Hi friends!
I'm Sam Turnbull, vegan recipe blogger, and bestselling cookbook author, writing to you from Toronto, Canada.
Here's my story...
Going vegan
You might be surprised to hear that the moment I decided I was going to go vegan, I was completely and utterly bummed about it.
Let me explain, I NEVER in a million years thought I would become vegan.
I grew up in a family of foodies, chefs, butchers, and hunters (yes, it's true). My household had a flock of chickens (both for eggs and for eating), the freezers were stocked full of meat, steaks were cooked rare, and there were even real animal heads decorating the walls (not that I ever liked the heads). Now, doesn't that just sound like the most vegan household you have ever heard of? Probably not. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, switching to veganism was a BIG change for me.
So what in the world happened?
As a kid I always loved animals. I had dogs, cats, gerbils, turtles, and even a rabbit named Gravy (no, I didn't realize how incredibly odd that was at the time). But even though I loved animals, I was still an avid meat eater. It made sense to me: animals were killed because we "needed" to eat meat and that seemed a-ok to me.
I thought vegetarians, and especially vegans, were so extreme and silly. They were all dying of protein deficiency for sure. (Insert eye roll here.) So, that's how I was coasting along through life. Loving my pets, being creeped out by fur and taxidermy, all while wearing leather and eating meat, eggs, and dairy.
Then…
One fine day in 2012, I made (what turned out to be) the best decision ever: to sit down and watch a documentary about being vegan called "Vegucated". And that triggered some uncomfortable questions in my brain.
So the next morning I woke up and decided to try being vegan. I cleaned out my cupboards and fridge of anything that wasn't vegan and started this crazy new adventure. I knew I wanted to try it, but I also knew I wasn't entirely convinced yet, so that night I watched "Forks Over Knives". And then I followed that up with every health, environment, and animal cruelty book and film I could get my hands on.
The result? You guessed it, here I am today, dun dun duuuuun! A vegan. (Hi!) 👋
By the end of my documentary and book binge-fest, two things were absolutely clear to me:
- I was officially going vegan.
- I didn't want to be vegan.
After all of my research, it made 100% logical sense to me to be vegan. It was better for my health, the environment, and, of course, the animals. The problem was, I actually hated the idea of adopting a vegan lifestyle. I remember being so frustrated, almost wishing I could unlearn all of the facts I had learned. I loved meat and cheese, and I really didn't want to be "that weird vegan girl." Well, I couldn't unlearn, so I had to come up with a new plan of attack: be the best damn vegan I could be!
Becoming the best damn vegan I could be...
I had always loved to cook, so I started researching vegan cooking. I stocked my cupboards with what the recipes required: hard-to-find, expensive, and odd ingredients such as arrowroot starch, brown rice syrup, xylitol, guar gum, spelt, hemp, and other things that I still have lingering in some back corner.
All the recipes had names that included the words "energy," "glow," "detox," or "power," and were mainly for bars, balls, juices, smoothies, and salads. They required hours of prep, dehydrating, and straining, and had a ton of steps.
Cookies were raw, chocolate was frozen, desserts were healthy, dinner was spiralized, grain bowls were a must, and everything had kale, quinoa, chia seeds, sprouts, avocado, and coconut oil in it. This, to me, was indeed boring food
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with those kinds of recipes. They just weren't for me. Sometimes I love a smoothie or juice, but for the most part, I just want pancakes and pasta. Why did I have to become all sprouts and kale just because I was vegan?
So, I began playing around in the kitchen...
Not only were my new creations satisfying, hearty, full of flavour, and straight-up delicious, but they were just as easy to make as any other meal. With limitation came inspiration, and before I knew it, going vegan had become one of the best decisions I'd ever made!
As a sweet bonus, I saw my health improve. I didn't even know that I had been feeling bad until I learned what it felt like to truly feel great! Gone were the days of feeling bloated after eating, of having a sensitive stomach, of getting drowsy mid-afternoon, of unbuttoning my jeans after meals, and of feeling guilty and grossed out when I thought about what my dinner really was. I was now healthier, leaner, more energetic, and just overall happier.
The best and most surprising part of going vegan was that I absolutely loved it!
I started to document my recipes so I could make them again and again. At first, I was just taking quick snaps on my phone and jotted down the ingredients, but I decided a better plan was to (not so subtly) woo my friends, family, and anyone who would listen to the greener side by sharing my recipes online. And so this blog, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken, was born. Hot dang, it worked! Friends, family, vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores from across the world were making my recipes - and raving about them!
As the feedback started rolling in, I fell in love with recipe writing. It was so fun, creative, and tasty! Not only that, but I was helping to show people that a plant-based diet can be totally delicious, easy, doable, and good for you! Now, fast forward 10 years, and I'm proud to be "that weird vegan girl". Haha. I have made it my full-time career to share all of my totally scrumptious, approachable, comfort food favorites, and everyday meals made vegan. No fussing about, just good ol' food that everyone will love, vegan or not.
This blog now gets millions of visitors every month, I have two bestselling and award-winning cookbooks, I run an online subscription meal planner called The Easy Vegan Meal Plan, I teach online cooking courses at The Ultimate Vegan Kitchen, and you could easily say that going vegan was one of the best decisions I ever made. 🙂
If you are new here...
If you're like me, a reluctant vegan, or if you are just looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet, I'm here for you! I promise to help you fall in love with vegan food.
The best place to start is by signing up to receive my free eCookbook of the Top 30 Vegan Recipes! In this book, you will receive 30 fan-favorite, easy, and incredibly delicious vegan recipes. Whether you're new to plant-based cooking or not, you are going to love these recipes!
Just enter your name and email address below and get ready to start receiving a whole bunch of mouth-watering, easy-to-make vegan recipes.
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Dan says
Just got your book. Wow!!! Besides the super recipes, absolutely beautiful design and layout. I confess I'm not vegan, but your recipes have certainly tilted our diet in that direction. I consistently go to them first, because they are simply .....so good!! Great job.
Sam Turnbull says
That's so awesome, Dan!! So happy you like the book. Haha, you don't have to be vegan, my book is for everyone. Every little bit helps and the more vegan meals you enjoy the better!! Thrilled you are enjoying the recipes so much 😀
Kristie says
Hi Sam! I began my vegan journey only 11 days ago and your blog was one of the first I came across. The Tofu Bolognese was the first recipe I ever made using tofu and it was AMAZING!! I also made the BBQ Jackfruit and it was delicious! I couldn’t believe how similar it was to chicken. Anyway, I just ordered your cookbook and it can’t get here soon enough. Black salt was in that order as well. Scrambled tofu here I come! Your blog has so much good info, is so laid back and relatable and your videos give me the confidence that I can make this vegan thing work. Thank you so much! And my husband thanks you too! He has a very happy, vegan tummy!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's so wonderful, Kristie!! SO happy I am able to help you on your journey a little. It sounds like you are loving the food already which is so key!!! (In my opinion). I hope you love the book, and enjoy the craziness of black salt! 🙂
JM says
Hi Sam!!! I became vegan 2 years ago after doing some research on a health condition I have. I started to feel better but I needed to do something more. So a few months ago I became a raw vegan and I never felt better!!! Well...raw expect for 1 food...your vegan cornbread! I found the recipe months ago and loved it!!
Now with fall and winter approaching (I live in Northern Ohio) I want to transition to a raw till 4 vegan.
I found your YouTube channel and love your cooking style and recipes. I jumped right to Amazon and ordered your cookbook! Can’t wait to start planning my fall and winter meals with it!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, JM! I really hope you enjoy my book, it's definitely not raw, so you will have to wait until 4 to fice into it! haha.
Neil says
Hey Sam, after being blown away by the seitan recipe on your blog I bought your book. Last night we made the burrito bowl with ranch dressing and we were all blown away by how delicious it was. We ate way too much. I had to lie down after to rest my stomach. Thanks so much for all the work you clearly put into these recipes. You've made my transition to a vegan diet more like a transition to a much yummier diet.
Sam Turnbull says
Bahaha! That's awesome! Thanks for the lovely comment, you've totally put some pep in my step today!
Judi Hoffmann says
Hi Sam! I have been a subscriber to your website for several years now and just love it. I bought your cookbook a while back and made the chocolate cake today, YUMMMMM! Every time I go on your site a little box pops up that says if I subscribe to your site I will get 5 bacon recipes. I guess you can only get them if you are a new subscriber. Please let those of us that have been with you for so long get these recipes, too. Thanks, Judi
PS I miss the old pictures of when you first started your site. They were so cute.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks for being with me for so long, Judi!! If you enter your email in the box, it should go away and not show again for you. And of course, just send me an email and I will send you the ebook 🙂
GIL says
Hi, love to read your strory, I am trying to figure out if to be vegan again _was raw vegan for a while and was vey difficult to follow...and now are basically trying to eat healthy animal proteins as I am not sure how to get all my protein needs as I am an athlete. and want stay healthy and thin. Please tell me how you get all your protein and manage to stay thin with muscle tone and healthy??Thanks !!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi GIL! Thanks for saying hi. It's wonderful that you are trying to be vegan again. Start easy! Just start with to goal of vegan in mind. Later on down the path if you want to focus in more and be raw, you can do that, but start easy. I highly, highly recommend reading or listening to the book Proteinaholic. Also check out the documentaries Forks Over Knives and What the Health. They are both available on Netflix if you have that. All whole plant foods contain protein. Unless you are calorie deficient (aka starving), it's actually impossible to be deficient in protein. In fact, the average vegan gets 70% more protein than they even need in a day! Even athletes get more than enough protein on a vegan diet, so it's not actually something you have to worry about at all. The whole more protein is better thing is a myth. Check out this video for more on that. Instead, I would focus on getting the animal products out of your diet as they are very hazardous to our health (you will learn all about that in the books and documentaries). I hope that helps!
Russell P Fontenot says
I saw the website and am interested. As a vegan family, we don't buy much processed stuff anymore.
kudos to you..
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the site 🙂
Kelly says
Oh my gosh! Your journey sounds so like mine! I too bought all the weird ingredients and spent a ton! Then I like you realized I could make over my old recipes! It has been so much fun! My daughter is in an animal activism group and I am teaching a couple of them how to cook/bake vegan! It's a blast! It's been almost a year for me going vegan and I feel like a new person! Love it! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome, Kelly! It's amazing how going vegan can be so life changing 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Sam! Your journey to veganism sounds a lot like mine! I didn’t grow up in a household with animal heads or hunters, but I was surrounded by it nonetheless. I didn’t have any connection to the reality of what was on my plate. Sadly, I think that’s the case with most people! I love your website and have tried many recipes - one of my absolute favorites is the Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf. That seriously saved my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Sarah! So thrilled you love my site! Thank you for saying hi 🙂
Sol K. says
Hi Sam! I’m a long time watcher and follower and I adore so many of your recipes. I’ve been wanting to buy your book since it came out but today I stumbled upon the most amazing thing... in my local library in the depths of North Carolina (NOT the most vegan place) I found two copies of your book!! It was so amazing. I still want to support you and buy the book when I can but seeing that just made me smile. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Sol! Yay! I love that my book somehow made it all the way to your library! I hope lots of people are able to borrow it and test out recipes. Thanks for saying hi 🙂
Patricia Laird-Martin says
I have loved all your recipes in Fuss-Free Vegan 101, but I have a question on the marinade for rice paper bacon. I followed the recipe but I use coconut aminos not soy sauce and it came out like a paste and the oil didn’t blend in. It smelled amazing and I really want it to work. Any suggestions would be so appreciated. Thank you for all the delicious meals.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Patricia! So happy you are loving my book so much Fuss-Free Vegan so much! The mixutre is supposed to be a loose paste, if yours is too thick you can always add a splash of water or oil to thin it a bit, but it should be fairly thick so that it sticks to the rice paper nicely. The oil won't blend in completely and that's ok. I hope you enjoy it!
Patricia Laird-Martin says
We tried adding more oil, it didn’t help. We used Vietnamese Spring Roll Rice Wrappers. Could that be part of the problem? Maybe a decrease to 2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Patricia, it's hard to know how to alter a recipe without being in the kitchen with you. You can see in the photo the consistency of the paste so maybe that will help guide you. I've heard lots of rave reviews from others who have tried the recipe so it should work out. Sorry I can't be more help!
Patricia Laird-Martin says
Thank you we’ll keep trying. High altitude is often different
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yes, I know nothing about that unfortunately.
Susan says
Hi - I subscribed and got an email with the link for the free download but the whole email looks garbled. Lots of weird characters. Not sure why - but the link for the free download is messed up for sure since if I click on it it says it's a bogus location. I'm curious about your bacon ideas so I hope you can send me a valid link for the free download 🙂 Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
That's so bizarre! I just checked and everything looks good on my end, and the link appears to be working. Could you try again? If it doesn't work again, please just respond to that email so I can see what's up and try to fix the problem. 🙂
Susan says
I did respond to the email I got. Not sure if you saw it or not. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Susan, yes I did and I responded to your email :). If you didn't get my response then I'm wondering if there's something specific to your setup, whether that be your email client or otherwise, that may be contributing to this? I haven't heard of this problem from anyone else, so I can't seem to figure out why it's not working for you, unfortunately.
Susan says
Thank you Sam! I found it! For some reason that particular email was filtered into junk. Pulled it out and added your email to the "good" list.
Angela says
Your chocolate cake is so wonderful! And your chili is amazing and oh so easy. Thank you for taking the time to make comfort food vegan! I’m still learning, one year vegan now, and doing well thanks to bloggers such as yourself. THank you so much.
Sam Turnbull says
My pleasure! So happy you are enjoying everything, Angela. Congrats on one year 😀
Kitty says
I love your site! Unfortunately, many of your recipes use nutritional yeast and I recently discovered I have an awful reaction to it when I eat it. Are there alternatives to it in your recipes or am I out of luck? 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no, what a bummer 🙁 It would totally depend on the specific recipe. If it's just a small amount, then it is added for flavour and you can just amp up the other flavours a bit more. Hope that helps 🙂
Mona says
I am so glad I found your blog! I also live in Toronto and I just became "chegan" I say that because I am still googling recipes and figuring out how to be a healthy vegan. I just watched Forks over Knives and Cowspiracy is next. I will try your recipes - uncomplicated is the way to go!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! Welcome, Mona. Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 🙂
Carmelina says
I just got your book today and read it from cover to cover!
This is my second attempt to go vegan for health reasons. I am so excited to make all the recipes from the book!!
I wish I would've found this blog back in December when I attempted the first time!! Thank you so much for making this process so much easier and fun for us!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! Welcome! I'm thrilled you have my book and are giving veganism another shot. It is my goal to make it as easy peasy as possible for people, so I am so glad you are finding it easy and fun already 🙂 Please let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 🙂
Amanda says
Hi Sam!
I can’t wait to make some of your recipes. I am actually making the transition to vegan from vegetarian. I love me some cheese and eggs but I know there are other amazing alternatives I need to try 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Amanda, welcome! That's awesome!! I would recommend trying my mozzarella and cheese ball recipes as those are always a hit, and I just posted a vegan fried egg today! Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 🙂
Jyoti Dhadyalla says
Hi Sam just discovered your recipe for “meringue cookies” yayyy can’t wait to make them! I have made little meringue cookies before but mine turned out like polystyrene crunchy....so was wondering can you give me tips of how to get a chewy centre just like meringues?
Have you got a recipe for macaroons?
So enjoyed reading your blog.
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much! The chewy center happens when they are cooked the right amount of time. If they are all crunchy it means they are overbaked. So check them by taking one out, letting it cool completely, and enjoying. Then you will know when they have been cooked right. 🙂
Danielle says
I don't know how many times I can comment that you're a genius...but you're a genius. Just got your book and having a hard time deciding what I want to make first because everything looks amazing, and everything is also super easy to make, and everything is my favorite lol. Thanks for the recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Aww shucks, thank you so much, Danielle! Thrilled you love it so much 😀
Jenny says
Found your blog/site after google search. I am looking for receipes to help my daughter who is on a 6 week elimination diet. As well as new inspiration for another daughter who is vegetarian.
I like easy and fast to put together meals. There are 6 people in my family, but one is off on his own now. The 5 who I still feed regularly include a hubby who is a meat eater, very picky and has an aversion to change (LOL). A daughter with Celiac's so NO GLUTEN for her at all, a daughter who is a strict vegetarian, a daughter who is picky eater and eats meat sometimes.
As for me I have been a vegetarian in my past but I do eat meat now. I will try just about any food or type of cooking someone throws at me. I love to try new things.
I look forward to getting some inspiration from your blog/site.
I would love to kn ow if you have experimented at all with how to replace the Gluten ingredients in your receipes?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you found me, Jenny! I hope you enjoy many recipes. I'm not very knowledgeable in gluten-free recipes, as I'm not gluten-free. I do make suggestions where I can, but also if you check the comments, many recipes testers post their gluten-free subs. I hope that help! Welcome to my blog 🙂