begin Vegetarian Vavoom Bravo TV star Kristen Doute puts her spicy attitude to work in the kitchen with fun rants, recommendations and vegetarian recipes on her “Vegiholic” blog. BY REBECCA HEATON
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risten Doute has multiple personalities: I enjoy creating sauces using garlic, oils like She’s a star on Bravo TV’s Vanderpump olive and grapeseed, and vinegar. Many Rules, a member of an all-women comedy people think veggies are boring, but with the sketch group and a committed vegetarian. right seasoning or sauce, they’re delicious. On her new food and lifestyle blog, Vegiholic.com, Doute showcases Tell us about your role on favorite recipes and stories Vanderpump Rules. O TUNE INT P about her day-to-day life as a In the first three seasons, I M U P VANDER vegetarian. We caught up was known as “crazy Kristen,” RULES with her to learn more. on Bravo, going through a bad breakup How long have you been a vegetarian and why?
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I grew up in Michigan and am the only vegetarian in my family. When I was 11, we visited my grandparents in Florida, where I fell in love with dolphins and other marine animals. But when I found out dolphins were in canned tuna, I couldn’t stand the thought of eating animals, so I went cold turkey (pun intended!). Luckily, my mom was very supportive and made vegetarian meals for me. Why did you start your Vegiholic blog?
BRIAN CARTER
I believe in a good diet, and I want to inspire people that what you put inside your body affects your outside, too. We live in an age of convenience, so it’s easy to get fast food. I want to spread the message with fun content and vegetarian recipes—with help from my co-blogger and chef, Jeanine Carter—that eating healthy doesn’t have to be a hassle or be expensive. I want to teach people that even if you’re not looking to go 100 percent vegetarian, you can incorporate more veggies in your diet and make healthy lifestyle changes. It’s a fun project; Jeanine is all about presenting and plating the dishes, and my boyfriend does the food styling and photography. Do you have any go-to ingredients?
Garlic is my big go-to. I like its flavor and proven medicinal properties. Jeanine and
and having issues with friends. But I think the crazy is gone as I’m in a great place with a new boyfriend and my best friends—I’m feisty now! Fans often ask me about how we party so much and how unhealthy that is. Yes, we like to drink and go out. But because I eat so well and stay healthy away from the show, I feel okay about putting “empty calories” in my body sometimes because I balance it with my overall
healthy lifestyle. We can all live well and still have some fun. If you read some of my blog posts, when I’m cooking, I may add a funny quip about a drink recommendation with the recipe, or that I’m sipping on a glass of wine that I’m also using in a recipe while cooking! You also do comedy?
Comedy has such a lift when you’re in a damper mood. I’m in a comedy sketch group with three friends that will air on a Vanderpump Rules episode this season. I haven’t mentioned anything about food in our routine yet…but I’m working on some material.
Visit livenaturallymagazine.com for Doute’s Goat Cheese Balls with Mango Sauce recipe. And get more of her recipes at vegiholic.com.
Kristen Doute, right, and her Vegiholic blog partner, Jeanine Carter, work together to create fun, healthy, easy-to-prepare vegetarian meals.