About Me

Hello and welcome!

Nicolette in gray t-shirt and jeans standing in kitchen. — Photograph by Hillary Jeanne Photography

I’m Nicolette – your answer to eating more plants without complication or lack of flavor.

I changed my diet overnight in 2016 after watching Cowspiracy and The Best Speech You’ll Ever Hear by Gary Yourofsky.

After learning the impact a standard American diet can have on animals, the planet and our health, it felt like a no brainer to remove animal products from my diet if I didn’t need them and I’d likely be a lot healthier without them.

But the immediate question was…what am I going to eat now?!

Before making the switch, I had no real experience or passion for being in the kitchen. The extent of cooking I was familiar with was microwaving pre-prepared meals and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

However, anyone that knows me knows that I love a good challenge and I went all in.

I started following tons of plant-based, vegan blogs like From My Bowl, Hot For Food, Minimalist Baker, and Oh She Glows and tried every recipe under the sun.

I quickly realized eating a vegan diet doesn’t have to mean daily kale salads or expensive, green smoothies.

In fact, you can continue eating the same way you’re accustomed to with just a few small swaps and changes.

On this website, I’m here to convince you that vegan recipes can be:

flavor packed
easy to prepare
budget friendly
cheesy
quick and simple
family friendly

If you’re new to vegan eating, I’d recommend starting with my most popular recipes: Spicy Creamy Instant Pot Ramen and Vegan Potato Corn Chowder.

Or if you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can’t go wrong with my Sticky Vegan Apple Cake or Vegan Pumpkin Scones.

Nicolette with white cup of coffee in floral tank top. — Photograph by Hillary Jeanne Photography

Why Don’t I Talk About Animal Rights and Environmental Impact?

Although I strive to live as vegan friendly as possible and love the idea of veganism, I don’t push anyone to make dietary or lifestyle changes for one reason:

What’s right for me isn’t necessarily right for you, and vice versa.

Eating a vegan diet is easy (and delicious!), but living a vegan lifestyle is not.

Avoiding the suffering of others at all times is not possible. We don’t live in a vegan world.

Even after 5 years, I still make mistakes and don’t live a life completely free of animal products. Honestly? I never will.

My dog doesn’t eat a vegan diet, I’m not offended by faux meats or faux animal prints, I still love (and am not trying to change!) my bacon eating family and friends and I sometimes wear non vegan shoes, clothing and mascara made with beeswax.

Why do we feel the need to label and put everyone in a box? Can’t we just do our best and live?

Unpopular opinion: You don’t have to be zero waste or throw out the leather you bought 5 years ago or stop driving your vehicle because the tires are made with stearic acid in order to call yourself vegan.

Because the truth is, no one can really live a 100% vegan lifestyle (and stay sane anyway).

Here’s a list of just a few things we as humans use in every day life that are often times NOT vegan:

tampons
plastic bags
condoms
post-it notes
paint supplies
bicycle and vehicle tires
medications
fireworks
bandaids
Kleenex
cleaning products
makeup
glue
candles

Avoiding animal products and further, any suffering is much more complicated than vegan advocates make it out to be.

And second guessing every single purchase and lifestyle decision will make you crazy and unhappy. Be practical and do your best.

If you make a mistake, accept it and move on!

The root philosophy of veganism is to be as compassionate to living beings as possible.

Unfortunately, a lot of passionate vegans forget that this philosophy includes being compassionate to other human beings as well.

Shaming others for not being vegan enough is not vegan in and of itself, yet it happens often.

No matter how strongly we feel about something, it’s important to understand that others need to make changes in their own diet and lifestyle because they want to, not because you think they should.

Holding others to a high, unreasonable standard is exactly what makes them think it’s too hard to be vegan and not want to try at all!

For this reason, I’m just here to share delicious, plant-based, vegan recipes with you and let you choose what’s right for you. No pressure, no stress, just good food.