Gettin' Creative in the Kitchen

Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Kung Pao Tofu Recipe – Vegan Takeout Recipes

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

Happy Hump Day, Vegans!

Recently my partner made a delicious meal that we haven’t had in a very, very long time. It’s actually a dish I love and I’m pretty sure I’ve only made it once in all the years I’ve been vegan.

Kung Pao.

Way, way back, many eons ago when we lived in Hollywood, there was this great little place called Kung Pao Bistro and they made–hands down–the best Kung Pao I’ve ever had. The toasted cashews and the roasted chili peppers were so rich and deep in flavor that it always stuck with me. So when he brought the plates out a few nights ago and I saw it, I was so excited!

It was spicier than he usually makes food, which he regretted, but I found it a nice spice with a great aftertaste that lingered for just a while. Simply put, it was just about the best Kung Pao Tofu I’ve ever had.

If you’re looking a way to veganize your favorite Asian takeout recipes, this is a really good one. Instead of deep frying with lots of oil, you can use cornstarch and a light sheen of oil and pop it in the air fryer, which helps shave off plenty of calories and that overly greasy taste you sometimes get with fried food.

It was incredible I just wanted to share the photos with you because, alas, I don’t have the recipe. But he did find this online so here you go:

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Sandwiches, Vegan, Plant Based, oil free vegan recipes, Bar Food

Vegan BLT Sandwich Recipe

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

Sandwiches. They are just about the perfect food. You have bread, which is objectively wonderful, and then you have a sauce whether it’s vegan mayo, mustard, ketchup, hummus, pesto or even barbecue sauce. And then you have the “guts” of the sandwich which can be vegetables, meat alternatives and even beans. What’s not to love?

So recently I was scrolling on IG and I saw someone making mushroom bacon, which seems divine by the way but King Oyster mushrooms are difficult to come by where I am in the world right now, plus they’re wickedly expensive so I keep my distance. But it did make me think about one of my favorite sandwiches from back in my pre-vegan days.

On a side note, we’re coming up on my 7 year anniversary of being vegan! Go me!

Anyway, I’m talking about the BLT. It’s the perfect sandwich recipe because it’s simple, full of flavor and there are plenty of ways to change it up without having to do too much.

Do you love a vegan BLT sandwich? Do you call it a BLT sandwich or just a BLT? I had to specify sandwich for the SEO so please forgive me for being redundant.

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Bowls, Grains, Herbs, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Social Media Recipes! ~ Crispy Artichokes & Beluga Lentils

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

Well here we are, folks. Back for another Monday and another delicious vegan recipe. I’m feeling less harried and far more relaxed than I have been for the past month or two, which is nice. I spent the morning playing tennis, which was amazing. It was nice out today, a whopping 27 degrees Celsius if you can believe it and we took full advantage.

Mondays are usually tennis days when it’s warm out because we go grocery shopping on Monday and it kind of ends up being a blah day after people-ing so much. But this past weekend was Easter here in Romania so not everything is open today, which means we bumped shopping back one day and spent the morning tennis-ing. Yeah, that’s a word.

Totally.

Anyway I worked out Sunday and after 90 minutes of tennis, I wanted something delicious and healthy and something that wouldn’t weigh me down for the rest of the day. Enter, Instagram. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, right? (Ha, kidding!) Anyway, I LOVE scrolling through all the amazing vegan foodies on Instagram because it’s their job to create these yummy videos and recipes and all I have to do is pick one and then make sure I have the ingredients.

For this particular recipe, it’s actually contains a few vegan pantry staples like artichokes and Beluga lentils. Okay, so sure, artichokes aren’t necessarily a pantry staple BUT they are. Here you can find the ones in oil all over the place but it’s hard to find the ones in water so whenever I find them, I buy a jar or can…or two.

And here we are.

Sarah’s Vegan Recipes is the inspiration for today’s vegan meal. I saw the video last week and I knew this was going to end up in my belly and today…it has.

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Bowls, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Vegan Horiatiki Salad Recipe ~ Easy & Tasty Vegan Greek Salad

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

Happy Hump Day friends, foodies and lovers of all things vegan!

Today was my cover reveal for my latest contemporary romance novel, Make Me Want To Love You and as such, this post is late because things have been–still–hectic lately. If you’re curious to know more check out the cover reveal or just go ahead and pre-order it TODAY!!!

Things have been busy, sure, but then again things are always busy aren’t they? I have too many jobs to count–ghostwriter, author, blogger, traveler and more–which means there’s no such thing as down time and even though a proper salad can be time-consuming, I think it’s totally worth the effort because my hunger will be satisfied longer which means I won’t have to stop for food (or snack) breaks.

Salads are my jam and I’ll fight anyone who wants to argue about it, but most days I don’t have to because if you like salad, you can appreciate the beauty and wonder of such a colorful and nutritious (pssst…and low calorie) meal. And if you think it’s rabbit food, well you’ll earn soon enough.

This vegan salad recipe is actually a vegan version of Horiatiki Salad which is just another way of saying Greek Salad. except this isn’t the one you get at those big chain restaurants that have entirely too much red onion and not enough cucumber and tomato.

Oh no, this one has other goodies like capers, bell peppers and vegan feta because…well because I was eager to test out this new vegan feta cheese and built a salad around it. Okay?

Do as much prep work first as you can and this will be the tastiest and fastest vegan salad you’ve made this month! (Ha, see what I did there?)

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Bowls, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Warm Chickpea Salad Recipe

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

Greetings, fellow vegans!

Last week was an unwelcome diversion from Spring with rainy days, overcast skies and temperatures hovering in the low teens (Celsius). While i appreciated the small break from the hellacious allergies I’ve been experiencing this Spring, I did not appreciate the return to cold weather. I had a bunch of fun vegan salad recipes all planned out but if you’re like me, you understand that cold weather and cold food don’t often go together.

So when I was trying to figure out what to do with the mountains of veggies in my fridge, I came across a reel on IG from The Nard Dog Cooks. Usually I watch him on YT but he’s been popping up in my IG feed lately and I’m happy about it. In addition to a glorious beard, he has lots of healthy vegan recipes that often are simple and super flavorful. This Turkish Chickpea Salad is one such recipe.

The seasons are wonderful–cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, cloves & paprika–and they made our apartment smell AMAZING! The spices are the true star of this easy vegan meal, so make sure you don’t skimp on them.

This is a totally plant based vegan recipe, just chickpeas, veggies and spices. If you’re curious about the original recipe you can search it on the link above. This is my variation which, honestly doesn’t vary all that much.

So let’s do some vegan cooking, shall we?

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Beans, Bowls, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

My Newest Vegan Obsession!! ~ Vegan Veggie Platter Dinners

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

Yeah, you heard that right. Veggie Platter Dinners.

It’s not as gluttonous as it sounds, I promise. It’s just a variety of vegetables–mostly vegetables, in fact–so you’re getting tons of colors and textures and flavors on one plate. This is an easy vegan meal that’s easy to mix & match based on what’s in season, what’s on sale and what you like.

Other things I like about these vegan dinner recipes:

*Low in calories
*Packed with nutrients
*Mostly whole food & plant based

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Asian Food, Bowls, Curry, Indian, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Curry Recipe! ~ Vegan Mince & Mushroom Curry

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

Hey there my fellow vegan food lovers! Hope you’re having a happy Monday. It’s cold and gray and rainy here which, honestly, feels like a slap in the face when I spent ALL day Sunday finishing my edits on Emerald Creek so I could get the ball rolling on everything else.

I should be playing tennis right now but the rain is staying like an unwelcome visitor so I’m inside. And yeah, I’m going to make kimchi today while I take care of a bunch of author things but last night my hubs made this delicious vegan curry dish and I just had to share it with you all.

Personally, I am a big fan of curry. I like it creamy and spicy, and filled with vegetables. Those are my requirements and if you put a bowl in front of me stacked with hot, creamy goodness then I am going to eat it. Period.

Just like I ate this one!

Lidl has recently started carrying some frozen mushrooms. They have porcini, chanterelle and a mixture of wild mushrooms and you know how I feel about mushrooms. He tried out the chanterelle mushrooms first because he loves them but hates cleaning the fresh ones, not that I blame him but they’re so delicious that they’re worth the effort. Anyway, back to the vegan curry. He told me his plan and I was like, “Hmph, okay. Sounds weird but I trust you.” And, as usual, he surprised me and my taste buds.

His idea started simple enough: Beyond burgers, chanterelle mushrooms but as a curry.

And if any of you vegans out there have had Beyond in any capacity, you know just how incredibly they smell when they start to cook. It was torture while I was editing Make Me Want To Love You, which is book 2 in my Emerald creek romance series.

Okay, enough shameless book promotion and let’s get on with the vegan curry.

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Asian Food, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Salads, Sides, Vegan

Vegan Salad Season Has Arrived!!!

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

If you know just one thing about me then you know how much I love salad. And that’s not just what you think a healthy girl should say, it’s the truth. I’m not talking about those tired ass side salads you get as an option at your favorite chain restaurant, oh no, I’m talking about a grown folks’ salad that runneth over with colors, veggies and nutrients.

It can be a big salad or a small one, the main feature or simply the co-star to a whole vegan dinner. I’m not picky…okay I’m not too picky.

Today I’m keeping it short and simple because…author reasons.

Just in case you’re curious about AUTHOR REASONS…

I have two salads to share with you and they’re both incredibly simple in both preparation and taste. They contain mostly seasonal ingredients that you can find at just about any grocery store and all the rest should be in your pantry.

Now, lets get on with a few great ways to add more healthy salad recipes to your diet!

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Bowls, Plant Based, Potatoes, Vegan

Easy Vegan Weeknight Dinner Recipe!

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

As you may or may not know, I am self-employed as a writer and a ghostwriter in addition to being a published author (mostly romance books). Why am I giving out my CV all of a sudden? Exposure, of course!

Just kidding…but seriously if you want to buy my books you totally can.

Anyway back to vegan food. I’m bringing up my schedule because it is often jam packed. Most days I know exactly what I have to do and what I need or would like to do from one day to the next, but some days I’ll take a quickie assignment if the price is right or the client is someone I enjoy working with and that will throw my schedule all out of whack.

But a writer girl still has to eat, doesn’t she?

This one does! And when things get a little too crazy and it’s my night to cook, I have to find ways to be creative. My go to vegan recipes when I’m busy and/or lazy? A good vegan Harvest Bowl or a vegan Tray Bake recipe. I like to have a few things on my plate and I want most of them to be healthy, whole and plant based.

And that’s where today’s recipe enters. This isn’t really a bowl or a tray back but it’s vegan and it’s plant-based. Even the two tiny vegan balls hiding out next to the potatoes are made from beet and pea protein!!! Can you tell how excited I am about this vegan weeknight dinner?

It’s easy but it doesn’t taste like it’s easy. This is where you’ll let your kitchen appliances do what they do while you supervise. Livin’ the dream, right?

Right?

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Bowls, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Potatoes, Salads, Vegan

Easy Vegan Salad Recipe! ~ Spring Veggie Salad

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

You all know that I am a big, big fan of salads. Toss’em with noodles, rice, bulgur, couscous, mushrooms or your favorite vegan meat alternative. Add a vinaigrette or a creamy vegan yogurt salad dressing and I am a happy camper.

After a couple hours spent playing tennis, I wanted something nutritious and satisfying, but substantial enough to maintain all the calories burnt while channeling my inner Serena Williams. This salad totally fit the bill!

Recently I came across this gorgeous looking recipe when I was scrolling on Pinterest (yes people still do that) and I knew that I was going to find a way to veganize it. It was so gorgeous with bright, vibrant spring colors, lots of veggies which means lots of nutrients and so simple it was irresistible.

I know that salads, particularly vegan salads, often get a bad rap but the truth is that salads are healthy pizza. What did I just say? You heard me. People always say that pizza is the perfect food because it combines all the food groups but…have you ever heard of a salad? You get tons of vegetables either raw or cooked, or raw and cooked, grains, beans or vegan meat alternatives, fruit and vegan salad dressing! That’s like everything except dessert.