Once upon a time, in an era long before the world wide web was a thing and before WiFi was yet to rule the world, we used to rely solely on cookbooks for recipes. Or the dusty memories of our parents who were meant to pass down Grandma’s famous recipes to us, yet never quite did so without missing something vital. It was certainly before the epic era of the food bloggers.
But nowadays we don’t need to be elbow deep, flour donning our cheeks, riffling through ancient cookbooks to find something delicious to cook. We have the internet and with it comes an ocean of food bloggers who’ve made it their mission to bring to the world their very best, from-the-heart recipes.
Whether you’re vegan, gluten free, plant based or paleo, there’s a blog out there with an array of recipes just waiting for you. And all of them share the same mission: to prove how accessible and tasty a healthy lifestyle can be. And guess what? You can still eat cake. Yes, you heard me right. Cake that is actually good for us!
But don’t just take my word for it. I’ve rounded up 12 of my favorite foodie bloggers for you to meet and check out for yourself:
1. Madeleine Shaw
Madeleine Shaw was one of the first people I began following when I started to change my relationship with food. I love the healthy twists to her recipes and the message that she sends. Madeleine strongly believes, ‘Food is the most powerful drug; it informs not just how we look but how we feel and think too.’ With this mindset, Madeleine has set out to prove not only how delicious and nutritious eating healthily can be, but also how affordable it can be, too. And who better to learn from than Madeleine herself as she has firsthand experience with how the wrong foods can wreak havoc with our health. She battled with painful IBS and often slept through the day. And unlike that glowing compexion we’ve come to know Madeleine for having, there was a period when her diet was causing a lank and lifeless tone to her skin, hair and energy levels.
Madeleine Shaw’s website is an oasis of bright, vibrant and delicious recipes that were initially inspired by the time she spent working at an Organic Cafe in Australia. It was here that Madeleine first delved into nutrition and began getting creative with her cooking after learning from a small, ethnic team of people who helped her to discover how to really source and prepare food from scratch.
With 260,000 instagram followers, a thriving blog and not one but two cookbooks under her belt (with one more coming out this April) it’s fair to say that we have a lot of thanks to give to Madeleine Shaw for bringing the glow back into many of our skin.
Teriyaki Salmon & Buckwheat Noodles
Whilst salmon is delicious baked, sometimes you just want to kind of reinvent go-to recipes to keep them new and exciting. And if you love your salmon, then you will need to give this recipe a whirl. The teriyaki works so well with both the salmon and buckwheat noodles. Buckwheat noodles are also gluten free, so great if you’re trying to keep away from glutinous pasta.
Get the recipe here.
2. Deliciously Ella
Ella Woodward was the second person I started following when I decided to look into the relationship food has with our mind body connection. And I loved Ella because I saw so many of my bad eating habits mirrored in her previous mistakes with food. Ella has confessed that previously, before adopting a plant-based lifestyle, she was a huge sugar monger and her diet contributed to her being bed-ridden and feeling pretty horrid consistently. Since adopting a plant-based lifestyle, Ella’s health has sky rocketed and she’s embracing her role as a health foodie and educator of her foodie apprentices in the kitchen.
Now Ella, or Deliciously Ella as you’ve probably come to know her, has four cookbooks, a recipe phone app and a deli bar situated in the heart of London. You can find a lot of Ella’s recipes up on her website, Deliciously Ella, and if you download the app you’ll have some of Ella’s most popular recipes quite literally at the tips of your fingers!
Cashew Pesto Pasta
This is such a creamy smooth pasta dish with so much goodness. The ‘pasta’ is made from courgettes which is great if you’re either looking for a lighter lunch or dinner (you can use brown rice pasta if you’re looking for something a little more on the filling side) or looking for ways to pack in more vegetables. The dressing is made from cashews which makes gives this dish its creaminess and goes along famously with the lemon and basil.
Get the recipe here.
3. Oh She Glows
Angela Liddon is the brains and culinary talent behind the ever so popular blog Oh She Glows, a website dedicated to bringing the best out in our skin and body through the foods we eat. Angela first started writing Oh She Glows when she was recovering from a serious eating disorder and wanted to document her journey back to health. Angela knows firsthand the importance of food and how eating the right foods can impact our lives in hugely beneficial ways.
Now, seven years after Oh She Glow’s was born, Angela receives over one million unique readers each month. Not to mention the success behind her first cook book. Now, with a brand new cookbook released this month and a food app on her list of achievements, Oh She Glows (and Angela) co-created over 500 fabulous recipes!
Coconut & Cardamon Overnight Oat Parfait with Blueberry Chia Seed Jam
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so some say. It’s the first thing we eat, and so it really does set the tone for how the day will go. If you wake up and eat nourishing and filling nosh, you are setting the stage for an energy-filled day ahead! Many of us are pushed for time in the morning though and it’s super easy to make breakfast the night ahead with these overnight oats. Just cook them up, store them in the fridge and then throw on some fresh toppings in the morning. Both easy and delicious!
Get the recipe here.
4. Lee Tilghman
If you follow Lee Tilghman on Instagram, or leefromamerica as you’ll probably know her by her insta handle, then you’ll already know how beautiful and inspiring her photographs are. Lee manages to make something as simple as avo on toast look like some kind of masterpiece. Lee comes by some of this honestly as this chef comes from a long line of chefs and shares that descendent passion for food.
Lee’s blog is packed full of healthy, plant-based recipes that will have you salivating. Along with developing fabulous recipes for the likes of you and me, Lee is kept busy teaching yoga, working as a food photographer and also making her own kombucha. What can’t this girl do?!
Avocado Toast with Grapefruit & Almond Milk Ricotta
Avocado on toast is a quick and easy recipe many of us make, and yet it is oh so delightfully tasty! My go-to toppings used to be slices of tomatoes and a sunny side up egg UNTIL I found this recipe. Before now I never would have considered mixing fruit and cheese with my avo toast. But oddly, the avocado and grapefruit pair really nicely together. Top it with some sprigs of mint and rosemary, sprinkle a little sea salt and throw on some toasted pine nuts and this recipe can very easily be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Get the recipe here.
5. Minimalist Baker
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Minimalist Baker by now. Minimalist Baker is basically my foodie bible with recipes bursting with flavor, texture and most importantly, goodness. The best part is is that all of the recipes require 10 or less ingredients and take less than thirty minutes to prepare. So even those of us with limited time can whip up wonderful culinary creations in a minimalist snap.
The recipes typically tend to fall into two categories: vegan or gluten free. That’s not to say that founders Dana and John are strictly vegan – in fact, they’re not vegan at all. They simply enjoy both cooking and baking with plant-based ingredients and their priority is to always bring simple yet delicious food to Minimalist Baker. As for the lack of dairy, Dana began experimenting with egg-free baking several years ago when she discovered she was lactose intolerant. So whatever your chosen lifestyle is food-wise, you can still enjoy all of the recipes on Minimalist Baker.
Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars
When is it not a great time to sit down and enjoy a slice or three of pumpkin pie? But ready made pumpkin pie is usually packed full of refined sugar, not to mention all of those nasty additives they use to keep items ‘fresh’. But check this recipe out, the base is so easy to make: just blend oats with almond flour! The end result is creamy slices of pie that are delicately spiced and perfectly sweet!
Get the recipe here.
6. Sweet Potato Soul
Jenné Claiborne is the genius behind Sweet Potato Soul, a blog dedicated to a delicious and eclectic array of vegan recipes. Many students discover fast food and booze when they go to college, but Jenné discovered a love of healthy eating. Whilst going vegan purely for the animals, she has since benefited widely from her decision to change the food she eats. And the proof? Well, that’s in both her health and happiness.
Before going vegan, Jenné relied on anti-depressants for her depression whilst battling various other health issues such as bad digestion and an unbalanced menstrual cycle. Jenné found herself full of fatigue and her skin didn’t always have the glow that it enjoys now. But once going vegan, all of that cleared up and amazingly depression is a thing of the past for Jenné who now spends her time in NYC and religiously updates her blog with easy to make vegan recipes. She even finds the time to share cooking videos and healthy eating tips on her YouTube channel.
Vegan Creamy Corn Chowder
Chowder is always a recipe I turn to when I want something warm and filling. I love soups, but chowder always wins out. Plus, I am a huge fan of corn all year round so a corn based recipe is always going to win in my biased opinion. The rich, creamy texture to this chowder attributed to the dab of coconut milk giving it a bit of e tropical vibe. For this one, there’s even a video to accompany the recipe making it all that much easier when we can make it alongside Jenné.
Get the recipe here.
7. Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Alexis Kornblum Davidson, otherwise known as Lexi, started the blog Lexi’s Clean Kitchen back in 2013. Since then Lexi quit her previous teaching job and has now dedicated herself fully to Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. Lexi’s passion is creating healthy recipes that are easy to cook up in our kitchens, She loves sharing her health tips with her followers and is keen to show just how versatile and tasty a healthy lifestyle can be.
If you’re keen to check out Lexi’s Clean Kitchen then you can expect to stumble upon a melange of recipes that cater to many different lifestyles. As well as finding gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, refined sugar and soy- free recipes, there are of course vegetarian and vegan options too. The majority of recipes take under thirty minutes to make from scratch at home and all of them use simple ingredients that we probably already have in our kitchens.
Whilst also maintaining a thriving blog, Lexi has also had the time to release a cookbook which has an inspiring approach to clean eating. You’ll discover that there’s no room for deprivation when it comes to healthy eating, many of our favorite recipes are in there!
Potato, Leek & Chard Frittata
There is no real meal time that doesn’t call for a frittata, they can be made any time and for any meal. But I kind of like to reserve them for brunches. This frittata is packed full of potatoes, leeks, swiss chard and cherry tomatoes so it’s brimming with both flavor and color.
Get the recipe here.
8. Dolly and Oatmeal
Dolly and Oatmeal was created by Lindsey S. Love. From a sleepy section of Brooklyn in New York City. Lindsey knows exactly how food can be either healing of destructive to our health. Growing up with food sensitivities that grew increasingly worse with age, Lindsey finally took control over her health and consulted with a life coach and nutritionist. It was here that Lindsey learnt of the relationship that food has with her body. Lindsey decided to cut out gluten and dairy and adopt a largely plant-based diet. Lindsey soon became a fan of cooking and takes special note of seasonal produce to get the best out of her food and recipes.
Along with maintaining Dolly and Oatmeal, Lindsey still finds the time to write at Thoughtfully Magazine where she is the Food Editor.
Roasted Golden Beet & Shallot Dip
I love nothing more than a dip. When I’m home watching a film or having an evening with friends, I love to have dips on hand. I usually like some sort of cracker to dunk but I’ve been known to improvise. In this recipe, the golden beets once roasted become creamy which works really well with the shallots. It’s also a refreshing break from hummus (I still love you hummus!) as it’s a little thinner and almost velvety in texture.
Get the recipe here.
9. The Picky Eater
Now when you first see the name of this blog, you’ll probably assume that it’s a blog packed full of recipes that play homage to the fussiest of eaters. This means bland, boring recipes, right? Wrong! The ethos behind The Picky Eater is to be conscious that we are picking the right foods to fully nourish our bodies. The Picky Eater focuses of just plain making the right food choices, which means steering clear of processed and fast food. The next philosophy is to simply transform those naughty recipes into healthy ones. But there’s no room for deprivation with The Picky Eater either. There’s no punishment if you have a slip up and perhaps eat something a little on the naughty side. This site encourages you to enjoy indulgent foods from time to time which is even easier to do when you have a healthy way of making it that still has delicious taste and texture.
So, who is behind The Picky Eater? Meet Anjali. Anjali’s reason for creating this blog was to document her husband’s transformation with food. And all of the recipes on her blog are husband approved, meaning they may be healthy but every day people can enjoy them, too.
Anjali and her husband were raised as polar opposites: she was already conscious of healthy eating having been raised in a part of San Francisco Bay that was all about organic produce and farmer’s markets. Anjali was made aware of the foods that she put into her body, and was encouraged to be ‘picky’ about what those were, so junk food was eating in moderation. Her husband, instead, grew up in the pizza loving suburbs of Chicago. When the two married, Anjali made it her mission to cook foods that both of them could enjoy together. She started to make healthier swaps in her husband’s diet and snuck in more of the good stuff unbeknownst to him.
And The Picky Eater is a blog that has been built out of two diversely picky eaters falling in love.
Cherry-Berry Crumble Pie
I absolutely love this recipe because it showcases exactly what Anjali is trying to express: that we can still enjoy real food, just with a healthy makeover.
Get the recipe here.
10. I Quit Sugar
Sarah Wilson, the voice behind I Quit Sugar, was the person who initially inspired me to take a look at the way my mind and my body viewed sugar. The result? I was a huge sugar addict. I was constantly craving something sweet and I couldn’t get enough of the foods I thought were sweet but we actually packed full of artificial rubbish and God only knows what else.
Sarah is a former newspaper, magazine and TV journalist who, back in 2011, decided to quit sugar. For years, specialists and nutritional alike had told Sarah to quit since she suffers with autoimmune disease and eating sugar inevitably caused her condition to flare up. What initially started out as an experiment became a lifestyle overhaul as Sarah begun to see how much her energy levels and all round wellness improved.
Sarah is now a huge inspiration for people looking to take the sugar-free plunge. Alongside her popular blog, I Quit Sugar, Sarah also released her first recipe self-help book in 2014 and has released several more since.
Spiced Fish Tacos with Slaw, Avocado & Fermented Salsa
If, like me, you’re used to meat-based tacos, then you need to check out this recipe. The fish works famously against the salsa and crunchy taco shell. The shells in this recipe are homemade with quinoa flour which gives a subtle nutty taste. This is one the whole family will devour!
Get the recipe here.
11. My New Roots
Sarah Britton created My New Roots all the way back in 2007, way before the clean eating industry was revolutionized like it is today. Way before YouTube and Instagram were famous for bloggers to share their healthy lifestyle with the world, Sarah was trying to get the word out via her blog. Fed up with the media publishing stories half-truths about the ways in which we should look after ourselves, Sarah decided it was enough. There needed to be a new voice, and that voice was born and named My New Roots.
Sarah embraced her new blog as a way to help others find the balance with their body, mind and spirit as she had found during her education with health. Sarah qualified as a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP) in Canada but when she moved to Copenhagen, she found that she couldn’t legally practice. So, it was time for a new venture. This is where her focus on food began.
What’s refreshing about Sarah is her hatred of labels. Nowadays, so many try to fit into a box. Whether they’re vegan, vegetarian, paleo, they seek out a label which can eventually become restrictive and you feel suffocated inside this box into which you’ve put yourself. In the words of Sarah B, she is just a person that likes to eat, and this is the inspiration behind the array of deliciousness on My New Roots. And with a cookbook out, Sarah is excelling at spreading the word!
Carob & Fig Muffins
I love muffins. Many of us are under the illusion that carob is chocolate, but it’s not. While carob is caffeine-free, high in fiber and rich in nutrients, it is often hailed as the alternative to chocolate. But carob is entirely its own thing. It’s also pretty delicious. And the carob and figs skip along hand in hand in this recipe. Make these chic looking muffins to snack on or share with friends and family. The carobs adds an almost caramel-esque flavor and the sweet, jammy figs add the perfect amount of sweetness. I’d definitely add a little cinnamon to these!
Get the recipe here.
12. Chocolate Covered Katie
As the name suggests, Katie is someone that loves for chocolate. In fact, Katie has chocolate every day and sometimes has cake for breakfast! I can almost hear the influx of horrified gasps. Cake . . . for breakfast?!
Katie started the appropriately named blog for fun but soon found that her blog become increasing popular pretty quickly. It became so popular, in fact, that Katie’s blog is now the number one source for healthy desserts on the net. Chocolate Covered Katie gets up to six million views each month.
While maintaining her blog, Katie has also been featured by a host of internet and TV publications, and in 2015, Amazon listed her debut cookbook as one of their Top 20 Cookbooks for that year.
Crispy Baked Avocado Fries
I know that the majority of us love avocado. They’re so delicious and add an instant amount of creamy goodness to any recipe. Hello, avocado fries! A much healthier way of enjoying your ‘fries’ and you can either eat them alone as a snack or enjoy them as a side dish. Whatever you choose JUST GO MAKE THEM!!
Get the recipe here.
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