easy vegan dinner recipes

Asian Food, Bowls, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Sesame Roasted Eggplant & Mushrooms with Vegan Peanut Sauce

Posted on June. 2024June. 2024 by writinstuff

Hey there, folks! Are you having a good week?

Besides sweltering hot, I’m good, working hard on my next novel, marking Make Me Want To Love You and cooking…ish. I’ve been cooking but lunch has mostly been different variations of salad because it’s satisfying, nutritious and it rarely requires me to fire up the stove, oven or air fryer.

But this vegan dinner recipe I found on Instagram was worth the heat! Okay, nothing is worth that heat but I hacked my life and prepped everything first–eggplants, mushrooms, rice and sauce–and then pre-heated the oven and let the mushrooms and eggplants cook while I scrammed out of the kitchen.

Brains and beauty, folks!

I jest. Seriously though, this sesame eggplant recipe looked so good that I knew I’d have to try it out with my own spin of course, which meant adding other things to turn it into a meal, which I’ve done for you today!

If you’re curious about the original recipe, the creator who inspired my vegan recipe is fitgreenmind.

Grab your eggplant, mushrooms and your favorite grain and let’s do this!

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International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Salads, Vegan

Crispy Vegan Potato Salad Recipe

Posted on June. 2024June. 2024 by writinstuff

You know how much I love testing out new vegan recipes. If it looks delicious and there’s already a recipe, chances are good that I want to test it out, and that goes double when it’s something I already love like vegan potato salad.

Potato salad, for me, is one of those nostalgic recipes that reminds me of hanging out with my family during the summer for backyard barbecues, family gatherings and pretty much just summer. Each of my grandmother’s has a different recipe for the perfect potato salad and over the years–before and after becoming vegan–I’ve played with the ingredients, combined them and omitted the things I didn’t like to come up with my own version.

And then along comes this viral Instagram vegan potato salad recipe. Okay, full disclosure: I don’t remember if this was a vegan potato salad recipe or not but when I look at anybody’s recipes, I’m always in search of ways to veganize them.

This viral vegan potato salad recipe is quite easy, especially if you already know how to make potato salad. The key to making this recipe a crowd pleaser is two fold; you need crispy potatoes and fresh herbs. Everything else is up to you but these two are a must.

It’s easy and the best part about this vegan potato salad recipe is that you can make a big batch and add a few more veggies to turn it into a one pot meal, or you can add your favorite vegan meat alternative.

Take your time with the potatoes and the rest will fall into place, easy peasy.

Promise.

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Grains, International vegan cuisine, Italian, oil free vegan recipes, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Porcini Risotto Recipe w/Vegan Parmesan

Posted on May. 2024May. 2024 by writinstuff

It’s been months since me or my husband have made risotto even though we love it and there’s always a big box of arborio rice on the shelf. It’s one of those weird things where you plan to make it and then you forget or you think of something else to make. It doesn’t matter that risotto is an easy recipe to make or that it’s a thirty minute vegan meal, it often doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

But recently Lidl was having a sale on frozen mushrooms. Okay, not a sale exactly but they actually had a variety of gourmet frozen mushrooms and since my love of mushrooms is very well-documented, you know I had to try them. There were porcini and chanterelle mushrooms plus a bag of mixed wild mushrooms. All were delicious and yeah, they require a little bit more finesse than their fresh counterparts, but they were worth the extra effort.

How To Make’em?

My first piece of advice is to always look to the package for instructions on how to prepare anything frozen because that will give you important details including the cooking temperature and cooking time. Once you have that you can pretty much do what you want!

With porcini mushrooms you can use them directly from frozen just as you would from fresh. Mostly.

My husband made this dish and he cooked the mushrooms first because they produce A LOT of water, which he reserved in a measuring cup and added it to the warm broth he used to ladle into the rice. Once the porcini was thisclose to being done, the onions were added to the skillet.

You can also cook them in the oven, just remember they will take more time than you think.

Why Frozen?

I’ll be the first to admit that I have an illogical bias against (most) frozen foods. I think a lot of frozen vegetables taste terrible when they are cooked, but I also understand that fresh vegetables aren’t always an option and any vegetable is better than no vegetable. But when you’re a mushroom-loving girl like me, you take what you can get when you can get them. Especially when the price is right!

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

Warm Chickpea Salad Recipe

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

Greetings, fellow vegans!

Last week was an unwelcome diversion from Spring with rainy days, overcast skies and temperatures hovering in the low teens (Celsius). While i appreciated the small break from the hellacious allergies I’ve been experiencing this Spring, I did not appreciate the return to cold weather. I had a bunch of fun vegan salad recipes all planned out but if you’re like me, you understand that cold weather and cold food don’t often go together.

So when I was trying to figure out what to do with the mountains of veggies in my fridge, I came across a reel on IG from The Nard Dog Cooks. Usually I watch him on YT but he’s been popping up in my IG feed lately and I’m happy about it. In addition to a glorious beard, he has lots of healthy vegan recipes that often are simple and super flavorful. This Turkish Chickpea Salad is one such recipe.

The seasons are wonderful–cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, cloves & paprika–and they made our apartment smell AMAZING! The spices are the true star of this easy vegan meal, so make sure you don’t skimp on them.

This is a totally plant based vegan recipe, just chickpeas, veggies and spices. If you’re curious about the original recipe you can search it on the link above. This is my variation which, honestly doesn’t vary all that much.

So let’s do some vegan cooking, shall we?

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Bowls, Plant Based, Potatoes, Vegan

Easy Vegan Weeknight Dinner Recipe!

Posted on April. 2024April. 2024 by writinstuff

As you may or may not know, I am self-employed as a writer and a ghostwriter in addition to being a published author (mostly romance books). Why am I giving out my CV all of a sudden? Exposure, of course!

Just kidding…but seriously if you want to buy my books you totally can.

Anyway back to vegan food. I’m bringing up my schedule because it is often jam packed. Most days I know exactly what I have to do and what I need or would like to do from one day to the next, but some days I’ll take a quickie assignment if the price is right or the client is someone I enjoy working with and that will throw my schedule all out of whack.

But a writer girl still has to eat, doesn’t she?

This one does! And when things get a little too crazy and it’s my night to cook, I have to find ways to be creative. My go to vegan recipes when I’m busy and/or lazy? A good vegan Harvest Bowl or a vegan Tray Bake recipe. I like to have a few things on my plate and I want most of them to be healthy, whole and plant based.

And that’s where today’s recipe enters. This isn’t really a bowl or a tray back but it’s vegan and it’s plant-based. Even the two tiny vegan balls hiding out next to the potatoes are made from beet and pea protein!!! Can you tell how excited I am about this vegan weeknight dinner?

It’s easy but it doesn’t taste like it’s easy. This is where you’ll let your kitchen appliances do what they do while you supervise. Livin’ the dream, right?

Right?

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

Chickpea & Bulgur Vegan Buddha Bowl

Posted on February. 2024February. 2024 by writinstuff

Happy Monday, my friends. I hope you all had a wonderful, exciting or relaxing weekend. Perhaps you had all of the above, either way, thanks for stopping by The Spicy Spatula today for yet another yummy vegan recipe.

It’s not secret that I love a good Buddha or Harvest bowl vegan recipe because it’s packed with a variety of vegetables–raw and cooked–and it allows me to experiment with different herbs and spices from all around the world. It doesn’t matter if you love curry, Thai spices, Jamaican or even Creole seasoning, add it to your favorite vegetables, grains and vegan proteins and put together a quick and easy vegan bowl.

It’s one of my go to recipes when I’m feeling especially hungry but I’m trying really, really hard to be healthy. This fits the best of both words categories, and if you’re especially busy (or lazy), a vegan Buddha bowl can contain roasted vegetables for a more hands-off approach.

The stars of today’s vegan Buddha bowl are chickpeas and bulgur. As much as I love Asian noodles and rice, bulgur has to be top three among my list of grains because of it’s springy texture and the way it soaks up any flavor you cook with it. You can use whatever grain you want, but if you haven’t cooked with bulgur, give it a try and see how much you love it because you totally will.

Now…onto the vegan Buddha bowl!

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Cheese, International vegan cuisine, Italian, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Vegan, Vegan Food Products

Quick & Easy Vegan Gnocchi & Vegan Parm Cream

Posted on January. 2024January. 2024 by writinstuff

I don’t know about where you live but here in my neck of Romania there is just one brand of gnocchi that is accidentally vegan, meaning it is free of eggs and any other dairy or animal products, which is cool except it’s not very good gnocchi. For starters they balls are too big and too dry and that just won’t do.

For the record, I like my gnocchi not boiled. I prefer it browned in the skillet or the oven with a bit of a bite to it, not mushy and the giant gnocchi balls aren’t really conducive to that. But last week at Lidl there was a few more vegan food products from Vemondo and one of them was–yep, you guessed it–vegan gnocchi. No eggs, no milk and no cheese in these yummy potato balls.

So I grabbed them and we also found vegan parm, also from Vemondo, and I knew without a doubt the hubs would make something with both of those ingredients. He did not disappoint.

This is a very simple weeknight vegan meal and even with the sauce, it doesn’t take long to put together.

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Bar Food, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Travel, Vegan

Easy Vegan Mac & No-Cheesy Recipe

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

Happy Thursday! I hope this week has been good to you. I’ve been busy working (which is writing) and writing my latest romance novel, but I took a break on Wednesday to head up to the mountain town of Brasov to check out the Christmas Market.

I’m not really big on Christmas beyond holiday themed headbands and clothing, and of course watching Christmas movies. BUT I really wanted to attend a Christmas Market this year because I visited one when we lived in Germany and it was such a good time. There were tiny stalls everywhere that you could buy mulled wine (called gluhwein in Germany and vin fiert in Romanian, btw), holiday trinkets and all manner of holiday items, foods and beverages.

The one in Brasov was decorated, which you can see if you follow me on Instagram, but the items sold other than the vin fiert was just…blah.

Anyway that was my Wednesday and it was nice to have a day without a lot of screen time to let my eyes rest.

And because of that I’m sharing one of my hubby’s vegan recipes. Pasta is the centerpiece of this easy vegan dinner and it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, nor does it take a lot of time to make, which makes this the perfect vegan dinner recipe for pretty much anybody.

Right?

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Bowls, Grains, oil free vegan recipes, Soup, Vegan

30 Minute Vegan Dinner Recipe

Posted on December. 2023December. 2023 by writinstuff

I know you might find this difficult to believe, but some days I’m just not in the mood to cook. But with frequent food shortages at the market (meaning not a lot of easy things like salad fixings), a distinct lack of eating out options for vegans and my overall dislike for a lot of frozen or already made meals, I have to cook anyway.

No big deal. I’m a big girl and I can whip up a quick and easy vegan dinner as good (possibly better) the rest.

But let’s focus on the not in the mood part. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the writing cave because I really want to finish the second book in my Emerald Creek series and most of my free time not spent doing other work is going to that.

So imagine my surprise when eleven o’clock rolls around, my stomach is growling and it’s my night to cook. What’s a good little vegan to do?

Quick & easy, of course!

This dish literally cmae out of nowhere and honestly I didn’t even name it in Cronometer, just called it Chx Pumpkin Stew so, let’s go with that and get to cookin’!

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Bar Food, International vegan cuisine, Mexican Dishes, Plant Based, Vegan, Vegan Food Products

New Vegan Food Product: Beetroot Tortilla Shells ~ Vegan Beetroot Tacos

Posted on August. 2023August. 2023 by writinstuff

One thing you guys might not know about me is that one of the few foods I still will not eat is beets. I have tried them a few times over the years but unlike eggplant, they have not endeared themselves to me. I just can’t do it.

Nope.

No way.

Yet despite that when I saw beetroot tortilla shells, I decided, “What the heck, let’s give’em a try, right?” I don’t know why. Okay, that’s not entirely true. My hubs loves beets and I don’t make them nearly enough for him, and I was a fan of how calorie friendly they were compared to most tortilla shells.

So I tossed them in the shopping cart and figured we’d see what was what when the time came.

Well, the time came and they smelled very beet-y but they didn’t taste super beet-y.

I LOVE tacos and I don’t have them as much as I used to, instead I choose to have taco bowls or taco salads because let’s be honest with ourselves, taco shells are not exactly calorie friendly when you’re trying to lose weight unless you have like one taco and I can assure you that I am not a one taco kind of girl. I prefer more food for fewer calories, which often means lots of fresh, raw veggies.