Asian Food

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

Spicy Tofu Stir Fry Recipes

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Stir Fry is one of my favorite lazy vegan meals because you can make it with pretty much anything left over in the fridge before grocery day, and it doesn’t require a lot of extra planning. If you have half a carrot that you want to use before it goes bad, grab some bell peppers and onions and you’re halfway to a good vegan stir fry.

And when it comes to protein? The vegan world is your oyster, or your oyster mushroom (see what I did there?).

Vegan Stir Fry Protein Options:

*Nuts
*Tofu
*Vegan meat alternatives
*Beans
*Seeds

Pick your favorite or leave it out together and opt for a tahini or peanut butter based sauce if you prefer. Add a grain and you’ve got a delicious vegan stir fry recipe you can call on at anytime.

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, oil free vegan recipes, Soup, Vegan

Cauliflower & Hokkaido Squash Ramen Stew

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Happy Friday & DOUBLE Happy St. Patrick’s Day, folks!

Today’s post isn’t so much a recipe just me sharing a delicious recipe I made recently and I wanted to share. This was one of those off the cuff recipes that could have gone either way and though it might not look great, it was hearty and delicious and oh so satisfying.

I love to experiment with soups and this one turned out better than I expected which means we can ALL expect a repeat recipe sometime soon.

If you’re curious about how to make this soup, think of it like this: hokkaido squash soup with Ramen noodles and oven roasted curry cauliflower.

This week has been crazy hectic for me and I hope my weekend includes writing and relaxing, and of course a delicious celebratory St. Patrick’s day vegan feast!

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

Easy Vegan Quick Pickled Wood Ear Mushrooms

Posted on February. 2023February. 2023 by writinstuff

Today’s recipe is one that I have grown totally obsessed with over the past two years and now whenever I find wood ear mushrooms, I have to get at least one package.

Have you ever had these or even heard of them? They are delicious and earthy with this beautiful deep brown color that makes them seem like they’re from another planet. I have had them at an Asian restaurant here or there but most of what I learned about how to prepare these came from good ol’ YouTube University.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan salad, look no further than this pickled wood ear mushroom salad. It’s super refreshing and incredibly flavorful, and best of all? It goes on the side of pretty much anything and especially Asian style dishes.

The good thing about todays’ quick pickled vegan salad is that it is pretty dang easy and only requires a wee bit of patience. And other than the mushrooms, shouldn’t require you to venture outside of pantry and fridge staples.

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

Oyster Mushroom Vegan Mujadara Recipe

Posted on January. 2023January. 2023 by writinstuff

Mujadara is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for vegans looking to expand your culinary knowledge or to simply tickle your tastebuds. I love trying out new recipes from around the world because it’s fun to veganize them and then I get to experiment with new herbs and spices in all kinds of other dishes.

Made with golden lentils, wild rice, and oyster mushrooms, this easy vegan recipe is full of flavor and nutrition. The addition of ginger, garlic, onion and turmeric give it a warm and comforting taste that is sure to please.

You can use a variety of vegan meat alternatives to make this dish include tofu, vegan beef strips or even beans. The choice is yours!

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

Easy Vegan Lunch Recipes ~ Vegan Cowboy Sushi Salad Bowl

Posted on January. 2023January. 2023 by writinstuff

Many of you have seen my Sushi Salad Bowl Recipe, or the Vegan Sushi Salad and it’s been a pretty big hit, which I’m super stoked about so thank you. But recently I wanted the same salad but…with a twist.

Know what I mean?

I have this problem often. I’ll create a recipe that I LOVE and then I’ll have it a few times, and after that it kind of loses its luster and I’m ready to improve on it, move on and turn it into something else. And that’s how today’s vegan lunch recipe got started.

Vegan Cowboy Sushi Salad Bowl wasn’t necessarily a spark of an idea from me out of thin air, but I wanted pickled ginger and soy sauce and wasabi but I also wanted something warm. So here we are.

Tell me below, what’s your favorite vegan salad to remix?

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Asian Food, Bowls, Curry, Indian, International vegan cuisine, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Hot & Creamy Vegan Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Curry

Posted on December. 2022December. 2022 by writinstuff

Are you looking for a cozy and delicious vegan recipe to try this winter? Look no further than vegan cauliflower & sweet potato curry! After a long walk or a sweaty workout on a winter’s day, all I want is something warm. It can be soup, because who doesn’t love a hearty vegan soup? But it can also be curry when you want to switch up your soup game.

This hearty and flavorful vegan recipe is perfect for warming up on a chilly winter day, and it’s packed with the health benefits of cauliflower.

Why Cauliflower?

Cauliflower is a nutrition powerhouse, containing high levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. It’s also a good source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. Cauliflower has been shown to have a number of health benefits, including improving digestion, reducing the risk of cancer, and aiding in weight loss. Put simply, you get a lot of food for a small number of calories cauliflower is a fiber-rich dish which means you really feel satisfied after a vegan cauliflower dish!

Making vegan cauliflower and sweet potato curry is easy and requires just a few simple ingredients, so let’s get to it.

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Asian Food, Bowls, Curry, Indian, International vegan cuisine, Vegan

Vegan Butter Chicken

Posted on November. 2022November. 2022 by writinstuff

Today’s recipe isn’t exactly a recipe, though I will offer some guidance how to whip up a quick and easy vegan butter chicken, but I wanted to share the one decent photo that came out because this vegan butter chicken recipe came out so well.

Really well.

The hubs said it was my best attempt so far so…yay!

As much as I love Indian food and I fell in love with it during the years we lived in Los Angeles, I had never had Butter Chicken before. Vindaloo and Dopiza was always my favorite and our local restaurant, Anarkali, I would often experiment but I guess I hadn’t made it to Butter Chicken.

Yet.

Then we moved to Germany and there was a wonderful Indian restaurant close to our house called Kashmir. They had a lot of really amazing dishes, notably their butter chicken made with 4 different levels of heat. The hottest was AMAZING. I loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. From that moment forward, it became a favorite and over the years I have tried my hand at vegan butter chicken recipes to varying degrees of success.

Here is the photo, the only one that came out without steam distorting it, I might add. It was delicious and now I have to make it again and maybe get some decent photos the second time around.

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

New Vegan Product + Vegan Fish Filets & Noodle Salad Recipe

Posted on November. 2022November. 2022 by writinstuff

Hello folks out there in vegan recipe land! How are you?

Today I’m doing a combo post featuring a new vegan food product find and a recipe with said food. Usually my new products are vegan snacks or random vegan ingredients, but today we’ve got the best of both worlds.

As you might recall, I’ve used the vegan brand Unfished a few times here and there, in my Vegan Tuna Orecchiette with Lemon & Capers recipe or my Mediterranean Vegan Tuna & Potato Cakes w/ Oven Roasted Asparagus. You can find more tuna recipes here on the blog. So, imagine my surprise when I’m pushing my cart through my local Kaufland and I spot a refrigerated shelf featuring non-canned Unfished vegan products. If ever given the choice between vegan fish filets and vegan fish fingers/sticks, I will never choose vegan fish sticks.

Not ever.

Never!

So what’s a vegan girl to do when she’s got a package of vegan fish steaks and no idea what to do with them?

Something? Anything?

I decided to do something off the beaten path but it turned out super delicious and healthy-ish, so let’s see what we can do with vegan fish filets!

What is your favorite vegan fish alternative?

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Vegan

Vegan Takeout at Home ~ Dandan Noodles

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

A few years ago I first tried my hand at making a vegan Dandan noodles recipe. Even before I went vegan, I loved this dish so recreating it has been a fun process.

Last time I used the wrong noodles–in my opinion–and the tofu wasn’t quite the right fit for Dandan noodles. I’ve made it here and there over the years since the first recipe but none of them have been share worthy. Until now.

Today’s vegan Dandan noodles recipe is definitely worth a share, and since things in my world are quite crazy now, I’ll keep this short and simple.

Promise.

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Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, oil free vegan recipes, Salads, Sides, Vegan

Vegan Banana Blossom “Meat” & Hong Kong Style Noodles w/ Crunchy Vegan Side Salad

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

Yep, here we are again back in my vegan kitchen with noodles on the menu. I know what you’re thinking, does this chick eat anything other than noodles? The answer is yes, I do eat plenty of other grains but Asian cuisine is my favorite and I love to experiment with it.

And I love to eat noodles.

It’s somewhat of a comfort food for me in that it is the perfect backup when I’m testing out a new recipe because noodles make everything better. If I screw it up, at least we’re having noodles, right?

So there are noodles but there are also banana blossoms. Don’t judge because I know what you’re thinking, here we go with another of those specialty ingredients that are impossible for normal vegans to find. I would have said the same thing, except I was just browsing the Asian section of Kaufland and happened up these canned banana blossoms in water. Of course I grabbed them, because all these vegan chefs have been making everything out of it from vegan fish to vegan chicken and I was curious to try it out.

But deep frying? Not for me, please and thank you. I decided to keep it simple and go with a sauteed version that does still serve as a vegan meat alternative, but subtly so.

And this dish is the end result.

Delicious vegan noodles with banana blossoms

This vegan dish is easy to make and it feels as if it takes a lot more time than it does, which means its a great way to impress vegans and non-vegans alike!

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