Grains – Page 3

Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Easy Creamy Vegan Chicken Alfredo

Posted on May. 2022May. 2022 by writinstuff

Hello, my beautiful people. Today we have another quick and easy recipe because I am–still–knee deep editing Mustang Prairie so I can get it off to the editor as soon as possible. I promise not to skimp on details for this delicious weeknight vegan dinner, but I’m also not going to give you some long backstory on the recipe.

But there will be a short backstory, lol.

Does anyone watch Love After Lockup? Anyway someone suggested it and I decided to give it a shot this season and one of the former inmates blew off the girl that had been waiting for him for over a decade while he was in prison, to go to a strip club which isn’t the worst part of the story, if you can believe it.

His excuse? The strip club has “bomb ass shrimp alfredo”. Yep, you read that right. he blew her off for strip club alfredo, which is what I named this recipe in my Cronometer App but for reader, Google and SEO purposes, I’ve switched it up.

This is a quick and easy vegan recipe that doesn’t require soaked cashews, coconut cream or any of that. This is the perfect vegan dinner when you want something delicious that won’t take hours in the kitchen.

I promise.

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Asian Food, Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Takeout Recipes ~ General Tso’s Cauliflower

Posted on May. 2022May. 2022 by writinstuff

This week (and maybe next week too) I’m going to keep the recipes as short as possible because I must start editing Let It Be Love, which is book 5 in my Mustang Prairie series.

If you’re interested, check out the link here.

Anyway my schedule is a little packed so I will try to make this as quick/short as possible.

Today we’re doing vegan takeout right at home. It’s faster, it’s cheaper and the only thing it’ll cost is some of your time.

Vegan takeout recipes at home – General Tso’s Cauliflower

When it comes to this recipe, you have choices and I strongly urge you to exercise them because this dish can be so wonderful in so many different ways.

So let’s jump right in.

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Grains, Plant Based, Vegan

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Vegan Mince, Mushrooms & Mustard Greens

Posted on April. 2022April. 2022 by writinstuff

These are some strange times that we are all living in…right? It’s April but there’s still an abundance of squash at the grocery store as well as the farmer’s market. It’s weird. Uncanny, even.

More so when I think about all the time I put in to learning when vegetables were in season so that I could adjust for local ingredients in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint. But now we’re living in the Upside-Down where birds don’t leave Romania in the winter, squash is available year round and now, suddenly, you can purchase turnip and mustard greens wherever you go.

Okay, rant over. Was that technically a rant?

I don’t think so, let’s just call it an energetic questioning of events, shall we?

Anyway since butternut squash is still available and I LOVE it, you know I grabbed one and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Stuff it.

Looking for other butternut squash recipes?

Squash & Lentil Stew
Butternut Squash & Spinach Queso
Chocolate & Squash Blondies

That’s right. Even though it’s April and the weather is–finally–warming up, I decided that I would make a hearty vegan autumn meal and it’s my house and my blog and I can do what I want.

Vegan mince & veggie stuffed butternut squash

Keep in mind that this is a vegan recipe for two, so if your household is bigger you’ll need more ingredients.

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

Easy Vegan Dinners ~ Spiced Chickpeas & Rice

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

We’re all so busy all of the time that we’re often on the lookout for easy vegan recipes, right? I mean, for example I’m committed to the cause, I annoy my friends and family and all that, but some days I want something delicious, vegan and easy. Whether it’s an easy vegan salad or my favorite Easy Vegan Colcannon, sometimes easy is the priority.

Of course, I don’t mean easy like frozen pizza or other vegan junk food that doesn’t quite hit the mark in terms of taste, calorie friendliness or satiety. I mean is this something I will enjoy and not regret when I’m finished eating.

When it comes to this easy plant based vegan recipe, you won’t have any regrets, except that there isn’t enough for seconds. But you can easily double this recipe to make four servings.

So let’s not waste any time and get right into these saucy spiced chickpeas and rice. You can thank me later. 😉

If you want to forego the sauce, simply toss the chickpeas in dry seasoning and pop them in the air fryer or the oven. Otherwise, keep reading to get the recipe.

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Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, oil free vegan recipes, Pasta, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Spicy Red Orzo & Vegan Feta ~ Easy Orzo Recipes

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

Sometimes you want pasta for dinner but you don’t really know what you want, which is exactly what happened to me the other night. We have pasta in the pantry. Always. All types and shapes of pasta, but that doesn’t make the decision any easier.

Looking for a new way to use broccoli? Check out this Pasta & Creamy Broccoli Sauce recipe!

So the other night The Hubs and I were both out of ideas for dinner. It was his turn to pick and didn’t know, which is usually something I enjoy because it means I get to choose what to make. But on this night I had no idea. I didn’t feel like anything in particular and I was just plumb out of ideas.

Until I spotted the bag of orzo in the pantry. It’s not something that’s widely available here in Romania so when Lidl had one of their specialty weeks–Greek week for this particular item–I knew I would find it.

So I grabbed a bag of mince, a mix of fresh and canned tomatoes, a chili pepper and then I was off to the races, as they say.

This spicy orzo with red sauce is full of flavor, easy to make and a great excuse to bust out the vegan feta cheese you just bought but refuse to eat with just a knife.

This is a quick and easy vegan meal that works especially well on those nights you don’t feel like making dinner or you have other things waiting for you. Enjoy!

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Bowls, Grains, Plant Based, Vegan

Beyond Burger Stuffed Bellas w/Brussels Sprouts

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

For many years I have had a love-hate relationship with stuffed mushrooms because they either come out too soft & mushy, like my Carrot Greens Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms or too underdone like the Mince & Couscous Stuffed Mushrooms. For a couple of years I just gave up on those elusive stuffed mushrooms that I’d enjoyed at restaurants in Chicago and Boston and Wurzburg.

I thought I’d have to resign myself to only eating them when made my a professional chef. Or my husband’s New Year’s Eve mushrooms

And then one day I was browsing the aisles of Lidl here in Romania and you know what I found? Portobella mushrooms. Not those flat wide one with more gills that mushroom flesh, but the gorgeous ones that were already practically a bowl just begging to be filled.

I tested them out a few times over the past few months and I am happy–ecstatic, actually–to report that I have finally achieved the perfect stuffed mushroom.

And you know what the perfect stuffed mushroom requires? The perfect vegan mince and I’m talking about Beyond Burger. Okay, maybe it’s not the most perfect vegan mince but of ALL the ones I’ve tasted, it’s the best damn one around.

So, let’s talk about these Beyond Burger stuffed mushrooms with bulgur and Brussels sprouts.

I know this looks like a lot for a pretty simple recipe, but it’s really not. I promise.

And if you don’t like Brussels Sprouts, switch it up to something else like broccoli, asparagus or kale.

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Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Creamy Broccoli Sauce & Vegan Pasta

Posted on February. 2022February. 2022 by writinstuff

I am so excited about today’s vegan recipe, y’all. Maybe I’m just late to the game but I stumbled upon this Creamy Broccoli Pasta recipe online thanks to the beautiful and talented Gaz of Avant Garde Vegan. I made some adjustments because of course I did, but the spirit and flavor of the recipe is pretty much the same.

The great thing about a simple vegan recipe like this is that you can add as many greens as you want without compromising flavor, and the food processor still does most of the work. This was my first time having a vegan pasta dish like this but I was pleasantly surprised about the flavor and consistency of the sauce, and so was my husband.

You can have creamy vegan broccoli sauce without a few florets!

This vegan pasta recipe is quick and easy, and best of all you can change it up to change the flavor profile for a completely new taste.

Looking for more vegan pasta recipes? Try this Vegan Seafood Pasta recipe.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

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

Easy Vegan Soup Recipes ~ Black Lentil & Barley Soup

Posted on February. 2022February. 2022 by writinstuff

You know how it is when you find something you’ve been searching for a long time to get and then you find it and you use it and use it like it’s going out of style? Welcome to my life since one–just one–of the local grocery stores in Ploiești finally started to stock beluga lentils. Again.

One time, a long, long time ago, back when I still lived in the United States and had access to Food Network and all of my favorite professional chefs and cooks, I stumbled upon a recipe called Mulligatawny Stew (Enjoy my Southern Style Vegan Black Eyed Pea & Spinach Stew recipe). Now I’m not sure if the original or authentic version uses black lentils but this version did and I’ve been in love with them ever since. It’s a weird thing that happens, ya know? You don’t think about beluga lentils ever and then you have them and learn about them and now they’re all you think about.

I like to call it the red car effect. You don’t notice how many red cars there are on the road until someone tells you a piece of useless trivia about just how many there are, and now it’s like every other car is a red car.

Go figure, right?

Once again, welcome to beluga lentils.

Black lentils are the sturdiest of all the colors of lentils, even more so than the green ones which have a longer cook time and a more of a bite. they are delicious and because they are so hearty, they soak up more flavors which makes them absolutely perfect for soups and stews. So you already know, both by title and this super long intro, just what I did with them this time around.

Black Lentil & Barley Stew.

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Bowls, Curry, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Sides, Vegan

Jamaican Curry Vegan Buddha Bowl

Posted on February. 2022February. 2022 by writinstuff

Sick of the same old meals week in and week out? Yeah, I get that way sometimes too especially with things being the way they are and the limited vegan take out options in my adopted town. Despite all of my recipes on everything from sushi bowls to warm salad recipes, not to mention the wealth of vegan recipes available online, sometimes it feels as if I’ve made everything.

Everything.

But that can’t be, can it? Of course not. That’s why when I get into a vegan cooking rut, I decide what I want to eat first. Am I in the mood for broccoli or mac & cheese or a Gnocchi Bake? And then I just do a little switch-a-roo. Take an Italian dish and turn into something else like, Asian style. It doesn’t always work, but it’s always worth a shot because when it does work…whoa boy!

Sunday night is the night before I hit up the grocery store so often I try to use all the odds & ends to make room for fresh items, mostly produce. I went through my spice rack and came up with a few things to make a Jamaican style curry and put it all in a bowl.

It looks like a whole feast, doesn’t it? Well it was and the other it was? Super easy to make.

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Bowls, Grains, International vegan cuisine, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Mushroom & Beluga Lentil Mujadara

Posted on February. 2022January. 2022 by writinstuff

If you don’t know the Arabic dish called Mujadara then you, my friend are missing out. Big time. This dish is a wonderful mix of grains and flavors that you can whip up to feed a crowd or keep for lunch the next day. For the past few years, this is one of my go-to comfort dishes because it has everything a good comfort dish needs, minus all the crap it doesn’t.

The first time I made this dish, I was a newbie and I followed the directions to the letter. The next time, I made a few small tweaks featuring cauliflower & soy, and today’s version is oil-free, vegan and uses beluga (black) lentils instead of your standard green or brown.