To contact me, please email lisa[at]thevietvegan.com
Who are you?
My name is Lisa, I’m in my 30s, and I like taking pictures of food. I’m vegan, a nerd, and a feminist. I’m a sucker for plants, noodles, and food in bowls! I’m an intersectional feminist and an ENFP.
So where are you from?
It’s complicated, but currently I live in Hamilton (which is just west of Toronto).
You’re called the Viet VEGAN. Why do you have lacto-ovo-vegetarian recipes?
I’ve been vegan since October 2013 and before that, I was vegetarian. While I no longer advocate cooking with dairy and eggs, I know that there are some people who have loved using the recipes on here. Not everyone who reads this blog is vegetarian, let alone vegan, so any step towards more plant-based meals is a win in my books.
Okay, so you’re The Viet Vegan. I got it. But why do you have so many non-Viet recipes?
Like I said, I’m Canadian-born and I was born in a super WASP-y tiny town in Ontario near cottage country. So naturally I am influenced by Canadian cuisine. I actually prefer eating Vietnamese food over Canadian food, but since I moved away from home, I realized how time-consuming Vietnamese food prep is. Plus Canadian food is way more accessible (because duh-Canada), but now that I live closer to an Asian market, Viet staples are more affordable and easier to come by (hence the increase in noodle recipes).
I keep seeing “Je suis alimentageuse” all over the site. What does “alimentageuse” mean?
Je suis alimentageuse is the name of my blog before I rebranded as The Viet Vegan. Alimentageuse (pronounced: ah-lee-mahn-ta-juhz) is a word I made up from alimentation, which means food in French, and turning it into an adjective. To me, Je suis alimentageuse translates to “I am a foodie”.
What camera do you have?
I used to use a Canon XSi until December 2013, when I upgraded to a Canon 60D. Then my 60D died in summer 2016, so I got an 80D. I wanted to save up for a 5D but I needed another camera soooo I had to put that on hold. I mostly just use a 100 mm f/1.4 macro, 24-70 mm f/4, or a 50 mm f/1.4 lens, but sometimes my 18-55 mm or 18-200 mm kit lenses make an appearance. Update in 2020, my 80D’s shutter started being weird, so I now have a 90D. Still couldn’t afford the 5D lol.
Why are you so long-winded about things unrelated to food?
I use this blog sort of like a diary. Without having met me, you might think that I share a lot of my life online. Well, actually in real life, I’m the same. I overshare. I have no poker face and essentially no filter. I also have social anxiety that clashes with my outgoing personality so all my feelings need to come out somewhere, so they come out here. If you don’t want to read it? Fine. Scroll down. But don’t make a habit of it, sometimes I actually do talk about the recipe, and some of those details are relevant to the success of the recipe.
Who the heck are Chris and Burrito Boy/Eddie?
Since the beginning of this blog, you’ll see mentions and anecdotes of my former partner, Chris. We’ve since parted ways, but I’ve since started dating Eddie. He was initially introduced on my blog as Burrito Boy. For the record, he’s told me he’s perfectly fine with me writing about him so long as they’re positive (which they always are). In fact, he kind of gets a kick out of it.
For those wondering, Burrito Boy is an omnivore a vegetarian (as of Jan 2017) a vegan (as of Jan 2019), whose favourite food is burritos (I know, so out of left field.) His moniker derives from our first date, as well as the fact that he loves burritos. Before me, he had never met a vegan (I don’t think he had any vegetarian friends either), so since we’ve been together he’s become accustomed to having tofu, seitan, and soy milk on the regular. We got married in June 2019 and we are both now residing in Hamilton, Ontario :)
I like grammar. If you see a typo, please tell me and I will fix it. Typos drive me crazy and reading my stuff over and over makes me miss things so please tell me if I have a typo!
Please link back if you’re going to use any of the recipes I’ve used on this blog. Rewrite directions in your own words as recipe ingredients are not technically copyrighted while directions are. All photography on this blog is taken by me (unless otherwise noted) and thus I ask that you do not use my photography for any commercial purposes unless I have given you permission.
(Copyright all rights reserved)
vinicooksveg says
I am also looking for interesting vegetarian recipes. I would love to read your future posts. Thanks.
Jessica @ Desserts with Benefits says
Oh wow my sister went to York University! But transferred after some teachers went on strike lol. I’m so glad I found your blog, so many great recipes :)
Lisa Mai says
Yeah the strike was ridiculous, I’m so glad that happened before I came =P And thanks, I love your blog too!
Michelle says
Hi! Do you by chance still check these comments? I just came across your website as I was doing research for a paper on food security, veganism and racism. I have been trying to find more information to sort of “reconcile” the culturally sensitive aspect of vegan meals and here you are! I cant wait to try these recipes, everything looks so yummy!!! Im currently at York University doing my masters in environmental studies, I would love love love to connect and possibly even share a meal with you!
Lisa Le says
Hi Michelle! Yes I do check these comments :) Feel free to shoot me an email: lisa @ thevietvegan.com
Caroline says
Love you site…looking forward to checking out some of the vegan recipes.
Lisa Le says
Thanks Caroline =)
Michele says
Where do u buy the bobo container with lid and straw
Lisa Le says
I bought it from Zero Waste Bulk in Kitchener (but I believe they are partnered with ReTea)
Ting says
Heh heh heh… apart from Sailor Moon and Game of Thrones, I am also a fan of sci-fi or and LOTR! :) I read the whole thing, including The Hobbit while a student in the UK. :P I would like to read about Star Trek though, because the movies are SOOOOOOO superb! :D
I actually tried to search for the meaning of your blog name. Couldn’t find one. Google point me back to this page. So… :p
I think your blog is so fun! I’m going to explore other posts now. :) Au revoir a bientot! :D
Lisa Mai says
That’s great! I’m glad you share my love of nerd things =) I’m so excited for the Hobbit 2, and as for reading Star Trek, you should just watch the series =D Over the past 3 years I’ve watched the Original Series (classic), The Next Generation (the best one IMO), Voyager (Also excellent), and now I’m watching Deep Space 9 (I didn’t like it at first but now I love it). Thanks for reading and commenting <3 Merci mille fois!
Ting says
HAHAHAHA! So reading the book is discouraged then… awww… Thanks for the tips though. I will have to get them series now. I didn’t like Star Trek before as I was more of a Star Wars girl… but the movies changed my mind completely! It’s so fun!
LaureAnna says
Lisa, nous avons beaucoup en commun! Je suis aussi traductrice (English -> français) Je suis Québécoise de souche et j’aime la “bonne bouffe”, comme on dit chez-nous. Félicitations pour ce blogue inspirant! Je vais revenir!
Lisa Le says
Merci LaureAnna!
Sanjela says
Thanks Lisa. You are the best:)
EyeCandyPopper says
hahaha I laughed reading about your typo aversion! I feel the same way (I’m a professional copy editor/proofreader, and I do translation as well) Although I’m sure I make typos on my blog, it drives me crazy when I find one. I stumbled on your blog simply because I’m French and I was curious about the name! Good job!
Lisa Le says
Haha yay translators and editors!! I’m quite impressed with how many there are (and slightly discouraged because…jobs lol) Thanks for commenting and I hope you stick around!
Robin says
Xin Chao from Saigon
Hi just thought you’d like to know your blog is being read in Saigon. We love tofu and all Vietnamese veggie food!
Lisa Le says
Cam on chi! It’s not all Vietnamese food, but there are a few recipes in there ^_^
Adelina says
Hey Lisa –
Great blog!
I’d suggest you could “veganized” some of the Vietnamese dishes – I’d love to see!
Lisa Le says
Thanks Adelina =) I’ll be doing more Viet dishes soon, I just haven’t been around family much to help me figure out the recipes.
Grace says
I love reading your recipes; I read them before you became the Viet Vegan, and although I’m not vegan myself, I still enjoy reading your posts. The photographs are always beautifully composed and even though I don’t have the facilities or funds now to experiment with most of your recipes (I foolishly went back for another serving of university, and therefore, dorm, life!), your posts certainly make me wish I could try them out.
P.S. You asked for typos and there was just one that stood out to me under the section “Okay, so you’re The Viet Vegan. I got it. But why do you have so many non-Viet recipes?”, there’s a bit where you say “…moved away fORm home…”.
Lisa Le says
Hi Grace!
Thanks so much for commenting, and I’m so happy to know that you’ve been reading for a while! I don’t often hear from my readers aside from through social media, and even then that’s scarce, but sometimes I feel like I’m speaking to a mostly empty room. Thanks for pointing out the typo, I’ve fixed it up =)
I hope that the recipes I have are mostly accessible! I only recently graduated from university so student life is still close to my current living style. Most of the ingredients I have are fairly affordable (aside from the occasional coconut oil and spirulina powder), but I’ve been fortunate enough to collect appliances like a blender or a food processor along the way. But you mentioned dorm life, and I totally get that. I was lucky enough to live in a residence that had a kitchenette so I always had access to a stovetop, but the oven is another story for sure! Good luck with university, and I hope eventually you get to try out some of the recipes!
Chris says
Hi Lisa,
I think you are allergic to meat because when you sleep you either grind your teeth or bite down really hard. Does your jaw ever hurt when you wake in the morning?
I bite down really hard at night especially if I have a lot of stress. I went to an Osteopath in California over 20 years ago that was highly recommended by a co-worker that had a highly allergic son that was cured.
My digestion was not normal. I would crap only once a day & I would have to eat at least 3 hours before I did any heavy exercise. Otherwise I would feel like throwing up.
What he did was to put my jaw back to where it supposed to be & told me to wear a night guard so it wouldn’t go back. He also gave me acid pills at first because my stomach wasn’t producing enough acid. Ever since he did that my digestion was normal for the first time in my life. My allergies didn’t go away, but got much better. I also felt a lot less tired & needed less sleep. I’m vegetarian because I don’t want animals to die unnecessarily not because of my digestion or allergies.
The Osteopath I went to was like a really smart chiropractor that was Japanese. I don’t know if he got his knowledge from Japan.
According to him your skull moves ever so slightly when you breathe. That & your tail bone pumps cranial fluid down your spine & back. He said living bone & dead bone is like comparing a living tree with a piece of wood. Your spinal cord is one of the only places in your body that is not nourished by blood.
If you bite hard at night it will lock your skull. Locking your skull in the case of allergies will degrade the nerve signal to your stomach so it won’t digest properly. This can also cause migraines.
Sometime I think even a dentist can help with this problem.
I think your allergies can get much better.
You’re doing nice thing posting these vegetarian Vietnamese recipes. Good karma comes back.
Good Luck eh!
Chris
Lisa Le says
I actually do grind my teeth, and I have a night guard. I haven’t found a correlation with allergy relief and using my night guard, but I’m also not super consistent with it haha. Something about night guards doesn’t really scream sexy for my partner XD.
I’m thinking of seeing a naturopath for my allergies, but thanks for the tips =) FYI, I’m not a health professional or anything but, daily bowel movements and eating at least a few hours before heavy exercise seems quite normal. Everyone’s body is different, and some people’s…er…routines may differ from others haha. It’s all up to your diet and exercise level, honestly. The more fibre you eat, the more you’ll… move. Haha.
Toni says
Hi Lisa!
Thank you for keeping this site alive! I’m yet to try any recipes but I will soon, especially since I recently moved countries to a place where there is hardly any Vietnamese dishes (let alone vegan Viet restaurants like there were back in Sydney, Australia). Any chance you know any good veganised versions of bun rieu or thit kho tau? (the latter would probably be a lot harder due to the eggs, though). :) Anyway! Keep up the great work!
-Toni
Lisa Le says
That sucks! Where did you move?! Vietnamese people have spawned all across the world, I’m surprised there aren’t any Viet restaurants there haha. But I’ll see if I can veganize those recipes. I’ve played around with a vegan thit kho but it hasn’t turned out perfectly yet =) Thanks for reading!
PeterK V says
Ha-ha seen you on TV tonight! So I thought I’d check out your site. You did great. I was glad they did a show focusing on veganism. I was surprised Jaimie was leaning so much toward plant based. The show was very encouraging. Do you have a Google+ site or YouTube channel?
Pam says
It was a pleasure meeting you at the Asian food market and thank you very much for your help in finding the ingredients for making my soup. It was a success.
Thanks
Lisa Le says
So glad you had success! Happy to help, and thanks for stopping by my blog! =)
Alexandre Jacques says
Hi Lisa, just found your blog by “accident” and I love it!! I am French (should I write in French), and I became 100% vegetarian this year. I am working on being fully vegan soon (I am “flexi-vegan” right now). And I have a strong personal history with Vietnam.
I also have a blog, in French, and I love the way you talk about things and issues ! Thank you for the inspiration !
Alexandre
Chau says
Hi Lisa,
I am a Vietnamese and fallen into your site just by accident :) when I am searching on Medijool Dates. Its very nice to know you and your page. I am not a vegan but I love vegetarian foods and willing to learn from you.
Nikki says
Awesome blog! No cookbook on the way?
Lisa Le says
Not at the moment! There just isn’t enough time in the day =P
Tania says
Loved reading! I’m so sorry to be that person, but you DID say to let you know of any typos, and in the post above you say “Burrito Boy is an omnivore WHO’S favourite food is burritos” when it should be whose. I’m a huge grammar nerd myself so just thought I’d help out. I’ll definitely be reading more of your stuff.
Lisa Le says
Ah!! Thank you :)
Kathy Thy Thy Tran says
Love your introduction and I believe you are as who you are in real life! So lovely to read your blog. Keep it up! (for all of us – the readers) :*
Kat says
I recently started dating a nice young gentleman that is omnivorous. I’ve been off and on again (depression makes me listless/lazy, that includes self-care) with maintaining my diet, but am now trying to recommit myself to following a more holistic, WFPB diet. Minimal gluten, too. I’m not going to pressure my bf to follow my diet (should be his choice) but I know he likes vegetarian foods. He, too, abhors mushrooms and broccoli, so I am writing to ask – could you recommend any specific recipes that Burrito Boy finds to be a slam dunk in tasty? I’m not likely to get my guy to drink soy milk or gobble down tofu en masse, but he’s open-minded at least (minus the few no-fly foods). Thanks!
Lisa Le says
My vegan lasagna and my one pot pasta have been knockouts for my partner. He also really likes my vegan red curry mac and cheese and curry too. All of ’em can be made GF :)
Megan says
Hello! I Love everything that you do and I love trying out your recipes! they are so delicious and healthy. I love Mexican food but it is hard to find a good vegan enchilada recipe out there. I was wondering if you would be able to make some vegan enchiladas?
Lisa Le says
I haven’t made enchiladas before but I’ll put it on my list :)
Allen says
Also Vietnamese and also vegan, so happy to have found this page. Was looking for Banh Bao recipes and got here. We’ll make them this weekend. Keep up the good work!
Susan says
Hi Lisa, just found your blog by way of a YouTube video. It reminded me that I kind of lost touch with Mary’s Test Kitchen. Anyway, love you both!
I did see a typo at the end of “why are you so long-winded…” it says, “success of there recipe.” ?
Lisa Le says
Ah! Thank you so much :) Glad you found your way over here!
tina nguyen says
Hi Lisa,
So… trying not to sound creepy but I think I’ve just developed an instant foodblogger crush and after reading this bio, I even thought, “gee, I wonder if I could meet her one day.” …Because… I can really relate to your story and simply felt a profound emotion that arises when you realize there is someone really similar to yourself out there, someone who probably has really similar childhood stories to yourself when you’ve always felt different from everyone around you growing up, ponderings of one’s identity, the never-ending cultural barrier, and an immense yearning to uncover some heritage related to our parents’ journey from South Vietnam to North America.
I’m from Orange County California, first generation from VN war refugee parents, eat mostly vegan, love cooking vietnamese food (although not that great at it or avid, hence, stumbling upon your site), just finished a Master’s degree in sustainability, living far away from home.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is, Hi. I love your food blog. I’m so happy I found it and I really support you and your journey (of life, I guess!!) and all of its manifestations through awesome recipes.
I’ve never left a comment on a food blog before! This probably isn’t normal! =) !!
looking forward to the next recipe!
Cheers from Cape Town, South Africa
Natalie says
Chao em! Nice that I found your blog. I’m a Brazilian currently living in Vietnam and trying to do the switch from vegetarian to vegan. I was surprised about how many vegetarian and vegan restaurants and shops there are in Saigon and as a big city it offers good options for buying ingredients as well (not as good as in western countries for vegan ingredients but still very good). I will be trying some of your recipes :) Greetings from Saigon!
J says
Hello – I love your site! it is so awesome and helpful when trying to find vegan/ vegetarian Vietnamese recipes! — I was wondering, can you do a post on vegan/ vegetarian Banh mi xiu mai? – I have been trying to find a recipe online, but no luck!
Thanks so much ~ I look forward to your posts :)
~J
Rachel Murray says
Hi Lisa,
many years ago I discovered your blog and recipes….. I recently went back to search for an old recipe that was a favorite but cant find it. It was for roasted sweet potato soup. We loved it because there was a bit of kick to it with the cayenne and smoked paprika . Is it no longer available on your site and if so would you be able to send it to me?
Thanks so much! Looking forward to trying out the new recipes!!
Rachel Murray
Drew says
Hi Lisa. I live in California, where I have visited quite a few Viet-themed vegan restaurants. They all make heavy use of soy-based (or soy-and-gluten) faux meats, often to really delicious effect. I have found these products at Asian supermarkets, as well as online, and have experimented with them for years, but I’d love to know how they are traditionally prepared in Viet-vegan kitchens. I was hoping your site would give me some insights, but I haven’t seen any recipes here using them. Do you avoid them?
Lisa Le says
Hi Drew! I typically don’t use them a lot in my recipes because people don’t have access to them, but I’ve started showing them in recipes more frequently recently.