Elaine is an animal advocate, a running enthusiast, and loves all things outdoors. To fuel her activities, and to the delight of her family and friends, she enjoys spending time in the kitchen. Over the years she had amassed a collection of ¿ultimate¿ recipes - ones that she has tweaked and adjusted to be The Best. That is until 2010 when she watched the Forks Over Knives documentary, decided to go vegan, and determined that most of the recipes needed makeovers to be plant-based. The cooking, experimenting and perfecting continues, along with sharing the knowledge and experiences that go along with it. Libby developed a love of cooking at an early age that has stayed with her all of her life. Her kitchen is her comfort zone, and she is in her element when preparing or developing new dishes. She loves to veganize recipes from her pre-plant-based life. Libby finds it exciting to have so many products and techniques available to the vegan cook that make the transition to cruelty-free so much easier. Libby was inspired by her daughters, Lora and Beth, to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle over 17 years ago. That set her on the path to eventually becoming vegan, and her love of animals and nature enforces this decision. She admits that it has not always been easy, but the rewards are bountiful. In a past life I was an office manager at a small non-profit in Washington, DC. I walked to work and to the grocery store. My running path was the C & O Canal. Occasionally on Saturday mornings I would take the metro to the Mall and take in a museum or two. I wore nice clothes and had more purses and shoes than any one person should. Before living in the Nation's Capitol, I worked at a well-known law school, at a direct marketing firm, and at a think-tank a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean. I've moved from Ohio to California to Colorado, back to California and on to Russia for a stint; then Armenia, Iraq, Massachusetts, and the aforementioned DC. City life was starting to wear thin, as was packing and moving. My husband and I were looking for space - lots of space - quiet, the Milky Way, coyotes, and the kind of freedom not found on the city streets. So we did what people have been doing for generations. We moved west. To the wilds of Oklahoma. Now my nice clothes hang neglected in the closet. I prefer my Carhartts and Bogs. I've given away most of my shoes and purses. There are no streetlights here or traffic jams. No lunch hours, car alarms or neighbors. There is time for walking the pastures with our dogs, Ike and Willa, puttering in the kitchen, reading, and other simple pleasures. I like this life very much. I've authored five books and e-books, and have taken the food photographs for the cookbooks of several popular vegan authors. Find out more about me at my award-winning website, An Unrefined Vegan.