About Me

HELLO, FRIENDS!

I'm Melissa Huggins, the creator of Vegan Huggs. I started this blog to share delicious vegan recipes that everyone can enjoy, whether you're vegan or just looking to add more plant-based meals to your life.

I've been creating vegan recipes for nearly 20 years, and they're tried and true. My recipes have been featured in Vegan Food & Living, Redbook, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, LIVEKINDLY, VegNews, SELF, and more.

Vegan food doesn't have to be bland, boring, or complicated. My recipes are easy to make, full of flavor, and comforting.

You'll find everything from veganized comfort food classics and hearty soups to easy weeknight meals, burgers, wraps, sweet treats, and so much more. I also have plenty of gluten-free and oil-free options.

Whether you're new to vegan cooking or just looking for something delicious to make, I hope you'll find plenty of inspiration here. You can browse all of my recipes on the Recipe Index Page.

Why I switched to veganism

I went vegan in 2007. Along with giving birth to my son, going vegan was one of the best things I've ever done. I felt like my life had a greater sense of purpose, and I became more connected to the world around me.

It all started with a dog named Cayenne.

My former roommate found him running through the busy streets of LA and was able to catch him. He was a beautiful dog with a funny little overbite. At first, I thought he was mad and showing his teeth, but it turned out he was a complete sweetheart with a unique little grin. We weren't allowed to have dogs in our apartment, so unfortunately, we couldn't keep him for long.

This was the first time I'd ever been involved in this type of rescue (many more were to follow), and we didn't really know what to do. We took Cayenne to the local shelter to have him scanned for a microchip, not realizing it was an overcrowded, high-kill shelter.

When they scanned him, they told us the microchip was registered to their shelter and that they needed to hold him while they tried to locate his owners. We offered to keep Cayenne with us in the meantime, but they wouldn't allow it. Their policy was to send a letter to the family and give them 14 days to respond.

I was distraught and in tears, but there was nothing I could do. They took Cayenne away and put him in a scary pen surrounded by hundreds of barking dogs. He was terrified.

I went to the shelter every day to visit him. Each day, he seemed to disconnect a little more, and I was devastated. He also became very sick. After 10 days, I completely broke down in the lobby and begged the staff to let me take him home. I asked them to please call the owner's number instead of waiting for a response to the letter.

They finally called, and someone answered. Apparently, Cayenne's original owner had given him to a friend who no longer wanted him. The original owner came to the shelter to release him, and I was finally able to take Cayenne home.

It took almost three weeks to get him healthy again, both mentally and physically. Being at the shelter had changed him, and it changed me forever, too. I had seen so much pain and sadness there. My eyes had been opened, and there was no going back. I was a different person.

A few months later, Cayenne was adopted by a wonderful family who fell in love with him and all his cute little quirks. He went on to live a happy life with them in sunny California, just as he deserved.

After that experience, I started fostering pets, but I wanted to do more. I made an appointment with a local animal rescue to volunteer. During the meeting, the owner asked me if I ate meat. I told him I did, and he quickly said, "So, you're saving the cats and dogs, but killing the cows and chickens?"

Wow. That was a lightbulb moment for me!

He was right, and I had never thought about it that way. I never saw the faces of the animals I was eating, so I had never made the connection.

He suggested that I watch the documentary Earthlings, so I went home and watched it. So many tears poured out of my eyes, and I felt so much pain. I couldn't believe I had never realized what I was contributing to. That was it for me. I never consumed animal products again. I felt sad and betrayed by what I had learned, but at the same time, I felt awakened for the first time in my life.

I knew this was only the beginning. I started learning more about the many ways animals are used and mistreated, not only for food, but for clothing, beauty products, animal testing, entertainment, and so much more.

As painful as it was to learn how much animals suffer because of humans, I also felt like I was finally living with my eyes, ears, and heart truly open.

Helping animals became a part of my soul, and I knew this was what I was meant to do. It was quite different from the life I had originally planned, but for the first time, I felt settled.

This is Cayenne, the sweet soul who rescued me.

Blessings,

Melissa
Vegan Huggs
xoxo