Got a bag of spinach wilting in your crisper drawer? A couple heads of broccoli on their last leg? Or maybe a home vegetable garden with way too many zucchini? Maybe you’re intrigued by a unique veggie at the farmers market, received a CSA share and don’t know what to cook, or were told to eat more vegetables by your doctor. If any of these scenarios feel familiar, you’re in the right place!
About Lizzie
Hi there! I’m Lizzie Streit, the founder of It’s a Veg World After All®. My website is a celebration of vegetables and a place for anyone who wants to eat more of them. Created in 2013 as a way to cook my way through the farm share box my mom and I received every week, It’s a Veg World After All® features hundreds of recipes that embrace seasonal produce.
It all started with a head of romanesco in my CSA share. When I figured out how to make this unique vegetable taste good, I couldn’t wait to tell my family and friends about this newfound “veg world” I was exploring. One day, I found myself putting the name into song format and singing “it’s a veg world after all” to myself. I thought it was catchy, so I bought the domain that night and wrote a post about romanesco. The rest is history!
Creating recipes inspired me to pursue a graduate degree in nutrition and become a dietitian so that I could make my hobby blog a legitimate business, backed by credentials. I loved learning about how food affects health, and my years in school made me even more passionate about helping others “eat their veggies.” It’s a seemingly simple suggestion with a huge impact. Helping others embrace, enjoy, prepare, or simply try vegetables is a key aspect of maintaining and improving health. But you don’t have to be a world class chef or dietitian to reap the benefits of vegetables. Just eating one more veggie a week or learning how to chop a pepper are simple actions that can lead to big changes over time.
Now, I have over 9 years of experience as a registered dietitian and have spent 13 years working as a recipe developer, home chef, and nutrition educator. I draw on this experience to deliver recipes with purpose. My extensive culinary and nutrition knowledge shapes my approach to creating food that’s informed by nutrition science and tastes good. I design every dish to be wholesome and veggie-forward without sacrificing flavor or requiring hours in the kitchen.
How I develop recipes
Veg World® recipes are:
- Tried and true. They’re tested several times before publication in my real home kitchen. I anticipate and address possible substitutions, variations in cooking methods, and other issues during my testing process, so that you have everything you need to know to recreate a successful dish!
- Dietitian-curated and nutritious. While the recipes do not adhere to any specific diet, they are created to include whole food ingredients that provide essential nutrients, fiber, and beneficial plant compounds. I love making salads and veggie sides, but I also enjoy creating lightened up versions of desserts and comfort food. That’s why I even have recipes for brownies with sweet potatoes and mac and cheese with butternut squash. If you can add a veggie to something, I’ve probably done it! Nutrition information for each recipe varies and can be seen at the bottom of the recipe card.
- Human-created. I test every recipe and have personally taken the photos and videos for the majority of recipes on the site. Some photos have been captured by other human photographers. I do not use artificial intelligence (AI) to create recipes or images.
Education and credentials
Education and Accolades (see also my LinkedIn):
B.A. Environmental Studies and Sociology, College of the Holy Cross, 2013
M.S. Human Nutrition, Drexel University, 2016
Dietetic Internship, Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, 2017
Selected attendee, Blog Brûlée Conference, 2019
Professional Affiliations:
Registered, Commission on Dietetic Registration
Licensed, Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practices
Member, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Member, Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Member, Food and Culinary Dietitians Practice Group
Where you’ve seen my work
- In my cookbook, Vegetable Cookbook for Vegetarians: 200 Recipes from Artichoke to Zucchini
- In my guidebook, The Complete Guide to Anti-Inflammatory Foods, originally sold exclusively at Five Below
- In my guidebook, The Complete Guide to Natural Vitamins, later known as Empowered Wellness and originally sold exclusively at Five Below
- As the main writer for Healthy For Life Meals blog
- As a former contributing writer for Healthline.com
- As a contributing writer for Today’s Dietitian
- On my author page on Amazon.com
- Quoted as a nutrition expert in a variety of publications, including Eating Well, Food Network, and Tasting Table
- Hosting cooking demos and handing out samples at the Neighborhood Roots Farmers Markets in Minneapolis! Come say hi sometime if you’re in the area.
- On my Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or YouTube (follow along!)
- For more of my work, see the portfolio page!
Work with me
I love to contribute to articles, write about nutrition, and host cooking demos and classes. If you’re interested in hiring me to write articles for your website, act as a consultant on your project, provide nutrition talks to your organization, or host a cooking class/demo, I’d love to talk! Email me at lizzie@itsavegworldafterall.com.
Get started
If you’re new to the Veg World®, take a second to browse my vegetable recipe library, check out my blog posts, or order a copy of my cookbook. I’d love to hear your thoughts and answer your questions! And don’t forget to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get the latest Veg World® posts to your inbox.
Happy vegetable eating!
Lizzie