Hi friends! 💚

I have something exciting to share with you today — I started a brand-new YouTube channel!

It’s called The Divine Chef Tested™, and my very first product review is officially LIVE! 🎉

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m always using kitchen gadgets, appliances, ingredients, wellness products, and all kinds of things that make cooking and everyday life a little easier.

But I wanted a place where I could really test these products and tell you what I actually think.

No fluff. No pretending I love something when I don’t.

Real reviews. Honest opinions. Products worth your money.

For my very first review, I’m putting the Fullstar Vegetable Chopper to the test. I wanted to find out: Is this popular little kitchen gadget actually worth buying?

I test it with different vegetables, show you how it performs, talk about what I like (and what I don’t!), and give you my final verdict.

👉 WATCH MY FIRST THE DIVINE CHEF TESTED™ VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
PRODUCT REVIEW CHANNEL

And because this channel is brand new, I would LOVE your help getting it started. 💚

If you enjoy the video, please subscribe to The Divine Chef Tested™ give the video a thumbs up, and leave me a comment letting me know you came over from my Substack family!

Those first subscribers, views, comments, and likes can make such a difference in helping YouTube discover a new channel.

And don’t worry — The Divine Chef isn’t going anywhere! 😄 I’ll still be bringing you all of our delicious, affordable plant-based recipes. This is simply a new space where we can have some fun testing products together.

I already have more reviews and product tests coming, and I think you’re going to enjoy what Jimmy and I have planned!

Thank you for continuing to support me, my recipes, my videos, and now this new adventure. Every time you watch, subscribe, comment, share, or simply cheer us on, it means more than you know.

Now come see if this chopper passed The Divine Chef Tested™ test! 👀

👉 WATCH THE FIRST REVIEW + SUBSCRIBE HERE:
MY NEW REVIEW CHANNEL

With love and gratitude,
Rosemarie 💚
The Divine Chef™
The Divine Chef Tested™

When I look back over my life, I don’t remember every recipe I’ve ever made.

Read more

Have you ever noticed how restaurants can take simple ingredients and somehow make them taste incredible?

The secret usually isn’t expensive ingredients.

It’s the sauce.

A bowl of plain rice can be forgettable...until it’s drizzled with a creamy lemon tahini sauce.

Roasted potatoes become irresistible with a smoky chipotle crema.

A can of beans suddenly feels like something you’d order in a café when tossed with a bright herb dressing.

Over the years, I’ve learned that if your refrigerator always has one or two homemade sauces waiting for you, you’ll never run out of meal ideas.

That’s why I almost always make a sauce before I even decide what I’m cooking.

It might sound backwards, but once the sauce is made, dinner practically creates itself.

A sauce can transform rice into a grain bowl, pasta into a comforting dinner, roasted vegetables into something exciting, or tofu into a meal you’ll actually crave.

The best part?

Every sauce in this post is made with inexpensive pantry staples and takes just a few minutes to put together.

Let’s build a refrigerator full of flavor.

Read more

Hi friends,

I wanted to share something exciting that’s been in the works.

Over the years, one of the questions I get asked most is, “What blender do you use?” Or, “Which cookware is actually worth buying?” Or, “Do you recommend this gadget?”

After answering those questions hundreds of times, I realized it was time to create a place dedicated to honest product reviews.

So I’m excited to announce my brand-new YouTube channel...

🎉 The Divine Chef Tested™

On this channel, I’ll be putting kitchen gadgets, cookware, small appliances, protein powders, supplements, meal prep products, and other kitchen favorites to the test—always with honest, real-world reviews.

No hype.

No paid opinions.

Just my genuine experience after actually using the products in my own kitchen.

Whether a product costs $15 or $500, my goal is the same: help you spend your money wisely.

Since you’re part of this wonderful Substack community, I’d love for you to help shape the channel from the very beginning.

❤️ If you’d like to support it, I’d be so grateful if you would:

• Subscribe to the new channel

• Visit the Community tab

• Vote in the poll to tell me what you’d like me to review first

Your feedback will help decide the first videos I create!

Subscribe here 👉 The Divine Chef Tested

Thank you for supporting everything I create. Whether you’re cooking with me, reading here on Substack, or joining me on this new adventure, I’m incredibly grateful to have you along for the journey.

With love,

Rosemarie
The Divine Chef 🌿

The Secret That Has Saved Me Hundreds of Dollars (and Made Me a Better Cook)

Have you ever opened your refrigerator, looked at a handful of random ingredients, and thought...

“There’s nothing to eat.”

I think we’ve all been there.

A lonely cup of rice.

Half an onion.

A few spoonfuls of beans.

Some vegetables that are just a day or two away from becoming compost.

For years I used to think leftovers meant eating the exact same meal all over again. Honestly? That gets boring fast. But somewhere along my cooking journey I realized something that completely changed the way I looked at my kitchen.

Leftovers aren’t leftovers. They’re ingredients.

That simple shift in thinking has saved me hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars over the years.

Every time I cook dinner now, I’m secretly cooking tomorrow’s lunch...or tomorrow night’s completely different dinner.

That’s one of the biggest secrets behind budget cooking that still feels exciting.

Instead of asking:

“What am I making tonight?”

I ask:

“What can this become tomorrow?”

That question opens the door to endless possibilities.

Today I want to share some of my favorite ways to transform leftovers into meals that honestly taste even better than the original.

Let’s get creative.

Read more

Dear friends,

Today, I finally get to share some good news with you.

Jimmy and I found a place to call home.

It's not completely ours yet—we still need to cover the move-in costs before we can officially unlock the door—but for the first time in a long time, we can finally see the finish line.

Writing those words fills my heart with so much relief.

If you’ve been following our journey, you know these past several months after I home burned down haven’t been easy. There have been moments filled with uncertainty, difficult decisions, and more than a few tears. Through it all, I’ve tried to keep showing up—to keep sharing recipes, encouraging others, and reminding myself that better days were ahead.

Today, I truly believe they are.

Finding this home feels like the first deep breath we’ve taken in a long time.

But I also wanted to be completely transparent with you.

Earlier this year, many of you gave so generously when our lives were turned upside down. Your donations helped cover emergency airfare, temporary housing, and the unexpected expenses that came with getting back on our feet after everything that happened.

Those gifts weren’t just financial support.

They gave us stability during a time when we desperately needed it.

They reminded Jimmy and me that we weren’t facing everything alone.

We’ll never forget that kindness.

Now we’re standing at a new milestone.

We have the opportunity to move into a home where we can truly begin again.

Like any new beginning, though, there are still hurdles ahead. We need to cover the security deposit, first month’s rent, and the remaining move-in expenses before we can finally unlock the door and settle in.

And I have to tell you...

I’ve been imagining that first morning over and over.

Walking into our kitchen.

Setting the cutting board on the counter.

Turning on the lights.

Watching Jimmy set up the cameras while I pull out fresh ingredients.

Hearing him smile and say...

“We’re home.”

That moment keeps playing in my mind.

Not because it’s about having a bigger kitchen or a nicer place.

It’s because it represents something so much deeper.

A fresh start.

A chance to create again.

A place where I can continue sharing affordable, plant-based recipes with all of you.

A place where The Divine Chef can continue to grow.

When I started this journey years ago, I never imagined that recipes would become the bridge connecting me with thousands of people around the world.

Some of you have been cooking with me for years.

Some of you discovered me only recently.

No matter when you joined, you’ve become part of this incredible community, and I hope you know how much that means to me.

If my recipes have ever helped you make dinner a little easier...

If you’ve ever smiled during one of our videos...

If you’ve ever felt encouraged by something I’ve shared...

I’d like to ask for your help one more time.

If you’re able to contribute to our GoFundMe, no matter the amount, we’d be deeply grateful.

Every donation brings us one step closer to opening that front door.

And if giving isn’t possible right now, please don’t feel any pressure. Sharing our fundraiser, saying a prayer, or simply leaving a kind comment means just as much.

❤️ Click Here For Our Go Fund Me

Thank you for believing in us.

Thank you for standing beside us during one of the hardest seasons of our lives.

Thank you for allowing me to continue doing what I love every single week.

I cannot wait for the day I send you a recipe from our new kitchen.

When that day comes, I hope you’ll know that you helped make it possible.

With all my love and gratitude,

Rosemarie ❤️

The Divine Chef

P.S.

When we’re finally settled, I promise to share a special recipe from our new kitchen just for this Substack community. It feels only fitting that the people who’ve walked beside us through this journey will be the first to celebrate that new beginning with us. ❤️

One of my favorite parts of having this little community here on Substack is that I get to share things with you before anyone else.

Read more

There was a time when I thought keeping a well-stocked kitchen meant buying everything at once.

You know the kind of grocery trip I mean.

You walk into the store with good intentions, fill your cart with canned beans, rice, pasta, spices, sauces, frozen vegetables, baking supplies, and all the little ingredients you think a “proper kitchen” should have.

Then you get to the register, see the total, and immediately start wondering how a few cans of beans turned into a small car payment.

That is exactly why I stopped trying to build my pantry in one shopping trip.

Instead, I created a simple system that allows me to slowly build a useful, flexible plant-based pantry without blowing my grocery budget.

I call it my $20 weekly pantry system.

Read more

Hi friends! 💚

This is your final reminder—our Annual Summer Cookbook Sale ends in just a few hours! ⏰

If you’ve been thinking about picking up one (or more!) of my digital plant-based cookbooks, this is your last chance before the sale is over.

🌱 Every cookbook is just a $5 minimum
📖 Instant digital downloads
🥗 Hundreds of delicious, budget-friendly plant-based recipes you’ll make again and again.

Whether you’re just getting started with plant-based eating or looking for fresh new meal ideas, there’s something for everyone.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my dream, my YouTube channel, and The Divine Chef. Every purchase truly helps me continue creating free recipes and content for this amazing community. ❤️

Don’t wait—the sale ends tonight!

👉 Grab your cookbooks now before it’s too late! Cookbook Link

Thank you for being here.

With love,
Rosemarie
The Divine Chef 🌿

Before the weekend wraps up, I wanted to remind you that The Divine Chef Summer Book Sale is still going on!

If you’ve been wanting to add some new plant-based recipes to your collection, this is a great time to do it. From quick weeknight dinners and cozy comfort foods to meal prep, soups, desserts, and budget-friendly favorites, there’s something for every kitchen.

Thank you so much for supporting my work. Every cookbook purchase helps me continue creating free recipes and videos for this amazing community. 💚

📚 Browse the Summer Book Sale: Grab Your Copy Here

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday and happy cooking!

Looking for delicious, budget-friendly vegan meals you’ll actually make again and again?

The Divine Chef Summer Book Sale is the perfect time to stock your kitchen with recipes you’ll love—from quick weeknight dinners and comforting classics to meal prep favorites and sweet treats.

💚 Easy to follow
💚 Budget-friendly
💚 Family approved
💚 Packed with flavor

☀️ The Summer Book Sale won’t last forever, so grab your favorites while the savings are here!

Click the link below:

📚 Shop now

Hi friends,

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer!

To celebrate the season, I’m excited to share The Divine Chef Summer Book Sale! If you’ve been thinking about adding some new vegan cookbooks to your collection, now is the perfect time.

Inside you’ll find recipes for:
🥗 Easy everyday meals
🍲 Comfort food favorites
🥣 Soups, salads, and meal prep
🍝 Quick weeknight dinners
🍰 Delicious desserts
🌱 Budget-friendly plant-based recipes the whole family can enjoy

Whether you’re brand new to plant-based cooking or you’ve been with me for years, I hope these cookbooks help make cooking easier, more affordable, and a whole lot more delicious.

Thank you so much for being part of The Divine Chef community. Your support through YouTube, Substack, my website, and my cookbooks truly means the world to me and allows me to keep creating recipes for you every week.

The Summer Book Sale is available for a limited time, so don’t miss out!

👉 Shop the Summer Book Sale Here

Happy cooking!

With gratitude,

Rosemarie
The Divine Chef

Hello my friends,

There is just something special about summer cooking.

The meals are lighter, the produce is sweeter, and somehow even a simple bowl of fruit feels like a little celebration. During the summer months, you’ll rarely find me spending hours standing over a hot stove. Instead, I gravitate toward colorful salads, fresh fruit, cool drinks, sandwiches, wraps, and quick meals that let the ingredients shine.

One question I get asked quite often is, “Rosemarie, how are you always able to throw together such delicious meals without running to the grocery store every day?”

The answer is simple—I keep my kitchen stocked with ingredients that work together in dozens of different ways.

Today I’m taking you behind the scenes and sharing exactly what I keep in my summer kitchen. These are the ingredients that help me create recipes for YouTube, develop new cookbook ideas, and make everyday meals that are easy, affordable, and full of flavor.

So come on into my kitchen!

Grab yourself a tall glass of iced tea and let’s open the refrigerator together.

Read more

Every recipe you watch starts here... hours of editing, tweaking, and making sure it’s the best it can be before it reaches you.

And somehow, Blu always knows when it’s editing time. He’ll curl up beside me, watch the screen, and keep me company through every cut, every voiceover, and every late-nig…

Read more

This is one of those meals that started as a “what do we even have left in the kitchen?” type of dinner 😂

I really didn’t feel like spending money on takeout, and honestly sometimes when you’re trying to stay on track with health goals, ordering food can turn into spending way more money than planned. So I started looking through the fridge and pantry and realized I had tofu, rice, soy sauce, and a few basics sitting there.

I threw this together expecting it to just be a quick lazy dinner… and somehow it ended up tasting like one of those cozy little teriyaki bowls you’d order for way too much money 😭

The tofu gets crispy around the edges, the sauce becomes glossy and sticky, and once it soaks into the rice it’s just SO comforting. It’s sweet, savory, filling, and honestly tastes even better than some takeout spots because you can make it exactly how you like it.

Meals like this remind me why I love simple cooking so much. You really don’t need a giant grocery haul or expensive ingredients to make something satisfying.

And lately… this bowl has absolutely been on repeat in this house 💚

Read more

Today he put together this little setup to hold the phone while using a mini iPad for filming instructions and honestly… it’s giving low-budget film st…

Read more

Read more

Read more

One of my favorite things about plant-based cooking is how a few simple ingredients can transport you somewhere else entirely.

These Caribbean Jerk Jackfruit Tacos are packed with bold Jamaican-inspired flavors, sweet pineapple slaw, and a creamy lime jerk sauce that ties everything together. They’re budget-friendly, easy to make, and perfect for busy weeknights when you want something that tastes like a vacation without spending a fortune.

I wanted to share a little piece of my Jamaican roots with this recipe by bringing together the bold flavors and spices that remind me of the Caribbean.

This recipe is one of the many recipes available inside my Divine Budget Eats App where I share affordable plant-based meals, meal ideas, sauces, seasonings, and budget-friendly recipes designed for real life.

Let’s get cooking!

Caribbean Jerk Jackfruit Tacos

Ingredients

For the Jackfruit

• 2 cans jackfruit in water, drained and shredded

• 2 tablespoons oil

• 1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

• Juice of 1 lime (optional)

• 8 corn tortillas

Pineapple Slaw

• 2 cups shredded cabbage

• 1 cup diced pineapple

• Juice of 1 lime

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add shredded jackfruit and cook for 5–7 minutes.

3. Stir in jerk seasoning and lime juice, if using.

4. Continue cooking until the jackfruit is lightly browned and fragrant.

5. In a separate bowl, combine cabbage, pineapple, lime juice, and salt.

6. Warm tortillas.

7. Fill each tortilla with jerk jackfruit and top with pineapple slaw.

8. Finish with a drizzle of Creamy Lime Jerk Sauce.

Homemade Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

Store this seasoning blend in a jar and use it on jackfruit, tofu, vegetables, chickpeas, and more.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons ground allspice

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

2. Transfer to an airtight container.

3. Store for up to 6 months.

Creamy Lime Jerk Sauce

This sweet, creamy, slightly spicy sauce takes these tacos to the next level.

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegan mayo

• Juice of ½ lime

• 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon water, if needed

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Whisk all ingredients together.

2. Add water as needed to reach your desired consistency.

3. Drizzle over tacos just before serving.

A Little Kitchen Note

If you’re new to jackfruit, don’t worry. Once it’s seasoned and lightly browned, it creates a wonderful pulled texture that soaks up all those warm Caribbean spices beautifully. The sweet pineapple slaw balances the heat, while the creamy lime sauce adds the perfect finishing touch.

These tacos are proof that plant-based meals can be exciting, satisfying, and budget-friendly all at the same time.

💚 This recipe comes directly from my Divine Budget Eats App where you’ll find a growing collection of affordable plant-based recipes, meal ideas, sauces, seasonings, breakfasts, dinners, and comfort food favorites.

If you’d like access to the entire recipe collection, I’ll leave the app link below.

GET THE APP HERE

Happy cooking!

— Rosemarie
The Divine Chef