About
Create with Chelsea was born out of a desire to help you live a healthier and happier life. The best decision I have ever made was to become vegetarian - it has transformed not only my cooking, but my whole outlook on life. With this blog, I'm going to help you do the same.
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A little more about me...
I’m Chelsea, a 23-year-old uni student, food blogger, and, most importantly, dog mum to Biggie Smalls. Yes, you read that right: I'm one of those people.
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My adorable miniature dachshund "Biggie Smalls"
Surely you can't blame me... I mean, look at that face!
I spend more time in the kitchen than pretty much anything else I do... and Biggie is always by my side, ready to catch any veggie scraps I might drop (capsicum is the quickest way to his heart). We can spend hours in the kitchen, preparing feasts, without even realising it.
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The kitchen really is my happy place. My love for cooking first emerged as a young child; I would stand on a stool beside my mum and 'help' her prepare meals for our family. Gazing up on the bench, I’d watch every single step, learning little tricks here and there. Fast forward several years, and at 15, I got my first job at a local Italian restaurant, Montes. Starting out as the dishwasher, I quickly progressed to kitchen hand and eventually became responsible for prioritising the entire kitchen workload (and all of this before I turned 18).
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I remember the first time a customer complimented my food - hearing how much they enjoyed my creation gave me some kind of rush - I’d never felt so good about myself before. From then on, I’ve been addicted to the feeling of pleasing people with my food creations.
Some of my co-workers and I after a busy night at Montes (note my chef shirt)
I haven't always been vegetarian (although it now feels that way). I only stopped eating meat in 2017 after watching a few confronting documentaries that focused on our excessive consumption of animal products and the damaging affects this has on our bodies and planet. The film has changed me to my core. I haven't touched meat since watching them, and am slowly working towards cutting out dairy too.
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Vegetarian food is actually more flavourful than its meat-counterparts – much to many people’s surprise. This is because those cooking with animal products rely almost solely on the meat to flavour dishes, while vegetarian and vegan cooks use many different spices, herbs, vegetables, legumes, grains and nuts in their meals – creating more complex and tastier dishes.
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“I hate vegetables… but the way you cook them is delicious” – Pedro, my 10-year-old nephew.
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There's truly nothing more satisfying than serving up a nourishing, plant-packed meal for my [virtually carnivorous] nephew and having him go back for seconds (or even thirds!) - the ultimate approval.
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Please don't hesitate to engage in the comments, and connect with me on Facebook and Instagram. I would love to hear from you.
Wouldn't it be nice if one day we can all go vegan together?