International vegan cuisine – Page 2

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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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

New Vegan Product + Vegan Fish Filets & Noodle Salad Recipe

Posted on November. 2022November. 2022 by writinstuff

Hello folks out there in vegan recipe land! How are you?

Today I’m doing a combo post featuring a new vegan food product find and a recipe with said food. Usually my new products are vegan snacks or random vegan ingredients, but today we’ve got the best of both worlds.

As you might recall, I’ve used the vegan brand Unfished a few times here and there, in my Vegan Tuna Orecchiette with Lemon & Capers recipe or my Mediterranean Vegan Tuna & Potato Cakes w/ Oven Roasted Asparagus. You can find more tuna recipes here on the blog. So, imagine my surprise when I’m pushing my cart through my local Kaufland and I spot a refrigerated shelf featuring non-canned Unfished vegan products. If ever given the choice between vegan fish filets and vegan fish fingers/sticks, I will never choose vegan fish sticks.

Not ever.

Never!

So what’s a vegan girl to do when she’s got a package of vegan fish steaks and no idea what to do with them?

Something? Anything?

I decided to do something off the beaten path but it turned out super delicious and healthy-ish, so let’s see what we can do with vegan fish filets!

What is your favorite vegan fish alternative?

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, Vegan

Vegan Takeout at Home ~ Dandan Noodles

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

A few years ago I first tried my hand at making a vegan Dandan noodles recipe. Even before I went vegan, I loved this dish so recreating it has been a fun process.

Last time I used the wrong noodles–in my opinion–and the tofu wasn’t quite the right fit for Dandan noodles. I’ve made it here and there over the years since the first recipe but none of them have been share worthy. Until now.

Today’s vegan Dandan noodles recipe is definitely worth a share, and since things in my world are quite crazy now, I’ll keep this short and simple.

Promise.

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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!

Smoked kohlrabi greens, smoked tofu & couscous

This is a quick and easy vegan soul food dinner that’s sure to please any crowd!

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Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, oil free vegan recipes, Salads, Sides, Vegan

Vegan Banana Blossom “Meat” & Hong Kong Style Noodles w/ Crunchy Vegan Side Salad

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

Yep, here we are again back in my vegan kitchen with noodles on the menu. I know what you’re thinking, does this chick eat anything other than noodles? The answer is yes, I do eat plenty of other grains but Asian cuisine is my favorite and I love to experiment with it.

And I love to eat noodles.

It’s somewhat of a comfort food for me in that it is the perfect backup when I’m testing out a new recipe because noodles make everything better. If I screw it up, at least we’re having noodles, right?

So there are noodles but there are also banana blossoms. Don’t judge because I know what you’re thinking, here we go with another of those specialty ingredients that are impossible for normal vegans to find. I would have said the same thing, except I was just browsing the Asian section of Kaufland and happened up these canned banana blossoms in water. Of course I grabbed them, because all these vegan chefs have been making everything out of it from vegan fish to vegan chicken and I was curious to try it out.

But deep frying? Not for me, please and thank you. I decided to keep it simple and go with a sauteed version that does still serve as a vegan meat alternative, but subtly so.

And this dish is the end result.

Delicious vegan noodles with banana blossoms

This vegan dish is easy to make and it feels as if it takes a lot more time than it does, which means its a great way to impress vegans and non-vegans alike!

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Vegan Hot & Sour Soup Recipe

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

With fall upon us and autumn weather barreling in like she owns the place, our house become a soup kitchen, quite literally. Just this month alone, we’ve probably had soup about 7 out of 10 days because yeah, we love soup that much.

But cooking–and eating–so much soup means you have to keep it fresh or else someone (by someone, I mean me) will start complaining about having repeat dishes. That means scouring vegan blogs, recipes that can be veganized, making fusion soup recipes and tweaking old favorites. It can become a lot if you let it.

I refused to let it because soup is just a warm cold weather salad, right?

All right, maybe that’s a poor comparison but they are both low in calories, high in nutrients and full of vegetables, which is basically a bowl full of goodness.

I don’t always post a lot of vegan soup recipes because the photos hardly ever (cough, cough, never) turn out great. But soup, at least my soup recipes, would be perfectly categorized in my ugly but delicious category.

Anyway this vegan soup recipe isn’t my own, it’s from Will Yeung who had some really great Asian style vegan recipes. I follow him on YouTube and this Hot & Sour Soup recipe has become a favorite since he posted it.

The list of ingredients, at first glance, may seem overwhelming but once it’s all chopped up, I promise you it’s easy peasy…ish.

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Bowls, Grains, Herbs, International vegan cuisine, Vegan

Vegan Harvest Bowl Recipes

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

Looking for a quick and easy way to eat your fill of healthy food as autumn and winter sets in? Might I suggest, Harvest Bowls?

Harvest Bowls are a great way to make sure you’re getting a heaping ton of vegetables and nutrients with every bowl. They are also a fun way to keep your dinners fresh and exciting.

What is a Harvest Bowl?

Honestly I couldn’t find an exact definition or example of a Harvest Bowl but based on my quick internet research the basic difference between a Harvest Bowl and a Buddha bowl is the distinct lack of fresh salad. Both are packed with vegetables, but Harvest Bowls are perfect for autumn because they make use of seasonal vegetables.

Why a Harvest Bowl?

Harvest Bowls are a great meal for new vegans in search of easy vegan dinner recipes. Unsure what to make? Here’s my basic recipe:

*Grain
*2 types of vegetables
*Protein
*Sauce (optional)

BOOM, that’s it! Super simple, right?

Let’s get right into today’s vegan Harvest Bowl recipe!

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Easy Vegan Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Posted on October. 2022October. 2022 by writinstuff

When it comes to Brussels sprouts there are usually two types of people: those who love Brussels sprouts and those who have bad taste. Hahaha, just kidding! Seriously though if you have a love-hate relationship with Brussels sprouts, I have a easy vegan recipe that is guaranteed to change your mind.

It’s Brussels sprouts season here in Romania and pretty much around the world, which means there’s plenty of time to experiment and find a way to eat Brussels sprouts that you absolutely love.

Why?

For starters this cruciferous vegetable can help you with health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. It can also help stave off many different types of cancer. And I mean who doesn’t love baby cabbage?

I personally love Brussels sprouts and this week I found a new (to me) recipe to challenge my husband and change the way we think about Brussels sprouts. Kung Pao Brussels sprouts is a fun twist on a Chinese takeout favorite that is totally vegan, super flavorful and really easy to make.

So, let’s get to it, shall we?

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Asian Food, Beans, Bowls, Desserts, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Travel, Vegan

A Day in Bucharest ~ Sightseeing & Vegan Eats

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

Last week was our 18th wedding anniversary and we decided to do something that we have been avoiding for the past few years. Driving in Bucharest. Well, that’s not entirely true as we did spend some time in 2021 there in order to get some tattoos, but in general it is a huge headache and something that was just…ick.

But there are some tourist attractions that I really wanted to see and figured I could pull the Anniversary Card to make it happen. It worked like a charm.

The plan was simple; spend the morning sightseeing and stop at some kind of cafe for a coffee or a drink and then finish off our day of sightseeing at Ceauşescu Mansion and then a nice vegan dinner. But then we both remembered that this is Romania and things rarely work out the way you planned, especially in Bucharest.

The good news? We did manage to get in some sightseeing so you’ll have some pretty and historic sights as well as some delicious vegan food!

Let’s start with this beautiful tapestry made by an unknown Romanian artist for Ceauşescu Mansion.

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Beans, Breakfast, International vegan cuisine, Sides

A Day in the Mountains + Full English Breakfast Recipe

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

Last week I meant to add a bonus post because I’ve been so spotty lately while working and writing my new novel, not to mention taking in all the sights Romania has to offer. I didn’t get to it because I had a really trippy dream last week and it put me off while I dealt with the after effects of that, so I’m giving you a Friday freebie post/recipe.

Last week the Hubs and I decided to take a trip to the mountains but instead of going in the car, he wanted me to experience the Bucegi Mountains on the back of his motorcycle. I was on board–mostly–but there’s always a bundle of anxiety when it comes to being on a two-wheeled vehicle. Still, I promised him we would go so I sucked it up and put on my gear and we hit the road.

Of course, there was the promise of a vegan lunch at Snow in Sinaia which soothed my frazzled nerves by about 10% which any sufferer of anxiety knows isn’t basically nothing. But the Bucegi Mountains are beautiful and the scenery is magnificent so that alone was worth it.

We’ve been to Snow Restaurant many times and you can see the post about it here. The vegan sausages with grilled mushrooms, cabbage and mamaliga is wonderful but this time there were NO mushrooms–boo, hoo–but the food was decent.

We split the sausages, mamaliga and cabbage along with a vegan burger & fries meal. The vegan burger was tasty as were the toppings (lettuce, tomato & red onion) but the bun was entirely too big for the burger and not warmed so it totally fell apart as we each ate our halves.

With that in mind I decided to share with you a vegan meal that I’ve made a few times, Fully Vegan Full English Breakfast while also enjoying a great view in Sinaia of the Bucegi Mountains.

Let’s do it!

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