The Vegan Woman is proud to present the 2013 Vegan Food Blog Guide

After last year’s amazing success with The Vegan Woman’s 2012 Food Blog Guide, we wondered how this year could be any better? How many of last year’s blogs are still going strong? How many new vegan food blogs would there be?

Well, this year we received recommendations for almost 90 food blogs(!!) – what an exciting sign that the vegan lifestyle is spreading and flourishing! As you can imagine, our judges and team did not have an easy task judging so many blogs, but our hard work has paid off and we are proud to bring you this year’s TOP Vegan Food Blogs.

A big thank you to all of you who recommended your favorite food blogs and contributed to this colorful celebration of vegan foods! A hearty congratulations to the blogs that made the Top 20 and the 70 others who are out there cooking up great new vegan recipes and spreading the vegan love every day!

Also, a big thank you to our panel of judges who chose the top 5 blogs of 2013 and donated fantastic prizes to 5 of you who recommended their favorite vegan food blogs!



The Vegan Woman’s 2013 Panel of Judges

The winning food blogs

The top 5 blogs featured on our Vegan Food Blog Guide will receive our WINNER label

The top 10 blogs featured on our guide will receive our TOP 10 label

The top 20 blogs will receive our TOP 20 label

And all other blogs that have made it to this year’s food blog guide will receive our recommendation label

So without further ado, here are the winners:

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THE TOP 5

FIRST PLACE

This Rawsome Vegan Life

A dazzling raw vegan food blog by Emily von Euw, featuring creative recipes and gorgeous photos.

What our judges say:

Brian Patton:

I’m not raw, I don’t go out of my way to eat raw, and I don’t seek out raw recipes, but Em’s blog has got me thinking I need to dust off my dehydrator, and buy a dedicated banana freezer. I believe, “Wooooah,” was exactly what came out of my mouth when I opened this page. A super closeup of some kind of stack of raw brownies with berry and banana sorbet, adorned with coconut flakes and surrounded by a smattering of fresh blueberries is what I saw. My jaw dropped, and I don’t even care that much about the sweet stuff.

As I scrolled down this post, it looked like a party on the page. Every recipe looks like a party. So much color, and tons of great big pictures! I also love the writing. There’s not as much of it as there is on other blogs, but it seems to be more stream of consciousness, than carefully planned paragraphs, which makes it more genuine. I like the way she describes her process, and how things progress in her recipes. She’s very much in touch with the reader.

“This Rawsome Vegan Life” presents stunning dishes, in a way that makes me feel confident that I can just dive right in, especially with

the “raw food basics” and “equipment” pages. Em’s artful presentations kept me scrolling page after page. I probably spent the most time immersed in her blog over any of the others. Then I read her bio (FYI: I didn’t read any bios until after I judged all of the blogs.), and she’s only 19?!? What a future she has!

Natalie Houlding:

As I am not a raw vegan, I’ve surprised myself with my first choice but I have to give credit where its due and This Rawsome Vegan Life deserves just that. The website really succeeds in promoting what to most (including vegans) appears to be a difficult lifestyle choice.

The photos and the food are really beautiful and creative, and with so many treats on display, its not hard to be inspired. A range of inviting recipes with regular content update as well as slick presentation all contribute to an outstanding website!

Emily Segal:

Insanely gorgeous photography, decadent but healthy, creative, and accessible recipes, this blogger has major talent!

What the recommenders say:

Autumn Tansey from Australia says:

I absolutely love this blog! Created by young Canadian Emily Von Ew. I drool over pretty much everything she serves up. Beautifully photographed and complimented by her down to earth humour, her recipes entice me to come back again and again. Have a look and I am sure you will fall in love with her food too!

Katie Poznanski from the USA says:

This blog is fantastic because Em not only does a fabulous job of capturing the interesting and creative aspects of veganism but also raw veganism. Her philosophy is beautiful, as are the images of her delicious recipes! She is such an inspiration, and I (as well as everyone I’ve recommended it to!) greatly enjoy reading her blog.

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SECOND PLACE

Maple Spice

Last year’s third place winner, Maple Spice by Debbie Walsh is a food blog filled with surprises. The blog features both sweet and savory dishes that are creative, witty, fun and welcoming with a personal touch.

What our judges say:

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau:

With a recipe archive stretching back to 2008, Maple Spice certainly has a ton of delicious and inspiring recipes for everyone from the veg-curious to the long-time vegan. Her food photography is simply delicious and the simple, clean and fresh look of the website makes her images pop off the page.

Brian Patton:

Upon first viewing, Maple Spice has a pleasant, crisp, homey look and feel. The photography is second to none, and I think it’s the best among the finalists. My salivary glands were working overtime as I was examining Debbie’s drool inducing shots. I ruined two whole keyboards! True story.

In each post she gives great insight about her process and ingredients which adds great value to the already remarkable recipes. And then she slayed me! The second post I saw on here was a freaking “Minecraft” cake! As someone who, at 35 years of age, has recently become enthralled with the, ahem, “craft” of “mining,” I appreciated this very much…that was until I read the first paragraph of the post, stating that she made it for her son’s 11th birthday. She says, “Like most boys his age, he is mad about ‘Minecraft’.” Oy. My poor, poor wife.

Debbie has a great balance of savory and sweet recipes, and they are very easy to differentiate with her super convenient tabs at the top of the page. I was skeptical at first of the “food diary” page, since it just seemed like a blog attached to another blog. But, after reading her explanation of why it was there, I totally got on board with the idea. Maple Spice presents an abundant and delicious collection in a minimalist style, and should definitely be on your short list of go-to food blogs.

Emily Segal:

The originality award goes to Maple Spice! A vegan Minecraft cake and beer-battered deep fried bananas with toffee sauce and salted caramel sauce were some recent recipes. I wish there was a Maple Spice Cookbook already!

What the recommenders say:

Dee McMahon from Australia says:

Every recipe I have tried has worked perfectly. Instructions are clear & simple. Photos are gorgeous. Ticks all the boxes.

Scott Renwick from Israel says:

I love Maple Spice. Her website is clean, easy to read, and showcases the recipes in high quality images, something that many other food blogs fall short on.

What I love about Maple Spice most of all is that Debbie challenges the vegan cuisine and pushes it to experimental levels, while still making sure there is something for everyone.

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THIRD PLACE

Oh She Glows

Last year’s fifth place winner, Oh She Glows is a healthy recipe blog featuring spectacular food imagery, inspirational and creative recipes, and the personal experiences of it’s creator, Angela Liddon.

What our judges say:

Brian Patton:

Packed with killer pics, luscious recipes, and entertaining stories, “Oh She Glows” is so much more than a food blog. Normally, I would ask someone with such extensive fitness and photography pages, “When do you get a chance to eat?” Clearly we know the answer to that, since she has an even bigger food post collection, but I’m not sure that Angela ever sleeps.

The work she puts into this blog is superhuman, and it is all well written and beautifully photographed. The recipes are diverse and original, and you can quickly find whatever you might have a hankering for with the easy to navigate menus. Just be careful, you can easily spend all day staring at your computer screen. I mean c’mon…yellow split pea hummus and peanut butter chocolate pillows? Holy jeebus! I want to live inside this blog.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau:

This is an incredible site on several levels. Not only is Angela a talented vegan cook but also a dedicated athlete – the perfect combination for me! In addition to mouth-watering recipes showcased by delightful photography, she also has a whole section on fitness and training and, as a fellow runner, I appreciate her insight, candor and style!

Emily Segal:

As much as I was rooting for “new talent” this year, the fact is that for years I have turned to Oh She Glows to figure out what to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner in MY home. Angela continues to crank out new recipes that I am quite likely to make for my own family.

What the recommenders say:

Deana Capozziello from the USA says:

I love, love, love this blog. Everything that I have made using Angela’s recipes has been delicious and my omnivore boyfriend agrees, he constantly requests the Easy Roasted Tomato Pizza with Basil Cashew Cheeze when we have an over abundance of tomatoes from our CSA. He’s even bookmarked her site to see if he wants us to try a new or old recipe (adorbs right?).

Angela’s artistic photography of her food creations not only make you salivate but they carry you from the transformation of the raw ingredients through to the final step. I cannot say enough how much I enjoy cooking from this blog and perusing her site while having my morning tea before I start the hectic day of a grad student.

Maddie Stansell from the USA says:

Angela’s website not only made it easier for me to switch to a vegan diet, but she inspired me to start my own blog and trust myself with my cooking and my photography. I look to her for inspiration with my food, my photography, and my running. She has a superb voice and her soul really translates to the page. I just adore her and I hope she earns your award for best vegan food blog. She’s quite special!

Richelle Pinette from the USA says:

The recipes are creative, realistic, achievable, delicious, and yet healthy. Not only is everything vegan, but Angela also incorporates gluten-free and other dietary restrictions into the mix from time to time. Thanks to her blog, I have tried new foods that once intimidated me. Oh, and she also posts about fitness, tutorials, and other topics of interest, but not in an obnoxious way that overwhelms the vegan food goodness that is the foundation of the blog. Finally, the photography is stellar.

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FOURTH PLACE

Healthy. Happy. Life.

Healthy. Happy. Life. (The Lunchbox Bunch) by Kathy Patalsky is a lively and colorful food blog which offers a wide variety of recipes in addition to reviews, photography, videos, and cooking tips.

In last year’s guide Healthy. Happy. Life. made it to our top 10. This year it shot-up to the fourth place!

What our judges say:

Natalie Houlding:

Easily the most inviting of the websites I’ve come across. It’s colourful, it’s friendly – giving you a happy and vibrant feel; and it’s very easy to navigate through, which is great as its full of lots of easy to make recipes!

Emily Segal:

I’ve been a subscriber to Healthy Happy Life for years and am just amazed at the work Kathy Patalsky puts into creative recipe development and amazing, drool-worthy photography.

Kathy’s recipes uses easy-to-find ingredients and although some are more involved than I’m up for most evenings, they do inspire me to try new combinations and meals.

Then of course there is Kathy’s Cheezy Kale chips which I enjoy eating fresh – Yum!

What the recommenders say:

Jerilyn Fisher from Canada says:

I don’t know how Kathy does it, but she always has the most amazing recipes and ideas. Many of my favourite recipes are hers! As a new blogger, her site has been very inspiring to me.

Dominika Palmaka from the UK says:

This blog is truly amazing. Full of tasty and healthy vegan recipes, not to mention the amazing pictures of each meal! This blog is all you need to show to omnivores that vegan cuisine can taste and look good.

Nadja Troeger from Germany says:

Kathy is super inspiring, creative, and explains every recipe/health fact/nutrition advice so well. Plus, I love her photos and the lovely design of her blog! Her recipes are tasty and easy to cook. It’s a piece of cake to live a happy healthy vegan life!

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FIFTH PLACE

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen by Susan Voisin is a low fat and oil free recipe blog featuring a wide range of dishes with an emphasis on whole foods and healthy balanced dietary choices.

What our judges say:

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau:

Susan’s long-standing blog is bursting with delicious, healthful dishes that tempt and tantalize! I’m a huge fan of her warm, friendly, personal style and I don’t think there’s a dish I’ve tried that I haven’t absolutely loved!

Brian Patton:

I must admit, I’ve been using Susan’s “Vegan Omelette for One” recipe as far back in my vegan life as I can remember. I even went so far as to enter it as a note in my iPhone, so I could always have it at the ready, and save myself the chore of Googling it or navigating to bookmarks.

Sure, Susan’s got skills, both over the stove, and behind the lens, but her warm and endearing personality is what wins you over. She tells just the right amount of personal anecdotes, without being self-indulgent, and her stories (and occasional poems) only enhance the experience of reading and learning the recipes. They are simply presented, easy to read, and contain notes, variations, serving amounts, and nutritional information.

Then there’s the “recipe box” feature. At the top of any post, click the “add to recipe box” icon, and the website saves your selection and keeps that recipe in a designated location for easy retrieval. It’s a brilliantly simple tool that takes Fat Free Vegan from “user-friendly” to “user-friendly-with-benefits.”

What the recommenders say:

Wendy Jacobs from the USA says:

This was one of the first blogs I found when I became an oil-free vegan a year and a half ago. It has consistently been my “go-to” online recipe source. Susan’s recipes are all delicious. In fact, I haven’t made one bad thing from her site.

Her writing is superb and she explains her recipes clearly with well-written instructions suitable for all cooks, even beginners. I can’t even remember how many people I have recommended her blog to, even non-vegans who just want a source for healthy, delicious recipes. Additionally, her photography is beautiful.

Caroline Blecherman from the USA says:

This blog has delicious recipes that are really no-fat-added. She’s PRODUCTIVE, offering new recipes -and great stories- very frequently. Her “Print” option separates the recipe from the rest of the text, allowing me to print or save just the recipe.

Bonny Randall from Canada says:

Susan always has amazing recipes made with common ingredients. The recipes are easy, nutritious,

and family/kid friendly. Plus you get her entertaining food stories as a bonus.

To the next page of the Food Blog Guide… [2]