Breads

Breads, International vegan cuisine, Italian, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Vegan Italian Bread Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro) Recipe

Posted on February. 2024February. 2024 by writinstuff

Hey there, guys!

I don’t know how much you know about Romania but there are two major influences in this country in two distinct ways. German influences are everywhere, most obvious when it comes to corporate influences. Many of the biggest companies here–grocery stores, home wares, construction–are based in Germany.

And then there’s Italy. Many Romanians live in Italy and bring back parts of the culture for those at home, including food. Okay maybe most especially food.

Which brings me to my point. Finally. I had quite a bit of leftover bread and it was hard but not moldy so I was loathe to just toss it out. My options were limited, breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs. So what did I choose?

At my husbands advice, I chose an Italian style bread soup.

Now if you knew me at all you would know that I have a thing about soggy bread. I don’t like it. That’s my thing. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like any dish–vegan or otherwise–that makes use of soggy bread that I’m required to eat.

Nope. No, thank you.

But I did my research and found an Italian recipe Pappa al Pomodoro, which ironically means “tomato mush” when translated, and I decided it was something within my skill set and I had the required ingredients.

Verdict? It came out pretty delicious if I say so myself. But be warned, even though I didn’t put the bread in the pot, but rather at the bottom of the bowl and poured the rest of the soup on top of it, that bread was hot as hell!!

My only complaint, I swear!

This vegan soup recipe is easy to make, doesn’t have a rigid list of ingredients and can be used as a perfect throw away vegan recipe, as in you can use things that might have to be thrown away if doesn’t get used soon.

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Breads, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Creamy Vegan Butter Bean Stew

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

Is there anything better than a thick and creamy winter stew? No sir or madam, there is not. You don’t have to agree, it is an empirical fact.

Vegan winter stews are some of the best parts of cold weather along with mulled wine (vine fiert in Romanian), rustic bread for dipping and of course, skiing! Oh wait, did I forget to mention Christmas music?

Anyway, I digress. Thick and hearty stew is my jam and today’s vegan soup recipe is a riff on one of the 8 billion recipes I see regularly on Instagram…or TikTok. Honestly, there’s so much friggin’ content that I can’t really be sure. Except I’m sure about this recipe.

It’s creamy and delicious, packed with nutrients and it’ll make everyone think you slaved away in the kitchen for hours upon hours. And guest what? You totally don’t have to do that!

The stars of this vegan stew recipe are mushrooms (because I can’t get enough mushrooms), butter beans, rosemary, onions and garlic because these are winter flavors that simply warm you just by permeating the air. Okay, I have no scientific evidence for that but I just know that its true.

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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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Breads, Cheese, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Vegan Cheese (& other goodies) Tray ~ Vegan Charcuterie Board

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Let’s just start this post by me letting you know that yes, I know that charcuterie is a type of butchery and also yes, I am fully well aware that’s not technically the case with todays’ vegan food showcase. I concede all that if you promise not to take everything so literal.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what we’ve got going on here today.

My hubs came across this vegan food brand, Rawckers, and because it was mostly vegan cheese products, he was, of course, intrigued. You see, he loves cheese. Unlike me who kind of lost my taste for it after going vegan, The Hubs is still going strong with his cheese love, so give him an option for cashew cheese and he’s all aboard the cheese train.

And best of all? He even had a plan for it. A plan that only required a little input on my part, which in Wife Land we call the best plan of all!

So he made a vegan charcuterie board which we enjoyed a few weeks back while watching UFC. Is that weird? Everyone thinks it’s strange that we were eating vegan food while watching professional combat athletes battle it out in the octagon.

Personally? I felt both fancy and savage, thank you very much.

Since there’s no cooking required there’s no actual recipe, but we’ll talk about…something.

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Breads, Fruit, International vegan cuisine, Vegan

Southern Style Vegan Cornbread Dressing

Posted on November. 2022November. 2022 by writinstuff

It’s November and you know what that means, vegan Thanksgiving recipes! I don’t always celebrate Thanksgiving now that I’m living outside the United States because it took me a long time to stop glorifying a holiday where one just eats all day. There’s no judgment here but I was–and still am–working on eating in a healthier, more balanced way and Thanksgiving wasn’t helpful to that.

Until last year when I shared an American style Thanksgiving meal, all vegan of course, with my in-laws. They loved it and since I didn’t go crazy and making a dozen and a half dishes, it feels like I’ve come far enough to enjoy Thanksgiving dishes…just not all at once.

Last year was the first time I made a decent cornbread dressing and so you know that I had to try it again so that I could make it even better, and y’all, I think I did it.

If you’re curious about my First Vegan Thanksgiving meal, click here.

Now, where was I?

Vegan cornbread dressing, which you can’t have without cranberry sauce so let’s get down to it!

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Breads, Sandwiches, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Reuben Deli Sandwiches & Homemade Russian Dressing

Posted on June. 2022June. 2022 by writinstuff

So today’s post will be a quick-ish one but I just had to share another new find from Filgud…vegan pastrami!

I found this on the day I found the vegan caviar and as soon as I saw it, I made a beeline to the bread section to find some type Rye or Pumpernickel bread. I have very fond memories of this sandwich at real delis in Chicago and Boston and I couldn’t wait to recreate it and–cross my fingers–hope the pastrami had that delicious herb-y, pepper-y pastrami flavor.

I have to say that the Filgud vegan pastrami did not disappoint. It had the exact right flavor profile and my only complaint, if you can call it that, was that the strips were a little too thin. I ended up tearing a few strips which made for less pretty photo.

So, let’s get this sandwich party started!

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Asian Food, Breads, International vegan cuisine, Salads, Sandwiches, Vegan

Quick Vegan Lunch Recipes ~ Smoked Tofu Bahn mi & Salad

Posted on June. 2021June. 2021 by writinstuff

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.

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Breads, Cheese, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pizza, Vegan

Friday Night Vegan Pesto Pizza Brot!!

Posted on June. 2021June. 2021 by writinstuff

I don’t usually post on Fridays anymore because everyone is so busy planning for the weekend there isn’t much interaction but I just couldn’t resist with this easy vegan pizza recipe.

It doesn’t require a whole big thing, in fact that only difference is that I replaced pizza dough with bread.

Why?

Mostly because pizza dough is super high in calories and honestly, as good as pizza is, it’s just not worth it. But if you love pizza and want to enjoy it without an 800+ calorie meal, try out the different options at your local bakery, or if you’re like me bakeries.

Enjoy my Friday Night Vegan Pesto Pizza Brot!

This particular vegan recipe included: vegan mince, homemade pesto, bell peppers, onions, shallots & vegan mozzarella shreds.

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Breads, Grains, Herbs, Plant Based, Salads, Sandwiches, Vegan

Easy Vegan Lunch Recipes – Spicy Buffalo Tofu Sandwich & Salad

Posted on October. 2020February. 2022 by writinstuff

Sandwiches are one of my favorite foods in all the world. I’m like Joey when it comes to sandwiches, just give me some good bread, tons of veggies, some good sauce like pesto or hummus or dill-veggiegurt and I am a happy camper! And when you find bread that is delicious and low calorie, well it’s like sandwiches are calling my name.

So when my mother in law brought over a bag filled with little ciabatta rolls just 60 grams per roll, I was ECSTATIC! Like Joey-level excited and I knew exactly what I wanted. Spicy TVP, cooked in the air fryer and tossed in a blend of spices & hot sauce.

This recipe is pretty easy as far as vegan lunch recipes go.

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Breads, Cheese, Herbs, Sandwiches, Vegan

Roasted Tomato & Vegan Ricotta Sandwich

Posted on April. 2020April. 2020 by writinstuff

I may or may not have shared with you my slight obsession with the TV show Dawson’s Creek. I don’t talk about it much here but if you’ve ever visited my Facebook or Author page, you’ll have seen it. Well I now have an extension to this obsession, which I realize may be too strong a word but if you knew how much I loved Pacey Witter then you’d understand how much Bon Appetit chef Brad Leone reminds me of a grownup Pacey Witter.

Why does any of that matter?

Because I had this conversation recently with a reader and then Brad did this delicious looking roasted tomato and ricotta sandwich which, for obvious reasons, I couldn’t recreate on its own.

So I thought it was a perfect time to share this recipe…and give another shout out to Dawson’s Creek.

So the key to this recipe is the tomatoes. I used vine tomatoes because they looked really good and because I found some really incredible organic rosemary and…well look at it. This is the easy but time-consuming part. Add a bit of oil to the skillet (yes, I know about my oilless stance but I needed to compromise here so I did) and drop the tomatoes and rosemary in as they are. You’ll have to cook them for quite a while, until they start to brown/char a little and maybe even explode.

See the difference? Just cook them until they reach a point you feel they’re tender enough to eat.

While the tomatoes did their thing, I added some garlic and half a yellow chili pepper because they are an important part of the vegan ricotta I tried to make.

So Brad’s original recipe used regular old animal ricotta so I knew I needed to replace it. Somehow. The Google Machine gave me tons of vegan ricotta recipes that used cashews. I LOVE cashews. I’d probably rank them as my second favorite nut behind pecans, but the truth is that I’m still trying to reach my weight loss goals and I just couldn’t do cashew ricotta.

So I got a little creative. Tofu in salty brine water (I used Inedit brand) mixed with vegan cream cheese (Simply V brand). Give them, along with the garlic, lemon juice and chili pepper, a quick run in the food processor until smooth. You might have to add a bit of almond milk or whatever non-dairy milk you prefer. I used roasted unsweetened almond milk so it wouldn’t change the flavor too much.

It didn’t photograph all that well but it was very delicious. I mixed it in a food processor until I got a consistency that satisfied me and that was slightly grainy and smooth.

It’s pretty easy even if it does take more time than a simple vegan sandwich should. It was tasty and well worth the effort, besides I got to share it with you!

Tip: If you need more flavor for the ricotta, add nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan.