For a long time I have felt there was a resource missing on the internet. On the one hand I love websites like allrecipes.com, where everything is heavily rated so I can count on a good outcome every time. But a site like that lacks vegan and whole food recipes. And on the other hand you have beautiful food blogs, which have the prettiest pictures but who's only feedback comes in the form of "That looks so delicious Kathy, I'll be sure to make it for my next potluck!!!"
So then where do I fall? Here I've decided to make a site dedicated to reviewing recipes, sifting through all the, "I made this for little Craig's birthday," and the "As you all know this week Tim and I made our first trip to the famer's market..." Because personally, I'm the type to scroll through the paragraphs of introduction that have nothing to do with food, and the countless pictures that merely serve to highlight the blogger's inner photographer.
Ultimately I want a site that is practical, minimalist but with an emphasis on what I think matters in recipes: laziness, accessibility, affordability, variety and deliciousness. Because that's who I am as a cook. I've worked in the restaurant industry for years so I know what tastes good but I also don't believe in the bullshit of "food porn." I'm not going to spend three hours on a recipe just so the final pictures I take of it are beautiful. Because I'm lazy. I don't make day-ahead recipes because that means I have to wait a day to eat them. And I'm also a bit of a DGAF'er.
So what do I mean by accessibility? Girl, I am not that high tech. I do not own a microplane and I'm definitely not trendy enough to own a spiralizer. And above all I am frugal and practical. I'm not going to buy pink
salt, hemp oil or coconut sugar to make just one recipe. And let's be real, the day I find tempeh in my Louisiana Winn-Dixie is the day I sing Dixie in a banana suit for the glory of all vegans everywhere.
Affordability speaks for itself - doctored ramen is my rotating budget saver and I'm a big fan of bloggers Poor Girl Eats Well and BudgetBytes. As for variety - no one wants one more veggie burger recipe. And as vegans we don't have to masquerade as meat eaters, I believe vegetables can be their own star, so you won't see many posts with tofu chk'n nuggets or TVP granules made into the soylent green of fake meat products. And I believe there are so many types of cuisines to explore, I don't need one more comfort food blog where we make mac and cheese, give me Vietnamese, Thai, Greek, Ethiopian, I'll try it all.
As for deliciousness; why should you trust me? Well because as I said I work in the restaurant industry. I've worked in easily some of the best restaurants in D.C. and New Orleans, one of our nation's food capitals. And also because so help me eating is my favorite part of the day. I make on average five new recipes a week - and I'm cooking for one.
So what kind of recipes can you look forward to seeing? Bright fresh ingredients, complex flavors combined into simple recipes. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of stewed ingredients so you won't see a lot of slow cooker or soup recipes where the flavors all meld together. Give me a taco overflowing with fresh ingredients over a bowl of gumbo any day. But above all, let's be lazy! Because I don't know about you, but I'd rather make a twenty minute meal and get back to my TV binging than spend more time then I need to making a bloody sandwich.
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