G’day, Marhaba and Hello. I’m Janelle Hama.

Why I cook plant-based

I have a thyroid condition and food has been my savior. I eat mostly plant-forward - not ideologically, just practically. It's what makes my body work.

The thing is, the everyday Lebanese table I grew up on was already plant-forward. Lentils, chickpeas, grains, olive oil, vegetables. Meat was there just not the rule. I'm not converting anything. I'm just cooking what we always ate just my way. It suits my current diet. It's not to say there aren't recipes changed, those are from the early days of PBF and they are delicious.

It's important to note that my immediate family are not plant based, so the Lebanese kitchen I document covers the whole thing - because I know the whole thing, and so does my family.

What Plant Based Folk is

A Lebanese food site run by someone who cooks plant-forward.

Most recipes are fully vegan. Some use the labneh, eggs and cheese that have always belonged on the Lebanese table - (the fatteh and beyond), the dishes that wouldn't be right without them.

Every recipe is labeled, so you always know what you're getting. If I did change anything from how it is traditionally made, I will clearly note it.

What you'll find here

The everyday Lebanese table - cooked the way it was always eaten or sometimes adapted.

The rishta your teta made on a Tuesday. The makhlouta that simmered all afternoon. The lentil soup that showed up every winter without anyone deciding it should. These are the dishes I grew up on and they're the backbone of this site.

Here's what you'll find:

• The everyday Lebanese classics - kibbeh, balila, tabouli, vermicelli rice, foul bi zeit - cooked the way they're meant to be.
• The forgotten dishes - village recipes and regional variations that barely exist in English-language content. The ones that live in family memories and handwritten notebooks like kousa w burgul.
• The Lebanese kitchen explained - how the pantry works, how the flavors layer, why your hummus doesn't taste like your mother's. The context behind the recipes.
• Plant-based originals with a Lebanese soul - new recipes built from the same flavor logic and tested until they taste right.

This is not a vegan food blog that happens to do Lebanese. This is a Lebanese food site run by someone who cooks plant-forward.

Work with me

I work with food and kitchen brands whose products I already use and trust. Past partners include San Remo, Pickld, Kitchen Warehouse, IKU Foods and Dhow Nature Foods.
If your brand belongs in a Lebanese kitchen, get in touch.