Long before the days of Candied Figs, I was already browsing the interwebs for new, healthy recipes to try my hand at. After a whole lot of searching, mixing, simmering, and tasting, I came to two realizations:
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One man's molten chocolate fudge cake is another man's lima beans- what you think tastes like happiness may taste like foot to me.
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Not all recipe blogs are created equal.
In my search for relatively healthy, non-foot-tasting recipes, I came across a lot of not so great recipe blogs, some pretty ok ones, and a few (five, to be specific) really awesome, vegetarian-friendly recipe blogs. I want to share with you, dear readers, the five recipe blogs that I turn to whenever I'm looking for inspiration, entertainment, or am simply just trying to kill some time ogling food.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes (pun intended) of this list, I want to take a step back and look at just what exactly makes a truly awesome recipe blog. The answer differs from person to person depending on their tastes, but for me, it's the recipe blogs with pages and pages of healthy, vegetarian-friendly (I'm not one, but I try and act like I am most of the time), creative delectible delights that really stand out. I'm a sucker for great food photography, and love chefs that rely on spices and seasoning--and not fats--to flavor their meals. The 5 vegetarian-friendly recipe blogs below rise above the competition on all counts.
In no particular order, I give you: Candied Figs' review of the 5 Best Vegetarian-Friendly Recipe Blogs of All Time:
1. Cookie and Kate.
Kate is a (fellow) 20-something girl who's a vegetarian that believes in the value of indulgences and is totally and completely obsessed with food. Cookie is her dog. Kate focuses on cooking whole foods. No, this doesn't mean she only shops at Whole Foods (although that may be the case); it means she stays away from preservatives, chemicals, and pretty much anything processed in any way, shape or form. So essentially, she cooks healthy, thoughtful, natural, meatless recipes while her dog watches from under the kitchen table. What about this vegetarian-friendly recipe blog is NOT to love?
Recipe on my "must cook immediately" list:
Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado
2. Big Girls, Small Kitchen
My first glimpse into the pages of this blog was actually a product of their awesome branding. My internal dialogs: "Big girl(s)? Yep. Small kitchen? Absolutely, ugh. Hm, what is this website whose title perfectly mirrors my life? I should check this out!" Fast forward a year and its BGSK's creative recipes chock-full of tips, tricks, and delicious suggestions that keep me coming back for more. BGSK's author/editor/photographor/Jane-of-all-trades, Cara, has also sprinkled guides and how-to's on everything from how to buy a great spatula to the best gluten-free desserts as well as menu and entertaining suggestions.
Recipe on my "must cook immediately" list:
Pumpkin Leek Stuffing with Turkey Sausage (told you I'm not a vegetarian!)
3. 101 Cookbooks
The brainchild of Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks is a treasure trove of years and years worth of veggie and vegan recipes. Heidi decided to create her food blog when she looked at her massive collection of cookbooks (101 of them!) and decided it was "time to stop buying and start cooking." Organized by season, recipe type (i.e. gluten-free or whole wheat recipes), or ingredients, this blog chronicles Heidi's attempts to cook through her cookbook collection, one recipe at a time. It's lofty goals like that that earned her blog a place on this list of the 5 Best Vegetarian-Friendly Recipe Blogs of all time.
Recipe on my "must cook immediately" list:
Saffron-vanilla snickerdoodles
4. Smitten Kitchen
If Candied Figs had a vegetarian recipe blog spirit animal, it would be Smitten Kitchen. Deb lives with her husband in New York, where she lives, eats, cooks, and photograsphs her heart out. Her recipes are thoughtfully constructed, beautifully photographed, and always delicious. I've made a lot of recipes from Smitten Kitchen and have yet to be disappointed. Deb is the kind of person who is as passionate about produce as she is poaching an egg, and it really comes across in her recipes. Although not entirely vegetarian, the majority of her recipes are meat-free.
Recipe on my "must cook immediately" list:
Spicy squash salad with lentils and goat cheese
5. VeganYumYum
Hometown pride! VeganYumYum is written by Lola, who lives in Boston. All her recipes are vegan, but she tries (and succeeds) to make meals that appeal to vegetarians and carnivores alike. Besides beautiful photography, her site also has a super nifty "how to" section, which contains articles like "how to slice a mango" and "how to buy and prep asparagus." Priceless.
Recipe on my "must cook immediately" list:
Curried chips with lemon sunflower spread
Anddd now I'm hungry. What are YOUR favorite recipe blogs of all time?
