Hello friends. Welcome.

About Me
I’m Heather Crosby, a former veggie-phobe turned veggie-lover currently living in a historic small town in West Virginia.

Like many folks who find their way to good food cooking, I decided to become accountable for my health because I had to, and I continue to work on it every day. This site is a place where I share recipes, experiences, and resources for anyone who wants to feel good and not compromise the “flavor” in their life to do so.

I have a plant-based certification from the T. Colin Campbell foundation, but I’m a big believer that everyone comes to the table with habits, beliefs, tradition, and dietary needs that differ from the person sitting next to you. I also believe that these layers change and evolve over a lifetime. Once I discovered how versatile and exciting plant-based foods could be, my mission was to share these possibilities with others. I’m not here to judge or be the food police—eat what you want. I’m here to share ideas, connect, learn, grow, and support others in their good food cooking adventures.

Among many things, I’m a recipe developer, cookbook author, and founder of the Gluten-Free Baking Academy, which is an online baking school dedicated to helping people and their loved ones enjoy toast, bagels, sourdough, cookies, and more without junky ingredients (that make their way into gluten-free options all too often).

I wrote a book that released in 2014 called YumUniverse. It’s a read that covers the WHY, HOW, and EATS for folks who want plant-inspired, gluten-free inspiration.

I wrote a second book that released in 2017 called YumUniverse: Pantry to Plate. It’s a comprehensive guide with 30 recipe-free templates and 100 recipes that make good food cooking easy and exciting day to day.

 

About YumUniverse  
Since 2010, YumUniverse has been dedicated to meeting you where you are—helping people of all dietary inclinations to simply enjoy eating more plants, without judgement. I’ve always wanted this site to feel like an old friend you can rely on.

It’s reader supported, so no ads, but it does use affiliate links to direct readers to recommended ingredients, books, and more.

 

Why did I create this site?
When I was told “you’ll be on medication for the rest of your life,” I decided then and there to make some changes. I wanted to get to the root of what was causing illness for me and I had a strong hunch it had to be my diet. But how was I, a gal who only ate processed beige foods going to start eating vegetables? What would, or could, I eat?

I took it one step at a time. One new recipe a week, and that eventually led to two, then three… New ingredient by new ingredient and new habit by new habit, my tastebuds adjusted and I realized that there was an entire world of options available to me. Infinite combos, and possibilities of delicious foods. Comforting Mac & Cheese, cookies, even new things like fermented foods…

YumUniverse became a library of ideas and recipes that I could personally reference and share with others.

 

Stay Connected:

I spend most of my online time on Instagram sharing step-by-step cooking vids in stories, recipes, tips, and some other stuff like kitchen rehabs and my obsession with my garden, flowers, and growing things. Come say “hi”!

You can also get a free meal plan and monthly recipe videos if you’d like to sign up for the newsletter here.

Thanks for stopping by!