My Name is Regina
...but feel free to shout out "Reg" or "Regi" - I'll pretty much spin around to anything that sounds remotely like "veg" or "veggie." I'm the head nut, chief twig, and creator behind Nuts & Twigs.
I cook the food I grew up on in a Cuban house in Miami - moros y cristianos, a proper picadillo, mojo criollo strong enough to wake up a plate - all without the meat and dairy. Add in the Spanish and Latin American dishes I've had living in Miami for 50 years, and that's the heart of this site.
I live with my husband, Rob, three kiddos, a dog named Honey who thinks she's entitled to taste tests, and my mother-in-law… folks, I've got plenty of food critics in the house.
This isn't a perfectly curated blog. This is a real-life, 'drive-by' eating, often-chaotic kitchen where I turn plants into hopefully, "wait, this is really great?!" or at the very least "yum, surprisingly edible, mom" moments. Trust me, that last one is a giant compliment.
My aim is to create effortless, elevated everyday food that just happens to be vegan - not because it's making a statement, but because it doesn't need to.
After nearly 30 years of plant-based living, wrangling three kids, and converting my meat-loving husband to Team Veggies, I've built up a stockpile of experience, passion, and more tofu tricks than I care to admit.
Now, with one hand on a cutting board and the other on a camera (and probably a kid talking to me in the background while I film), I'm sharing what I've learned.
How It All Started
I didn't grow up vegan - not even close. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida by Cuban parents, where dinner was picadillo and black beans and something fried, and where "I'm skipping the meat" would have been received as a medical emergency.
But then, on my honeymoon, about 30 years ago, I had a moment that changed everything.
Somewhere on a road in California, we pulled over, and I found myself face-to-face with a cow - cue the soft-focus lens and dramatic music. She looked at me - long lashes, gentle eyes, total Disney vibes - and in that moment, something clicked.
I turned to my new husband and said, "Yeah… I'm not eating animals anymore" - cue the record scratch. Instant vegetarian. Not exactly the honeymoon souvenir Rob was expecting, but here we are. As Ferris Bueller said, 'Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.' Luckily, I stopped, and she had lashes for days.
So I got to work. I figured out how to veganize a picadillo that tastes like a picadillo. I chased the right texture for ropa vieja, learned what actually makes things taste the way they do, and rebuilt the dishes I'd eaten my whole life until they came back right. Thirty years later, I'm still at it - and I've expanded well past Cuba into Spanish and Latin American cooking, because there is a lot of very good food out there and I am not a person with self-control about it.
That's what this site is.
Why Nuts & Twigs?
The name "Nuts & Twigs" was inspired by a playful remark someone made to me years ago: "What else do you eat besides nuts and twigs?"
My reply was, "I eat everything you eat - burritos, burgers, fries, curries, cookies, BBQ, you name it - just the plant version."
So naturally, I built an entire brand around that zinger. Nuts & Twigs is my cheeky clapback to the "rabbit food" stereotype - because tostones and cookies don't count as rabbit food.
After years of cooking, testing, and surviving family taste tests, I can confidently say: yes, you can make crowd-pleasing meals from plants. I'm hoping even your picky cousins Jose and Todd will ask for seconds.
What You'll Find Here
Miami is the heart of it, so Cuban and Spanish dishes, plus Latin American recipes, are where the site is centered, and that's where most new recipes land.
You'll also find the rest of how we eat: cozy pastas, crispy tacos, hearty soups, sheet-pan dinners, weekend breakfasts, and cookies. Thirty years of plant-based cooking for a family this size produces a lot of recipes, and they're here - tested, family-approved, and worth making.
Some recipes are traditional. Others are simply me having fun with the flavors I love. Either way, it's real food from a real kitchen.
You'll find mostly healthy, mostly budget-friendly, always-tasty recipes that are simple to make and pretty hard to mess up (I mess up so you don't have to). Every recipe is tested so that timing and flavor make sense in a real kitchen. Everything here is:
- Vegan
- Easy to prepare
- Made with ingredients you can find
- Full of flavor (and sometimes a little indulgence)
Great Food First. Everything Else Second.
I like to think of my recipes as delicious first, labels second. You're already halfway through your plate before thinking about how it's vegan.
If it doesn't pass the 'family test' - meaning my kids, Rob, and/or dinner guests ask for seconds - it doesn't make it on the blog. Every recipe has to earn its place by being genuinely delicious.
In short, the vegan part is incidental to the experience, not the headline.
About My Recipes
All recipes and articles you see on nuts & twigs are cooked, tested, tasted, and written by me.
Every recipe on this site has also been taste-tested by my family and friends - yes, even the kid who swears she "doesn't like food touching."
I tweak each dish until it hits somewhere between "OMG this is really good" and "Wow, I need seconds." Occasionally, I test it so many times that I can't look at it for six months. Occupational hazard.
I take approximately one million photos per recipe and only post the drooliest. Most posts also come with step-by-step pics and a one-minute video, perfect for those of us who like to see things before we make them.
I've also attended plenty of late-night nutrition study sessions and picked up several certifications along the way.
I stick to easy-to-find ingredients, and if something's less common, I'll drop a link so you know exactly where to get it. Oh, and I will never link to anything I haven't used or liked.
All recipes and content are created by me, Reg… except for that one pizza dough recipe by Rob - his legendary biga pizza we make every Saturday on movie night.
For more frequently asked questions and their answers, head over to the FAQ page. And check out my kitchen gear at My Favorite Kitchen Tools.
And Here is Rob!
Chief Coffee Consumer
Rob is the wizard behind the curtain at Nuts & Twigs. I call him my husband, but you can call him Rob, or "Hey, computer guy." He'll likely respond with a knowing nod and a big smile.
While I'm out front championing the greens, he's in the back, juggling code, analytics, and all things Google to keep our plant-based ship sailing on the digital seas. I like to think of him as the root system of my leafy endeavors - essential, behind the scenes, and incredibly powerful. With Rob handling the digital wizardry, we ensure that Nuts & Twigs is not just a feast for your stomach but a seamless experience for your screen.
Connect With Me
I love connecting with you! Do you have a burning question, comment, or recipe idea that's cooking in your brain? You can reach me in several ways.
Comment on a Post - I read each one and reply quickly. I love hearing how a recipe was a hit, a miss, or altered to your liking.
Reach out using our contact form - I can't wait to read it. I check it daily, so I'll be in your inbox fast.
Social Media - You can mostly find me on Pinterest, but I'm active across these platforms. Drop me a comment, and I'll get back to you soon!
If you're too busy adulting to keep tabs on my site, stay on top of the latest vegan recipes by clicking the 'Subscribe' button on the menu at the top. We'll slide right into your inbox - no spam, just deliciousness. You can also follow the icons to your favorite social media platform.
If you're currently craving some Nuts & Twigs, make sure to check out these to start:
Sharing a vegan lifestyle is my passion, opening minds excites me, and helping people get there brings me joy. I hope you enjoy the recipes and the site!
Making nuts & twigs delicious,
Regi Pearce,
...and head nut and chief twig #2, Honey
