About

Hello, I’m Cadry! Welcome to my kitchen.

I’m the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind this vegan food blog. I’m also the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd edition.

I started Cadry’s Kitchen in 2009, a couple of years after I went vegan.

At that time, I was learning so much about food, and exploring cooking in a whole new way than ever before. I was excited to share what I was discovering, as well as grow my own repertoire of recipes.

Like many folks, I had grown up eating a standard American diet. After spending the first 30 years of my life eating meat, dairy, and eggs, I had attachments to classic comfort foods like tacos, pizza, and dinners cooked on the grill.

While it was important to me to eat a plant-based diet, I didn’t want to give up the flavors, textures, and tastes that were so familiar.

What I discovered was that for any meal I had sentimental attachments to, there was a compassionate alternative.

Platter of vegan tacos on table by lettuce, vegan chicken, and tomatoes.

I didn’t have to say goodbye to tacos. I just filled them with beans instead of beef.

But not just that! I quickly learned that tacos are also great with:

The sky’s the limit!

I didn’t have to stop eating pizza. I just topped mine with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, vegan pepperoni, and non-dairy cheese.

Rosemary garnish on top of grilled lemon tofu.

The days of grilling out weren’t behind me.

There were still loads of things that are better with fire-licked flavors like:

Hands dipping jackfruit French dip sandwich into vegan au jus.

As I was growing my repertoire of recipes, I wanted to help others who were in a similar situation – people who wanted delicious, full-flavored vegan recipes that tasted like home.

So I started this vegan food blog. I began writing and photographing recipes, making instructional videos, and sharing tips on living a cruelty-free lifestyle including restaurant recommendations.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve created hundreds of recipes for Cadry’s Kitchen with particular focus on plant-based comfort foods like French dip sandwiches (shown above), jackfruit reubens, Thanksgiving-worthy pot pie, and crispy arancini.

Author of Living Vegan

Cadry holding "Living Vegan For Dummies" by bookshelves in Barnes and Noble.

While I was building my recipe blog, I dreamed of someday writing a book that could distill everything I’ve learned along the way.

It would be a beginner’s guide to living a vegan lifestyle – the kind of book I wished I’d had when I was first dipping my toes into a meat-free life.

Then, I was able to make that dream a reality when I was approached about writing a book for the popular For Dummies series. The well-known books are beloved for the way they break down challenging topics into simple and manageable steps.

I poured my heart into Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd edition. It’s now available in bookstores and online.

This comprehensive guide to going (and staying!) vegan highlights the many reasons people choose this lifestyle.

There are tips on navigating holidays and social gatherings, creating grocery lists and stocking your pantry, finding vegan meals in restaurants, and my personal passion, veganizing family favorites.

Living Vegan also includes 38 user-friendly recipes to get you started. Read more about it on my Living Vegan Book Page.

What you’ll find on Cadry’s Kitchen

Crushed tortilla chips, avocado, and peppers on top of chili.

Delicious food doesn’t have to take hours and hours in the kitchen. In fact, most of my recipes can be made in about a half an hour.

Check out my recipe index for mouthwatering dishes like:

Mediterranean falafel bowl
Oven-roasted potatoes with peppers & onions
Dairy-free grits
Three-bean chili (shown above)
Easy vegan turkey gravy

With step-by-step instructions and photos, as well as answers to the most common questions, you’re guaranteed to have success in the kitchen time after time.

Hand holding fried pickle chip over bowl of ranch dressing.

I am also fairly obsessed with my air fryer. It’s an appliance that I use daily. So vegan air fryer recipes are a regular part of my rotation.

Look for air fryer recipes like:

Cadry’s favorites

Obviously, I love every recipe on this blog, or it wouldn’t be here! However, here are a few of my ultimate favorites.

To see my reader favorites, check out the top 20 vegan recipes of 2023.

As seen in

Cadry Nelson on set of Everyday Iowa. — Cadry on the set of *Everyday Iowa*

I earned my bachelor’s degree in theatre and worked as a professional actor for over a decade in Los Angeles. I love bringing my performance background to in-person events, television interviews & demonstrations, and cooking videos.

About once a month, you can see me demonstrating easy vegan recipes on local interest TV shows.

Cadry Nelson behind counter with Catherine Blades and Justin Roberts on Everyday Iowa set.

Cadry Nelson on set of Everyday Iowa with polenta fries ingredients.

On Everyday Iowa, I’ve demonstrated ranch dressing, bruschetta, and polenta fries.

On Hello Iowa, I’ve demonstrated pickle salsa, couscous salad, BBQ jackfruit sandwiches, and lentil chili.

Additionally, I have been featured on:

Cadry at podium with hand raised in air.

I’ve spoken at veg fests, as well as doing public cooking demonstrations.

Collage with cashew nog and BBQ jackfruit sandwich for Well Balanced newsletter.

I’ve worked as a writer, recipe creator, and photographer for newsletters and collaborated with brands to develop recipes using their products.

I’ve also teamed up with tourism boards to promote vegan options in their cities. I delight in showing that tasty plant-based fare can be found anywhere – even in most unlikely of places.

Vegan travel

The only thing I love as much as vegan food is travel + vegan food.

I adore sharing highlights from my trips – which restaurants to visit, which farmers markets to shop, and what food specialties you don’t want to miss.

You can find all of my previous travel posts in my vegan travel category.

Fun facts about Cadry

Cadry standing on footbridge in Mason City, Iowa.

How did you get the name Cadry?

I got the name Cadry, because my cousin had trouble learning how to spell her name. As a kindergartener, she would scramble the letters when writing her name at the top of her papers. Her name is Darcy, but she would move the letters around to Cadry. (Same letters, different order.)

My mom was pregnant at the time, and she’d teasingly call her Cadry. The more she said it, the more it grew on her. And she decided to name me that!

What made you decide to go vegan?

I’ve always considered myself an animal lover. Growing up, one of my closest friends was our Doberman Pinscher. However, when it came to animals I ate, I tried not to think about them. Still, many times when I was cooking, I’d feel uneasy while preparing meat. I didn’t like reminders of the animal my food used to be.

Then when I was 30, I saw a 12-minute video online called Meet Your Meat that showed what happens to animals who are raised for food. While I was watching it, something clicked. I knew I could no longer be party to that kind of suffering.

So I went vegetarian and kept learning. I read The Food Revolution by John Robbins and The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I watched documentaries, and came to realize the suffering that was inherent in the egg and dairy industries as well. It became clear to me that the most consistent way of living my values of compassion was to go vegan.

So after a year and a half of being vegetarian, I stopped eating dairy and eggs, and went fully vegan. That was 2007, and I’ve never looked back!

What advice do you have for people who want to go vegan?

My #1 piece of advice for people who want to go vegan (or new vegans) is to look at the meals you already make regularly. Oftentimes, those meals can easily be made vegan with a few simple swaps. Rather than pulling out a cookbook every time you need to eat, it’s much easier to turn to your go-to standards.

Write down the meals you make most often. Many of us turn to the same dinners again and again. We make soups, stir-fries, sandwiches, tacos, pizza, rice bowls, etc. It often takes just a substitution or two to “veganize” that old familiar favorite.

Replace dairy cheese with avocado or nut-based cheese. Replace meat with beans, tofu, or seitan. Then keep the same seasonings and spices. It’s not hard to turn beef tacos into bean tacos or pepperoni pizza into one with peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

For more information, check out my book, Living Vegan For Dummies.

Outside of vegan cooking, what are your other favorite things?

Good question! Some of my favorite things include spending quality time with my husband & our cats, good mail days, hikes in pretty places, shopping trips to Trader Joe’s, cute summer dresses, and visiting stationery stores.

Let’s connect on social media

Follow me @cadryskitchen on:

You can also email me at cadry@cadryskitchen.com.

And if you have a vegan-friendly business, check out my Work With Me page for more information on ways we can collaborate.