Grains

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

Vegan Tuna Sandwich Upgrade ~ Tapenade Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

The good news is that my book is off to the editor! The not-so-good news is that means there are still about a thousand different things that I need to do to prepare for book launch.

But I still have to eat which means another vegan sandwich recipe…of sorts.

Did anyone else love a good tuna salad sandwich as a kid? My favorite was made with Miracle Whip, celery, mustard and diced pimento. It was simple and went really great with crackers. But recently I was in the mood for a proper grown up vegan tuna sandwich but with a twist.

Tapenade.

If you’ve been around a while you know that I love pesto of all varieties and I will put it on absolutely anything from Vegan Eggs to Tabbouleh Salad and yes, my favorite Pizza Brot recipes! If you love vegan pesto as much as I do, click here to get started on pesto basics.

But the truth is that I love tapenade just as much, I mean what’s not to love about an olive centric dish? But it can get salty and I’m searching for more ways to add tapenade to dishes without making it salty AF.

Anyway, let’s jump right in!

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

Vegan Napa Cabbage Roll Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hey guys! Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? 😛

I know! Last week was an incredibly busy week for me. I finished (yay!) book 2 in the Green St. Girls Romance series and I am thisclose to finishing the first round of edits before sending it off to my editor. I have to tell you that is a huge relief and I am both excited to be done and nervous to let anyone else see it.

I really love this story and I needed to take a break from vegan food blogging to make sure I did what needed to be done to make the book the best it can be.

But I’m back…sort of.

I’m going to post some vegan food recipes but I’m not going to be going in to deep detail about what to do because I really just don’t have the time. Please don’t hate me and try to understand that I have a lot to do right now and I really wanted to share some of these recipes with you!

Today we’re going with the vegan cabbage rolls. I first peeped this video on Instagram by plantbasedly and I knew I had to try it. I love napa cabbage, cabbage rolls and I knew there was a good chance I would love this.

So…here we go!

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Asian Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Mushroom Unagi Sushi Bowl Recipe

Posted on April. 2023April. 2023 by writinstuff

A few months back my husband made vegan sushi and it was delicious. It was smoked tofu unagi and I really enjoyed, especially as someone who had a complicated relationship with sushi before going vegan. I loved it and I’ve been wanting to have it again but—apparently—making sushi is hard work.

I grew tired of waiting for him to make it for me and decided that I would find a way to have it without doing all the fancy handwork that goes along with making sushi rolls.

I decided to make it into a bowl…and use mushrooms.

That’s right, I decided to not only turn sushi into (another) bowl, but I took out the vegan meat alternatives too in favor of portabella mushrooms. But worry not, there is a teensy bit of vegan mince elsewhere in this bowl!

It turns out great and unlike the unagi roll, I decided to add a little more to the bowl than rice. It was satisfying and flavorful and delicious and I’m not just saying that because I made it!

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

Quick & Tasty Eggplant Buddha Bowl Recipe

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Today we have another Buddha bowl recipe and it will be quick because this author is incredibly busy this week. I’m making SUCH good progress on Green St. Girls book 2 so I’ll keep this week.

It’s no secret how much I love a Buddha bowl and today’s is no different except, well one of the main ingredients is roasted eggplant, and if you’ve been here a while then you know I’ve slowly but surely developed a fondness for some eggplant dishes.

So let’s keep this short and sweet.

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Grains, Plant Based, Vegan

Whole Food Vegan Recipes ~ Vegan Buddha Bowl

Posted on February. 2023February. 2023 by writinstuff

Sometimes you just want to eat something healthy but also delicious. Right?

Okay, maybe you don’t but sometimes I just want to get back to my early days of being a whole food, plant based vegan and make something that’s easy and healthy and calorie friendly. When that times rolls around, I grab my favorite veggies and whatever grain makes me smile that day and BAM, I’ve got a meal.

What is it that you do?

Today’s meal is simple and delicious. Why? The short answer is that I’m busy right now and popping a bunch of vegetables in the oven while I make 10-minute bulgur on the oven is just an efficient way to get out of making dinner without going an unhealthy route.

The longer answer is that I’m re-editing my back log of books starting with Mustang Prairie and between that, managing my clients and working on my current work in progress I don’t time to be all up in the kitchen whipping up delicious insta-worthy meals.

BUT, having said all that I did see a gorgeous bunch of carrots with the frunze (leaves in Romanian) on them and I knew exactly what I wanted. Roasted veggies.

Just that simple so let’s not wait any longer to get down to business.

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Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Vegan

Vegan Jerk Chicken Recipe

Posted on January. 2023January. 2023 by writinstuff

I’ve been trying for a while now to figure out a way to make a vegan Jerk recipe that tastes authentic and delicious, without compromising the deep flavors and the spice.

Tofu works but you have to marinade it for a long time, which is a totally viable option but I work for myself as a ghostwriter and author and sometimes I get sucked into the writing cave and only pop my head out when its time for dinner. For tofu that idea is no bueno as it requires a much longer marinade period.

So I did some digging. And some scouring looking for the right vegan jerk chicken recipe and what did I do? What any good researcher would, I compiled them together to come up with something that’s spicy and delicious with the authentic Jerk flavor.

So let’s see how my vegan jerk chicken turned out!

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Casseroles, Grains, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Comfort Food ~ Vegan Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Posted on January. 2023January. 2023 by writinstuff

There’s nothing quite like a warm, comforting bowl of vegan mac and cheese on a cold winter day. Not only is it delicious and satisfying, but it’s also a great way to incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet. Broccoli is and has always been one of my favorite vegetables and this vegan dinner recipe is a staple in our house, but you can add cauliflower, carrots or any other vegetable that tickles your fancy.

One of the great things about vegan comfort food is that it can be just as indulgent and creamy as its non-vegan counterparts, but without the negative health consequences. By using plant-based ingredients like nuts, seeds, and vegetables, you can create rich and flavorful dishes that are much lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than traditional comfort foods.

One of my favorite vegan comfort food recipes is vegan mac and cheese with broccoli and garlic. Not only is it packed with flavor, but it’s also loaded with nutrients thanks to the addition of broccoli. Plus, the garlic adds a nice depth of flavor and helps to boost the immune system.

What is your go to vegan comfort food recipe?

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Beans, Grains, Herbs, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Snacks, Vegan

Hearty White Bean & Veggie Vegan Stew

Posted on November. 2022November. 2022 by writinstuff

Soup season is upon us!

What does that mean, exactly? It means we have the best of what fall vegan recipes have to offer from herbs and spices, to locally grown ingredients that make your fall vegan soups the best they can be.

When it comes to making seasonal vegan stews, I love knowing that my big supermarkets and even the local farmer’s markets will have fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano to add to my favorite autumn recipes. Toss in a few seasonal vegetables and you have everything you need for the perfect hearty vegan stew.

When it comes to buying vegan soup recipes in the fall, I like to pick up what I can find. Whether that is corn or zucchini, eggplant, celery or cabbage, whatever I can find locally and at a reasonable price is a top candidate for my favorite vegan soup recipes.

Today I decided to shoot for a hearty white bean vegan stew which is perfect for any level of vegan home cook because all you need is a few vegetables, some herbs and spices and you’re ready to feed your family or a big crowd for football Sunday!

Let’s dive into this quick and easy vegan fall stew recipe that is guaranteed to satisfy a hungry crowd.

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Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Vegan

Easy Vegan Soul Food ~ Kohlrabi Greens & Smoked Tofu Dinner

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

I don’t know about you guys but I grew up on soul food. Delicious, fill up your heart–and arteries–soul food.

After years of enjoying a vegan lifestyle, I still have a slight longing for soul food on occasion. But the thing I want with my vegan soul food is fewer calories and more heart healthy choices but with the essence of my granny’s soul food.

Here in Romania the soul food choices are…not the same and that’s okay. I don’t need it to be exactly the same but one of the things I crave often, especially during the fall & winter months is greens. If I were at home in the US then it would be collard or mustard greens, but alas those are not options here so I have to get creative.

One way I do this is with turnip greens but a quick trip to the supermarket recently gave me another creative option. Kohlrabi greens.

Yeah, that kohlrabi. I was browsing the grocery store and found a bin of kohlrabi but there was twice as many leaves as there were vegetables so I moved to the side adn did what any good vegan would, I Googled ‘can you eat kohlrabi greens’ and found a quick and easy answer.

Yes, you can eat them. You can cook them the way you cook pretty much any dark leafy greens from spinach to kale to collard greens.

SCORE!!

I grabbed a few hundred grams that had been discarded by other shoppers, stuffed them into my mesh produce bag and happily paid pennies for them at checkout.

Now, let’s see what I did to turn kohlrabi greens into a delicious vegan soul food dinner!