Glow Diaries

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About Me

Hi, I’m Liz, the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Glow Diaries.

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Woman in green jumper in a kitchen, smiling while chopping food.

The Professional Bio

Liz Douglas is the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Glow Diaries. She is based in Melbourne, Australia.

Her debut cookbook was published in Australia and New Zealand as Cosy Vegan by Affirm Press in March 2025, and in the United States and United Kingdom as Cozy Vegan by Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in January 2026. The book was named one of Bon Appétit’s Best New Cookbooks of Winter 2026 and a Top Pick by VegNews Magazine in both their print and online editions.

Audience and Reach

Glow Diaries reaches a combined audience of more than 1.4 million followers across social media, plus millions more in monthly impressions on Pinterest and across video platforms (as of May 2026):

Professional Background

Before building Glow Diaries into a full-time business, Liz spent several years working in commercial food retail and product development. She completed the Coles Supermarkets Buying and Trading Graduate Program (2016 to 2018), working within the merchandise function across in-store bakery, supply chain, own-brand product development, and Easter and hot cross bun seasonal ranges, alongside buyers, supplier-side developers, food technologists, and Coles chefs. She subsequently worked as a private label junior buyer at Kaufland Australia (2018 to 2020), part of the global Schwarz Group, where she was responsible for developing and sourcing bakery and pantry product ranges, including breads, cakes, muffins, brioche, wraps, dessert sauces, pickled and canned goods, and olive oils. The role involved structured taste evaluations alongside food technologists, supplier negotiations, site visits to major Australian production facilities, and the development of product specifications.

This professional background in food buying, product specification, and commercial taste assessment directly informs her approach to recipe development at Glow Diaries: a focus on texture, flavor balance, ingredient function, ingredient quality, and repeatable results in a real home kitchen.

Liz studied at RMIT University (2010 to 2013), graduating with a Bachelor of Design in Fashion, before transitioning into food retail. She has been developing and publishing plant-based recipes since 2019, when Glow Diaries began as an Instagram page (originally Vegan Diaries), and went full-time on the business in 2024.

Television and Broadcast

  • Featured on ABC News Breakfast (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
  • Guest appearance on Network 10’s My Market Kitchen alongside host and MasterChef winner Laura Sharrad, demonstrating viral plant-based recipes including her tofu schnitzel and avocado pasta

Selected Press, Excerpts, and Features

Podcast

Verify and Connect

My Story

Hi, I’m Liz. Welcome to Glow Diaries.

I’m a recipe developer, food photographer, and cookbook author, but for a long time before any of that, I was just someone who loved food.

Long before I started working in food, I studied fashion at RMIT University because I wanted to do something creative but still commercial. I worked in fashion production for a couple of years after graduating, but the moment I really found my professional home was when I joined the Coles Supermarkets graduate program in 2016.

The Coles graduate program was my first proper education in how food actually works. I spent time in stores, in supplier kitchens, in tasting sessions, and in long meetings about things like the optimal sweetness of a hot cross bun. I worked across in-store bakery, supply chain, own-brand product development, and Easter and hot cross bun seasonal ranges, alongside buyers, food technologists, supplier developers, and Coles chefs. It gave me a real appreciation for the detail behind good food. Even something as familiar as a loaf of bread has dozens of decisions behind it: texture, sweetness, softness, shelf life, packaging, price, and how it actually tastes when someone takes it home.

From there, I moved to Kaufland Australia, part of the global Schwarz Group, as a private label junior buyer. I worked across bakery and pantry, sourcing and developing breads, cakes, muffins, brioche, wraps, dessert sauces, pickled and canned goods, and olive oils. A big part of that role was tasting. Lots and lots of tasting. I’d sit down with food technologists and suppliers, comparing products side by side, evaluating flavor, texture, salt levels, ingredient quality, and the overall eating experience. I visited production facilities all over Australia, helped create product specifications, and learned how food products move from rough idea to finished product on a supermarket shelf.

It was one of my favourite jobs because it combined everything I loved: food, creativity, detail, and the challenge of making something people would actually want to buy and eat. That background still shapes how I create recipes today. I care a lot about texture, balance, ingredient function, and the small details that take a recipe from fine to something you want to make again.

Around the same time, my own relationship with food was changing.

I became vegetarian in 2016 and gradually moved toward vegan eating in late 2019. Honestly, before I went vegan, I wasn’t much of a cook. I loved eating out, and I’d always loved food, but I rarely cooked at home with any real intention.

Then something switched on.

Instead of feeling restricted, I felt excited. Suddenly there was this whole new world of ingredients to try: TVP, nutritional yeast, cashews, tofu, tempeh, legumes, and all the clever ways they could be turned into something genuinely comforting and satisfying. It became a bit of an obsession. I’d come home from work around 5:30pm and immediately start cooking elaborate recipes from vegan cookbooks, staying in the kitchen until 10 or 10:30 at night. I was amazed by how much depth and flavor you could create from plants. I felt like I was eating better than I ever had before.

Part of me also wanted to prove to my friends and family that vegan food could be just as delicious as the food they already loved. At the time, veganism still felt much more niche than it does now. I got teased a little by colleagues, and I felt a bit awkward about it socially. But the more I cooked, the more passionate I became about showing that plant-based eating could be generous, comforting, familiar, and full of flavor.

That’s still the heart of what I do at Glow Diaries. I never wanted vegan food to feel restrictive or joyless. I’ve always believed plant-based meals can be nostalgic, indulgent, practical, and satisfying all at once. You don’t have to be perfect to enjoy more plant-based food, and that welcoming approach is something I try to bring into every recipe I share.

Glow Diaries began very casually in late 2019 as an Instagram page called Vegan Diaries. I had no idea food blogging could become a career. I just loved cooking, photography, and creative hobbies. My early photos were taken in my backyard with very little equipment, and they were genuinely terrible. But I kept going.

Short-form video is where the page really took off, which is why I still have a soft spot for it. It gave me a chance to reach people, build an audience, and show in a quick, visual way that vegan food could look exciting and crave-worthy. In 2023, I changed the name from Vegan Diaries to Glow Diaries because I wanted the brand to feel more welcoming. Not just to committed vegans, but to anyone who’s plant-curious, dabbling, or simply looking for more delicious meals.

Growing up in Australia gave me a love of classic comfort foods, but travelling through Europe and Southeast Asia throughout my twenties and thirties had a big influence on the way I cook too. I became fascinated by fresh, balanced, flavor-packed food, especially Asian food. I love bright herbs, punchy sauces, warming curries, noodle dishes, and meals built around bold flavors and lots of texture. So many of those dishes translate beautifully into plant-based cooking without feeling like anything is missing.

At the same time, I’ll always have a soft spot for cozy comfort food and baking. Some days that means nourishing make-ahead breakfasts, hearty soups, and veggie-packed dinners. Other days it means brownies, cupcakes, cookies, pasta, or café-style treats. That balance is a huge part of Glow Diaries.

Since becoming a mum to my son Oliver in 2023, practical recipes have become even more meaningful to me. I understand firsthand how valuable it is to have easy dinners, make-ahead breakfasts, freezer-friendly snacks, and reliable recipes for the busy edges of the day. These days, I’m always thinking about recipes that genuinely fit into real life. The kind you can make ahead. The kind your family will actually eat. The kind you want to come back to.

Today, Glow Diaries is my full-time work. I received my first cookbook deal in early 2023, shortly before Oliver was born, and went full-time on the business in 2024. Cosy Vegan was published in Australia by Affirm Press in March 2025, and the US and UK edition, Cozy Vegan, was published by Simon & Schuster in January 2026.

What started as a one-woman creative project has grown into a small business, with a couple of assistants helping me behind the scenes across filming, admin, publishing, recipe prep, and day-to-day operations. I’m still closely involved in recipe development, testing, and the creative direction of everything we publish. Every recipe still comes back to the same goal: making plant-based food feel approachable, satisfying, and genuinely worth making.

Recipes are developed and tested from my home kitchen in Melbourne, where I live with my husband Steve, our son Oliver, and our exotic shorthair cat Sooki.

Try one of my reader favorites

If you’re new to Glow Diaries, these are some of the recipes my readers come back to again and again. They’re a good window into how I cook: easy plant-based meals that lean into comfort, flavor, and dessert energy wherever possible.

Breakfasts that feel like dessert (my specialty)

Easy plant-based desserts

Comfort food dinners

What readers are saying

“It legit tastes like tiramisu. Super easy to prep the night before too.”

— Tine, on the Tiramisu Blended Oats

“All of my family love your recipes — blended oats are perfect even for my 1 year old.”

— Ani, on the Tiramisu Blended Oats

“Already made this three times… it’s unbeatable!”

— Sarah, on the Vegan Chocolate Mousse

“I really didn’t think this would taste that good, but it does! So easy and so delicious.”

— Emelia, on the Vegan Chocolate Mousse

“I made this curry because I wanted to try something new. And while eating, my boyfriend told me that this is the best dish I’ve cooked so far (we are 7 years together)!”

— Linda, on the Thai Chickpea Curry

“Simple. Quick. Tasty. Kid friendly also. I was pleased that my boys enjoyed it.”

— Anthony, on the Thai Chickpea Curry

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