Name: Zainab
Blog: La Gallette
Twitter: @la_gallette
Location: Sydney, Australia

Describe your culinary style.
My culinary style would have to be fresh and modern, full of colour, textures and flavours. I love seasonal produce and the nostalgia that life brings, especially to food. My cooking is also about food that brings memories and tastes of my childhood. I want to show that making desserts or cooking is not always complicated and well…scary.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
I would definately reccomend my Pistachio Tiramisu. It gives a fresh, modern and simple twist that I just adore and of course a depth of flavour. My mum would make this whenever she had friends and family over and that would devour it in minutes. Give this Flourless Chocolate Chai Cake a try as well!

Flourless Chocolate Chai Cake

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
I get inspiration from all over the place! Wheather through a cookbook, food blogs, magazine or just everyday life. I may sometimes sit down with with a pile of cookbooks and magazine surrounding me and flip through them for hours on end, sometimes it might me a food prop that brings me inspiration or even a colour scheme!

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
That would have to be (hands down) cake! I love cake all it’s different flavours and textures, I couldn’t live without it.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Ice cream. I love ice cream and I have to have it in the house in case of an emergency, I start with a scoop and for all I know, I’ve finished half the tub!

Define Yummly.
The meaning of Yummly for me is food that makes you smile and of course an empty plate. Nothing makes me happier!

Name: Alison
Blog: Culinary Adventures in the Kitchen
Twitter: @CulinaryAdvs
Location: Montreal, Quebec

Describe your culinary style.
I am health-conscious pescetarian. Although I would very-happily live exclusively in my wee vegetarian bubble, I am married to a carnivore. So, rather than rigidly living on our respective ends of the culinary-spectrum, we occasionally try to meet up somewhere in the middle; usually in the form of seafood. Although I don’t cook much fish myself, it has been known to infiltrate my otherwise-vegetarian-lifestyle from time to time. You know, gotta keep the peace! In my day-to-day life, I am forever finding ways to adapt recipes to make them more healthful while maintaining (or enhancing!) deliciousness. Believing that variety really is the spice of life, I find myself ever-scouring the world for exciting recipe ideas that will land me in the kitchen, inspired and ready to healthify. I firmly believe that loving to eat and being healthy don’t have to be mutually exclusive notions.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
Ouf. We could be here all day! Ok, here we go: I have selected what I believe to be the best from the different categories in my recipe index.
Appetizer: Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds
Soup: Curried Veggie Soup
Salad: Mexican Bean Salad (aka my favourite salad ever) 
Breakfast/Brunch: Vegan Bacon (omg!) 
Entree: Vegan Veggie Burgers 
Dessert: Individual Chocolate-Coffee Zucchini Cakes 
Cookies: Chocolate-Cherry Kiss Cookies 
Muffins & Quickbreads: Banana Kefir Muffins 

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
I tend to find culinary-inspiration in every facet of my life. Whether the inspiration comes while listening to the radio in the car on my way to work and hearing a food-related advertisement, talking to family and/or friends, or walking through the grocery store aisles and passing a particular item, the food-loving hamster in my mind’s eye immediately hops on his wheel and we, simultaneously, get to work. I also spend most of my “down-time” seeking inspiration for my next food exploit; my TV seems to be permanently tuned to the cooking channel, I love flipping through the pages of cookbooks (especially old ones with broken spines and oil stains from overuse), and when on the internet, I am constantly scanning food-related pages. I love being in my kitchen; a place to dream, to concoct, and to experiment.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
Only one food?? Goodness gracious; how very limiting. Although there are several undeniably-deserving candidates, I’m going to go with the first thing that popped into my head. Be warned, it’s pretty fundamental. With that said, I don’t think that I could live without popcorn. Yes, yes, I know. Of all of the delightful and sinfully-delicious dishes available to me, I choose popcorn. But not the horrid microwave version (note: I don’t even own a microwave), it has to be homestyle, pot-on-the-stove-popped, popcorn. And topped with pink Himalayan sea salt, black pepper, curry powder, and nutritional yeast. Fancy. Now that I could thrive on.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Without a doubt, my ultimate guilty pleasure is all-you-can-eat sushi. Forget the commonplace platter of 8-10 pieces of maki. I’m talking about 30-40 pieces of mixed-maki-joy. Some rolls oozing with mayonnaise, some deep-fried rolls,…all-you-can-eat sushi is where quality meets quantity meets happiness. And, whence finished, I roll my maki-stuffed-self out of the restaurant and into the car. Guilty. Pleasure.

Define Yummly.
To me, yummly refers to all-things-delicious. Often times what might be yummly to one, mightn’t be yummly to the next. Good thing some of us have wide-yummly-scopes! Seeing a new recipe, cooking up a new dish, or biting into something that hits me on an emotional-’omg’-level, is the quintessential yummly experience.

Name: Kristi
Name of blog: 30 Pounds of Apples
Twitter: @30poundsapples
Location: North Carolina

Describe your culinary style.
I strive to cook with as many local, seasonal, fresh ingredients as possible. Though fresh ingredients may sound somewhat of a “duh”, determining what I can purchase from local producers dramatically shapes my cooking. Sure, I still use olive oil and chocolate and splurge on the occasional pomegranate or avocado, but I ask myself a question when preparing nearly every meal: how many of these ingredients were produced locally?

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
My primary sources of recipe inspiration tend to be whatever foods are in season. I buy most of my food at my local farmers market, so my grocery bags really are filled with vastly different ingredients throughout the year. I like to celebrate ingredients when they are readily available at that market or from my garden: what can I make with peaches and raspberries? My cherry tomatoes are going nuts, how can I use them all up? From there, I dig through cookbooks, a recipe box of family favorites, and dozens of food blogs and recipe sites, or sometimes dream up what I’m actually going to cook with my local fare.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
I tried to come up with some sensible vegetable that I could cook in a variety of ways, but I really just think I have to go with pasta here. Not only is it a great base for, say, seafood?, but I’ve never tired of large batches that make several days worth of leftovers. Plus, during bouts of hysterical panic in my island shack of palm fronds, at least I’ll have carbolicious comfort food to make me feel better.

Click photo for recipe

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
One of my favorite projects was Breakfast Cups: A Love Story. If you’re looking for way to make a quick, easy transition away from a packaged product, Breakfast Cups are your friends. Another one of my favorites (and dead simple) is Pan Fried Okra. If you think the only way to eat okra is deep-fried at a BBQ restaurant, I beg you to try this instead. You’ll be glad you did. For dinner, if you’re looking for a simple entree that tastes decadent and complex, I’m loving my Goat Cheese Mac with Rosemary. Show it off next time you have friends over. And for dessert? My favorite take on pumpkin pie: Mini Pumpkin Cream Pies.   

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
If I could survive exclusively on chips and dip, in virtually any combination, I would. Creamy dips, cheesy dips, guacamole, salsa… I literally can’t keep them in the house. I’d never want to eat anything else!

Define Yummly.
Yummly, to me, celebrates that which makes food most enjoyable: the ability to share it! There is no one way to make any given dish, and the variety that Yummly cultivates from its contributors is a testament to the many different ways food can be delicious. Sharing recipes with cooks, bakers, and fellow foodies is a great way to learn, to improve, and to come across new recipes with the potential to become favorites.

Name: Brandon Bills
Name of blog: The Yummy Bits
Twitter: @TheYummyBits
Location: Binghamton, NY

Describe your culinary style.
My culinary style is an accumulation of experiences in my life leading up to this date, varying slightly as time progresses. Ultimately, however, my general style is centered by simplicity and basic cooking techniques. While I acknowledge the time and place for food as a science or complex combination of flavors, textures, and smells, I think the primary purpose of food is to satisfy and nourish. Basic ingredients, prepared correctly, can be some of the best food in the world.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
After reading my answer to the first question, it should come as no surprise that the main source of inspiration for my recipes is simplicity. I write The Yummy Bits blog for home cooks looking for new meal, dessert, snack, and drink ideas, and try to present the recipes featured there in such a way that encourages readers to actually go out and make a few of the dishes. I think most home cooks, at the end of the day, are looking for something that is not difficult to make, but at the same time, different from what they might eat on a regular basis.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
Eggs! I love eggs, and you can do so much with them! I also love onions, but I think eggs would be a little more nourishing than abiding to an onion diet.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
Two recipes that have recently become wildly popular on The Yummy Bits blog are the Pickled Rainbow Chard and Peach & Blueberry Crisp. The rainbow chard post tells you how to pickle pretty much any vegetable, and the chard is an amazing array of colors. If you like beautiful food, check it out! The Peach & Blueberry Crisp doesn’t need much explaining. I’ll personally attest to its deliciousness. Also, this recipe for French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese takes all the flavors and textures of French Onion Soup, and puts them in sandwich form!

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Caramelized onions! I love onions for how versatile they are in a variety of recipes, but caramelized or roasted is my favorite way to have them.

Define Yummly.
In the online world of food, bloggers like myself are the recipe creators, with Yummly acting as a massive recipe collector and sharer. Its reach extends far and wide, helping the smaller recipe creators get their creations to a larger audience. Yummly is synonymous with potential, deliciousness, and quality!

Name: Lauren
Name of blog: Cravings Gone Clean
Twitter: @CravingsGoClean
Location: Toronto

Describe your culinary style.
My style is pretty improvisational, writing a blog has been great because it forces me to keep track of what I do. I try to be inventive, whether it’s using an unconventional combination of ingredients or making something more traditional using unexpected ingredients.  I think this all stems from my desire to health-ify everything–you’ve gotta get creative!

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
Amazing taste is the priority, but it’s also very important for my food to be functional, whether it’s a nutrient dense salad that keeps well for a week of lunches, or decadent dessert packed with fiber.  I love to indulge, but I try to make everything have a purpose health-wise. I’m actually studying to be a nutritionist, so I try to bring that knowledge into my recipe creation. 

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
I think my Key Lime Pie Smoothie would be good.  It’s sweet and refreshing, which would be satisfying, but also hides a bunch of spinach!  Gotta eat my greens on a desert island.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
Here are some of my favorites:

• Healthy Pad Thai 
• Double Chocolate Pancakes with Salted Peanut Butter Syrup.
• Veggie Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce (We eat this for dinner at least once a week.)
• No-Bake Sweet and Salty Squares (These are super easy and very addictive.)

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Lately I’m addicted to those self-serve froyo places.  Froyo isn’t the worst thing you can eat, but it can have a lot more sugar than you’d guess…and it is easy to get a little too enthusiastic with the toppings!  They also give you dangerously large cups.

Define Yummly.
Good for you without compromising on taste in any way.  Decadent tasting and shockingly healthy.

Name: Jaime Verk Pérez
Name of blog: The Tomato Snob
Twitter: @thetomatosnob
Location: Toronto

Describe your culinary style.
My culinary style is laid back honest food with a hint of gourmet. I hate the fussy French traditions and prefer take a simple fresh approach to maintain the quality of seasonal ingredients.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
I draw inspiration from a global flavors and put my own local twist on classic cultural dishes. For example right now I’m working on a recipe for Jamaican Pepperpot Soup using Ontario okra that’s in season right now. I love allowing one ingredient to inspire the culinary journey – you never know where it’s going to take you.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
It would be any sort of Asian noodle soup. Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese I’ll take any of them as long as I have hot sauce & fresh herbs.

For someone new to your blog, which recipes do you recommend they try first?

• In the fall I would definitely recommend them to check out the Parsnip & Pear Puree because it’s such a unique combination and really holds a wow factor.
• My recipe for Thai Sesame Slaw with Poached Shrimp is pretty simple (and delicious) 
• Another great one for an easy quick bread would be my Pumpkin Ginger Bread. It’s perfect for the holidays. 

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
My ultimate guilty food pleasure is going to a nice restaurant with a bunch of open minded food loving friends and ordering a very large selection of the menu. I want to taste everything!

Define Yummly.
To me yummly represents the love and ease of finding delicious recipes.

Name: Pallavi
Name of blog: Veggie Zest
Twitter: @veggiezest

Describe your culinary style.
I make vegetarian and vegan food from different cuisines. My food is very contemporary and global and I try to make recipes that are easy to make yet flavorful and appealing to all our senses.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
The abundant yet unknown existence of vegetarian recipes in all the cuisines from different parts of the world is the driving forces behind my creations. I also get very inspired by the thought of showing people how vegetarian food can be flavorful and nutritious at the same time and is in no respect inferior than meat.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
I would take whole wheat bread because bread is one of my favorite food and also because it will keep me full with all the carbohydrates. It’s an island so maybe I can go and find some vegetables and fruits to go with the bread and eat a balanced kind of diet.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?

• Hummus Trio &  Baba Ghanoush: Hummus it’s a very popular recipe, on my blog and otherwise. Its very easy to make and is very versatile, you can pair it with many things- use it as a spread, as a dip and you can make it in different flavors.
• Bruschetta: It’s a very simple recipe with few ingredients and is loaded with so many flavors and is my all time favorite. It was one of the first things I made which was appreciated and relished by many people.
• DalMakhni: Its an authentic Indian recipe and this recipe breaks the myth of Indian recipes being complicated and hard to make. It tastes great with Indian breads and rice.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
European dessert delicacies. A good cup of cappuccino and a nice dessert – I can have that at any time of the day.

Define Yummly.
I think Yummly is a very powerful tool that exists online. What I like the most about searching recipe on it is that it lets you refine your search by providing so many options that the results are very accurate. With its database growing at a brilliant speed, it has covered a lot of good sources for recipes. It is a great resource for people who like to cook from the internet (like me).

Name: Danny Macdonald
Name of blog: boy & the rabbit
Twitter: @boyandtherabbit
Location: Vienna, VA

Describe your culinary style.
Eclectic and spontaneous. I know I mostly bake vegan things, which people might think requires specific ingredients and substitutions and whatnot, but I truly believe something delicious can be made from any pantry, no matter how scarce.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
I’m inspired by specific ingredients, and unexpected flavor combinations. I’ll build a recipe around one specific food, maybe a certain type of fruit, or a special preparation of a common baked good. I basically look at 3 things: flavor, methodology, and final presentation, and try to mesh those different variables.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
Oh gosh, definitely sweet potato. It’s so dang healthy! And I’ve heard that eating a lot of sweet potato can make your skin look orange, which might be appropriate for a desert island. Too bad I’m genetically incapable of tanning. Heh.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?
Oh, definitely my Banana Bars with White Chocolate Pistachio Frosting. It’s one of those recipes that I’ll crave if I’m awake at 3 am watching 30 Rock on Netflix. It’s a very specific craving. But yes, they’re to die for, and I believe that flavor combination was cosmically destined to be delicious. For any non-vegans, my Goat Cheese Based Cheesecake is rich and complex. Paired with a pistachio crust, and drizzled with clover honey, it’s like you died and went to tangy-sweet-heaven. Goat cheese lovers unite.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Lefsa, which is a Norwegian potato flat bread. On its own, it’s not so bad. But you usually roll it up with a slathering of butter and sugar, and I’ve been known to down a plate in 2 minutes flat.

Define Yummly.
Yummly is like everyone’s nice, wise grandma dispensing cooking advice, but online. Entering in my favorite flavors, ingredients, and food sources, I feel like I’m having an informal conversation at the breakfast table about what to make that day. It’s how every recipe site should be- smart, interactive, and delicious.

Name: Angelika
Name of blog: Plant Food Fabulous
Twitter: @plantfoodfab
Location: Wine Country, CA

Describe your culinary style.
I would describe my style as natural. I like to use ingredients that are in season and unprocessed, and I really strive to let the ingredients shine. I think the best food tastes like itself.

What is the main source of inspiration for your recipes?
Produce really drives my cooking and inspires me. We shop the farmer’s market and participate in a local CSA, so my inspiration always comes from the fruits and vegetables in front of me in any given week. My desserts are celebration food, so they are inspired by the person or event we are celebrating.

If you could have one food while stranded on a desert island, what would it be? 
I need more details about this island! Is it hot? Is there edible vegetation? I don’t feel I can accurately answer this question without more details… but if forced to pick I think coconuts, (and a large machete) because you can drink the water from inside the coconut and eat the fruit. I feel like coconuts might ensure my survival until my rescuer arrives with chocolate and wine.

For someone new to your blog, which recipe do you recommend they try first?

1. My fast blueberry tart is a great place to start. It’s a delicious, creamy, bursting with flavor dessert that you can have on the table in 30 minutes!
2. My Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, a vegan take on one of life’s best comfort foods. Spectacular for the cashew mushroom gravy, which has so many other applications.
3. For a special occasion I just adore this Lemon Blueberry Cake. It tastes like summer on a plate.
4. Lentils and Quinoa with Roasted Broccoli represents our typical weeknight dinner, and my lunch leftovers. One of my first and most popular posts.

What is your ultimate guilty food pleasure? 
Potatoes. Seriously. My husband says I treat potatoes like a food group. If I am stressed and in need of comfort food the first things I think of are fries, chips, and gratin.

Define Yummly.
A combination of yummy and lovely, which sums up my food philosophy brilliantly.