Grains

Bowls, Grains, Herbs, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Social Media Recipes! ~ Crispy Artichokes & Beluga Lentils

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

Well here we are, folks. Back for another Monday and another delicious vegan recipe. I’m feeling less harried and far more relaxed than I have been for the past month or two, which is nice. I spent the morning playing tennis, which was amazing. It was nice out today, a whopping 27 degrees Celsius if you can believe it and we took full advantage.

Mondays are usually tennis days when it’s warm out because we go grocery shopping on Monday and it kind of ends up being a blah day after people-ing so much. But this past weekend was Easter here in Romania so not everything is open today, which means we bumped shopping back one day and spent the morning tennis-ing. Yeah, that’s a word.

Totally.

Anyway I worked out Sunday and after 90 minutes of tennis, I wanted something delicious and healthy and something that wouldn’t weigh me down for the rest of the day. Enter, Instagram. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, right? (Ha, kidding!) Anyway, I LOVE scrolling through all the amazing vegan foodies on Instagram because it’s their job to create these yummy videos and recipes and all I have to do is pick one and then make sure I have the ingredients.

For this particular recipe, it’s actually contains a few vegan pantry staples like artichokes and Beluga lentils. Okay, so sure, artichokes aren’t necessarily a pantry staple BUT they are. Here you can find the ones in oil all over the place but it’s hard to find the ones in water so whenever I find them, I buy a jar or can…or two.

And here we are.

Sarah’s Vegan Recipes is the inspiration for today’s vegan meal. I saw the video last week and I knew this was going to end up in my belly and today…it has.

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Bar Food, Bowls, Grains, one pot recipes, Pizza, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Vegan Summer Recipes!! ~ Spicy Chickpea Pasta Salad

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

Are you one of those people who sometimes think that certain foods just don’t go together? Not in a food snob kind of way, just that you’ve never thought about it or they don’t seem as if they should go together? Well I have and it’s one of my biggest weaknesses as a vegan home chef and I’ve been working hard to correct. My Hubs? He is the master at putting together weird ingredients and making them work.

We all have our things…right?

Anyway I saw this recipe when I was scrolling social media and it was buffalo spiced chickpeas and pasta salad…put together!

My first reaction was, “Beans and pasta salad? Weird.” But the photos really looked delicious and honestly I was sold right then and there. So, short story long that is how we arrived at today’s recipe.

A few notes:

*You can omit the spice and opt for a mixture of herbs and other not-spicy spices.
*Make sure the chickpeas are dry prior to seasoning them. Drain and rinse and then rub with a kitchen towel.
*If you’re not a fan of spiral pasta shapes, get one with the little ridges because they hang on to flavor and sauces better.

Strap on your favorite kitschy apron and let’s do this!

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Bowls, Grains, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Chickpea & Bulgur Vegan Buddha Bowl

Posted on February. 2024February. 2024 by writinstuff

Happy Monday, my friends. I hope you all had a wonderful, exciting or relaxing weekend. Perhaps you had all of the above, either way, thanks for stopping by The Spicy Spatula today for yet another yummy vegan recipe.

It’s not secret that I love a good Buddha or Harvest bowl vegan recipe because it’s packed with a variety of vegetables–raw and cooked–and it allows me to experiment with different herbs and spices from all around the world. It doesn’t matter if you love curry, Thai spices, Jamaican or even Creole seasoning, add it to your favorite vegetables, grains and vegan proteins and put together a quick and easy vegan bowl.

It’s one of my go to recipes when I’m feeling especially hungry but I’m trying really, really hard to be healthy. This fits the best of both words categories, and if you’re especially busy (or lazy), a vegan Buddha bowl can contain roasted vegetables for a more hands-off approach.

The stars of today’s vegan Buddha bowl are chickpeas and bulgur. As much as I love Asian noodles and rice, bulgur has to be top three among my list of grains because of it’s springy texture and the way it soaks up any flavor you cook with it. You can use whatever grain you want, but if you haven’t cooked with bulgur, give it a try and see how much you love it because you totally will.

Now…onto the vegan Buddha bowl!

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

Butter Bean & Orzo, Dill Soup

Posted on January. 2024January. 2024 by writinstuff

Even though I am not a huge fan of incredibly cold weather, there are a few things I do love about proper cold weather:

*Winter coats
*Sweaters
*Soups
*Mulled wine

Since this isn’t a fashion blog, I’m of course talking about vegan winter soup recipes. Is there anything better than a hearty, veggie-loaded soup to get rid of the chill in the air? Even with heat, fuzzy socks and slippers, nothing warms me up quite like a big, steaming bowl of soup.

This is a first time vegan soup recipe for me but it’s a win and I’ll probably add it to the rotation with a few tweaks here and there. It hits all the right notes and is perfect if you’re looking to make a big batch of soup for lunch and dinner.

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Bowls, Grains, Herbs, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

No Ordinary Vegan Salad

Posted on January. 2024January. 2024 by writinstuff

I don’t know about you but I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions. I did it for years and found that, like most people, my success was short-lived. These days I just make goals when I think of something I need to improve and the success rate is so much better. Just a little tip from one vegan to another.

BUT if you are a resolution maker and you’re looking for ways to stick to’em well past January or February, may I offer a bit of help.

How?

Most people think of salads as boring & bland & tasteless, and that could not be further from the truth…at least not if you do it right. Sure lettuce and cucumber and tomatoes are part of the mix but they shouldn’t be the only parts. Oh no, you need to get creative and re-think what you think a salad should be. Therein lies the secret to your success.

Today’s vegan salad recipe isn’t a recipe but more like vegan salad recipe tips. So take notes or come back time and again for success in 2024 whether your goal is to lose weight or simply eat better.

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

Cold Weather Recipes – Barley & Greens Soup

Posted on January. 2024January. 2024 by writinstuff

When work gets busy as it often does when you work for yourself, you have to make the important decisions such as what in your schedule can be moved around so everything gets done. For me, the first place I look to make room is in the kitchen. I need my workouts because they make me feel (and look) good, plus nothing beats the kind of sleep I get after a nice hard workout. My work and my writing a can’t be rushed no matter what, which only leaves the sporadic chores that need to be done on any given day.

So, the kitchen. It doesn’t mean that I smack together cold sandwiches, although there’s nothing wrong with that. It means that I go for something that I can make for lunch and dinner which can be a casserole, a tray bake or even a soup.

Tray bake recipes HERE!!

The other day my day got unexpectedly busy with a last minute project offering a big fat bonus for a quick turnaround and since I love to travel I calculated where that bonus could take us and then I got busy.

It was a good thing I had a big bag of turnip greens that I needed to use before they started to wilt.

Need more vegan casseroles? Click HERE!!

And put together this vegan soup recipe that was hearty enough for lunch and dinner.

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Grains, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Sides, Vegan

Holiday Vegan Recipes!

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

It’s that time of year again, folks. Okay well it’s beyond that time of year this year when I indulge in some of my favorite, most nostalgic holiday meals. Growing up in a family where both of my grandmothers are from the deep south meant one thing for many, many years; cornbread dressing.

What is cornbread dressing?

If you’re familiar with items like Stove Top Stuffing, then you’re almost there with cornbread dressing. Cornbread dressing is a southern U.S. staple during Thanksgiving and Christmas. It starts with cornbread and dried bread. Add in onions, bell pepper, garlic and celery and you’re on your way to a delicious casserole-type dish that satisfies…more so when you add fresh, homemade vegan cranberry dressing to the table.

This has always been one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, but as I’ve begun tracking my calories and macros, well let’s just say that this isn’t the healthiest or most calorie friendly of dishes. It doesn’t change my love for southern vegan dressing, but it does mean it’s a REAL treat when I allow myself to indulge.

I’ve done this recipe before, so if you’re interested in making this vegan holiday recipe click on the link to get the full recipe.

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Bar Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Travel, Vegan

Easy Vegan Mac & No-Cheesy Recipe

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

Happy Thursday! I hope this week has been good to you. I’ve been busy working (which is writing) and writing my latest romance novel, but I took a break on Wednesday to head up to the mountain town of Brasov to check out the Christmas Market.

I’m not really big on Christmas beyond holiday themed headbands and clothing, and of course watching Christmas movies. BUT I really wanted to attend a Christmas Market this year because I visited one when we lived in Germany and it was such a good time. There were tiny stalls everywhere that you could buy mulled wine (called gluhwein in Germany and vin fiert in Romanian, btw), holiday trinkets and all manner of holiday items, foods and beverages.

The one in Brasov was decorated, which you can see if you follow me on Instagram, but the items sold other than the vin fiert was just…blah.

Anyway that was my Wednesday and it was nice to have a day without a lot of screen time to let my eyes rest.

And because of that I’m sharing one of my hubby’s vegan recipes. Pasta is the centerpiece of this easy vegan dinner and it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, nor does it take a lot of time to make, which makes this the perfect vegan dinner recipe for pretty much anybody.

Right?

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Bowls, Grains, oil free vegan recipes, Soup, Vegan

30 Minute Vegan Dinner Recipe

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

I know you might find this difficult to believe, but some days I’m just not in the mood to cook. But with frequent food shortages at the market (meaning not a lot of easy things like salad fixings), a distinct lack of eating out options for vegans and my overall dislike for a lot of frozen or already made meals, I have to cook anyway.

No big deal. I’m a big girl and I can whip up a quick and easy vegan dinner as good (possibly better) the rest.

But let’s focus on the not in the mood part. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the writing cave because I really want to finish the second book in my Emerald Creek series and most of my free time not spent doing other work is going to that.

So imagine my surprise when eleven o’clock rolls around, my stomach is growling and it’s my night to cook. What’s a good little vegan to do?

Quick & easy, of course!

This dish literally cmae out of nowhere and honestly I didn’t even name it in Cronometer, just called it Chx Pumpkin Stew so, let’s go with that and get to cookin’!

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Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Plant Based, Vegan

Vegan Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

Posted on November. 2023November. 2023 by writinstuff

Hi Everyone! I hope those of you who celebrated, enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

I decided to skip the whole tradition of cooking too much food this year and just had a relaxing day with my hubs. But now we’re back and ready to talk about another delicious vegan recipe.

When you’re searching for a delicious weeknight vegan dinner recipe, look no further than pasta. For someone like me who works from home, pasta is a good way to turn a lunch recipe into a big batch of vegan food that can double for dinner…with or without a few strategic changes.

I LOVE spinach & artichoke variations, whether its sandwiches, pizza brot or pasta, it’s a great combination that’s versatile and tasty. Today’s vegan pasta recipe is no different, so grab your ingredients, get busy with your prep work and feed your household pretty darn quickly.

Choose your favorite vegan pasta. I opted for a whole wheat pasta because it’s more satisfying and that extra bite just makes me feel like I’m eating FOOD. Choose whatever pasta you want and the vegan protein is totally optional. The choice is YOURS.

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