We all like to think that we’re doing the best we can, but what does that even mean? And who are we “doing the best we can” for? At some point, we need to take a step back and realize there might be a whole lot more to this world than we realize. Esther is a prime example of that. Just because we (like pretty much everyone else) spent our entire lives thinking something was okay, that doesn’t mean it actually was. Since our relationship with Esther opened our eyes, it’s become our mission to show the world what Esther has taught us, and to teach everyone that all of us can become kinder and more open-minded. Maybe our story will show people the amazing things you can accomplish when you believe in yourself and really go for it, even when—hell, especially when—others tell you something is impossible.
We definitely doubted ourselves every step of the way, and we took turns freaking out and pulling each other back from the edge, but we did it. Derek and I did so many things we never, not in a million years, thought we would do. We didn’t think we could live an “Esther Approved” lifestyle, but we did it. We didn’t think we could raise a 650-pound pig in our house, but we did it. And we surely didn’t think we could rally thousands of people from around the world to help us buy and build a farm sanctuary, but we did it. Kindness is magic, and Esther is proof that a smile can change the world.
Life today is definitely different. For starters, it’s really dark on the farm at night, and I am apparently terrified of the dark. So even nine months into our new life, I still sprint like Usain Bolt running the 100-meter dash when I need to go from my car to the house. I had no idea I could run so fast.
I also never expected to have piglet afterbirth on my hands on April Fools’ Day, of all times. No, Esther didn’t get knocked up. She’s a proper lady. We rescued a pregnant pig who gave birth to a quintet of adorable little squeakers, and it was no prank—but at least her timing suggested she had a sense of humor about the whole thing. So now we have five beautiful piglets who will live out their lives with their mother (whom we named April) by their side.
It’s hard to believe that a little over a year earlier this had all been nothing more than a far-fetched dream. I look around in awe and still pinch myself every day to make sure it actually came true.
As of this writing, we have provided a safe home to thirty-three animals: six rabbits, six goats, two sheep, ten pigs (not including Esther), one horse, one donkey, three cows, three chickens, and a peacock. That’s in addition to our original five beloved pets. And we have requests to take in new residents almost every day. By the time you’re reading this, the number will have grown. And we look forward to welcoming even more residents to our farm, where they can all live “Happily Ever Esther.”
Pooped little piggy.
I’ll be social at the party, but don’t expect me to spend all night walking around in these heels.
Is dinner gonna be ready soon? I’ve been sitting here waiting since lunch.
I feel like I should warn you now… I had cabbage with dinner.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
—Wayne Dyer
Family cuddles.
The day my life changed forever.
That better not be kitty litter on your nose.
I love you, Grandma.
I know you brought home chocolate almond ice cream this afternoon, and I’m not leaving until I figure out where you put it.
That’s for me, right?
Hand over the cupcakes and nobody gets hurt.
“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”
—Paul Farmer
The line forms behind me, everyone.
“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”
—William Shakespeare
I’ll always be Daddy’s little girl.
I’m gonna take this stick inside—it’s perfect for a wreath I saw on Pinterest that I have no intention of actually making.
Nobody gets in or out of this kitchen without paying the toll: Two cookies and a mango, please.
Oh great, first you get a pig, then you build a barn. I think we’d better move before the neighbors lose their minds.
I make my own bubbles in the bath.
If vodka in a Martini is made from potatoes, and they’re garnished with olive… they’re basically a salad, right?
But I don’t wanna get out of bed yet.
Esther and Caprice close their eyes for a magical kiss.
Photograph by Joanne McArthur
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
—Steve Jobs
RECIPES
BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH HOMEMADE CASHEW SOUR CREAM
Makes 8 tacos
Taco Ingredients:
1 13-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups salsa*
8 soft tortillas (corn or wheat)
2 avocados, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 lime, cut into 8 slices
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
Taco Directions:
– Place the beans and ½ cup of the salsa in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until they are warm. Set aside.
– Warm tortillas according to package directions.
– In each warm tortilla place a heaping spoonful of each of the warm bean and salsa mixture, avocado, salsa, and tomato. Squirt some fresh lime juice on top, and then bring it home with a healthy dollop of Cashew Sour Cream (see below) and garnish with cilantro.
Cashew Sour Cream Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
½ cup water (not the cashew-soaking water)
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Cashew Sour Cream Directions:
– Place the cashews in a bowl of water, making sure they are covered by the water, and let them soak for 4 hours. Drain and rinse cashews and place in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
CASHEW DILL CHEESE
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup water
1 teaspoon agar powder
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Directions:
– Lightly grease 6 spaces in your muffin tin using vegetable oil like sunflower or safflower.
– Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and onion powder in a blender or food processor and process until you have a fine cashew texture (not a cashew butter).
– Heat water in a small saucepan to a boil and add the agar. Stir with a whisk and reduce the heat to a simmer, continually stirring for 5 minutes.
– Add the cashew mixture into the agar and water mixture and stir with whisk to fully combine. Then add the dill and stir a few times.
– Spoon the mixture into the 6 muffin tin spaces and place in the fridge. Let the cheese set for about an hour uncovered in the fridge and then turn out the cheese onto a plate and enjoy!
– Tips and Tricks: Sub out the dill and onion powder and try adding your own flavors and spices. For instance, use a store-bought taco mix and instead of allowing the cheese to set in the fridge, serve warm as a nacho dip. (My personal favorite.)
SAVORY HOLIDAY STUFFING
Serves 4–5
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegan butter or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
10 mushrooms, sliced
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ loaf rye or gluten-free bread, toasted and cut into small cubes
1 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons tamari
1½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
Pepper to taste
Directions:
– Heat up a larg
e frying pan over medium heat, and add the vegan butter or vegetable oil and the onion. Sauté until onion is clear. Stir in the green pepper, mushrooms, celery, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and then add the cubed bread, vegetable stock, tamari, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Continue to sauté until the bread absorbs all of the liquid. Remove from heat and cover with foil to keep moist until serving.
TOMATO LENTIL CURRY SOUP
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 winter squash,* peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 5.5-ounce can tomato paste
1 sweet potato, cubed
3 carrots, chopped
½ cup red lentils
1 tablespoon curry powder, or more if you like it spicy
Directions:
– Pour ¼ cup of the vegetable broth or of the water into a soup pot over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, including the rest of the broth and water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes more.
SMOKED TLT WRAP
Makes 1 wrap
Ingredients:
½ tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or any soy sauce
¼ package of smoked tofu,* thinly sliced
1 tablespoon eggless mayonnaise (such as Vegenaise or Just Mayo)
Pepper to taste
1 tortilla (flour or gluten-free)
1 handful of lettuce
½ tomato, sliced
Directions:
– In a pan over medium heat, add the Liquid Aminos or soy sauce and the smoked tofu and fry for just a couple of minutes. This will make your smoked tofu taste amazing.
– Spread the eggless mayo (with pepper added to taste) over half the tortilla, add lettuce, tomato, and fried tofu slices, and roll the tortilla up like a burrito.
VANILLA CASHEW MILK
Makes 4½ cups
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
5 cups water (not the cashew-soaking water)
3 dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
– Place the cashews in a bowl of water, making sure they are covered by the water, and let them soak overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute or until smooth. Use the milky goodness within a week.
NUTTY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM BARS
Makes 4 small ice cream bars
Ice Cream Ingredients:
1 13-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Coating Ingredients:
2½ tablespoons maple syrup
2½ tablespoons coconut oil
2½ tablespoons cocoa or raw cacao
¼ cup almonds or pecans, finely chopped
1 pinch of sea salt
Directions:
– Refrigerate the unopened can of coconut milk for at least 3 hours or overnight, so the cream rises to the top inside the can. Once chilled, open the can and remove the firm cream, which will be at the top of the can, leaving the coconut water behind. (You can save the coconut water for another purpose, such as using it in your next smoothie.)
– Place the coconut cream, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into 4 small Popsicle molds, insert the Popsicle stick, and freeze for at least 2 hours, until frozen solid.
– When the bars are frozen, combine maple syrup, coconut oil, cocoa, nuts, and sea salt in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until coconut oil is melted and everything is well mixed. Set pot aside to cool for about 20 minutes.
– Remove frozen ice cream bars from their molds and cover with chocolate coating using a knife the way you would ice a cake. Place the bars on a plate or tray lined with parchment paper and return to the freezer for 20 minutes or until chocolate coating has hardened.
– I dare you to eat just one.
HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE TURTLES
Makes 30 turtles
Ingredients:
12 soft, fresh dates (such as medjool), pitted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans halves
¾ cup dairy-free chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate chips or a couple of dark chocolate bars)
Directions:
– Place the dates and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix together with your hands. You want to soften the dates and mix in the vanilla flavor. Form 30 small balls about the size of a large marble and then slightly flatten them. These will be your “caramel” centers.
– Cut two pecan halves lengthwise to form the four legs and stick one end of each piece into the caramel center. Use the rounded end of one half of a pecan for the turtle head.
– Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or very carefully in a small pot over low heat, stirring continuously so it does not burn. Once melted, remove from heat.
– Place a dab of melted chocolate on the bottom of the turtle. This will help hold the legs and head in place. Set the turtle bottom side down on tray covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Dab with melted chocolate to cover the top of the turtle. Repeat the process of adding pecans and melted chocolate to the rest of the caramel centers. Once all the turtles are formed, place in the fridge to set.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PIE
Serves 6
Ingredients:
½ cup natural peanut butter
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust (such as Keebler Ready Crust Graham Pie Crust)
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
15–20 ounces soft or silken, non-GMO tofu, drained
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Spoon peanut butter into graham cracker pie crust and spread gently to cover the base of the crust.
– Melt chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Transfer melted chocolate to a blender and add tofu, sugar, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Pour over peanut butter in prepared pie crust and bake 40 minutes. Allow to cool and then place in fridge for approximately 1 hour to chill before serving. Can also be served frozen, if desired.
ESTHER-APPROVED CHERRY CHEESECAKE
Serves 6
Ingredients:
½ pound soft or silken tofu
1 approximately 8-ounce tub of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
¾ cup sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust (such as Keebler Ready Crust Graham Pie Crust)
1 10-ounce can cherry pie filling
Directions:
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Place the tofu, Tofutti cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake 40–45 minutes. The filling will look firm and the crust will begin to brown. Allow to cool slightly and then refrigerate until completely cool. Top with cherry pie filling and serve.
TOASTED COCONUT TAHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes 12 cookies
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground chia or ground flaxseeds for making chia or flax egg*
3 tablespoons water for the chia egg, plus 1–2 tablespoons more for the final mixing of the dough
1⅓ cups oat flour (You can simply grind rolled oats in a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder to make the flour.)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup tahini
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar (best with less-processed and unbleached sugar such as unrefined brown sugar or Sucanat)
½ cup dairy-
free chocolate chips
½ cup toasted coconut (toasted in dry frying pan or toaster oven)
1–2 tablespoons water, as needed when doing the final mixing
Directions:
– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Make 1 chia or flax egg.
– In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until combined.
– In a smaller bowl combine the tahini, vanilla extract, and sugar and stir until combined.
– Add the wet ingredients from the small bowl and the chia or flax egg into the dry ingredients of the large bowl and stir until well mixed. (You may want to consider using your hands to combine these ingredients as it really speeds things up). Add the chocolate chips and toasted coconut and mix until well combined. If the mixture seems too dry, feel free to add 1–2 tablespoons of extra water here to help the cookie dough come together.
– Form each cookie by creating a ball with about 2 tablespoons of the cookie dough and then pressing it into a cookie shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The cookies will not spread much, so create them in the shape you would like to see them when they come out of the oven.
– Bake for 12–14 minutes or until they begin to brown.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to:
Our parents and siblings. Your unwavering love and support of our dreams, no matter how crazy they may have seemed, are the reason we are the men we are today.
Our amazing circle of friends. For always being there for us and for understanding and supporting us no matter what we do. Our adventures wouldn’t be the same without you.
Dr. David Kirkham and the staff at Cheltenham Veterinary Centre. For never being too busy to take our calls and answer our countless crazy questions, no matter the time of day.
Caprice Crane. For turning our thoughts and stories into something we will treasure for the rest of our lives. There isn’t enough room on this page to express how much we appreciate your help, your patience, your sense of humor, and your friendship.
Erica Silverman, our agent. We can’t imagine having anyone else help us navigate this strange and sometimes overwhelming world of writing a book. Thank you for helping us make sense of it all, and for being our guide on this amazing adventure.
Lauren Plude and Libby Burton, our editors. For believing we had a story worth telling, and for helping us make sure it was told our way.
Esther the Wonder Pig Page 14