Hi! I'm Amber.
The Throbbing Eggplant is my little corner of the internet where I share the best, mostly-healthy sweet and savory vegan recipes I've created over the last 13+ years.
Things you'll find here:
- Lots of colorful veggie-filled, nutrient-dense vegan recipes.
- My favorite desserts, healthified.
- The occasional not-so-wholesome, but super fucking delicious recipe.
- Swear words. (See above.)
- Recipes for lots of dietary preferences; Whole food plant-based (wfpb), gluten-free, oil-free, whole grain, low calorie, cane sugar-free, nut-free, allium-free, low-FODMAP, etc.
- Probably some stories about cats and/or bodily functions.
Things you probably won't find here:
- Raw onions. Never ever. I inherited my dad's allergy/intolerance and raw onions make me SO SICK. They're the devil.
- Secret bananas. I love bananas, but don't call something a blueberry muffin when it's a blueberry banana muffin! I do use bananas often, but you will always know when a recipe is banana-based so there are no surprises.
- Animal products. Duh.
- Lots of expensive specialty ingredients. I want these recipes to be as accessible as possible, and no one wants to bake a goddamn $40 pan of brownies.
A little bit about me.
I grew up eating mostly desserts and mashed potatoes (some things never change) and didn't learn to cook until my mid-twenties when I stopped eating meat and started eating vegetables for the first time in my life and wanted to impress my now-husband, Shaun, with amazing plant-based food.
(Shaun grew up in a multicultural house with his Japanese dad and Mexican + Native American + Irish mom and has always loved food and cooking. He's an omnivore with a wheat intolerance, but he also loves vegan food and makes some damn good savory vegan meals himself.)
If you want to read more about how I discovered veganism, see this post.
After a lot of trial and error with different variations of a vegan diet (paleo vegan, low carb high fat (WORST IDEA EVER), low-fodmap, raw vegan, etc., etc., etc.), I've discovered that I'm my happiest when I'm eating a nutrient-dense, high-carb low-fat, whole food plant-based diet with a little bit of wiggle room for indulgent stuff in there (mimosas and vegan brunch, please!).
I avoid using cane sugar and added oil at home about 85% of the time, and I focus on beans, whole grains, tofu and tempeh, and adding a ton of colorful veggies and fruits to my meals.
Eating this way has helped me lose 30 pounds (and counting!) almost effortlessly, cleared up my cystic acne, healed my digestive issues, stopped the recurring binge eating & restrictive dieting cycle that I was stuck in for 15 years, and it gives me so much energy I'm a better runner now at age 40 than I was in my 20s!
I have a hell of a sweet tooth, so I've made it a point to create healthy versions of my favorite desserts, like carrot cake, rice crispy treats, and lots of different muffins.
I almost always eat fruit-filled overnight oats for breakfast and a big ass salad for lunch. I love coming up with flavorful, healthy salad dressing recipes! This creamy vegan caesar dressing is my absolute favorite.
I'm also slightly obsessed with pizza and nachos, so any recipe that shows up on the blog and isn't oats or sweets or salad dressing will probably have something to do with nachos or pizza.
Why is this blog called The Throbbing Eggplant?
Short version: Because I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy.
Long version: I'm an amazing baker, but unless it's pizza, nachos, enchiladas, or salads, I'm... hilariously bad at making savory meals.
Right after starting this blog, I was attempting to roast a couple eggplants I impulse-bought (am I the only one who impulse-buys produce?!), and I turned the oven light on to check on them. One of the eggplants was straight up throbbing. Pulsating! I started to giggle to myself, because, again, I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy.
Then...
Throb. Throb. Throb. BOOM!
It exploded.
(I have that effect on things. 🤷♀️)
Also, I forgot to poke holes in it.
I thought the name was a very fitting example of both my cooking skills and my sense of humor. I'm slightly inappropriate at times and I definitely don't take myself too seriously.
If you're on board with that and don't mind my liberal use of the f-word, I think we're gonna be BFFs.
My hope is that you'll find a recipe to make while you're here, whether you want a nutritious whole food plant-based dessert, or you're just looking for something delicious.
If there's anything you'd like to see me healthify, or if you have any questions about losing weight on a vegan diet (and feeling amazing in the process), I would love to chat! You can contact me through the form on this contact page or DM me on instagram.
Thanks for being here!