My name is Denise. I am an absolute foodie, a crazy dog-lover (see photo of my beautiful pit/lab mix Ellie below), yoga enthusiast and wine connoisseur. I make a conscience effort each day to live my healthiest and best life. I’m a 200-hour RYT and teach yoga 3 days a week. I’m also a spin enthusiast and try to party on the bike as many times a week as possible.
I am a vegetarian (10 years and counting). Oh, did I forget to mention I’m the only vegetarian in my family? Yeah, that’s also super fun and convenient.Ā But you know what? I’m always game for a challenge especially in the kitchen!
I’m a self-taught vegetarian chef and cooking is by far my favorite thing to
do. I also love cocktails (yes, I have recipes for those too), trying new restaurants and I occasionally read a health book every now and then ā so expect to see some book and restaurant reviews along with my recipes up in here.
For more, go here:Ā http://about.me/deniseprichard
DISCLAIMER: Some of these recipes WILL be unique whether it’s intentional or not. Cheers and bon appetit!
fueled by vegetables 
Hi Denise, I am a good friend of Nicks. I have been following your blogs and recipes and have been enjoying them thoroughly. I am an inspiring “chef” who is also self taught as well, although I will be attending culinary school at Johnson and Wales in Denver, CO come September to better my skills, and in hopes to eventually own a restaurant. I love what you are doing here and I want to tell you that you are doing a great job. I look forward to more of your posts and trying your ideas. Maybe one day when I come back to AZ to visit the big guy we can all get together and have a great feast. Take care.
Thanks so much and so nice to meet you – on the internet that is, haha. How exciting that you’re going to culinary school – definitely one of my goals to do that at some point. When you do pay Nick a visit we should definitely get together and cook up some deliciousness! š
Hey Denise,
Thanks for checking out my blogs and for the follow, I hope you enjoy them! Thats cool that you are the only vegetarian in your family, its great to be different! My parents have recently gone veegan and I’m still getting used to it. They are not total veggan’s for they cook meat from time for other people who are not veegan and also eat it themselves sometimes. My brother introduced them to a movie called Forks with Knives (or something like that) which started all that. Anyway, nice to meet you and thought I’d say hello. Looking forward to reading your blogs!
James
Yes, Forks Over Knives!! I saw that documentary too! Super interesting that so many illnesses a=can be cured by incorporating and plant-based and whole food diet. Have you read or heard of the book, “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer? It’s a super interesting book about the way society views food today – mixed with his wit and humor, of course! You should check it out!
Wow, you are really pretty and healthy looking! It just goes show that non meat eaters aren’t all starved hippies, haha. I really like your blog!
That’s so sweet! Thank you! I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 5 years now – I won’t lie, I didn’t used to be a very healthy one. However, something really inspired me last year to really take care of my body and use food for energy and not just for taste. Not that I don’t allow myself a couple treats every now and then ;).
That’s so sweet! Thank you! I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 5 years now – I won’t lie, I didn’t used to be a very healthy one. However, something really inspired me last year to really take care of my body and use food for energy and not just for taste. Not that I don’t allow myself a couple treats every now and then ;).
I’m glad that you were inspired to be healthy, I am also a very health conscious vegan. I have alternated between vegan and vegetarian over the last year, but I think being either one is great; I hope I will stay like this for as long as you have!
Thanks for stopping by My Hmmm Colection and deciding to tag along. A vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is interesting but, I like my bacon and burgers.
Thanks for your comment. My boyfriend is an excellent BBQer… you’ll have to try some of his recipes that I put up here š
Love the look and the theme! It all sounds very similar to my household… there’s little ol’ me cooking up whatever local-earthy-unique vegetable I can find, and my boyfriend really just wanting a steak.
We have A LOT in common then! š
Thanks for choosing to follow my blog… š
I am vegetarian for over 20 years, my husband is on and off again. At home he cooks vegetarian and when he wants “meat” we will go out to eat. Our pots, pans and everything else has not been touch by meat! I love that he respects me and does not insist on the meat thing at the house. He does drink coke…me…once in a blue moon! I drink water and coffee.
My boyfriend is the same way. Even though he eats meat, he’s fine with eating whatever I make for myself most of the time. I can understand his dislike for tofu and tempeh (they certainly aren’t everyone’s cup of tea!) so I don’t try to make him eat those ingredients haha. But I will admit having a boyfriend who is so respectful of my diet makes it sooooo much easier to prepare meals š
This picture is awesome…gotta love our meat eating men!
Yes, yes we do!!! š
Hi there, popped over when I saw you had subsribed to my blog (thank you!). It must be tough being a lone vegetarian in a family, so it is interesting to see how you approach it. Neither I nor my partner are vegetarian but we grow much of our produce and because itĀ“s so tasty and good for us, find that we often eat meat free meals just for the pleasure of it!
That’s awesome! I’ve been wanting to start growing my own produce but the hot Arizona weather makes it hard fro them to survive – not to mention my pit bull Eleanor loves eating veggies so she would definitely snack on them! However, I am starting to grow my own herbs and that has been such a time and money saver. If you have any suggestions on growing your own produce I’d love some advice š
The heat is tough – we struggle with it here but it must be worse for you. Start small, just a plant or two of your favourites and things like chard are quite hardy and just grow and grow and donĀ“t need much space. Even a couple of peppers are quite easy and will give you plenty of fruit (they do need to be supported as they grow upwards though) or zucchini if you have more space as they can trail along the ground. How exciting..keep me posted if you do start to grow more š
Thanks so much! I’ll try it out š
Thanks for following my blog. Your Field to Fork post is really interesting. People’s perception of food is so interesting to me. Can’t wait to see your future posts! Thanks again!
I thought so too. I must admit, I am a sucker for an amazing inforgraphic. However, I feel like this kind of visual helps break it down a little bit better rather than sorting through dozens of studies and articles :).
Hello Denise! Thank you for following my blog! I love your articles! very nice! I will be moving my blog over to my new website very soon and I hope you follow me there as well! It is still under construction but please visit later and subscribe…you can find the link at the bottom of my posts the next few weeks! keep up the great work!
Thanks so much and I look forward to seeing your new site š
Hi Denise! Thanks for reading my blog. You should try CARROT DOGS!! Even carnivores love them ~ He’s a link to the recipe
Oh my goodness! I will be trying these out VERY soon! Thanks for the recipe š
I hope you love them! They are so addictive!!!
Thanks for stopping by and the like. Enjoyed your quotes collection.
Thank you! I’m a bit of a bookworm š
I recently decided to go vegan… can’t wait to get some inspiration from your recipes!
Awesome! I try to make as many vegan dishes as possible. Thanks for following!
I just read “Arizona” and thought “Man, it must be hard to be a Vegetarian in Arizona” – and my experiences are actually pretty similar. My whole familly and boyfriend are happy omnivores (and sometimes I think carnivores š ) and I am living vegan among them. Nice to have this big supporting foodblogger-community, right?
You have no idea! It’s nice being surrounded by people who are probably equally annoyed with the “why are you a vegetarian?” and “what do you eat?” questions. Finally… people get me!!! š
Its so nice to have you following my blog- I’ve had fun reading yours now too. It must be a real challenge living with a non veg. I hope HE loves his veggies!
That’s the good thing about this man… he will eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING – veggies included!
i’m so glad you stopped by my blog which led me to yours! your “about me” could substitute for my own… i too am a vegetarian (only in my family!) who is married to a man who grew up on a “meat and potatoes” diet (fortunately my culinary efforts have won him over and he eats vegetarian unless he’s not eating at home), i am a self-taught cook, lover of red wine, and a runner. i look forward to reading more of your posts and hope you’ll keep up with mine as well!
My, my, my! We DO have a lot in common! Love your blog and can’t wait for future posts š
Thanks for stopping by my blog, I look forward to catching up on yours! You sound like a girl after my own heart!
I was thinking the same thing about you! š Definitely looking forward to your future posts!
Thanks for following our blog! Your site looks delicious š It’s wonderful that you’re sharing how delicious and healthy plant-based food can be.
If you’re ever in the area, we’d like to invite you to our restaurant š
I will GLADLY accept your invite. The food looks absolutely scrumptious š
Please let us know when you stop by! ^_^
Let us know when you visit š
Great Blog. You can’t beat some great food and a good book š
AGREED. Those two things and a glass… err glasses… of wine make for an excellent evening š
Hi Denise, thanks so much for the follow! It looks like you have some fantastic recipes on here- I look forward to exploring. I live in a mixed household too- I’m veggie and my husband isn’t! Makes for some interesting meals š
Looks like you and I are very similar! I try to make recipes that even a meat-eater would like. š
Hi there, I have just nominated you for the “One Lovely Blog Award” š
http://oneinabillionblog.com/2012/08/04/one-lovely-blog-award/
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much š
Hi Denise, thanks for checking me out. I’m a bit of a foodie too and love sharing good ideas. I love your blog! š
Hi Denise, Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the follow. I’m so impressed with yours! While I’m not a vegetarian, I cook meat-free meals quite often and firmly believe veggies can cure pretty much any ills! Looking forward to catching up on more of your posts and awesome recipes!
Hi denise, your blog is lovely and will be helpful too. I ‘m too a vegetarian but my hubby is not! We have lot of things in common. Thanks for dropping by my blog else i would have missed such a great blog of yours!
Thank you!! I enjoy your blog as well. I’m sure I’ll be stealing some of your recipes quite soon! š
Great blog concept! Happy to follow š
Hi, you have been nominated for the Leibster Award, thanks for all your great postsā¦ all you need to know is here:
Congratulations!
Oh I know the feeling of being the ONLY vegetarian in the family very well! Lots of awkward moments! LOL! Love your blog.
Thanks so much for stopping by and following soul if spice. Can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be the only vegetarian in the family. By the soy ds of it and nick looks like you’ve worked it out š look forward to reading your recipes & your visits again.. Charu
Ong just realized that iPhone autocorrect had a field day with my earlier comment. Pl. read soy ds as LOOKS of it;)
Hahaha! No worries – we have all fallen victim to autocorrect š
Your recipes look amazing! I can’t wait to try them out!
I am currently living in a country that does not have easy access to many of these ingredients, but hopefully I can work something out. Cheers to healthy living!
Thanks!! And cheers to you too!!! š
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the follow! I love your pictures and I look forward to reading more of your blog. Cheers!
Hey there! Thanks for following my blog! I look forward to trying some of your recipes!
Hi Denise , thanks for the follow…. you sure do have a lovely blog here… Nice recipes… looking forward to read more…:)
Hi Denise! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. š I love your about page – you are such a good writer and you’ve got some pretty tasty recipes on here! I’m excited to keep reading š
Kristin
Thanks Kristin! Looking forward to connecting with you on here! š
Thanks for the like & follow! I’m so glad it led me here!
Thanks for stopping by Mel, LOVE your blog š
You are quite welcome & *blush* thank you! š
Hell yeah to the cocktail recipes! And hahahahaha my boyfriend “bleeds bacon grease” as well! Perfect way of putting that.
Thanks so much haha. Those cocktail recipes will become more and more abundant the closer it gets to summer!
I love your blog, so I have nominated you for the Bouquet of Three Award! Check out the details here: http://milesforthought.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/bouquet-of-three-award/
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Lovely blog! I admire your dedication to being vegetarian, even with the carnivorous boyfriend and family. Kudos! I have nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://whatwillicooktoday.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/liebster-award/
I love following along on your journey and testing out your amazing recipes! I’ve nominated you for a “Very Inspiring Blogger” award. Check it out at: http://lorileighwilson.com/2013/06/12/sharing-inspiration/
Thanks for the follow! I look forward to going through your blog. I’m also the only vegetarian in my family so I feel ya girl!!
It gets tricky in the kitchen, doesn’t it?!? š
I make everyone eat veggie haha :p do you still cook meat for your family and boyfriend?
Yes, I’m actually an excellent meat-cooker! I don’t mind cooking it, I just don’t like eating it – it’s a texture thing lol. I watch a lot of Food Network shows – especially Pioneer Woman, so that helps a bunch!
Hi Denise, Thanks for following my blog, I hope you enjoy the recipes. I know how you feel with your partner being a bona fide carnivor, my boyfried also bleeds bacon grease. I am lucky though, as he is very open to healthy vegan fare as well (as long as it comes with a side of ribs or a steak), so it is fun coming up with all kinds of new dishes.. Tracy.
Hey! Thanks for stopping by http://www.MeatyVegan.com! Love your blog! Any chance you’ll one day go vegan?
I went vegan for awhile – I loved it! I would say that my diet is 40% vegan 60% vegetarian, but since this darn gluten allergy kicked in, being vegan has been a little more difficult! š
hi, denise and thanks for dropping in into my blog….much obliged, ma’am!
i think we both have the same likes….im a semi-vegetarian (i do eat meat now and then..!) and i love dogs, too…Simba is my partner in crime (he’s 4 yrs old, and a beautiful golden tan and black german shepherd who follows me around wherever i go…).
im gonna be looking at following some of your recipes, so they better be good, girl…LOL…great interesting blog, anyways!
I will try my hardest to deliver yummy recipes for you.
LOVE the name simba for a pup by the way! š
well…its kinda original, eh?
whereabouts on the planet are you….if you and hubby are down my way, vancouver BC, why not pop over for a drink or 3…?
I’m actually in Scottsdale, AZ… a little far from you. haha.
I do love Vancouver though. GORGEOUS place š
Hi Fueled by Vegetables!
So, apparently WordPress has awards. I nominated you for the Liebster Award–I think your writing is great and I like the idea of using these “awards” to expand the reach of awesome blogs to create even more discourse
To view the award and the rules for accepting your nomination, please visit the nomination post– http://acornbends.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/creating-community-via-wordpress/
I love your blog name! Thanks for stopping by Life Is Like A Dumpling š
Thank you for the follow, Denise! I am looking forward to learning more about yours!
Hi there! I wanted to let you know that I really enjoy your blog and have come to look forward to reading your posts. I’ve nominated you for the WordPress Family reward as a result. Thanks for all you do! http://reluctantvegetarianblog.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/thank-you-wp-family/
Thanks for the follow! Your blog looks great, can’t wait to dig in š
Thank you for the follow! Great blog, I’ll be following as well š
Hi Denise, thank you for the follow. I’ve been struggling with vegetarian recipes, despite having grown up on a diet full of veges and fruit, so I look forward to finding some inspiration from your blog š x
Cute blog! I’m not a strict vegetarian…it’s more like I eat a plant-based diet with meat about 1 or 2 times a week:) My husband used to be a hard-core meat-eater, but then I had him watch some documentaries (Forks over Knives, Vegucation…) and now he eats a plant-based diet, too! Makes cooking a lot easier!
Denise, I love your blog — especially for the pictures of Eleanor š
Just one wish…have you considered incorporating more vegan recipes? I sympathize with your being the only vegetarian in your family plus gf, but veganism is easy (really not such a sacrifice at all) and way more animal friendly/non-violent/you probably already know…but if not I’m happy to recommend or exchange resources. Let me know!
Hi Sarah! I actually have a lot of vegan recipes that I haven’t posted just yet – I always like to have pictures with my recipe posts. I agree going vegan is A LOT simpler than most people realize (i would consider my diet to be 75% vegan and 25% vegetarian. I follow the Vegan Before 6 diet by Mark Bittman and love it). Going out makes it hard to be vegan sometimes, but I make it work whenever I can – plus having a meat-eating boyfriend makes it difficult too. It’s all about making compromises and finding that happy balance! I wish some people would just give Daiya a chance!
Thanks you so much for your comment and suggestion – I will definitely make an effort to put more vegan recipes up here!! š š
Great blog! I’m new to the blogging world, but am already finding so many gems in the blogging community like your recipes! My bf is also a carnivore and I’m mostly vegetarian …. so I can totally sympathize. It’s nice that you are able the channel the differences into creativity. Stop by my blog sometime, http://pistachiojar.wordpress.com/ Cheers! Chelsea
Thanks so much for your kind words, Chelsea! For a new blogger.. you seem to have a pretty solid blog. I will definitely be checking it out often. Glad we can connect on here š
Aw, thank you. Yes, I’m a newbie. Appreciate it š
Wow, awesome blog! Thanks so much for introducing it to me through your follow on xballerina! Ditto on the yoga, food and wine. I am a “flexitarian”, no red meat, and my husband LOVES all things meat. So I can relate:) My Grandma says she stopped cooking because she doesn’t no what to feed us “vegetarians.” Oh boy. Anyway, I look forward to reading more!! Cheers…
Hey! Thanks for your comment! Sounds like we have a lot in common š
Just passing along the Versatile Blog Award to you! If interested please visit the link: http://tohealthblog.wordpress.com/the-versatile-blogger-award-2013/
Thank you!! I feel very honored! š
Hi, Denise! I know you have plenty of followers, but I still wanted to nominate you for the Liebster Award. I think your blog is great!āØ For more information, check out http://theovendiaries.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/liebster-award/
Hey Denise! I just wanted to let you know I just nominated you for the Sunshine Award in my blogā¦ I wanted to pay forward the sunshine love to you! If you would like to share the sunshine too, you may find out more about it hereā¦ http://divinewiz.com/2013/11/29/the-sunshine-blogger-award-fun-facts-about-me/ Either way, thanks for being a little ray of sunshine in your posts!
Hi Denise! You have a great blog :)))) Iām a new, but already lucky to find such interesting blogs as yours :))))
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I totally relate to being the only vegetarian in the family. But I did get my dad to at least TRY tofu this Christmas. Progress, lol.
Hi Denise! Great blog. I can totally relate. It can be interesting trying to cook for carnivores and vegetarians at the same time. I invite you to check out my blog for Latin inspired vegetarian treats: http://veggiechica.com
OH! Thank you for stopping by my blog!! Love, love, LOVE your site!! š
Hi Denise, I really appreciate your posts and wanted to share your blog with my readers. Therefore, I have nominated you for The Dragonās Award. If you would like to participate, you will find more information here: http://divinewiz.com/2014/02/20/the-dragons-loyalty-award/.
Wow! Thanks so much, Michelle. This really made my day!! xoxo
Hi Denise thx for stopping by my blog and follow…glad to have found yours š
Hi there Denise!
Hoping to send some sunshine your way today by telling you that I nominated you for The Sunshine Award! š Here is the link you need to follow that will explain why I picked you and what you need to do: http://richwithlife.com/2014/03/27/the-sunshine-award/
This put a huge smile on my face! And congrats for receiving the award for your blog too! š
Thanks for reading and following MyKoruLifestyle. Your site looks like it has some fresh ideas and information. I look forward to reading more!
Hey Denise! Great site! I’m always looking for new things to eat – myer lemon on a pizza = very intriguing! Thanks for following my blog – and for teaching me something new!! š
Hi Denise! Great website! I love all of the healthy recipes. I’m the only vegetarian in my family as well. Thanks for following my website. I’m just getting it off the ground so I’m going to be uploading a few months worth of content in the next couple of days so hopefully you don’t have it set up so that you get an email each time I post an article. That might get annoying š I noticed that you liked my article about free fitness classes in the Junction (in Toronto, Ontario). Does that mean you are a Junction/High Park girl? I’m always looking for a new fitness buddy in the area š
– Kendall
Unfortunately I live in Arizona… I just love when others share free fitness opportunities with their followers. Such an easy and economical way to get healthy!! š xoxo
Thank you so much for liking and following my blog! š š I absolutely LOVE your blog! Your recipes are scrumptious and the floral around here is very pretty! š You are gluten free too?? Wow! My mom has to be gluten free due to Celiac Disease. What are some of your favorite gluten free recipes??
Cannot wait to check out everything on your site! š
~Kelly
Nice to meet you, Denise. I look forward to exploring more of your blog-looks like a lot of amazing recipes. Thanks for visiting my blog-hopefully one day a gluten intolerant person will be able to go into any restaurant and order off the menu without a Q&A session!
Thank you for following my blog, look forward to catching up on yours!
Glad I happened to notice this blog! I’m gluten-free, dairy-free and lactose intolerant and I’m the cook for my family, so yes, meals are a challenge! I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for some of your recipes.
I am so happy to connect with you on here! All of my recipes are gluten-free and try to make most of them vegan as well! š
Hi Denise – Thanks for stopping by my blog – I’m glad it gave me a chance to find your blog and look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Love your blog! Nominated you for the Creative Blogger Award!
Thanks Sadie!! LOVe your blog too!! š
Hi Denise, Greetings from the UK! Thanks for stopping by Eat2Health, joining our community and introducing us to your blog! We hope that you enjoyed your visit; we offer plant-based recipes with GF options! We look forward to discovering more about Fueled By Vegetables (it looks pretty tasty!) and will look our for your future posts! Best wishes, Lynn & Alex š
Hi Denise, thanks for stopping by my blog and following me! While Iām not vegetarian, Iām always glad to try more veg recipes š
Denise, I totally get you! I’m the only non-meat eater in my family too, which sadly includes my husband… but in reality he is super supportive of me following my personal convictions. Thanks for following me. I really look forward to reading some of your recipes and trying them out in m kitchen too! ā¤
Hi Denise! Nice to meet you and thanks for the follow. Love some of the recipes I have had the chance to take a look at AND super love that your boyfriend is definitely a carnivore. My husband is too and so it’s a hard adjustment for us both. Meal planning has been a disaster so far lol.
Thank you for being a friendly face amidst the negative comments and for stopping by. I really look forward to using some of your recipes.
Hey Kay – thanks for your comment. š I’m so happy to connect with you on here, we seem to have a lot of things in common! I look forward to more of your posts!! xoxo
Hi Denise. Thanks for liking my blog post. I really like your blog too. I am a vegetarian like you and I love trying new recipes. I am also a yoga enthusiast so I find your posts about yoga interesting too. š
Thank you so much!! I look forward to connecting with you more on here. š