First, allow me to begin by saying that writing this post has been pure torture. It’s been utter hell because I’ve started my next competition prep (pro show debut– oh yeah!) and creeping all my fave vegan blogs has also entailed me salivating over a billion recipes that plaster every one of them. Brutal. Also brutal to narrow this list down to just five favourites. BUT I don’t want this post turning into a novel so without further ado, I bring you…

My Top 5 Fave Inspiring Vegan Blogs & Pages

1) Peaceful Dumpling

I’ve been following the girls over at Peaceful Dumpling for a while now. I also subscribe to their newsletter and I gotta say, unlike many e-newsletters that bombard me with annoying, useless crap everyday, I’m always so impressed with the informative and unique content PD keeps sending out.

I credit it completely to their senior leadership team:

Their tagline is “peaceful inspired living” and even though I’m the last person on Earth you’ll ever hear saying the word “namaste,” I’m regularly inspired by their articles. Peaceful Dumpling, like many vegan blogs, covers the usual food, fitness and wellness topics. But they always manage to cover such random, cool stuff that I find myself sharing regularly and re-reading like “best quotes about veganism” or juicy thought provokers like “judging people based on what they eat.”

2) Running on Real Food

Okay, prime example of a website I really didn’t need to visit while I’M STARVING OVER HERE. And now all I want is “salted caramel tahini cups.” I guess I won’t hold it against Deryn for posting a vegan dessert recipe that literally makes me contemplate having a full-blown, tahini cup night of gluttony. She has, after all, created a lot of vegan porn over the years… Just messin’ with ya! I’m talkin’ FOOD PORN, you pervs! Now who clicked the “vegan porn” link?

Yup, Deryn is a full-time graphic designer (and recipe creator) for one of my fave local vegan sports nutrition companies: North Coast Naturals. And in her spare time, she runs a kick-ass vegan blog of her own. I love “Running on Real Food” for not only the healthy dessert recipes but also the workouts Deryn creates and designs. Yes, she’s also a former personal trainer. And check this “killer cardio” program! Such a good workout AND that visual presentation is on point! Yes, I’m also slightly jealous because my graphic design skills are atrocious.

3) Vegan Black Metal Chef

I’ll never forget the day I first discovered Vegan Black Metal Chef and more specifically, his “Pad Thai” cooking video. It was the day that I developed my first-ever vegan internet crush. And that’s saying a lot for him because I am the ultimate spelling Nazi and I completely overlooked the fact that he misspelled “preparation” at the one minute mark.

Anywho, being a fellow metal head AND vegan, I literally thought I’d found the coolest dude on Earth when I came across him many years ago. And I was even more stoked when he added me as a friend on Facebook and revealed his “true” identity. I REALLY felt cool that day. 🙂

I would LOVE to collaborate with him at some point in the future even if he lives all the way in Florida and I’m in Canada. Even if it’s just me head banging in the background of one of his YouTube cooking demos, I am sooooo down!

Whether you like metal or not, definitely check out his site and watch some of the videos. They’re hilariously entertaining and all jokes aside, he’s actually a really good cook! And come on, his chopping knife alone deserves to be on this list!

4) Strongest Hearts

Another video-based blog, I have to include my incredibly talented and compassionate homies Sasha Perry and Matt Ruscigno on this list. And it’s not just because they once made a documentary about me and the PlantBuilt team 🙂 If anything, it’s because I REALLY love their tagline “EAT PLANTS. GET STRONG. SAVE ANIMALS.” And they’re pretty cool too. 😉

This duo has actually been documenting stories about inspiring vegans for a while now and sharing them on their website as part of a vegan web series. I’ve yet to watch all of the videos but I definitely plan to over the next couple of months. It’s a really great site to check out for anyone looking for major veg-spiration or just wanting to discover some cool vegans who are dispelling myths and breaking stereotypes across the globe.

I especially recommend watching my pal Donovan Jenkin’s documentary who’s filmed doing a 100 mile run. Yes, I said ONE HUNDRED MILES. And yes, he’s one of those psychopath ultra-marathon runners. Why? I still don’t get it. But “A” for effort, nonetheless!

And lastly, 5) Vegans Are Sexy

I had to include this super inspiring page because when I can’t stare at food, I choose to stare at babes. And we all know how much hotter vegans are right? 😉 Seriously, when I hear someone is vegan, their hotness level goes up a good eight points on my babe-o-meter.

Sadly, “Vegans Are Sexy” only has an instagram and facebook page so I can’t link to a blog but since these guys are all about the visuals, IG and FB suffice for them quite nicely. Literally, each of these social media platforms gives you hours of hottie creeping. 🙂

I especially love that they don’t always just feature celebrity veegs or Instagram stars but rather everyday fit & cool peeps like you and me. And talk about great for networking! Check ’em out! You might even find a pic or two of the Shorkster on there. 🙂 And FYI, they encourage everyone to hashtag their pics with #sexyvegan for your chance to be featured. Truth be told, I don’t do this simply because I never want to come across as a conceited egomaniac… even if I am, in fact, one. 😉

And there you have it, folks! My top five fave vegan blogs as of February 2015.

And yes, I’m STILL thinking about those frigging salted caramel tahini cups! Ugh.

– Samantha Shorkey