Alecia's interview

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Interview by Gitanjali

We interviewed Alecia!

Hello Alecia, so tell us...

When did you begin your blog, and what inspired you to start it?

I started this blog two years ago. The blog started out as an experiment to prove to people the wide variety of foods that a vegetarian can eat. When I started blogging I had been a vegetarian for about six years and people were always asking me what I ate -- more than raw vegetables and fruit! There were so many great options available and I wanted to showcase them.

Are you involved in the blogging community - how do you attract new readers?

I participate in link-ups hosted by other bloggers. I mainly attract new readers via social media, a lot of my new readers come from Pinterest.

If you could be a contestant or guest on any cooking show what show would you choose?

Chopped! When I was in college the Health majors held a team Chopped competition for their senior project. We had to use all healthy ingredients, it was timed and there were judges. My sorority sisters and I had such a great time, I would love to try it again solo.

Do you have a secret ingredient, a product you use a lot that is unexpected or that helps you save time?

I use crushed red pepper in all of my savory dishes, even if I don't list it! I usually add a dash with the other seasoning a recipe calls for. I think crushed red pepper is as necessary as salt and pepper.

Given that you're vegetarian, do you refuse to cook meat for others? Is there anything other than meat that you refuse to eat?

Since I became a vegetarian eight years ago, I have only cooked meat twice. I just don't enjoy cooking meat at all, so I choose not to cook it for others. Luckily, my boyfriend and family are happy to eat vegetarian when I'm cooking!

I refuse to eat bananas and cilantro. Everyone has ingredients that they hate and those two are mine, I can't stand even a little bit in a dish.

How do you manage to write one post per day?! That must take up so much of your time!

This blog is my main hobby or if you ask my boyfriend, the blog is essentially my part-time job. I am a graduate student and although I do have two part-time jobs, this blog helps me maintain my sanity. Whenever I've had a bad day at school or I'm swamped with reading -- I know that going into the kitchen will make everything better. So, although blogging takes up a great deal of time, I think it is a great way to unwind from a stressful day and the kitchen is a great place to connect with other people.

What are your goals for your blog? Where would you like to see it in the next year? Five years?

In the next year I would like to continue to work on great projects to grow my readership base. In the next five years I would like to get to a point where almost all of the recipes are originals and not inspired by someone else.

Anything else you would like to share?

Thank you so much to my readers for all of their support throughout the past two years. And thank you to my family, friends and boyfriend for all of their love and support as Vegetarian & Cooking! continues to grow.

Thank you Alecia for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Gitanjali - 04/11/2014

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