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.
I was scrolling on Facebook the other day and one of my friends went to one of those Brazilian steakhouses which I, of course, rolled my eyes at because…gross. But there was some of the beautiful green chimichurri sauce that caught my eye.
Again.
Let me give you a little background, okay? I’ve tried a few times over the past few years to whip up a nice chimichurri sauce (evidence here) that wasn’t too oily and each time it didn’t come out right. I know, I know, I used too little oil in a dish that is specifically oil-based so I shouldn’t be all that surprised that it didn’t turn out right.
BUT…there’s always a but, isn’t there?
This time I used a different combination of ingredients, starting with carrot greens. If you’ve been here more than once you might know that I use greens from a variety of root vegetables in plenty of different ways. Today I added carrot greens to the vegan chimichurri sauce because they were vibrant and lovely and I was sure they would help the flavor and moisture content of my vegan chimichurri.
So, let’s dig into it and you guys tell me what you think!
When it’s time for a party, you have to have a dip. Or two or three, actually. Whether its salsa, a vegan yogurt dip, cheese dip or hummus, there’s no party without something creamy to dip your carrot sticks and broccoli tops into. Right?
The great thing about vegan party dips is…they aren’t just for parties. Recently we went to see Avatar 2: Way of the Water and we went after a long day spent amongst people. You don’t know this about me but I’m not much of a people person. Between the noise and germs and bodies, it just becomes a lot pretty quickly. So by the time the movie was over–really great, by the way–I was over it all. And it was late-ish, as in a few hours before dinner so I decided that instead of whipping up a big ole lunch, we should do a quick dip.
I bought a baguette and I knew we had cucumbers and tomatoes already for a quick side salad. So there it was, a quick and easy vegan dip made from scratch and oil free.
Dips are great. They are fun and there are so many different ways you can whip up a few, quickly and easily.
Today’s dip is easy and let’s the oven do most of the work.
With each passing year there are more and more vegan meat alternatives. Whether it’s Beyond Burgers, vegan meatballs, sausages or the all-purpose TVP, there are many ways you can take your vegan diet and lifestyle to the next level. You can enjoy childhood favorites without the cruelty. You can still enjoy your favorite comfort foods, like Vegan Salisbury Steak, without using animals to satisfy your hunger.
Great, right? It’s the goal of every vegan I’ve met since becoming vegan in 2017.
But sometimes you just want to get back to your plant-based vegan roots. Or sometimes I do, anyway. There’s no particular reason for this. I eat plenty of fresh vegetables. Fruits? Not so much, but it’s something I’m working on becoming better at as much as I can. But between vegetables (raw and cooked), whole grains and beans, I do try to get a good dose of them to my diet each week.
But on this day, I was visiting a new Lidl here in Ploiesti and they had, guess what? Fresh artichokes, already trimmed!!! I was totally stoked and knew that it was time to use them or lose them.
Whether you’re having a birthday or anniversary party, Super Bowl or Australian Open party, you’ll need to be able to feed a crowd. Feeding a crowd a bunch of vegan appetizers is easier than you might think, as long as you stop thinking of party food in traditional ways.
The first party I threw after going vegan was to celebrate Wimbledon (Hello, I am a tennis nerd! :P) and I was thinking like an animal eating party thrower. My mind immediately went to things like meatballs and buffalo wings, spinach & artichoke dip and all those other party snacks filled with dairy and flesh. No bueno.
As time went on, I became more comfortable just thinking about vegan appetizers and ways to veganize old school party foods. That was (almost) five years ago and now, I feel like a pro.
I mean, I’m not a pro but I feel less stressed when making food for a crowd. Then again that could be because I haven’t attended many crowded events for…some time now.
Tasty vegan appetizers to feed a hungry crowd!
Feeding a mixed crowd of vegans and non-vegans isn’t something I worry about. Why? Because my husband and I are both vegans and so is our household. If you come to our house, you should expect to be served vegan food. Period.
But you know what? Even if it’s just you and your family, however big or small that is, vegan appetizers are a great way to have a snack fest all day on special days. This particular spread of vegan party food was for me and the hubs on New Year’s Eve.
So recently we were feeling a hint of cabin fever and decided to get out, only all the fun places in the mountains and the countryside were packed with others who had the same idea, so we ventured into the city.
Which city, you ask?
Bucharest. It’s only about 75 kilometers from Ploiesti so within an hour–give or take for traffic–we can be there with the frustration of city driving behind us. The day was nice and sunny, we got there just late enough to bypass rush hour traffic and parked quickly, so it was mostly an easy journey.
ARCUL DE TRIUMF, Bucharest, Romania
I’ll tell you later all about my new tattoo, complete with vegan, cruelty-free vegan ink. For now, let’s talk food.
Funkink Burgers, formerly known as Sarah’s Burgers, is a fully vegan establishment. The cool thing about this place besides their artisan burgers? It’s a collaborative effort with an NGO, Romanian Vegan Association, to “promote a vegan lifestyle and reduce the consumption of animal products for ethical, economic reasons, to protect health and the environment.”
Pretty cool mission statement, if I do say so myself.
After sitting on a stool for hours until my butt was numb, all I could think about was burgers. Vegan burgers and fries, and homemade vegan dipping sauces. Sign me up. Now.
Funkink Burgers view, Bucharest, RO
The walking path to get to Funkink was a lot like wandering the side streets of Paris, basically a labyrinth of cobblestone streets that feature bars and eateries from around the world. I spotted an American style sports bar, an English pub, several German pubs because Germany is a HUGE influence in this country, and even a Scottish pub that promised “authentic Scottish fare”.
What do these yummy dishes all have in common? They are delicious vegan dips!
I don’t know about you guys, but I am always looking for different things to dip-ify. My favorite is salsa, followed up with hummus but I can totally get down with a nice tapenade if the olive selection is appealing enough. But any one of these vegan dips can get boring after a while and I find it’s nice to switch things up once in a while, so when my father-in-law brought A LOT of white plums back from a trip to the Romanian countryside, it was the perfect time to improvise.
White plums are not just for sweet vegan dishes
To be fair, white plums are not all that delicious on their own. The texture is very similar to the plums you can find in most supermarkets around the world, but the taste is so mild that it’s almost nonexistent. If you give them a day or two after they’re perfectly ripe, they are much sweeter and perfect for this vegan relish I created. Well…maybe someone else created and I just made it up in my head. Either way, this one is mine and I’m claiming it.
Quick & easy vegan dips don’t have to be complicated. Just add chips!
The ingredient list on this vegan dip is super simple. All you need is: banana pepper, shallot, white plums, fresh lemon juice and rice vinegar. The only seasoning I added was salt, black pepper & garlic granules.
Nothing else.
Start with the shallots, because you want to give him a little bit of pickling so they don’t overpower the other ingredients. Dice the shallots and add them straight to a bowl, along with salt, pepper, lemon juice and vinegar. Give it a little stir and let it sit while you chop the banana peppers and plums.
I used jarred banana peppers because that’s what I had on hand, and truthfully I don’t think I’ve seen any fresh banana peppers since moving to Romania. Add the banana peppers to the bowl and give a good stir before moving on to the plums.
For the white plums, you can peel the skin off but I kept them on because, you know, fiber. Give them an even dice and add to the bowl. Give everything a quick stir and refrigerate. I let them sit in the fridge for a few days so the flavors could get together and have a little party, but you can dig right in if you want.
And now you have another easy vegan dip added to your repertoire.
And what’s even better? It is SUPER calorie/figure friendly!
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.
Me. I love potatoes and I could eat them every single day and not having them the same way. Whether its sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes, fries or home fries, I am here for POTATOES. So when I found these vegan mici (Romanian word for “little ones” or “small ones”) I knew it was the perfect way to over-indulge in potatoes.
Just a little, anyway.
And since I’m (still) editing like my life depends on it, I’m going to make this a quick-ish post.
This was kind of a hodge-podge meal, as you can see with just a few mushrooms because there were only a few leftover as it was almost grocery day. Again.
The first time I ate Indian food, I was at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. and I hated it. The food was bland and boring and left such a bad taste in my mouth that it took me about three years before I tried it again. That time, well let’s just say that in our house, Indian food is on the menu at least once a week.
At least.
The dish was lamb vindaloo (sorry lamb!) and it was everything I had been promised Indian food would be. Well-seasoned, flavorful as hell, and spicy. It blew me away and from that moment on, I was hooked. The addiction was formed.
And it was that memory that inspired me to re-create the Kartoffel Vindaloo in all it’s spicy glory.
You’re probably wondering why I named this recipe Kartoffel Vindaloo intsead of regular ol’ potato vindaloo? The simple answer is that after spending almost a decade living in Germany, I’ve decided that I prefer the word kartoffel to the word potato, that’s all. 🙂
How to cook "with visual instructions" "using familiar ingredients from your local grocery stores" healthy, traditional and delicious Japanese dishes!!
the-spicy-spatula.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.