Fridge Voyeur is a virtual visit into the chill zone of the Spoon Crew — our team, our friends, and some of your favorite wellness gurus. We may eat a lot of plants, but you better believe there’s a whole lot of variety, and a bit of naughty, going on behind closed doors. We know you want a peek ;).

This week, we’re peeking into the fridge of food photographer, health writer, and wellness blogger, Remy Park.

Splendid Spoon: Hey Remy! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Remy Park: Hi! My name is Remy :) I specialize in vegan and gluten free recipe development with a focus on whole food, plant based ingredients. Outside of cooking (and taking pictures of my cooking), I am a yoga and meditation teacher, mindfulness coach and currently a holistic nutrition student. I was born in NYC and grew up traveling with my family, moving overseas and moving often, which is what inspires my current love of travel to this day! You can usually find me at the Farmer’s Market in the city or hanging out at a cat cafe.

SS: What are the 5 kitchen staples you can’t live without?
RP: Oats, beans or legumes, matcha, nutritional yeast and tahini. Bonus staple: reusable jars/containers/silicone bags!

Oats are so versatile and can be eaten as oatmeal (of course) or used ground up into oat flour, which I use a lot for gluten-free baking. 
Beans/legumes are a plant protein staple and one of the cheapest and most nutritious ways to get your protein in.

Matcha is my go-to because I don’t enjoy the flavor of coffee — I actually don’t rely on caffeine but I just love the flavor and it reminds me of my childhood growing up in a part Japanese family!

Nutritional yeast is a seasoning I reach for a lot when cooking vegan savoury meals. It adds a cheesiness and is actually a great source of B12 and protein. 
Tahini is great in both sweet and savoury dishes. Some of my favourite recipes include tahini, like my Kale Caesar Salad, and my sweet Maple Tahini Cookies!

Reusable storage is a non-food related one, but an absolute essential in my kitchen. I do my best to live a low impact life, and create as little waste as possible. That means I shop using reusable produce bags, mason jars, and store in reusable silicone storage bags too!

SS: What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge?
RP: I have a jar of chilled butterfly pea tea that has been in the fridge for ages… It was originally for a photo/recipe concept, but it’s still a pretty significant amount and it has been sitting there for a while.

SS: What meal helps you stay grounded during the holiday season?
RP: During the holidays, there’s a lot more dessert involved (although admittedly I’m always making/eating dessert for the blog) so I try to mindfully consume more savory foods and very grounding foods like root vegetables, squash, nuts and seeds. All of these items are also naturally in season around this time of year and are perfect cozy foods to eat during the colder months. Soups are also a definite winter staple, especially with warming spices.

SS: What’s your fave sweet and what’s your fave savory?
RP: My favorite sweet treat is a cookie of any kind. Chocolate chip is my personal favorite, but I love most cookies actually. My favorite savory dish has to involve tempeh. It’s my personal favorite plant protein, great in sandwiches, salads, etc. I also love mushrooms!

SS: If you were one thing in your fridge, what would it be?
RP: I think I would be a bar of dark chocolate. You are what you eat right? :P 
I have a gigantic sweet tooth, so a piece of dark chocolate is always my go to.

SS: What food do you turn to when you want something comforting or nostalgic? Although we eat to keep our bodies strong and healthy, food also connects us to our past, to friends, and to different times in our lives.
RP: One of my favorite things to do is to recreate comfort foods. A lot of foods I used to eat when I was young, or in the past, I can no longer eat because they contain gluten or ingredients that aren’t vegan. In the beginning, I had kind of accepted that there were certain foods I could never eat again, but now I have fun finding creative ways to recreate similar dishes. Some of my favorite memories this year were actually spending time with my family recreating classic dishes in a way that made them edible for me :)

If ever I want something that would be considered “junk food” or “unhealthy”, I’ll always be enjoying a vegan version, and I find that making it at home is always a great way to keep it a little healthier. When you DIY it, you have full control of all the ingredients going into the dish and you also know exactly what’s in it!

Make sure to check out Remy’s blog, Veggiekins, and follow her food and recipe adventures on her Instagram, @veggiekins!