Blogger Spotlight: Vie De La Vegan

This week, we're proud to feature Kyra Howearth of Vie De La Vegan  in the Blogger Spotlight. For those new to the column, we highlight a member of The Daily Meal's Culinary Content Network, a limited group of bloggers who write about food and drink, every Friday.

We look to this group of talented food writers for inspiration and participation with The Daily Meal, whether for restaurant recommendations or new recipes to try out for dinner. Our editorial team covers All Things Food and Drink, and we tap the CCN to remain up to speed with what is happening around the country and the world — from fine dining to home cooking.

In addition to blogging at and creating Vie De La Vegan , Kyra Howearth is studying for her Advanced Diploma in herbal medicine. Kyra made the decision to stop eating meat when she was just 8 years old, and has been vegan (completely animal products-free) for half her life.

She is constantly testing new, vegan recipes for her family, and you can find even more vegan treats for you and your children by checking out her e-book, Plant-Based Breakfast for Kids on her blog.

The Daily Meal: What is the mission of your blog?
Kyra Howearth: To share family-friendly, healthy, vegan recipes.

How did you get started with your blog?
I was always creating my own vegan recipes or vegan-izing non-vegan recipes as I just couldn't always find the recipe that I wanted! After years of dreaming about starting a blog, I finally did it in 2014. Since then, Vie De La Vegan has evolved greatly – I started out posting recipes with refined ingredients, but as I became more health-conscious, my blog changed to reflect that too.

What are some foods you can't live without?
Oats, peanut butter and bananas.

What are some foods you can't stand?
Meat.

What is your proudest blog post?
Hmm, that's a hard question! It would probably be this Black Forest Cake, as it was the first recipe I decided to make a video for, and I'm really proud of myself for branching out of my comfort zone and making a video. Since then I've been hooked on making recipe videos.

What is your biggest blog blunder?
I made some pizza pancakes with a thick nut-cheese sauce, which tasted amazing! So of course I blogged it and shared it on social media. Sometime later, I came across a comment on Pinterest that the nut-cheese sauce looked like poop – which it kind of did, I just didn't realize it! So embarrassing!

What is your most memorable comment from a reader?
I wrote a post a while ago about raising my children as vegans, and I had a recent comment on that post from another vegan mother. She told me that she really related to every word in my post. It's hard enough being a vegan, but when you decide to raise your children as vegans too, you're often met with criticism from everyone. To know that we're not alone in this situation is really comforting. It's comments like that one which really make blogging worthwhile, to know that I've helped at least one person felt understood and not alone.

What's on your cooking playlist?
My playlist goes something like: "Mummy, I'm hungry!" That's the children complaining to me (laughs). Seriously though, I listen to different music all the time, mostly rock/metal (Kyuss and Nirvana have been my favorites lately), but sometimes obscure things like the Harry Potter movie scores, or my husband's guitar tracks.

What are some food blogs you love?
There's so many that I love! Feasting On Fruit and Unconventional Baker are two that I can think of straight off the top of my head – they both use a lot of fruit & vegetables in their recipes, and they usually don't contain any refined ingredients either.

What are some food apps you like?       
Does Instagram count as a food app?

What is the best thing about blogging?
The best thing for me is sharing my love of healthy vegan food with other vegans around the world. I've always struggled to find people locally who share that enthusiasm, but I now have heaps of (online) vegan friends!

What is the worst thing about blogging?
The long hours and low pay! If I didn't love making & sharing my recipes, and love the connections I make with other bloggers, I wouldn't feel motivated to keep blogging.

What recipe are you currently obsessed with?
Beetroot cake porridge! It sounds weird, but don't mock it until you try it. I could eat this for breakfast every morning!

What would even your most loyal followers be surprised to learn about you?
My 3-year-old son pretty much survives on Vegemite sandwiches! Even though I make so many kid-friendly recipes which my other 2 children love, my 3-year-old often refuses to eat the dinner I serve, and eats a Vegemite sandwich instead.

Five of your all-time favorite posts?