'Tis the Season to rank my blog posts!! Fa-La-La-la-Laaaaa-La-La-La-Laaaaaa!
I love this time of year and I especially love looking back at my recipes from the year and seeing which recipes were the fan favourites.
2020 was a rough year for all of us. It has been a real challenge in endless ways. But with all of the struggles throughout the year, I was fortunate enough that there were several very special and exciting moments as well.
In 2020 my blog received over 16 million pageviews with 7 million visitors from almost every country in the world. Woah! The enthusiasm for vegan food is apparent and growing and that makes me SOOOOO happy.
There seemed to be an even bigger boost than usual this year and my guess is that was because more people were cooking at home, and more people were interested in eating plant-based both because it's the safer way to eat, and it's actually the more affordable way to eat. I'm so happy that I was able to provide so many new people with scrumptious vegan recipes. 🙂
In April, I hit 100k followers on Instagram! Sure, numbers don't really matter, but it's hard to deny that when you see the shiny 100k on your Instagram profile, it does a certain something to make you feel special.
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In June, I won the VegNews awards for Best Blog of 2020! This was voted on by a whopping 2.6 million people. I was completely blown away by this honour and so flattered that so many of you took the time to vote for me.
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In October, I got engaged! The love of my life, Adam proposed to me over the dishwasher (long story) on our 2-year dating anniversary. There were tears, there was joy, and there was crispy broccoli.
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In November, I launched The Ultimate Vegan Kitchen, which is my first ever live and interactive online cooking course! A whopping 1,600+ of you signed up and I've been having a blast welcoming you into my kitchen via live stream and teaching you how to prepare vegan food so good, that it will make carnivores jealous. 😉
And as if that wasn't enough, in December, I announced my second cookbook called Fast Easy Cheap Vegan! It's full of 101 recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make, use 10 ingredients or less, and cost $10 or less. The book isn't even released until March 30, 2021, but so many people pre-ordered the book, that it ranked #1 New Release on amazon.com #1 Best Seller on amazon.ca and was #3 in the Amazon hot new releases, keeping good company with Barack Obama!!! Holy moly!!
If you're interested in learning more about "Fast Easy Cheap Vegan" and links to where you can pre-order it (including independent bookstores), you can check out my post all about it here.
And now for the best part of 2020. VEGAN FOOD!
Drumroll please....Here are the.....
Top 10 Vegan Recipes of 2020
Every year I collect the recipes that YOU loved most. You voted by reading my recipes, sharing them, making them, commenting on them, and giving them a star rating. The results are in- here are the most popular, fan favourite vegan recipes of 2020!
10. Vegan Truffle Mac n' Cheese
Coming in at number 10: Vegan Truffle Mac & Cheese! I just love dishes that are both fancy and comfort food at the same time. This white mac & cheese requires only 10 ingredients and takes 20 minutes to make, but tastes like it's from the most elegant restaurant.
9. Egg Roll In A Bowl
Number 9: Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl! It tastes like greasy take out but it's healthy, vegan, easy to make, and so super delicious! This has become a "go-to meal" in my house.
8. Macaroni Salad
In at number 8: Macaroni Salad! This Macaroni Salad recipe went viral on Facebook receiving ½ million views on Facebook in one day! While I do love macaroni salad, I must admit, I didn't really think this recipe would break records. Who knew?!
7. Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Tofu
Number 7: Glazed Tofu! I'm very proud of this recipe and I'm thrilled that it is loved by so many. Tofu really is one of the best most versatile ingredients and I just love how it gets so chewy and flavourful in this recipe. This tofu is easy to make but it sure is a showstopper. It makes for the perfect centrepiece at any celebration.
6. BBQ Shredded Tofu (Shredded Chicken)
Number 6: Shredded Tofu! Like I said, tofu, can you go wrong? For this recipe I figured out a technique of using a cheese grater to make shreds of tofu. The shreds are then seasoned and dried out in the oven. The result is this amazing pulled chicken kind of vibe. You can use this tofu for a pulled tofu sandwich, pile it on a taco or in a burrito, use it for scrumptious lettuce wraps, top on a baked potato, scatter over nachos, or enjoy it any way you like!
5. Vegan Italian Seitan Meatballs
Number 5: Vegan Meatballs! Ever since I shared my recipe for seitan steaks, I've completely fallen in love with creating seitan recipes. These vegan seitan meatballs are so amazingly meaty that I think you could fool almost any carnivore!
4. The Best Vegan Seitan Burger
Number 4: Seitan Burgers! Can you ever go wrong with burgers? The seitan obsession continues. These vegan burgers are so meaty delicious, Adam thinks they are better than Beyond Burgers! I love to make extra large batches of this recipes for freezing so I always have some burgers in the freezer, ready to go.
3. Red Velvet Cake
=Number 3: is my Red Velvet Cake! I've received requests for a vegan red velvet cake for years, and I finally shared my recipe in 2020. This cake tastes just like the traditional version with a cream cheese frosting and all!
2. Easy Vegan Carrot Muffins
2nd most popular new recipe of the year: Carrot Muffins! You just can't go wrong with a good ol' carrot muffin. Each muffin is bursting with sweet carrots, crunchy walnuts, chewy coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Making these the BEST carrot muffins you will ever taste!
1. Easy Vegan Potato Salad
And the winner is... Potato Salad!! Is 2020 the year of carb-y salads? I think it is. The perfect side dish for almost any meal, this vegan potato salad is a hit.
And those are my Top 10 Vegan Recipes of 2020 - as voted by you!
To check out the top recipes from previous years, click here.
Thank you so much for all of your love and support over the years. Creating vegan recipes is my absolute favourite thing to do, and it's because of your support that I have been able to turn this into a full time career. So THANK YOU! I can never say that enough.
I wish you the best in your last few days of 2020, and wish you the happiest 2021!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Congrats on all your success Sam! I've already pre-ordered your new book ~ can't wait for it! Your engagement is such wonderful news. So happy for you both! Beautiful ring too!
Thank you so very much, Leanne! 🙂
Congratulations Sam! Huge fan of your blog and voted for you! The simplicity and huge flavor of your recipes makes them all winners. Next year will bring you more good things I am certain and Happy Engagement!
Thank you so much, Susan! Very much appreciate your support 🙂
Congratulations on an amazing year, Sam! I can't think of anyone more deserving. You were the first vegan blogger I found 2 1/2 years ago when my husband and I went vegan overnight. To be honest the name of your site is what got me (I was so sick of chicken and I got the biggest kick out of the name!), but your fuss-free approach to cooking is what has made me stick around over the years. Cheers!
Haha that's wonderful, Jessica!! Thrilled you're loving my content (and blog name) so much 🙂
So very happy for you. You make it look easy, we we all know it takes a whole lot of work to achieve the effortless look!!! Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, the new book, the mentoring program - all of it. We use your recipes ALL THE TIME!! In fact, they have made "believers" from "Ugh, rabbit food" people, too. We offer a toast to your past successes and to a fantastic New Year!
Thank you so much, Annadele! Cheers!!
Sam- You deserve all the glory! Soak it up! You’re creative, fun, and obviously a great judge of flavors. Thank you for doing what you do. I shared your first cookbook with a neighbor and she liked it so much she got a copy for herself. We love you Sam! Can’t wait to see what 2021 has coming for you. Cheers!
Aww shucks, thank you so much Jenn!!
Congratulations on your engagement Sam! Wishing you much joy.
Thank you so much, Sophie!
I can't believe the pastry wrapped brie didn't make this list! It was damned good!! I'll be making and chowing down on it for my stay-at-home NYE and I can't wait. 🙂
Haha, well the brie was posted just recently, so it didn't really have a fighting chance, but I'm sure it will be a hit 🙂
Congratulations! Sammie, 2020 has been a year where you have really stepped up, stepped out and made a very big impression that has made the world much, much, much more accepting of Vegan foods and Vegan lifestyle. This is no small accomplishment, and is important as it provides a 'road map' to people everywhere who want to make personal changes for a more responsible footprint on planet Earth, and it is important for people wanting to be healthier and happier. I am proud to be your 'family friend', and really happy for you. And especially happy for you and Adam, and wish you every happiness as your share your lives from now to forever. Love, and again, Congrats and best wishes. I look forward to your 2021. Marlis
Thank you so much, Marlis! I really appreciate your support 🙂
I’m a big fan of the bbq shredded tofu! So easy and versatile.
Yes, I love it!!
Wow Sam! You’ve had.quite an amazing year! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderfully creative recipes with us. And congrats on a stellar year filled with one milestone after another. Happy and healthy 2021.
Thank you so much, Sue! Happy New Year 🙂