Hi, I'm Alissa!
I'm the the creator, recipe developer and photographer behind Connoisseurus Veg.
I created this site to share some of my favorite vegan recipes, and over the last ten years I've shared over one thousand(!) of them here.
While my focus is on dinner recipes, you'll find all courses here: breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, sides and appetizers! They're all designed to be delicious, and they are all vegan.
About Alissa Saenz
I'm a self trained cook who transitioned from a career in intellectual property law to becoming a full time food blogger.
Cooking is a passion of mine! I've loved cooking as long as I can remember. My love of cooking is a big part of what first influenced me to give up meat at a young age. I was already not really on board with the idea of eating animals. I enjoyed baking, and cooking veggies, but when I tried learning to cook meat and eventually found I couldn't force myself to eat it anymore. That was back when I was just thirteen years old.
My focus on recipe development started when I met my husband, back in 2011. He was interested in transitioning to a plant-based diet and was full of requests. You can thank him for some of my vegan remakes of classic dishes like vegan chicken noodle soup, vegan meatloaf, and my vegan Reuben sandwich.
When I published my first recipe post I thought this site would be nothing more than a hobby. But once things got rolling I became hooked, and the site grew and grew. I'd like to say it happened like magic, but in reality it was a ton of work (definitely a labor of love though).
I learned a lot about photography, cooking, recipe development along the way. Eventually I was able to turn the blog into a full time business. I retired from the law, and here I am, publishing recipes on the internet for a living and loving it.
My Recipes
My recipes are 100% vegan and I develop them with taste in mind! Some are healthy, while some are pretty indulgent. A few are gluten-free, and a few qualify as whole food plant-based (i.e. no oil or refined ingredients), while most don't.
I try to share a little something for everyone. If a particular recipe doesn't fit within your diet, keep looking or ask about substitutions — I won't always have an answer, but I will do my best!
A few things you'll find as you browse my dishes:
- I love tofu. And tempeh. And seitan.
- I'm big on comfort food and veganizing old favorites.
- You'll find lots of global cuisine, from Thai to Mexican to Italian to Indian and everything in between. Some of these recipes are pretty close to authentic, while others aren't.
- I'm always looking for inspiration. Do you have an old favorite dish that you want veganized? Tell me!
In the Media
Below you'll find just a few examples of media sites where my work has been featured!
- Buzzfeed - The 40 Best Vegan Recipes to Make in the Summer
- HuffPost - 25 Vegan Pasta Recipe for Meatless Meals
- Brit+Co - 18 Hearty Plant-Based Recipes To Satisfy Your Comfort Food Craving
- Women's Health - The 30 Best Vegan Side Dishes For Every Meal, Occasion, And Season
- Parade - Beat the Heat With 53 Dairy-Free Vegan Ice Cream Recipes That Hit the Spot On Scorcher Days
- Self - 50 Healthy Vegetarian Recipes that are Super Satisfying
- VegNews - 10 Globally Inspired Recipes to Celebrate World Vegan Day
- Livestrong - 18 High-Protein Vegetarian Stew Recipes that Keep You Full
- Healthline - 12 of the Best High Protein Breakfast Recipes
- Livekindly - 30 Plant-Based Recipes for the Holiday Season
- Delish - 20 Vegan Instant Pot Recipes That Won't Have You Missing the Meat
- Redbook - 10 Junk Foods You Can Make Out of Veggies (Really)
- The Pioneer Woman - 30 Easy Leftover Mashed Potato Recipes to Make With Your Extra Spuds
Frequently Asked Questions:
I always suggest starting with dinner recipes, because figuring out what to make for dinner is often a challenge. Start with something simple, like vegan chili. I'd also recommend trying a basic tofu recipe like my tofu stir-fry, as well as a simple vegan version of an old favorite, like vegan fettuccine Alfredo. You'll also want to check out some of my vegan cooking guides, like my guide to tofu, guide to dairy-free milk, how to make seitan, and guide to egg substitutes for baking.
No, I currently don't. I might write a cookbook some day, but I'm not ready. I've talked with publishers in the past, and writing a cookbook requires a big time commitment that would require me to take time off from working on this site, and this site is my number one priority!
Connect
Feel free to email me with suggestions, comments or questions! Leave a comment on any of my recipes, contact me using any of the methods on my contact page, or find me on social media: