Hi, I’m Laurel!
The veggie lover, recipe developer, and photographer behind Darn Good Veggies.
If you haven’t guessed it yet, I LOVE veggies. I love cooking them, eating them, and sharing them with you!
I wasn’t always the veggie lover I am today. Asparagus used to make me cringe and the only way I was able to eat green beans was with half a pound of butter masking their flavor. I learned (slowly) over the years how to whip up crave-able veggie-packed recipes that are equally loved by the vegetable sceptic and vegetable connoisseur alike.
5 facts about me:
- Nothing is better than a long walk with my three boys – my husband Reed, baby boy Sawyer, and Mini Australian Shepherd, Mac.
- My husband jokes that chocolate is my favorite food and cilantro is my favorite vegetable – but it’s true.
- I equally love coffee and tea. Why pick just one?
- I believe that food is the best medicine.
- I help my husband run a superfood lemonade company called Vimco Wellness and am so proud of all that he has accomplished!
My Story:
My love for cooking goes back as far as I can remember. Instead of playing with dolls or digging in my sandbox, my memories are of standing on a dining room chair so I could reach the kitchen counter. While my tastes have matured since my once signature recipe of Bubble Gum Pickle Juice Soup, my love for cooking has remained.
In 2013, my food world was turned upside down when I found out I was intolerant to gluten and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease – a chronic autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system.
I looked to food and lifestyle as treatment and found so much research on how a plant-based diet is more effective than the leading drugs at putting Crohn’s Disease into lasting remission. I dove straight into a gluten free plant-based diet and haven’t looked back since.
I won’t sugar coat it. The first few months were hard. I ate bland steamed broccoli and flavorless canned lentil soup on repeat. I kept trying and eventually found my groove in the kitchen. I started churning out veggies that tasted so good even my college roommates loved them and began feeling my healthiest ever. Ant not just healthy for someone with Crohn’s but the healthiest I had ever felt in my life despite Crohn’s Disease. I knew I was onto something!
Since then, I have been in unmedicated remission for over three years and continue to feel amazing! This total health one eighty ignited a passion to share my veggie-packed recipes with the world.
For more about my daily life, check out our Taste of Life series!
About the Recipes:
Whether you’re a tried and true veggie lover or someone who still side eyes peas, there is a recipe here for you!
We have over 400 recipes to help you love your veggies, with a few healthy indulgences thrown in. I could never give up my beloved dark chocolate and wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy!
All the recipes are gluten free and many are vegan and paleo.
Since the birth of my son, I have learned the necessity of uncomplicated healthy meals that still taste great! Check out some of my quick and easy favorites:
I have been in the place where eating healthy feels complicated, uninspiring, and tasteless. My hope is that the recipes on this sight help you live your healthiest lifestyle with ease.
Let’s Connect:
I am always available to answer your questions or chat at [email protected] Give me a shout!