About Me...
2/15/2022
Hi! I'm Salem, an animal activist devoted to animal welfare and environmental conservation, but there's more to me than just that...
Animals have always been a big part of my life. I adopted my first pet, an adorable guinea pig named Caramelo, when I was around 10, but I loved animals and nature long before that. I also didn't become vegetarian until around that same time, and vegan until later on, but now that I am, I am dedicated to saving both animals and our environment through a plant-based lifestyle.
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So even though it took me a while to officially ditch meat and other animal products, it was because I hadn't pieced together the fact that meat came from animals. As a young child, I didn't really think about the cute animal chicken being the source of the chicken nuggets that I regularly ate. Had I put two and two together sooner, I would have been vegan from the start. However, now that I have become vegan, I strive to convince others to do so as well and will do everything in my power to save animals and our planet!
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This is Caramelo, my sweet little angel :)
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To pursue this mission of saving animals, I created Vegan Empire where I offer a plethora of tasty recipes to promote a vegan lifestyle. They range from sweet treats to savory snacks, spicy meals, and everything in between! So far, there's over 80 different recipes on here, including my personal favorites; a cheesy baked ziti, creamy mac and cheese, deceiving copycat "Sofritas", and an ooey gooey pecan pie, amongst many other amazing creations!
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There are many other things that I enjoy doing as well, and one of those is writing. Currently, I am working on multiple children's chapter books, which I hope to have completed and published in the near future. I already have 1 of my stories on the market; in Spring of 2020, I published my first book, Tibby the Friendly Shark, where I further try to inspire future generations to care for our planet and all the creatures that call it home. There's also "Making Friends: A How-To", that's a comedy that I originally wrote for school (it was supposed to be a single 4 to 6 sentence paragraph) but everyone loved it and so I added it here to "Wild Escapades", the personal blog section of Vegan Empire!
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Writing isn't my only hobby, and when I'm at home and have time to spare, I enjoy drawing, painting, and knitting as well. During the Australian Bush Fires of 2020, I decided to sell some of my paintings to raise funds for the animals affected and managed to earn some $300 for WIRES.
Another one of my paintings, "Tortuga", managed to win in the 2020 "Nature's Wild Neighbor" art contest! Most of my art, whether drawings or paintings, features animals, both real and imaginary, many of them being characters from my stories, such as dragons and other creatures of my own imagination. |
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There are many other activities that I enjoy participating in, especially traveling the world! So far, I've been to several destinations within the US, and numerous countries around the world, like El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, Italy, France, and many other destinations! From road trips to overseas flights and cruises, my favorite adventures are those out in nature, and I especially love going to wildlife reserves where the wildlife is free to roam about! My favorites are those where I get to see animals and enjoy the rush of adrenaline all at the same time!
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That's why some of my favorite outdoor activities are white water rafting, ziplining, snorkeling, and the like! I do them all as often as I can, and I can't wait to do them all again, and try something new!
In July of 2021, I joined a week-long rowing camp and fell in love with the sport, making the competitive travel team. During my first Fall season of racing, I went to 3 regattas, medaling 3rd in my second race, which was the Secret City Head Race in Oak Ridge Tennessee! Now it's the Winter season, which is basically just training so that we can race in the Spring, and I just can't wait to get back out on the water! Go Row Huntsville! |
I'm not sure of what the future holds, but I do know that my adventure is just beginning, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
About Vegan Empire...
As I've already mentioned, after becoming vegan myself and realizing that there are so many benefits, stretching beyond animal welfare, I created Vegan Empire to promote this cruelty-free lifestyle. But I know that many people are hesitant to become vegan because of the obstacles in shopping for food, the myths that vegans aren't healthy and can't enjoy themselves, and simply because they like the taste of meat and don't think vegan food has flavor. My goal with this website is to provide solutions to all of this and encourage non-vegans to at least consider choosing plants, while also helping existing vegans find the things that they need!
First of all, here on Vegan Empire I've added resources to help in the "shopping and eating out as a vegan" dilemma. With the growing plant-based movement, more all-vegan restaurants are popping up, and to help you find them, I'm working on a map of vegan restaurant! Whether you're looking locally or for travels, I'm hoping that it can help you wherever you go! But vegan restaurants aren't the only ones improving their menus, as even the non-vegans places are adding cruelty-free options to their menus. Vegan snacks? Vegan Empire has you covered there too! With a collection of my personal favorite snacks, you'll see just how many flavorful options there are!
Speaking of flavor, homecooked meals are no problem either. The first thing that I started working on when I started Vegan Empire was recipes, and as of today, I have over 80 unique recipes including snacks, meals, desserts, and more, so you'll never run out of options! I've made these recipes for my vegan family, but also non-vegans, and they have all LOVED everything that I make!
Finally, to all those that think vegans can't have fun, I'm here to prove the haters wrong! On my personal blog here on Vegan Empire, "Wild Escapades", I write about my many adventures to show you that a life free from animal products doesn't mean sacrificing anything, except not taking what wasn't yours to begin with...
So, on a final note, I hope that you find everything that you need here on Vegan Empire and that it helps you live a cruelty-free lifestyle, while still having a great time!
First of all, here on Vegan Empire I've added resources to help in the "shopping and eating out as a vegan" dilemma. With the growing plant-based movement, more all-vegan restaurants are popping up, and to help you find them, I'm working on a map of vegan restaurant! Whether you're looking locally or for travels, I'm hoping that it can help you wherever you go! But vegan restaurants aren't the only ones improving their menus, as even the non-vegans places are adding cruelty-free options to their menus. Vegan snacks? Vegan Empire has you covered there too! With a collection of my personal favorite snacks, you'll see just how many flavorful options there are!
Speaking of flavor, homecooked meals are no problem either. The first thing that I started working on when I started Vegan Empire was recipes, and as of today, I have over 80 unique recipes including snacks, meals, desserts, and more, so you'll never run out of options! I've made these recipes for my vegan family, but also non-vegans, and they have all LOVED everything that I make!
Finally, to all those that think vegans can't have fun, I'm here to prove the haters wrong! On my personal blog here on Vegan Empire, "Wild Escapades", I write about my many adventures to show you that a life free from animal products doesn't mean sacrificing anything, except not taking what wasn't yours to begin with...
So, on a final note, I hope that you find everything that you need here on Vegan Empire and that it helps you live a cruelty-free lifestyle, while still having a great time!