Plant Based – The Spicy Spatula

Casseroles, Cheese, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Hot & Spicy Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

My husband loves mac & cheese. I mean he REALLY loves it and if I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it, he would request it at least once a week. Calories and fat and inflammation be damned.

Not that I mind (don’t tell him that) because vegan mac & cheese is delicious, especially this version that doesn’t actually include any cheese at all, not even vegan cheese. This is basically a thick and creamy vegan bechamel sauce with turmeric for color, tons of nutritional yeast, herbs & spices for a big ol’ pop of flavor.

The best part of all is that this vegan mac & cheese recipe is hot and spicy, and super easy to make!

If you’re not a big fan of spicy foods, I would recommend that you either take out ALL the seeds of the chili peppers or omit them altogether because I also added hot sauce to the bechamel because I am a crazy person who LOVES spicy stuff.

This is a quick and easy vegan recipe and you’ll be able to feed your family or a crowd of vegan guests in 30 minutes or less!

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

UPDATED: Waste Free Homemade Vegan Broth

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

You know how TV chefs and know-it-all cooks always tell you not to boil your vegetables? They say that because when you boil your veggies most of the nutrients end up in the water that you inevitably discard.

Well that’s the basic premise behind my waste free vegan broth. That and the fact that you get double usage out of your fresh herbs and vegetables by hanging on to the leftover bits and bobs to make a delicious and flavorful broth that you can use for pretty much anything that requires water.

Ways To Use Vegan Broth:

*Risotto
*Soup starter
*Ramen noodle broth
*Deglaze pan (perfect for oil free vegan cooking)
*Water for rice/bulgur/couscous
*In place of oil in cooking

There are so many ways you can use this waste free vegan broth and the best part? If you cook regularly or even semi-regularly you will have an endless supply of homemade vegan broth. If you think you don’t have time for that, check out my Slow Cooker Waste Free Broth recipe.

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

The CREAMIEST Vegan Polenta

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

I’m not sure if you guys know this or not but I kind of love polenta. When I grew up it was all about grits but now that I’m an adult, polenta is where it’s at.

If you’re not sure about whether or not you love polenta, check out some of these recipes to get you started:

Creamy Polenta & Oven Roasted Veggies
Sweet Potato Polenta
Vegan Meatball Stew & Polenta

As you can see, I’ve done quite a few vegan polenta recipes in an effort to get it just right. Some end up too grainy or chunky and I was striving for perfectly silky polenta that doesn’t leave you feeling heavy and bloated.

Today I think I’ve finally gotten it right!

The full recipe is Crispy vegan chicken & veggies with creamy polenta but I’m going to focus on the polenta.

So, let’s get to making the creamiest vegan polenta you’ll ever eat!

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

Vegan Cafe Treats

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

Since yesterday was a holiday in the United States I decided to hold off on posting a vegan recipe until Wednesday but I wouldn’t leave you hanging so I thought I’d share some more goodies from a local vegan cafe.

This is kind of a big deal since there are just about NO vegan places to eat in Ploiesti. There are a few places that have a couple vegan items but most of them are the same vegan meat alternatives we have in our fridge or freezer so why pay the markup, right?

Exactly.

But this place, Cafeneaua Nației, has a few completely vegan dishes made from scratch. They have a few of the well-known vegan meat alternatives like Mici and Schnitzel but they have quite a few surprises like the chickpea pancakes we had last time, which you can read here.

This time around we chose a few different dishes and one that’s already become an old faithful dish, the pureed lentils and rice dish with caramelized onions served on top.

To start we tried something other than beer and water. I chose a ginger lemonade with fresh ginger which was very delicious and refreshing, which was much appreciated on one of the last days of this European heatwave. He ordered a green smoothie that came with kale and apple and carrot and a bunch of other stuff that was…okay for me but he loved it.

It was another nice day out and we decided to eat outside this time, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.

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Desserts, Plant Based, Vegan

5 Ingredient Vegan Cream Pops

Posted on September. 2022September. 2022 by writinstuff

Today isn’t my normal posting date but I really wanted to share with you the latest vegan food obsession in my home. Cream pops.

Okay, full disclosure this one is tasty but it’s more of an obsession of my husband who is the one with a GIANT sweet tooth in our house. I found them very sweet but naturally delicious.

So anyway the ingredient list for these cream pops is super simple and the food processor and the freezer do most of the work.

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Plant Based, Sandwiches, Vegan

Ugly But Delicious! ~ Vegan Biscuit Sliders

Posted on August. 2022August. 2022 by writinstuff

It’s that time again folks, for another one of my delicious meals that didn’t quite photograph to show off how amazing it was. I’ve been planning to make time to take a course on how to be a better food photographer but there are only so many hours in a day.

But I wanted to share this vegan burger recipe with you because it’s a nice twist on burger night, and even better? You can go crazy with your favorite burger toppings if you decide to skip the fries and save a few calories.

So, here we go!

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

Vegan Fried Rice & Vitasia Veggie Spring Rolls

Posted on August. 2022August. 2022 by writinstuff

Here’s a secret I want to share with you all. Sometimes I can be a bit of a food snob and it’s not necessarily one of those instances where I believe that I’m too good for a certain type or food product but more so that I’m very distrusting of a lot of pre-packaged foods and it gives me extreme anxiety so I just avoid them. This is especially true when it comes to bagged or any other pre-packaged salad products, thanks to a childhood of recalls that left me deathly afraid of food poisoning and other food borne illnesses.

But the more this vegan food blog grows, the more I try to step out of my comfort zone to try new vegan food products because I know I’m not the only one. So when I was at Lidl this week and came across a package of veggie spring rolls from Vitasia, I took a long hard look at the ingredients list and decided to give it a shot.

What goes well with vegan spring rolls? Well to be honest plenty of things but my Hubs requested veggie fried rice so that’s what we went with and it was pretty dang delicious. Mostly.

I wanted to make a quick and easy vegan meal that was plant based and delicious, so I kept it simple but please, tell me what you prefer to eat with vegan spring rolls?

The pre-packaged spring rolls came with those little packets of what I still call duck sauce even though I have always and only eaten them with egg rolls, but I improvised and added a few things to them, which we will talk about.

DO you have a favorite brand of vegan egg rolls? Brand names & links welcome in the comments!

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Beans, Mexican Dishes, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Vegan Taco Salads ~ Black Bean & Corn Taco Salad

Posted on August. 2022August. 2022 by writinstuff

The thing I love about salad is that that you can do so much with it. You can toss together a quickie salad that looks pretty much what people think vegans eat, or you can go all out and make a proper salad that fills you up with food and nutrients.

Guess which one I enjoy?

If you guess a big ass salad, you are correct, my friend.

Sometimes I enjoy what call it a hot & cold salad because I like to mix fresh raw ingredients with cooked ingredients, especially when it comes to burrito bowls, taco salads and Buddha bowls. Grab your favorite raw veggies, any kind of vegan protein you want and cooked veggies if you’re feeling spunky.

Check out my Sushi Salad Bowl or the Chickpea Rainbow Salad or Buffalo Chicken Salad or this Summer BBQ Salad recipe.

Sometimes I prefer something a little more traditional like potato salad, or a mostly raw vegan salad.

Today’s vegan taco salad is similar to dozens of vegan salad recipes I’ve made over the years but the difference is that I jumped out of my comfort zone and made something that I have yet to have a good experience with: peach & cucumber salsa.

It’s always been a hate-hate relationship with non-tomato salsa because I just don’t find the combination of peaches or nectarines with cucumbers all that pleasant to my taste buds. Today I decided to do it again just to see if my mind or my palate has changed.

So let’s dig into this black bean and corn taco salad.

Gather your ingredients and let’s get started!

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

Quick & Easy Vegan Salads ~ Cucumber & Wakame Salad w/Ponzu Dressing

Posted on August. 2022August. 2022 by writinstuff

For today’s recipe I’m going to get back to one of my favorite vegan recipes. Salads.

I don’t know about you but everyone in my life who isn’t vegan–which is most of the people in my life–loves to make jokes about salad being the only thing my husband and I eat. They think they’re hilarious but any good vegan knows just how delicious a properly made vegan salad can be. I’m not talking about a few tomato wedges or three slices of cucumber with some heavy creamy salad dressing.

Oh no.

If you’re interested in some delicious vegan salad recipes that are a meal on their own, check out these recipes:

(Mostly) Raw Vegan Cabbage Salad
Vegan Sushi Salad
Crispy Chickpea Rainbow Salad
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Salad
Vegan Potato Salad

Today’s vegan salad recipe is a side salad and it goes great with just about anything. In fact, this salad was a nice little addition to a pizza bread recipe, which you can find here.

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Salad Recipe:

*Just 8 ingredients (mostly ALL pantry staples)
*It’s delicious
*Packed with nutrients
*Uses wakame!

Let’s get to it, shall we?

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International vegan cuisine, Mexican Dishes, Plant Based, Potatoes, Salads, Vegan

Lazy Vegan Meals ~ Vegan Tortilla Pie

Posted on August. 2022August. 2022 by writinstuff

The good news is that we all have those lazy days when it comes to whipping up something healthy and delicious in the kitchen. The better news is that with every passing month, every other day there are more options to allow you to be a lazy vegan cook.

Today I have one such vegan food find, the vegan tortilla pie by Vemondo. This company is a German company and the products are sold exclusively in Lidl, probably wherever Lidl stores exist, but certainly here in Romania.

Are you one of those grocery shoppers who just makes a beeline for only the things they need? That is totally my husband while I go up and down the aisles that are likely to have some kind of new vegan food products. He can usually be found waiting for me at the end of any particular aisle, protecting the cart with his life as if all the Romanians in the store actually want our veggies and vegan food products!

Anyway, my browsing skills are how I found this particular food. Vegan potato, onion and chickpea tortilla pie or cake, however you’d like to classify it.

However you call it, this was perfect because what I thought was just a one week heatwave has entered its fourth week, making too much time in the kitchen totally unbearable.

I kept it simple and sweet and vegan, because that’s how I roll.

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