I'm Maria Rose, creator of Damn Tasty Vegan; No meat. No dairy. No eggs. NO PROBLEM!
I’m a pole dancing, foul-mouthed, downward-dog loving, imperfect human who believes in progress not perfection.
My journey to veganism was anything but straightforward. It took me many years making many mistakes and because of that, I have a lot of helpful tips to share.
I’ve now been a happy and satisfied vegetarian since 2005 and vegan since 2015.
Veganism isn’t about purity, perfection or weight loss, but is about reducing animal suffering as much as is practical and possible.
Many people start a plant based diet for health reasons, but become vegan and stay for the long term by connecting to the ethics.
On this blog and my YouTube channel, I hope to show that living a vegan lifestyle is DAMN TASTY and is easier than you may think.
My journey to veganism was not a straight line.
I flip flopped between being vegetarian and vegan for years!
I fell off the wagon so many times, I have permanent bruises on my metaphorical ass.
I finally got it to stick after spending more time educating myself, connecting with the ethics of veganism and finding a vegan online community so I didn’t feel like an outsider.
It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.
Mistakes are part of the learning process and sometimes I still fuck up.
I’ve made mistakes while being vegan. And you know what? I learned from them and did better the next time.
You will encounter grey areas as a vegan. I try to do the best I can in every situation and to focus on the victims (the animals) and that always keeps me motivated during the “tougher” times.
I try to be prepared and prevent these instances, but once in a blue moon, I make a decision that I later see could have been a better one.
You shouldn’t throw all of your vegan values out the window because you can’t be perfect in every single moment.
Fuck that.
Stick with it, let it teach you how to be better prepared next time and then move the hell on.
I grew up in a small, rural town in Michigan; a state where the opening day of deer hunting season is treated as a holiday.
I wasn’t raised vegan. I also had family traditions and meals that I was afraid to change.
My childhood home was surrounded by cornfields and farms.
Every summer, the farmer up the road would have a neighborhood pig roast.
I grew up eating delicious, Midwestern comfort foods.
I used to think vegans were weird and extreme. I never thought I would ever be vegan.
I have also uttered the sentence “I could never give up cheese or burgers! I love them too much!”
I learned that I didn’t have to “give up” eating burgers or cheese.
I still eat delicious, melty cheese and greasy burgers; they’re just plant-based versions now and just as delicious.
When I first went vegetarian and then vegan, I was afraid I would have to lose all of the comfort foods I grew up with.
But now I know there is a vegan way to eat all the meals that you love.
DTV is here to show you how.
How DTV was born
I’ve always loved animals and I’ve always loved food.
I spent years experimenting in the kitchen and devouring every book out there about veganism.
I was bursting with knowledge and wanted to find a way to share this information in a way that would help people.
I finally got the push I needed to start DTV when I lost my job, OVERNIGHT, as a private music teacher.
I decided I would never again be at the mercy of one person telling me, from one day to the next, whether or not I could make an income.
I decided to never work for someone else again, so I researched ways to work for myself, making money online.
I then enrolled in Elite Blog Academy and turned my years of knowledge and passion for vegan food and animal welfare into a blog and YouTube channel.
DTV is not about perfection, or weight loss, but about progress.
I hope to motivate and inspire you to live a vegan lifestyle for the rest of your life, however you need to progress to get there.
Even if you progress slowly (it took me years). You are still helping the planet and animals every time head in the direction of veganism.
When you visit Damn Tasty Vegan, you are a part of this friendly community of vegans who love food as much as we love animals.
Honestly, sometimes it sucks being vegan in a world where animal cruelty is a way of life. It can be really sad and challenging at times.
We are social creatures and we need to have a place where we can connect with others who experience these same thoughts and emotions.
This site should be your helpful and empowering respite from the world.
Being vegan makes a big difference
I hope to show you the huge difference you make when you live a vegan lifestyle.
Veganism is the best thing we can do at the moment for the animals, the planet and our health (if we eat a mostly whole foods, plant-based diet).
I truly believe this and I want to help as many people as I can find their way to this lifestyle.
I hope this blog gets you excited about vegan cooking, inspires you to think about your food choices and who they affect, and satisfies your tastebuds with some damn tasty food.
Let’s inspire each other to enjoy our food and live with compassion for every living being.