Each day we make so many choices, but none of them are as important than what we choose to buy or not to buy. We have the power to change entire industries and systems based on how we spend our hard earned cash. Together, we can change the world for the better.

I saw this provocative cartoon created by Steve Cutts titled “MAN” months ago, and have thought about it often since then. I think it’s the fact that on the surface it is an absurd representation of humanity, but I can’t think of anything I have seen that sums up the impact of our growing populations’ relationship with consumption so realistically.

But it doesn’t have to end the way it does in Cutt’s cartoon. We can rewrite the story.

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with learning about the wild world around me. I was mesmerized by the beauty and power of creatures that roam the earth and float through the deep blue seas. I would stare at photos of bright corals and the colorful fish that darted in and out of them.

Now, decades later, the pictures look so much different. Where there used to be lush rainforests full of magnificent creatures are now rows upon rows of trees grown to make palm oil, or acres and acres of land for cattle. Unfortunately, the underwater world has also changed in ways that we might not be able to imagine. The limitless demand for seafood and the irresponsible ways in which the demand is met has caused the demise of untold numbers of marine life.

Now, it seems that the photos I show my sons of the animals I treasured as a child seem to have the words, “threatened” and “endangered” next to them more and more often. The pictures of the coral reefs that once teemed with life are skeletons of their former beauty, a graveyard for the life that once flourished.

The health of our planet greatly relies on the health of our oceans. Pollution in our oceans is creeping into the human population in the form micro plastics and mercury. Overfishing and destructive fishing practices are throwing the world’s great oceans off balance, and this could lead to major consequences for mankind.

I wanted to create a recipe that shows that you can definitely still enjoy amazing looking food that excites all of the senses without having to take resources from the oceans or rivers that so desperately need to keep them. I believe this recipe is a perfect way to introduce the wonderful world of plant-based eating to those who are new to it.

It’s also wonderful to make for yourself even if you already are plant-based!

It’s quick, easy, and so beautiful. The best part? No fishies had to be harmed to make it.

I hope in the future I will be able to show my sons photos of life returning, and tell them that it was because of a lot of people decided to make a few changes because they cared about making the world better for them.

I believe I will be able to do that because I believe in ya’ll to make a difference.