Welcome to The Simple Green

Established in 2015, The Simple Green is an award nominated food blog sharing delicious and approachable plant-based and vegetarian recipes. All recipes here are inspired by fresh, seasonal ingredients and a passion for cooking and baking at home.

Easy mains, desserts, cozy fare, breads, smoothies and more—there is something for everyone here whether you eat vegetarian, plant-based or otherwise. The Simple Green has been featured in numerous online and print publications and has been shortlisted for a Taste Canada Award. Visit the press page to see more.

Start with vegetarian main dishes, seasonally inspired cakes and cupcakes, or be inspired to get outside with my tips on organic gardening.

round green coloured award seal for "taste canada awards shortlist"

Get to Know Heidi Richter

Hi there, I'm Heidi, the creator of The Simple Green and I am so glad you are here. As a professional recipe developer, food writer and photographer, I am almost always in the kitchen. Longstanding passions for cooking, baking, photography and gardening inspire all of my work here.

When I'm not perfecting recipes for The Simple Green, you can find me developing recipes & writing for local food magazines, photographing for clients, tending to my home garden and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my family. Visit my portfolio here to see more of my work.

portrait of Heidi Richter with a plum cake on a cake stand.

More About The Simple Green

With over 16 years experience in plant-based cooking and baking—long before decent veg-friendly options were available—I've learned a thing or two about how to make plant-based and vegetarian food taste good. I endeavour to make my food delicious, satisfying and approachable with recipes you'll come back to again and again.

You'll find dozens of vegetarian recipes here, each with my personal tips and notes included. Each recipe has been developed by myself and extensively tested in my home kitchen on Vancouver Island with Canadian ingredients at normal elevation. I never use generative AI images, text or recipes in my work here.

Apart from recipes, you can also find information and guides on organic gardening. I'm an experienced gardener, currently undertaking my Master Gardener certification. Much of the fresh produce for my family proudly comes from my home garden.

I acknowledge and send gratitude to the Snuneymuxw First Nations for the land on which I live and work—Hay ch q̓a.

As Seen In

Features and Work

The Simple Green has been featured in publications and websites including the CBC, Reader's Digest, Food52, Brit & Co, IMPACT, Edible, Alive, and several other online and print publications. Heidi's work has also caught the attention of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia via social media.

Heidi has worked with brands such as Nikon, Vitamix, American Express, and has been writing for Edible Vancouver Island magazine since 2019.

See my Press Page

Popular Recipes

Woman in a thick sweater holding a bowl of vegetable soup.

Winter Vegetable Soup

a head on image of a baker holding a chocolate cake on a wood cutting board.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

a head on image of a baker holding a loaf of focaccia bread.

Onion & Herb Focaccia

A person in a blue apron holding a jar of pickled green beans.

Quick Pickled Green Beans

Frequently Asked Questions

Chanterelle mushrooms in a basket in the woods.

I shoot with a Canon 5D mark ii body with either a 50mm 1.4 lens,  100mm 2.8 macro lens or an 85mm 1.4 lens. I also shoot with a Nikon Z5.

Yes! Contact me with the details of your project or to discuss ideas. I work with both large and small business alike for product or food photography, recipe development or video content. Some brands I have worked with include Nikon, Vitamix, Lacanche Canada, All-Clad, and others. Visit my portfolio to see more of my work.

Yes! Please contact me to see if working together would be a good fit. Please note that I will not accept free product in exchange for a blog post(s), website links, social media content or any other form of advertising.

For recipe roundups, sharing a recipe image, a short summary and a link back to my original post is okay, but please contact me first. If you simply want to link to one of my posts, feel free to do so.

All content on The Simple Green is protected under copyright. Syndication or republication of any work on this site (recipes, images, or posts etc.)  without permission is a copyright infringement. If you are interested in licensing one of my images, please contact me to discuss pricing and usage rights.

I started eating plant-based 16 years ago before there were any good options available for vegan food! As you can imagine, I've learned a thing or two about making plant-based food taste good.

I have since grown to enjoy some vegetarian recipes and, with my work as a food writer and recipe developer, I am continually working with a variety of ingredients that aren't strictly vegan. My family does not eat exclusively plant-based, however the vast majority of our family meals are vegan or vegetarian.

The basics were taught to me by my parents. Over the last 35 years, I have spent countless hours baking, cooking and perfecting recipes for myself and my family. I spend a fair amount of time in self directed study and consult professional resources whenever necessary.

Thank you for your interest and I'm glad you asked! You can head to the main page here and scroll down to the sign up box. By signing up for my email list, you'll be the first to hear about new recipes, updates and news from The Simple Green. If you need assistance, feel free to contact me at heidi@thesimplegreen.com and I can manually add you to the list

  • a baker in a grey sweater holding a tray with 3 chocolate beet muffins.
  • overhead view of an apple tarte tatin with a linen, apples and leaves and whipped cream on a marble surface.
  • Woman sitting at a table smiling down at a Frenchie dog on her lap.

Love my recipes or have a question?

Drop me a comment on a post or send me an email. Also, if you make one of my recipes, don't forget to tag me on social media; I love seeing what you come up with.

Featured In

  • Nikon logo text.
  • CBC logo text.
  • Edible communities logo text.
  • Vitamix logo.
  • Reader's digest logo text.
  • Parade logo text.
  • Brit and co logo text.
  • Food52 logo text.
  • Buzzfeed logo text.