Italian – Page 2

Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes ~ Vegan Sausage & Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

Pasta is a staple in this house because when either one of us is feeling a little too lazy to be creative, pasta is one of our favorite go-to recipes. You can pair it with just about anything, like King Oyster Scallops. Take your favorite vegan meat alternative, sauce and vegetables and make some fabulous. It’s easy and almost always tasty, so I usually keep a few different types of pasta in the pantry.

Want something a little more creative? Try this Lemon Broccoli Pasta & Vegan Salmon recipe!

Another great thing about easy vegan pasta recipes? You can use all of your leftover vegetables so you don’t end up tossing them in the trash.

Today’s vegan recipe is easy, flavorful and oh so delicious you’ll make it every single time you have a few extra spears of asparagus.

The flavor in this dish packs such a punch that no one will ever believe this is a thirty minute vegan meal.

All the praise with just half the work, where do I sign up?

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Noodles, Vegan

Vegan Bulgogi Ramen Bolognese

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

Sometimes you get a very specific craving for a dish and it might not exist yet or make any sense but you really want it. So what do you do?

Hack it, of course!

There’s been no secrets here regarding my love of Asian food and my even greater love of the almighty noodle. I’ve made Gochujang Spiced Vegan Chicken, Mushrooms & Rice, Vegan Meatball Coconut Curry & Noodles, and even Asian Fusion Risotto. One of my favorite vegan Asian recipes, and most popular, is the Sushi Salad Bowl, so I guess you could say I’m a bit obsessed.

Obsessed and proud of it, thank you very much.

But that all brings me to the point of today’s post and recipe. I had a craving for Bolognese but I also wanted Ramen noodles so I wondered to myself, how can I achieve combining these two things while keeping it healthy and vegan and delicious. My first step was to hit up the ol’ Google Machine to see what kind of ingredient substitutions I needed to make for the Bolognese ingredients.

My second step? Making sure I had those substitutions or something close to it so that I could make it NOW. This is the result. *Gong Gong*.

I don’t know, I felt like the Law & Order gongs were appropriate right here, or maybe I’m just stoked that the OG Law & Order is back on television. 🙂

Vegan Bulgogi Bolognese with Ramen recipe.

So I’m going to tell you right off the bat that the ingredients list is intimidating but only at first glance. Stick with me and you won’t be disappointed.

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

Spicy Vegan Red Sauce & Whole Wheat Fusili

Posted on January. 2022January. 2022 by writinstuff

Pasta night. One of the best nights of the week. You get carbs, which let’s face it, are amazing. You get veggies and if you’re a person who struggled to get more vegetables into your diet, homemade pasta sauce is definitely one way to get it. You get sauce, which is great. And you can take one simple vegan pasta recipe and tweak it until you have enough pasta recipes to last for months. Check out my recipe for Vegan Seafood Pasta for a new way to enjoy mushrooms and pasta! Or go with my Lemon Broccoli & Vegan Salmon Pasta recipe!

This go round, I went with something simple yet slightly different. Same red sauce only with a spicy twist. Next time I might add capers or olives or even corn to change it up a bit.

While this isn’t a one-pot dish, it is oil free and vegan, but I guess if you were determined enough it could become a one pot vegan recipe.

I know what you’re thinking, that you don’t have time to spend all night in the kitchen making your own pasta sauce. That’s what you think, and would be wrong. I’m not suggesting you go Old World Italian Nonna and boil your tomatoes and all of that, which would be awesome if you did. And if you know how, hit me up because I could definitely use some tips. I am merely suggesting that you reduce your sugar intake and guarantee you get more veggies–and thus more nutrients–in your system by doing it yourself.

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

Vegan Sausage, Spinach & Mushroom Risotto

Posted on January. 2022January. 2022 by writinstuff

In need of a one pot vegan recipe that’s not your standard vegan casserole or soup? Consider risotto, it’s a great way to get your fill of grains while mixing a bunch of delicious vegan ingredients to the skillet.

Depending on how much time you have, you can fancy it up with a saffron broth, or just add a few threads of saffron to your waste-free broth to save on time. If you’re in a hurry, plain water will get the job done but without the depth of flavor that will trick a crowd into thinking you’ve been in the kitchen all day! (wink, wink)

Check out this Asian fusion risotto recipe, here!

For today’s offering, we have vegan spinach, portabella mushrooms and spinach risotto.

This is an easy vegan recipe that requires minimal prep work, although I do recommend that you make sure you thaw the spinach if you use frozen, which I did, as well as the vegan sausages, which also came frozen. Other than that, all you’ll need is a sharp knife and your favorite cutting board.

Make Every Bite Count & Count Every Bite

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

Vegan Chicken Alfredo

Posted on January. 2022January. 2022 by writinstuff

Have I mentioned lately how much I love pasta and noodles? That I could eat it at least four times a week without getting sick of it even though I very easily and quickly get sick of dishes if I have them too often? Of course I have, it’s me we’re talking about!

I’ve already made a couple of different vegan alfredo sauces, one with lots of garlic and mushrooms and another with peas, chickpea alfredo sauce and vegan parmesan. Despite my love of pasta and alfredo sauce, I’ve made this dish again because I feel as if my vegan alfredo sauce gets better with every go round.

At first it was too think and clunky, then it was too watery. Whether I used a roux, processed tofu or early versions of mediocre vegan cheese, it was good but it wasn’t quite right. Thus began my Goldilocks method of perfecting my vegan alfredo sauce.

Today I kept it simple with this vegan chicken alfredo made with Naturli brand breaded schnitzel, which includes this particular dish in the easy vegan recipes column. Pop the schnitzel in the oven until crispy and sizzling, let it rest while you take care of everything else.

If you think making vegan alfredo sauce from scratch couldn’t possibly qualify as ‘easy’, think again. Even the recipe list on this bad boy is fairly simple.

Track Your Nutrition & Health Data with cronometer.com

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Asian Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Vegan

Vegan Fusion Recipes ~ Asian Style Risotto

Posted on November. 2021November. 2021 by writinstuff

I don’t know about you guys but sometimes I get tired of the same old recipes. I mean, really tired. To the point that if I have something other than ramen noodles, mashed potatoes or French fries too often, it will be a LONG, long time before I’ll even want it again. Yeah, I can be picky like that.

But with this new crop of fusion recipes that seem to pop up every single day, that’s become less and less of a problem for me. Take the other day, for instance. I had no idea what I wanted and it was my night to choose what we had for dinner. Then I thought about rice, but we’d just had rice the other day so I thought, “Risotto”. I love risotto (try my vegan risotto Bolognese recipe!) but there’s only so many times you can have mushroom risotto or vegan risotto Milanese. Right?

I thought so, anyway, so I wondered if there was a way to mix risotto with my favorite type of cuisine. Asian.

Guess what? There was!

And so this broccoli and king oyster mushroom risotto with Asian flavors was born. Or rather, it was born to me because the internet was chock full of recipes of this style.

If you know how to make risotto, then this recipe will be super easy for you. If you don’t, grab a box and read the instructions. I learned and perfected my risotto recipe thanks to Rachel Ray and Tyler Florence years ago on Food Network.

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

Spicy Vegan Tuna Puttanesca with Orecchiette

Posted on September. 2021September. 2021 by writinstuff

When it comes to pasta, my motto is, the more the better. That’s right. Despite my efforts to eat healthier over the years, the one thing I refuse to give up is carbs. I love spaghetti, mac & cheese, ramen, bread…all of it. But I’m also not afraid to add any of them to a bowl of raw veggies to balance it all out.

But I’ve recently discovered a brand of vegan tuna called Unfished, and you know that meant I needed a do over from my last vegan puttanesca dish!

There are a lot of variations on what it means to make a true puttanesca but this is a vegan food blog so we already know there won’t be any anchovies or other formerly living critters in this recipe, and that’s all right because that’s where the vegan tuna comes in.

This dish was pretty easy to make, especially if you already know the basics of building a good red sauce. Even if you don’t, you’ll find it easy…with a bit of prep work.

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International vegan cuisine, Italian, Potatoes, Vegan

One Pot Vegan Italian Sausage Bake

Posted on September. 2021September. 2021 by writinstuff

We have to eat. It’s a necessity for all that messy breathing, heart beating, brain function stuff. But that doesn’t mean we always have the time, the mental or physical energy to spend thirty minutes in the kitchen whipping up something nutritious and delicious.

You can opt for nutritious only, but what would be the point?

One of my favorite things to create when I’m not in the mood to cook, is a one pot meal. You can prep as you go, rinsing, chopping and weighing the food before tossing it into a casserole dish. Season everything together and toss, then all you have to do is pop it in the oven.

Alternately, you can cook any one pot vegan meal on a baking sheet if you want to diversify the flavor profile of the different vegetables.

Either way, it’s a lot less dishes and the oven does all the work. Where’s the flaw in that vegan recipe?

This is a one pot vegan meal that you add to the rotation because the ingredients are so simple.

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International vegan cuisine, Italian, Pasta, Plant Based, Snacks, Vegan

My Vegan Junk Food Haul

Posted on August. 2021August. 2021 by writinstuff

I’ve made no secret on this blog about my attempt to eat healthier. I started a vegan lifestyle in May 2017 and since then I’ve lost more than 45kg, I have increased my muscle mass and have almost no jiggly skin remaining. Yay me.

But I’m not telling you this just to brag or clap myself on the back, I’m telling you because I have worked really hard to maintain a healthy diet at all times without going overboard. But, a person with more than 45 kilograms to lose has a clear love and/or addiction to food, right?

Soooo right.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy a little bit of junk every once in a while. And whenever there are new vegan products that hit the market, I try them out to see if they’re worth breaking the calorie bank. Newsflash: They usually aren’t.

But let’s dig in and see, shall we?