Gettin' Creative in the Kitchen

Italian, Vegan, Plant Based, Travel, International vegan cuisine

Vegan in Roma: Day THREE

Posted on June. 2023June. 2023 by writinstuff

Happy Friday, folks!

Ready for day three in Rome?

This day started off with a three hour tour of the Vatican. Now, I will admit that I am not a religious person but I do love art & history and I know that sometimes this is how we get to see some art, most especially the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) so we started our tour bright and early.

Click the photos to get the full beauty of them!

Before I get into the tour, let me tell you that you ABSOLUTELY MUST book the tour ahead of time and I recommend that you join a skip-the-line tour or else this will end up being an all-day event.

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International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Sauces & Creams, Travel, Vegan

Vegan in Roma: Day TWO

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

This day was a long day but it was also one of my favorite days because we did a 3 hour (and some change) tour of the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. It was hot and sunny and the perfect day for this kind of sightseeing.

PLUS, I don’t know if you know this but Rome is kind of the perfect blend of old school and new school because they have these water spouts all over the city where you can refill water bottles, which is environmentally friendly and on a day like this day you can also splash some cold water on your face and arms to cool down and rinse away some of the sweat. I loved this and it came in handy for two thirsty tourists wandering around this ancient city.

When the tour ended we hit up this place, Aromaticus. Great name, isn’t it? Anyway it was a fully vegan bistro with fresh food and pressed juices. After the crowds at the Colosseum I was in desperate need for an immunity boost and I got one with ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper and lemon. It was the perfect shot and a smidge spicy, gave me just the pep in my step I needed.

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International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Pizza, Travel, Vegan

Vegan in Roma: Day ONE

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hello my favorite vegan foodies! I am back–sort of–from Italy so please bear with me because this week will be filled with all the delicious vegan food we ate in Rome, Italy.

I don’t know how much traveling you’ve done but depending on where you are in the world, finding vegan food can be quite a chore. In Germany, for example, it wasn’t too difficult to find vegan food at any of the food markets but finding a vegan restaurant meant schlepping all the way to Berlin. Sure, you could go to a vegetarian restaurant and cross your fingers that they didn’t forget there was egg or milk or cream in something, but that’s taking your belly health into someone else’s hands.

In Romania, finding vegan food outside of Bucharest and a grocery store? Next to impossible. There are a few good places here and there but it’s not that easy.

In Rome? Easier than I anticipated.

Like any good vegan we did our homework before we arrived so we had a list of half a dozen places where we could eat each day. Today’s post is what we ate on day one.

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Breads, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Cauliflower & Almond Soup Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

I love Spring and not just because my birthday kicks off the season! Spring weather is kind of all over the place which means there’s usually an opportunity–or two–to whip up a good soup recipe even as the temperature starts to warm up.

Here in Romania the weather has been improving steadily and then BAM, a gray and rainy day which in our house is known as a perfect day for a warm bowl of soup.

Today’s vegan soup recipe is inspired by a Cauliflower Almond Soup I recently had at a local spot, Cafe Natiei. Of course I put a few of my own twists on it but the flavor profile is pretty much as the recipe name indicates, cauliflowers and almonds.

If you’re thinking it sounds weird, well you’re just wrong. Okay maybe it does sound weird but I promise that it was nothing but delicious. Mine and theirs.

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Casseroles, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Potatoes, Vegan

30 Minute Vegan Tray Bake Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hey there vegan food lovers!

As you read this, I am off in Italy playing tourist so I’m going to keep this week’s recipes short and sweet.

As much as I love to cook, and I really do, sometimes I need to nourish my body and do it easily or quickly. Sometimes that means one pot meals and other times it means something similar, a tray bake recipe.

Vegan tray bake recipes are absolutely perfect when you want to eat good and eat well with very little effort. Today’s recipe features TVP, sweet potatoes and carrots. And I threw in a small batch of kohlrabi greens because I wanted to use them before they started to turn yellow and bitter.

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Dips, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan, Vegan Food Products

New Vegan Food Product – Vegan Egg Salad (Filgud brand)

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

There’s no better time to indulge in a little bit of vegan junk food than you’re too busy to focus on good and healthy food. Luckily there are so many new vegan food products that aren’t junk food, per se.

Filgud is a Romanian brand that has been making some pretty good vegan food products so whenever I see something new on the shelf, I have to at least try it. Right???

Of course!

To be honest this vegan egg salad was my husband’s find because even before becoming vegan, egg salad just wasn’t my jam. And the good news? This was much better than egg salad.

Much. Better.

It didn’t taste–or smell–eggy which I’m glad about because so many vegan products try to recreate that egg smell and honestly, it ends up smelling like farts. There, I said it.

This was creamy and delicious with a vaguely egg taste. It was the perfect vegan snack on a cracker or with your favorite veggie sticks.

Would I try it again?

I would, actually. I mean I would seek it out but if (when) he buys it again, I’ll definitely enjoy a cracker or two…or three. It was price friendly coming out to about 5 dollars/euros per container. I could make it myself cheaper but if you’re a DIY vegan this is an option.

Grains, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Sandwiches, Vegan

Vegan Tuna Sandwich Upgrade ~ Tapenade Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

The good news is that my book is off to the editor! The not-so-good news is that means there are still about a thousand different things that I need to do to prepare for book launch.

But I still have to eat which means another vegan sandwich recipe…of sorts.

Did anyone else love a good tuna salad sandwich as a kid? My favorite was made with Miracle Whip, celery, mustard and diced pimento. It was simple and went really great with crackers. But recently I was in the mood for a proper grown up vegan tuna sandwich but with a twist.

Tapenade.

If you’ve been around a while you know that I love pesto of all varieties and I will put it on absolutely anything from Vegan Eggs to Tabbouleh Salad and yes, my favorite Pizza Brot recipes! If you love vegan pesto as much as I do, click here to get started on pesto basics.

But the truth is that I love tapenade just as much, I mean what’s not to love about an olive centric dish? But it can get salty and I’m searching for more ways to add tapenade to dishes without making it salty AF.

Anyway, let’s jump right in!

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Asian Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Vegan Napa Cabbage Roll Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hey guys! Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? 😛

I know! Last week was an incredibly busy week for me. I finished (yay!) book 2 in the Green St. Girls Romance series and I am thisclose to finishing the first round of edits before sending it off to my editor. I have to tell you that is a huge relief and I am both excited to be done and nervous to let anyone else see it.

I really love this story and I needed to take a break from vegan food blogging to make sure I did what needed to be done to make the book the best it can be.

But I’m back…sort of.

I’m going to post some vegan food recipes but I’m not going to be going in to deep detail about what to do because I really just don’t have the time. Please don’t hate me and try to understand that I have a lot to do right now and I really wanted to share some of these recipes with you!

Today we’re going with the vegan cabbage rolls. I first peeped this video on Instagram by plantbasedly and I knew I had to try it. I love napa cabbage, cabbage rolls and I knew there was a good chance I would love this.

So…here we go!

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International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Delicious Local Vegan Food in Ploiesti ~ Cauliflower Almond Soup

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hello there, my fellow vegans!

Why am I in such a good mood you ask? Well that’s simple. I finished Book 2 in my Green St. Girls Romance series and not only am I totally in love with this new story, but I’m super stoked that it’s all done.

To celebrate, the hubs and I went out to lunch at the local (mostly) vegan restaurant here in Ploiesti, Cafe Nației which in English translates to The Cafe of the Nation. Anyway I love going to this place because there’s a level of comfort in knowing that I can always get the falafel burrito wrap, but there is always an element of surprise because they have ingredients delivered fresh each day, which means the menu is never the same.

On this particular visit there was something new and it was so dang delicious that I almost didn’t want to share it with the hubs. What was it? Cauliflower and almond soup, which to non-vegans might seem a little bland but holy moly let me tell you that it thick and creamy and so flavorful that I moaned nice and loud to show off my delight.

This particular vegan soup contained cauliflower, almonds, almond cream and it was even garnished with sliced almonds so to say it was an almond-a-palooza would not be an understatement. There was also an herbed oil for garnish and that was absolutely incredible. I LOVED this!

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

Vegan Feta & Tomato Salad

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

You all know how much I love my vegan salad recipes so it was about time that I gave a vegan caprese salad another shot, right? I hadn’t planned on it because you might remember that I am no longer a big fan of cheese but there were these gorgeous Monterosa tomatoes at the market, fat and bright red and juicy. Usually they are too soft and too pale so I skip them but they were irresistible this day.

I love a good heirloom tomato and not just because they are so pretty. I find they are usually juicier and have a lot more flavor than Roma tomatoes or the ones that come on the vine.

The moment I weighed them I knew they were going to be the star of their own vegan salad and when I got to the vegan section in the refrigerator aisle I thanked the stock person for making sure the vegan feta cheese was newly restocked.

This is a very easy vegan salad recipe that goes great beside a bowl of soup, a sandwich or even on a big ol’ bed of lettuce. If you’re looking for a way to add more fresh veggies to your diet or you’re simply in need of some extra beta carotene, this vegan feta & tomato salad is a great—and tasty—way to do it.

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