Asian Food

Aloo Keema ~ Vegan Mince & Potato Curry Recipe

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, Curry, International vegan cuisine, Potatoes, VeganLeave a Comment on Aloo Keema ~ Vegan Mince & Potato Curry Recipe

I love a good curry. Who doesn’t? I mean, you get tons of vegetables and rice steeped in delicious and vibrant flavors, sometimes spicy with your favorite vegan meat alternative and it’s just a big bowl of goodness. Unlike soup, I am never opposed to eating a curry in the heart of summer of the depths of winter.

And I recently discovered Aloo Keema, a dish that originated in Pakistan/Northern India that has the simplest of ingredients: mince, potatoes and rice with bread if you choose to double-carb it.

The flavors of the dish really appealed to me so I figured, why not?

Vegan Aloo Keema ~ Mince & Potato Curry

As far as vegan curry recipes go, this is a pretty easy one with a manageable list of vegan ingredients.

Continue reading ➞ Aloo Keema ~ Vegan Mince & Potato Curry Recipe

Vegan Chicken & Soba with Peanut Sauce

Categories Asian Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, VeganLeave a Comment on Vegan Chicken & Soba with Peanut Sauce

You know what I love that I don’t eat nearly enough of? Peanut butter. It’s creamy and delicious and the expensive stuff tastes like you just ate a handful of peanuts. There’s nothing about it that I don’t love, except the calories. My life would be complete if I could find calorie-free peanut butter for cookies or international stews, or did I mention cookies?

But my love of Asian food means that occasionally I do give in to my love for peanut butter to make a quick sauce to accompany whatever noodles I’m craving at the moment. Try my Mongolian Fire Noodle recipe!

If you love nuts or nut butters, this is an excellent way to indulge without going overboard, just remember that the key is always…moderation.

This vegan chicken and noodle dish seems small, right? I know, but when you add peanut butter you have to make certain adjustments. It’s still delicious, though. I promise.

This vegan dinner has a few unusual ingredients but I think you’ll find them wonderful additions that make this dish taste like it was made my a professional.

Continue reading ➞ Vegan Chicken & Soba with Peanut Sauce

Spicy Tuna Bowl for Vegans!

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Seafood, VeganLeave a Comment on Spicy Tuna Bowl for Vegans!

Have I mentioned how much I love to experiment with new vegan food products? They can be hit or miss, but when they hit, they hit BIG.

And today I have a quick and healthy vegan recipe that uses vegan tuna from Vantastic Foods that I think you’ll find easy to make and delicious to eat.

It’s another Buddha Bowl recipe, technically but there are plenty of fresh veggies that could easily slide this into the vegan salad category. If you enjoy bowls, consider this vegan sushi bowl! Call it what you want, just call it tasty.

Crunchy and refreshing, the perfect vegan lunch idea during a heatwave!

Don’t worry, this is an easy vegan recipe that only requires basic knife skills.

Continue reading ➞ Spicy Tuna Bowl for Vegans!

Vegan Sushi Salad Bowl

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, Dips, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan4 Comments on Vegan Sushi Salad Bowl

As I’ve mentioned before, I have been working on upping my salad game and so, the trend continues into a new week. I had a dental appointment today which was, let’s just say, less than quick & easy. We went grocery shopping today because tomorrow is my release day for my newest novel, and it was 32 degrees Celsius all day.

All day.

So what else is an exhausted, overheated vegan, author and wife to do? Salad.

But I wanted to do something a little bit different from what I usually do, while also making a salad that was substantial enough to satisfy.

Enter, vegan sushi salad bowl. We probably need a better name, don’t we?

Yeah, but this is the name we got and I promise, the dish tastes much better than the title.

There are quite a few components to this vegan salad recipe, but it’s not difficult at all. Honestly, this recipe is all about the prep work. If you’re willing to prep, this is another easy vegan recipe you can add to your repertoire.

Continue reading ➞ Vegan Sushi Salad Bowl

Hiking, Sightseeing & Eating Vegan in Sinaia, Romania

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, Curry, International vegan cuisine, Travel, Vegan1 Comment on Hiking, Sightseeing & Eating Vegan in Sinaia, Romania

Whenever we’re in the mood to get away for a while without actually hopping a flight somewhere, Sinaia is one of our go-to places. It’s about a sixty-minute drive from our apartment and it has gorgeous scenery if you just want to walk around, visit a castle and be in the outdoors.

Because of the events of 2020 (and beyond), as I like to call the year that wasn’t, it’s been a long time since we’ve done any real traveling, so this was a much needed trip.

The trip started with a visit to Peles Castle. I’ve been there before but there’s always so much to see, plenty of great photo opportunities and on a nice, sunny day, the perfect place to walk around for a bit.

After an hour or two in the sun, you know what it was time for.

Continue reading ➞ Hiking, Sightseeing & Eating Vegan in Sinaia, Romania

Easy Vegan Döner Kebab/Shawarma with Pickled Cabbage

Categories Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Sandwiches, Sauces & Creams, Vegan4 Comments on Easy Vegan Döner Kebab/Shawarma with Pickled Cabbage

The first thing I ever ate when I moved to Germany was not sauerkraut, not any of the variety of brats the country has to offer, and not even the famous, delicious, pretzels. Nope, my flight from Chicago got in pretty late and we stopped at one of the many Döner Kebab shops that can be found on just about any/every street.

It was the first time I’d ever eaten it and my first thought was, “Oh it’s like a gyro.”

It is not just like a gyro, but it is similiar.

Anyway, I fell in love with this dish because I loved the combination of flavorful meat, cabbage slaw and all the different choices for spicy add-ons they give you. It. Was. My. Jam.

And then I went vegan and even though Berlin is the place to be for vegan foodies, I lived in Stuttgart. There were hardly any vegan restaurants, never mind vegan Döner shops, much to my dismay.

And then I learned how to make my own vegan gyro meat from seitan and the rest, as they say, is history.

So whenever I get a craving for vegan Döner or Shawarma, I make it myself.

There are three components to this dish: the vegan meat, the veggiegurt sauce and the pickled veggies.

The veggiegurt is simple: vegan yogurt, diced cucumber, dill, lemon juice & zest, and cumin. Put in a bowl and stir, refrigerate until you’re ready to start plating.

Continue reading ➞ Easy Vegan Döner Kebab/Shawarma with Pickled Cabbage

Vegan Asian Fusion ~ Mongolian Mashed Potatoes

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Potatoes, VeganLeave a Comment on Vegan Asian Fusion ~ Mongolian Mashed Potatoes

Very rarely do things shock me. Maybe that’s because I’m wise or perhaps because I’m cynical, either way I find it refreshing when people or things surprise me.

Self-driving cars surprised me. The season finale of For All Mankind surprised me. My husband’s latest dinner request, surprised the hell out of me.

Mongolian Vegan Beef…but with mashed potatoes instead of rice or noodles.

Yep, you read that right.

It took me a moment of deep thought and then I smiled, totally up for the challenge.

One of the best things about this kind of vegan fusion dish, is that it’s pretty simple to make the right substitution. Peel and boil the potatoes as you would for any vegan mashed potato recipe, but with a flare.

Continue reading ➞ Vegan Asian Fusion ~ Mongolian Mashed Potatoes

Quick Vegan Lunch Recipes ~ Smoked Tofu Bahn mi & Salad

Categories Asian Food, Breads, International vegan cuisine, Salads, Sandwiches, Vegan2 Comments on Quick Vegan Lunch Recipes ~ Smoked Tofu Bahn mi & Salad

Sandwich. Salad. Soup. Those are pretty much your lunch options, especially if you work in an office or anywhere outside the home, right?

Wrong.

Sandwiches don’t necessarily mean fast food burgers or other greasy, deep-fried sandwich options. Sometimes, I prefer a grilled veggie sandwich with balsamic dressing, or a nice deli sandwich. If I’m feeling super creative/hungry, I’ll whip up a tomato and vegan ricotta sandwich.

Today, I’m going a little exotic with Bahn mi, which is basically a Vietnamese sub sandwich. My noodle obsession is pretty well documented but I have been known, on occasion, to indulge in a sandwich when I hit up any Asian restaurant. This vegan bahn mi sandwich is easy to make, healthy and delicious.

I paired the sandwich with a salad because it’s always nice to have something raw and crunchy each day, and also because the bread is plentiful in calories but not necessarily all that satisfying to get you through an afternoon of writing, editing and researching.

Use your favorite fresh veggies for the salad, because you’re the one who has to eat it.

Continue reading ➞ Quick Vegan Lunch Recipes ~ Smoked Tofu Bahn mi & Salad

Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms & Vegan Snow Pea Ramen

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Plant Based, Soup, VeganLeave a Comment on Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms & Vegan Snow Pea Ramen

This week is crazy busy for me so I’ll keep this post short without skimping on the details or photos of the finished product. This weekend my partner and I went out for a long walk that became super abbreviated about halfway through, thanks to an impromptu rain storm. It didn’t last long but we were proper chilled when we made it back to our place and all thoughts of cold salad were out the window in favor of soup.

Sort of.

I found FRESH wood ear mushrooms and I was so excited to recreate these pickled mushrooms I had at one of the few Asian style restaurants in Ploiesti. But wood ear mushrooms aren’t a meal, especially when you only have 200 grams of them. So then I thought of soup. And then ramen.

And that’s how I ended up with this vegan restaurant style Asian lunch for two.

Vegan mince & snow pea ramen, Nori & scallion soup & pickled wood ear mushrooms

For the soup: Ginger, garlic, lemongrass, scallions & nori with my waste free broth. Simmered for 20 minutes and then ready to go!

Continue reading ➞ Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms & Vegan Snow Pea Ramen

Broccoli Ramen with Ginger Soy Gravy

Categories Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan1 Comment on Broccoli Ramen with Ginger Soy Gravy

It’s that time again, where my noodle addiction takes over and I am forced to share with you yet another ramen noodle dish. For those of you who love a good vegan Asian noodle dish, here we are again.

For the rest of you, #notsorry!

This recipe is easy and I have more editing to do today, so we’ll make this quick and relatively painless.

If you work from home this is a very easy vegan lunch recipe because it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients but each one is packed with flavor so your taste buds don’t skip a step.

Continue reading ➞ Broccoli Ramen with Ginger Soy Gravy