Vegetarian Vavoom

Kristen Doute, right, and her Vegiholic blog part-ner, Jeanine Carter, work together to create fun, healthy, easy-to-prepare vegetarian meals. Photo by Brian Carter

Kristen Doute has multiple personalities: She’s a star on Bravo TV’s Vanderpump Rules, a member of an all-women comedy sketch group and a committed vegetarian. On her new food and lifestyle blog, Vegiholic.com, Doute showcases favorite recipes and stories about her day-to-day life as a vegetarian. We caught up with her to learn more.

How long have you been a vegetarian and why?

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?

I believe in a good diet, and I want to in-spire 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 I enjoy creating sauces using garlic, oils like olive and grapeseed, and vinegar. Many people think veggies are boring, but with the right seasoning or sauce, they’re delicious.

Tell us about your role on Vanderpump Rules.

In the first three seasons, I was known as “crazy Kristen,” going through a bad breakup 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.

Click here for Doute’s Goat Cheese Balls with Mango Sauce recipe. And get more of her recipes at vegiholic.com.

Tune in to Vanderpump Rules on Bravo, Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.