About Me

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Hi, I’m Deena. When I began writing this blog years ago, I was a fashion designer and newlywed living in Brooklyn, NY.  We eventually grew a family of 5, including the dog, and moved out to the suburbs in Long Island. I'm now a stay-at-home mom who has little time to cook much, let alone blog about it! But, I hope you'll find some wonderful things in my archives - I look back often to find my favorite recipes.

I started LibraLoves as a medium through which to share the many things that I find useful or beautiful. I soon realized what this Libra loves most: Food. Being a creative and balance-seeking Libran means that I persistently strive to improve everything around me, including the food that I eat.

I am constantly experimenting with new foods, exploring the hows and whys of other cultures' food-habits, and spinning classic dishes in new directions. I come from a meat-and-potatoes background, but many of the recipes I share are vegetarian (and quite satisfying). I’ve also become more aware of vegan cooking, as I learn more about the benefits of avoiding meat and dairy.

This came about somewhat through my marriage to my almost polar-opposite husband. I grew up in the rural mountains of Vermont, eating meat and potatoes. In the Northeast, there’s a general appreciation both for the fruits of the garden (and a very short growing season) and the occasional treat of wild game procured by a close friend or family member. Both of the above may be considered local currency, and appreciated as gifts and/or tips. As for personality, naturally, as a Libra, I enjoy music, art and a general sense of calm. An ideal day in my past, would have consisted of BBQ, making some art, and basically just sitting on the porch watching trees blow in the wind.

View from just outside my home in Vermont

My husband grew up in urban India, was raised as a vegetarian, and likes numbers, sports and haggling over prices. He thinks hotdogs are disgusting, believes animals should never be eaten, and finds the countryside boring. I’m not sure what his ideal day is, but it definitely includes a couch and sports – probably cricket. Luckily, we both love to eat, drink, travel and socialize – so we get along just fine.

My husband and I on top of Mt. Titlus, in Switzerland.

Eating together is the real challenge. Most of my cooking background, until recently, consisted of meat based meals surrounded by vegetables and starch. I’ve had formal training here and there, but none of it gave me any insight into what to cook for a vegetarian. Trying to eat at restaurants together is a whole other kind of challenge, since there still seems to be little understanding of what vegetarian really means.

Here, I share my experiences and recipes that I think make life a little more interesting. Whether you are a meat-eater, flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan, or don’t even want to answer that question, I hope you’ll find something useful, interesting or delicious here on my blog. I encourage you to keep an open mind, try new things, and think about what you eat and how it affects your mind, body and the world around you.