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Plant Chat: Lauren Toyota & John Diemer of Hot for Food

Sharon Palmer

I’m so excited to introduce you to Lauren Toyota and John Diemer of Hot for Food. Hot for Food is a blog with a growing Youtube channel that I’ve been following for about 6 months. I’m addicted to their humorous videos and mouth-watering recipes. This is truly plant-based comfort food done right. Lauren has been vegan for over 6 years and John followed suit soon after they began dating. Lauren and John have a knack for veganizing traditional recipes in a simple and healthy way. They understand that plant-based foods don’t have to be bland or complicated. Through their series “RECIPE?!” they help home cooks become more creative in the kitchen using their pre-existing pantry and refrigerator ingredients. Lauren and John compete in their new challenge series to make unique recipes utilizing the same main ingredient. Once the video is posted, those watching can vote for their favorite dish (P.S. They are tied 5 to 5). Their most loved videos include cauliflower buffalo wings, chipotle lime fries, and the vegan pizza challenge. They shoot videos out of their home in Toronto, Canada. Read on to hear more about their pant-based journeys and to learn a bit more about the behind-the-scenes world of Hot for Food.

What led you and John to choose a plant-based diet? 

Lauren: I chose a plant based diet because I had experimented with vegetarianism and elimination diets, always trying to figure out why I just felt awful all the time! I eventually figured that going vegan might be what cures me and it did. I couldn’t look back. John wasn’t vegan when we met 3 years ago, but he quickly adopted the diet and lifestyle by just being with me.

John: I had gone vegan in the past for about 3 months and treated it more like a diet reset. I was so into food, having worked on food reality shows, and cooking became a new hobby for me just around the time of meeting Lauren. I was so fascinated by the vegan versions of my favorite foods that I wanted to learn more about substitutes and how to use them. It just made sense to go along with it. I’ve loved the decision from the beginning and never complained or wanted to go back to eating an omnivorous diet. We make good food so that’s all that matters!

What is your own personal nutrition philosophy? 

Lauren: Listen to your body. Don’t demonize certain foods or restrict yourself. And most importantly love and appreciate the food you put in your mouth while you’re eating it. That will in turn help you love your body more. Your mind is a powerful thing so eating starts with your mental attitude.

John: I just eat whatever I want. I’m easy! Going vegan has given me a new perspective on life and food though. And it’s funny, because I grew up in a small town on a dairy farm that my family owned! I’ve always loved animals and food but was never able to make the connection between them until going vegan. As far as I’m concerned eating cruelty-free is good for the mind, body, and soul.

What led you to start Hot for Food?

Lauren: When I decided I needed to transition into a vegan diet I started the blog as a way to monitor my progress and stay motivated. I wasn’t employed at the time so all my time was dedicated to cooking and experimenting with plant-based substitutes. Once I put myself out there and found the online food community I really liked it and wanted to tap into it more. The blog went on hold for a few years from the end of 2010 until 2014 when I ended up working full-time again. But now it’s my full time gig and I managed to grow it to a place where that’s actually realistic and sustainable!

Where do you find inspiration for new plant-based recipes?

Lauren: Sometimes from travelling and eating at restaurants, but more often than not from non-vegan recipes. If people are freaking about some food trend or we see a recipe out there that we know would be better as a vegan version, we just make it and add our own personal twist to it.

John: I think having me join Hot for Food also gave Lauren a new perspective and challenge. Creating more comfort food and “man foods” or things that would entice guys to go vegan was something I sort of requested. She wasn’t really making that stuff until I came along because I wanted to eat the exact way I did before without any compromise. It worked out for the best!

Lauren: That’s true! John used to eat so many chicken wings, and thus, the cauliflower buffalo wing recipe was created!

Your YouTube channel has over 9 million views. How did you transition from blogging and writing recipes to creating videos for YouTube?

Lauren: Writing the blog was never something that I really felt called to me. I had a hard time building it on my own and figuring out all the technical back-end stuff. It really frustrated me! But because I have a background in television and production, as does John, it was natural for us to transition what we were doing into video format. I am much more comfortable talking on camera than writing! So once we started creating video I felt like our own creativity flowed better. It was a natural progression and we also saw an opportunity in the YouTube space to offer something different that we weren’t seeing.

How do you and John divide responsibilities for the blog and channel? 

Lauren: Basically I run everything and John shoots all the video on the weekends with me. The day to day is my thing – blogging, social media, photography, recipe development and testing, marketing etc. but having John in my life is what motivated me to actually take Hot for Food more seriously. Once he was in my life, he was naturally going to be part of Hot for Food since cooking and food was so important to both of us. Having him on camera with me for some of the content is important as well, but he just can’t do every video. People are really loving our challenge videos though so I think it’s getting to a place where he can really only be in those, because shooting with 2 people on camera when you’re doing everything yourself is really difficult to manage! It’s just John and I. We don’t have a crew or anything. That may come soon enough, but for now economically it just has to be DIY!

Lauren, what is your day-to-day schedule like? John, can you describe your work with The Farmhouse Creative Labs?

Lauren: My day-to-day is always different. It’s mostly spent in front of a computer more than in the kitchen right now. I divide up my day into blocks of editing, answering emails and following up on opportunities, scheduling social posts, writing and editing blog posts, and planning our production schedule and recipe ideas. I tend to work quite late as well because I also create content for my own YouTube channel so that’s a lot of editing!

John: The Farmhouse is an audio production facility that I’ve been building and growing since I graduated from OIART (Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology). Currently, most of my day to day is spent on set recording sounds for reality and scripted series’ like The Amazing Race, Master Chef, and The Next Step. I also employ other audio engineers who at any given time will be working on post-production projects ranging from documentaries, features, and commercials.

What is your go-to recipe for entertaining friends and family who may not be vegan?

Lauren: Our cauliflower buffalo wings have become the most popular thing and our friends and family often request it! It became such a trend but we’re pretty confident in our rendition of them! Cauliflower is so amazing and versatile. You would never think a bland white vegetable could be so good!

John: Also, when in doubt, we make tacos!

What plant-based bloggers and authors do you and John look up to? 

Lauren: I think an early inspiration was Mary Mattern aka Nom Yourself. She was one of the first instagrammers we found communicating the vegan message in a fun relatable way right around the time we started actively posting to instagram! It was nice to see other people who shared the same mentality. She also happened to take notice of what we were doing and then we realized “oh! There are all these “famous vegans” on social media spreading this great positive message through food! Look at this huge community!” We had no idea it existed but that’s what we wanted to do too. We wanted to be part of that community on a professional level. Basically making a living as vegan ambassadors so to speak, so when we saw that community we wanted to make that happen for Hot for Food. Also from a photography and recipe standpoint right now I really like Love & Lemons, Minimalist Baker, Jenny Mustard, and Mississippi Vegan.

What are your top tips for transitioning to a plant-based diet?

Lauren: Just that… transition! Do it at your own pace and get rid of any finish line you think exists. Everyone is different and even dabbling with a vegan diet is beneficial in many ways. We think doing research and consuming a lot of different information and viewpoints is also the key to be informed and able to speak about your decisions and choices to others. Because let’s face it, you will be bombarded with questions!

John: Starting one meal at a time is good too. Start looking for substitutes for your favorite go-to meals and ingredients if they’re animal based. Don’t feel any pressure to have to throw out everything you eat or own either. Just work at slowly replacing things you consume with vegan friendly items. It’s a constant evolution and no one should be making anyone feel bad for where they are right now!

What do you think is the most essential ingredient for plant-based cooking? The most versatile?

Lauren: In our kitchen it’s probably nutritional yeast and raw cashews. I think everyone should use these ingredients, whether they’re vegan or not, but you’ll always find they’re part of vegan cuisine. You can make sweet and savoury things with both. Cashews are just magic! They blend into the creamiest cream that you can flavor in so many ways. And nutritional yeast is not just a topping for popcorn or weird hippie food! It’s a great addition to many sauces. We use it a lot!

Could you share a recipe with us?

Everyone wants to eat lighter when it’s hot outside so we’ve come up with a clever meat-free meal that’s a sophisticated all-veg take on fish tacos. We want you to try something new on the barbeque and grill up seasoned cauliflower to make these tasty tacos that are perfect for a family picnic or an easy weeknight meal.

 

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Grilled Cauliflower Tacos with Mango Slaw & Avocado Crema (Vegan, Gluten-Free)


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Mango slaw: 

  • 1 C thinly sliced red onion (approx. 1/2 an onion)
  • 1 thinly sliced red pepper
  • 1 thinly sliced red mango
  • ¼ C cilantro, finely chopped
  • ½ lime, juiced

Avocado crema: 

  • 1 ½ avocados
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 2/3 cup canned coconut milk
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper

Grilled cauliflower: 

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin

Extras: 

  • 24 corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. In a bowl toss together all the ingredients for the mango slaw and refrigerate until ready to serve tacos.
  2. In a blender combine all the ingredients for the avocado crema until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve tacos.
  3. Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil, minced garlic, chili powder, and cumin and grill for 20 minutes on the barbeque over medium-high heat.
  4. Assemble each taco with 2 corn tortillas as a base to prevent tacos from tearing. Place a small amount of mango slaw on the bottom, then a few pieces of grilled cauliflower, and top with a dollop or drizzle of avocado crema. Add a squeeze of extra lime on top if desired.

Notes

Nutrients Per Serving: 160 calories, 3 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 3g saturated fat, 5 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 80 mg sodium

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1

Big thanks for Lauren and John for letting us into their world. For more crowd-pleasing vegan recipes head over to www.hotforfoodblog.com! 

Written by Rebecca Berg with Sharon Palmer, RDN

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