Natalie Portman Reveals Simple and Delicious Plant-Based Stew Which Is Her Favorite Home-Cooked Dinner

Natalie Portman has always been a proud vegan. She claimed to have turned vegan at 30 after reading the popular 2009 book, Eating Animals by author Jonathan Safran Foer. The Israeli-born actress has been a prominent voice in promoting veganism, animal rights, and environmental sustainability for years. In June 2018, Portman shared her favorite home-cooked vegan dinner, a plant-based stew, in a cooking session with VICE Video on Facebook (@VICEVideo). The hero ingredient in her stew- chickpea!

Chickpea stew was the Black Swan star’s go-to for an easy and delicious meal for her family. “It’s quick, has very few ingredients, and manages to do it between running around after kids,” she said in the snippet. Alongside her riveting recipe for a vegan family dinner, Portman opened up about her 2017 documentary, Eating Animals, which she produced to showcase the reality of animal factory farming in the United States. Looking adorable in her red and blue apron, the actor explained all the ingredients required for her favorite chickpea stew including two tablespoons of olive oil, two cloves of finely chopped garlic, diced zucchini, two teaspoons of salt, chili flakes, a can of whole peeled tomatoes and one can of chickpeas.

Portman added that she often forgets to plan beforehand and soak dried chickpeas which are healthier. “I usually use canned because to use the dry ones, you have to soak them overnight…but it’s always better to use the dry ones,” she admitted. Starting with two tablespoons of olive oil added to a heated pan, the actor poured in the initial ingredients– garlic and zucchini with some salt and stirred it. While at it, she revealed that she has been a vegetarian since she was nine and eventually turned into a vegan as a middle-aged adult. “I feel much steadier energy as a vegan. I feel like less ups and downs of energy. I feel more constant throughout the day,” she noted.

The Annihilation actress expressed gratitude for living in California due to the abundance of avocados, a fruit she tends to eat most. She also likes having tempeh bacon, which is also rich in protein and fiber. Getting back to her stew, Portman poured in a whole can of peeled tomatoes and gently smashed them into the stew. She then explained how Foer’s book inspired her to produce and narrate the feature. “I instantly approached him about making a documentary on the book that impacted my life a lot, made me become a vegan,” she said.

Portman admitted that she was quite unaware of the alarming facets of animal factory farming that affect the environment as well as human health amongst other things. She wanted to portray it in a different light to resonate with a larger audience through her film. The No Strings Attached star explained the “great American tradition” that is deeply rooted in the nation with huge respect for active animal farming. She wanted to offer unfiltered glimpses of the dynamics within the animal farming industry that exploits the animals as well as brings hardships for the farmers nurturing them. She said she was on board with the filmmakers since day one and also narrated it, giving it a personal touch.

Adding the final ingredient, the can of chickpeas, Portman set the stew to a boil with some seasoning of chili flakes and more salt. “Factory farming is the most destructive thing to the environment that humans do,” the star added. She openly expressed her low expectations of people turning vegan the very next instant but encouraged everyone to make minor adjustments to their non-vegan lifestyles that may be impactful for the environment in the bigger picture. A final taste to her delicious chickpea stew, the Star Wars actress ended it with a quirky, “It’s good!”
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