About Plantastic Feasts
Mabuhay!
Why This Blog
For My Daughters
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.
For My Community
Heart disease, diabetes, and diet-related illness run disproportionately high in the Filipino community — and it's something I think about a lot. We grew up with food that is bold, layered, and deeply meaningful. The goal was never to abandon that. It's to show that those same dishes can be made plant-based without losing what makes them ours. You don't have to go fully vegan. Swapping in a plant-based version of the food you already love, even once or twice a week, is a meaningful step. The food will speak for itself.
For Animals
Most people, when they really think about it, 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 less like a sacrifice and more like a relief. I'm not here to lecture anyone about it. But it's a huge part 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. 🌱
