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You’re in the right place!
Welcome to Vanilla And Bean!
I’m Traci, blogger, recipe writer and picture taker on Vanilla And Bean. Here you’ll find flavorful vegetarian recipes with a focus on whole foods, seasonal eating, from scratch baking, sourdough, sweets (naturally sweetened too) and cocktails.
I believe anyone can incorporate more veggies into their diet simply by trying new recipes and shifting habits. Read on to learn more about what you’ll find on Vanilla And Bean!
What Does Vegetarian Mean?
While this word can take on many meanings, here at Vanilla And Bean it means plant forward recipes that also may include dairy and/or eggs (lacto-ovo vegetarian). Since vegetarian includes vegan too, you’ll find lots of recipes that fall in this category as well.
Why Vegetarian?
There are several reasons why people turn to vegetarian cooking and eating, whether it’s to reduce their environmental impact, for health, animal welfare, and/or to support a family member, diet is very personal. Thing is, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There are many ways to ease into a vegetarian lifestyle full time, if that’s where you’d like to be.
Some people start by working in a meatless Monday for example. Others split their vegetarian eating with vegan food. Some are weekday vegetarians, others, at home vegetarian or vegan. I eat about 60% vegan, 40% vegetarian food and very occassionally I’ll have seafood. But there are no rules. The best way to find out what works for you is to learn about vegetarian cooking and try new recipes!
According to a 2018 Gallop Poll, 5% of US adults consider themselves to be vegetarian. In 2020, 23% reported eating less meat in the past year than they had previously.
Community Favorites
One of the struggles I hear from Vanilla And Bean visitors is that they’re looking for recipes that satisfy everyone in their omnivorous family. So I created a short list of supper recipes Vanilla And Bean readers tell me are family friendly (for the meat eaters too!):
- Black Bean Walnut Burgers
- Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew
- Lemon Garlic Orzo with Roasted Veggies
- Tangy Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Thai Peanut Noodle Salad
- Vegan Artichoke Chickpea Crab-Less Cakes
- Two Bean Chili Tater Tot Hotdish
- Thai Red Curry with Eggplant
- Ginger Garlic Noodle Bowls
What Types of Recipes are on Vanilla And Bean?
I share a variety of vegetarian recipes, all without meat, fish, chicken or pork. I do not claim to share quick recipes (very rarely), but my recipes are always flavorful, easy to follow, made with whole foods and from scratch baking ingredients. You’ll find these types of recipes on Vanilla And Bean:
- vegetarian and vegan
- dairy full and dairy free
- egg full and egg free
- gluten full and gluten free
- sugar full and naturally sweetened
Looking for Sourdough Recipes?
I started sharing sourdough recipes on the blog after years of practice, with many fails, triumphs and learning opportunities along the way. If new to sourdough, start with my easy DIY Sourdough Starter recipe. Then, explore more:
- Seeded Mulitgrain Sourdough – my most popular
- Everyday Sourdough – especially for beginners!
- Maple Sourdough Sandwich Bread – so soft
- Sourdough Pizza – happens every Friday night!
- Easy Sourdough Biscuits – using sourdough starter
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Gluten Free Sourdough: A few years ago I went through a gluten free trial. I’m happy to say I’m eating gluten again, but while I was off gluten I developed some gluten free sourdough recipes that have become maker favorites:
- DIY Gluten Free Sourdough Starter
- Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
- Gluten Free Sourdough Oat Pancakes
- Gluten Free Sourdough Waffles
Like What You See So Far?
- To keep in touch, I’d love for you to join the Vanilla And Bean community by signing up for my free, weekly subscriber newsletter, or sign up below.
- Take a look at the recipe index where you can filter and search by diet or recipe category.
- Be sure to follow Vanilla And Bean on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more inspiration!
- If you’d like to learn more about me, check out my about page!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your interest! I hope you’ll grab a cup of coffee or tea and explore the blog a bit. With almost 300 recipes, I’m sure you’ll find something new to love! I can’t wait to connect!
