsletters. Let's explore the possibilities! [email protected]
Thank you for being here & being vegan
Here's to you & your journey in vegan living! We all take different paths getting here. Whether you’ve enjoyed being vegan a long time, or you're just starting out, I am sincerely happy for you, for the animals, and for the planet!
I absolutely adore reading all of your wonderful comments. It means the world to me to know that you love the recipes!
For the animals . . .
