profile

A Virtual Vegan by Melanie McDonald

Satisfy your comfort food cravings with my trusted and delicious vegan recipes. There's a spot waiting in the AVV community just for you and I'll even send you a free e-cookbook!

Featured Post

Spring Weather Is Confused

Hi there, Reader Spring said "sunshine," but the evening forecast said, "absolutely not." Luckily, these fresh yet cozy spring soup recipes are here to handle the seasonal identity crisis one delicious spoonful at a time! GET THE RECIPES πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER More Cozy Springy Dinners: Skillet Tofu with Zucchini "Like magic in a pot! Such a low-stress weekday dinner with beyond delicious results." - Tania GET THE RECIPE Chili Garlic Eggplant "This is my new favorite recipe! The subtle sweet...

Hi there, Reader Okay, this email is a little different. I noticed that these 10 recipes somehow have zero ratings or reviews. If you've made any of these, I would love it if you could pop over to my website and leave a star rating and review. I would be so, so grateful! It really helps my recipes to do better in search results, and it helps website visitors to trust my recipes when they are browsing. Thank you in advance! Don't know how to leave a review? You'll find a section like this...

Hi there, Reader Kale Pesto is a delicious way to get your greens in! Made with 5 ingredients in 5 minutes, it's vibrant, packed with flavour, and a great alternative to traditional basil pesto. It's so handy to have a jar of in the fridge. I love it stirred through pasta for a very speedy meal. Note that if you can't use almonds for whatever reason, you can use cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead. They all work well. GET THE RECIPE πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER More Quick...

Hi there, Reader Cinnamon lovers, this is for you! I'm coming at you with a snickerdoodle or snickerdoodle-inspired recipe for every type of snickerdoodler. We've got my soft and thick enough to really sink your teeth into snickerdoodle cookies, a super quick and easy mug cake, and dessert hummus (don't knock it 'til you've tried it)! 😜 Vegan Snickerdoodles πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER These easy vegan snickerdoodle cookies are soft, light, puffy, buttery, cinnamon-y and totally irresistible. Made in one...

Hi there, Reader There's a reason I've never shared a tempeh recipe. It's because if I'm honest, I've never liked it much. I mean, I've tried many, many times, because I feel like it's a vegan rite of passage, but I've never really enjoyed anything I've made with it. I'd pretty much given up, then a few months ago, I was digging into my website's analytics, and saw that lots of people had been searching for tempeh recipes. I don't want anyone to leave disappointed, so my mission to make...

Friends, hello. I hope it's been a good month for you! I try to keep it real, so I won't lie - It hasn't been great for me. I was diagnosed with RA a few months ago, and the symptoms of that and the medication I've been started on (low-dose chemo πŸ˜–), to try to get it into remission, are really putting me through the wringer. On the plus side, the sun is back, my garden is in bloom, my doggos are still super cute (current view below), and there's a new recipe coming on Friday that I'm really...

Hi there, Reader I have a major love for tahini and for using it in recipes. I can't resist the depth, richness, and gorgeous bittersweet nuttiness it gives. Today I've pulled together 3 of my favourite recipes that use tahini, and if you've never made tahini yourself, I'm also including my tahini recipe. It's even nicer when made at home! How To Make Tahini πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER All you need is 1 ingredient (sesame seeds), a food processor, and about 10 minutes. You will be rewarded with the most...

Hi there, Reader Ok, hear me out. This is the sandwich combo you didn't know you needed. Peanut butter and sriracha, with LOADS of cool crunchy cucumber, lettuce, a little thinly sliced red or green onion, and loads of salt and pepper. It's SO GOOD! I didn't toast the bread because it was really freshly baked (this recipe), and I can't resist soft, squishy bread, but if you do toast it, do yourself a favour and rub it with a raw garlic clove before you start building your sandwich. πŸ˜‰ GET THE...

Hi there, Reader This recipe deserves way more attention than it gets. Don't just take it from me.... GET THE RECIPE πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER More Cookies: Lemon Cookies "So good, me and my husband are obsessed!! It’s a perfect recipe, one of the best cookies I’ve ever had, vegan or otherwise! GET THE RECIPE Sugar Cookies "Wow! I’m so impressed. This is the best sugar cookie cut-out recipe we’ve tried. It’s going to be the only recipe I use from now on." GET THE RECIPE Tried a recipe and loved it? I’d...

Hi there, Reader These new brothy rice bowls got an immediate stamp of approval from everyone the first time I made them. They are almost like a cross between a soup and a salad, and so perfect for spring because they're both cozy and super fresh! GET THE RECIPE πŸ“Œ PIN FOR LATER The highlights: Ready in the time it takes the rice to cook. No more than 25 to 30 mins start to finish! Luscious, super-flavourful broth (that also happens to be really easy). Fluffy rice. Sticky, caramelized vegan...