About Plantastic Feasts
Mabuhay!
Why This Blog
Culture
When I decided to be vegan, I thought I would never eat a satisfying bowl of ramen or another adobo again. That can't be farther from the truth. When I decided to eliminate meat, egg, and dairy, my cooking evolved and my culinary world widened. I discovered ingredients and spices that I've never heard of before and became more playful and fearless in the kitchen. This led me to recreate vegan versions of almost all the foods I missed and thought I'd never eat again. I've recreated adobo, sinigang, sisig, kare-kare, and even the infamous dinuguan (aka pork blood stew). I realized I can preserve recipes from my culture and eat foods from my childhood because it's mostly the techniques and spices that give it life, not the meat. I want my daughters Maisie and Inara to grow up with the same rich food memories I have — Filipino classics, Thai-inspired dishes, Japanese comfort food — just without the meat. Real, delicious food from the very beginning.
Animals
Most people don't want animals to suffer. That common ground is where I start. The reality of how most farmed animals live is something I can't unsee — and it's one of the reasons going vegan felt easy. It's the main reason of why I cook the way I do. Through delicious food, I wish to encourage more people to eat plants and in the process, fewer animals will be on our plates.
My Story
Where I Come From
I grew up in the Philippines, where food is love and the kitchen is the heart of the home. By the time I was 11, I was already making adobo, nilaga, and sinigang on my own — recipes passed down by mouth from my parents, lolas, and lolos. Those dishes are the foundation of everything I cook today.
In 2005, my family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and my culinary world exploded. SF introduced me to authentic pho, ramen, Indian curries — and the kind of food diversity that rewired how I think about flavors, food, and cooking. It's also where I met my husband Casey. After getting married in 2018, we traveled through Thailand and Japan (my gosh the food was so good there!), and eventually planted roots in Portland — a pretty great place to be vegan, as it turns out.
My Vegan Journey
The shift happened in 2020, after a string of documentaries that I won't pretend didn't shake me. But honestly? Our Pittie Alice had been nudging me there for years. She always reminded me of a cow — and every time I'd put beef in the grocery cart, I'd quietly whisper 'sorry' to no one in particular. The meat was already there, the deed was done — why not buy it? I was completely ignoring the laws of supply and demand. Past Erika, we need to talk.
Going vegan lifted that weight. I've grown and breastfed two babies on a fully plant-based diet and we are all thriving. We lost our sweet Alice in 2023, but her legacy lives on in every meal we make — and in Tilly, our new Pittie, who has fully claimed the house as her own. 🐾
How This Works
Plantastic Feasts is built entirely by me, from my home kitchen — every recipe cooked, tested, photographed, and written around a part-time engineering career and two small children. I upload when something is truly ready and worth your time. Quality over quantity, always.
You'll occasionally see my daughters in the kitchen with me — Maisie especially, who at four just wants to be part of whatever's happening. She shows up because cooking together is genuinely fun, not because I need her on camera.
Kain tayo. 🌱
