About

Welcome to Plant Based Jess!

I'm Jessica, the recipe developer, photographer and videographer behind this blog. I created plantbasedjess.com to share recipes that are vegan, healthy, easy-to-prepare and (most of them) family-friendly.

My goal is to show how eating wholesome meals can be varied, simple and so delicious!

Quick overview of Jess

Where

I grew up in a small town in Quebec (Canada), but I now live in Maine with my husband Christopher, our two children (Zachary and Lilianne) and our old dog, two cats and two gerbils.

Education

B.S Bachelor in Biochemistry and D.V.M Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal.

Job before being a food blogger

Veterinarian. It was a fulfilling job, but also stressful and a difficult career to navigate through motherhood.

Why food blogger

Having young kids right in the midst of COVID (plus a husband working endless hours in the hospital) made me take a break from being a veterinarian so I could be home with our fast-growing children. At the same time, I started this vegan food blog as a way to share my passion for plant-based cooking and to bring new challenges to my new mom-at-home routine. Then, I fell in love with blogging and never looked back! It has been quite an unplanned and dramatic change in my career path from being a busy vet to a home-based food blogger, but it's been such a rewarding transition!

Why vegan

I grew up eating lots of meat (my dad is a butcher, so yes, a lot of meat is an understatement), but early on I realized how eating meat wasn’t aligned with my personal values. And everything became even clearer once I went to veterinary school and got closer to farm animals: I didn’t want to encourage the meat and dairy industry anymore!

Food and cooking background

I grew up eating meals and desserts made from scratch almost exclusively. This created a passion and pride for cozy homemade meals that followed me into my own home today. Even during college, I would plan my meals and make some time to cook budget-friendly yet quite elaborate recipes, even if it was just for me. Throughout the years as my diet changed to a more plant-based one, I improved my vegan cooking dramatically and increasingly wanted to show my new discoveries to the world!

Hobbies

When not cooking, writing or spending time with my family and friends, you might find me taking long walks with our boxer, reading historical fiction books (my personal favorites are “The Eighth Life” by Nino Haratischvili and “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee), puzzling (yes, I have a weird passion for working on big puzzles) or planning our next family trip.

My favorite recipes

A few facts about me

• My first language is French. Writing this blog in my second language has its own challenges!
• I'm a skincare fanatic.
• I knew absolutely nothing about photography or writing before creating the blog.
• I am so obsessed with popcorn that I eat it almost every night (and even sometimes a huge bowl for dinner)!
• I recently started learning to play tennis.
• I love nerdy deck-building board games.

About the blog

Food Philosophy

This is a no-calorie-counting, non-judgmental & guilt-free blog. I create plant-based meals for my family and share them here on the blog hoping it will also help other families to explore new flavors and enjoy sharing healthy meals together. All the recipes in the blog are vegan. But, ALL EATERS ARE WELCOME!

What you will find here at PBJ

Whether you are looking to find the perfect recipe for your meatless Mondays, inspiration for your Veganuary challenge or the once-in-a-while meal where you are craving a wholesome plate: you will find what you need here and more! I test all the recipes in my own kitchen until they are delicious + reliable and I share all my recipe tips to ensure you get the best result in your home too.

What you can expect on PBJ

• Easy to make recipes: I’m a busy mom and a big fan of easy yet delicious dinners I can make without much prep or mental energy! Quick weeknight dinner ideas probably is my favorite category on the blog where I share fast dinners made with simple ingredients, perfect for the busy family. Also, keep an eye out for all my tips on how to meal prep on the weekend to make your life easier during the week.
• Healthier meals and desserts: many (but not all) of my recipes are low-fat (with many that are completely oil-free), low in refined sugar and high-fiber. You will be able to find a lot of recipes suitable for a whole food plant-based diet, such as barley minestrone soup and this oil-free apple bread.
• Clear instructions: when making my recipes, have a peek at the short video at the end of each post in the recipe card for a quick glance at the cooking steps and use the in-process pictures in the post to help you along the way.
• Family-friendly recipes: I have two young kids, so aside from the occasional spicy noodle recipe or spicy buffalo wrap, I love making meals, snacks and desserts that kids love (check out this kid-friendly recipe category!). This vegan high-protein tofu bolognese is a hit every time with both my kids and they also often request these sheet pan fajitas.

Browsing the website

A good place to start is by checking out my recipe index where the recipes are organized into different categories, such as summer recipes or Mexican recipes. 

If you are looking for both vegan + gluten-free recipes, then check out this GF recipes section and make sure to browse these high-protein vegan recipes if you have higher protein needs.

I also gathered festive recipe ideas from meals to sides to drinks perfect for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's day and more in the holiday recipe category!

Where to start

If you are new to cooking vegan recipes, then I recommend starting with ultra-easy and highly customizable recipes, which will give you more room for experimentation. Pasta and soups are great for beginners and a perfect place to start. I highly recommend checking out this roasted tomato and pepper pasta sauce, this oat milk Alfredo sauce and this vegan gnocchi soup, they are super simple, versatile and packed with flavor!

Featured in

Plant Based Jess has been featured in Well + Good, Tasting Table and Foodgawker.

Connect with me!

• Pinterest
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube

You can also subscribe to my email list to receive new recipes right into your mailbox!

Or send me an email at plantbasedjessica@gmail.com, I would love to hear about you!

Thanks for letting me share my passion for healthy eating with you! Now, let's get cooking!