About Us
Basil Food Journal is a vegan recipe blog celebrating the beauty, flavor, and healthfulness of locally-sourced, plant-based eating.
Hello and welcome to BasilFoodJournal.com. My name is Denise and I created BFJ as an expression of my love of fresh, in-season, whole foods. Through BFJ, I share the beauty and flavor of plant-based eating with the recipes I make in my own kitchen. You’ll find recipes I’ve created for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the ones I experimented with from the many cookbooks I read!
I source much of my raw ingredients from my own garden or, in the off months, I frequent local winter farmers markets. I grow leafy greens and herbs inside under lights during the cold winter months here in Rhode Island. You’ll soon see I eat A LOT of leafy greens, which means salads and vegetables.
I’m a self-taught plant-based cook, although I’ve taken Matthew Kenney’s Fundamentals online course, the Forks Over Knives online course, and I’ve taken an online Master Gardening Course.
Mostly, I bring the desire to experience food in a different and more healthy way both for my family and loved ones AND for the environment.
The photography you see on BFJ is my own. I love food styling, food staging, and food photography. I use a Canon80 DSLR and also an iPhone 12 Pro Max. I prefer natural light, however, in the winter months I use additional lighting.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the reference to basil?
I’ve always loved fresh basil. Put some fresh basil leaves on a piece of cardboard, drizzle on a little olive oil & sea salt, and I’d be tempted to eat it! I started growing basil inside years ago and that blossomed into growing a variety of herbs year ’round – either in my garden or inside in the winter. And, that grew into BFJ.
What is your favorite food?
I love a great salad. I feel better when I eat leafy greens and garden fresh, locally sourced vegetables. I eat very little bread, starches, or sugar.
Do I have to be vegan or plant-based to eat your recipes?
Definitely not! Many of my family and friends are still meat eaters and they try out many of my recipes as acting recipe-tasters! They usually give a thumbs up, but if not I go back to the drawing board.
Where do you source your ingredients?
In the Spring, Summer, and Fall months I source many of my ingredients from my garden. But, I also hit a couple of my favorite farm stands for variety – I love a good, old-fashioned farm stand (and we have many here in Rhode Island!) In the winter months, I grow leafy greens and herbs inside, however, I also frequent the winter Farmers’ Market. I also order food from Whole Foods or Aldis.
