plant based vegan recipes

Breads, one pot recipes, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Cauliflower & Almond Soup Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

I love Spring and not just because my birthday kicks off the season! Spring weather is kind of all over the place which means there’s usually an opportunity–or two–to whip up a good soup recipe even as the temperature starts to warm up.

Here in Romania the weather has been improving steadily and then BAM, a gray and rainy day which in our house is known as a perfect day for a warm bowl of soup.

Today’s vegan soup recipe is inspired by a Cauliflower Almond Soup I recently had at a local spot, Cafe Natiei. Of course I put a few of my own twists on it but the flavor profile is pretty much as the recipe name indicates, cauliflowers and almonds.

If you’re thinking it sounds weird, well you’re just wrong. Okay maybe it does sound weird but I promise that it was nothing but delicious. Mine and theirs.

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

Vegan Napa Cabbage Roll Recipe

Posted on May. 2023May. 2023 by writinstuff

Hey guys! Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? 😛

I know! Last week was an incredibly busy week for me. I finished (yay!) book 2 in the Green St. Girls Romance series and I am thisclose to finishing the first round of edits before sending it off to my editor. I have to tell you that is a huge relief and I am both excited to be done and nervous to let anyone else see it.

I really love this story and I needed to take a break from vegan food blogging to make sure I did what needed to be done to make the book the best it can be.

But I’m back…sort of.

I’m going to post some vegan food recipes but I’m not going to be going in to deep detail about what to do because I really just don’t have the time. Please don’t hate me and try to understand that I have a lot to do right now and I really wanted to share some of these recipes with you!

Today we’re going with the vegan cabbage rolls. I first peeped this video on Instagram by plantbasedly and I knew I had to try it. I love napa cabbage, cabbage rolls and I knew there was a good chance I would love this.

So…here we go!

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

Spicy Tofu Stir Fry Recipes

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Stir Fry is one of my favorite lazy vegan meals because you can make it with pretty much anything left over in the fridge before grocery day, and it doesn’t require a lot of extra planning. If you have half a carrot that you want to use before it goes bad, grab some bell peppers and onions and you’re halfway to a good vegan stir fry.

And when it comes to protein? The vegan world is your oyster, or your oyster mushroom (see what I did there?).

Vegan Stir Fry Protein Options:

*Nuts
*Tofu
*Vegan meat alternatives
*Beans
*Seeds

Pick your favorite or leave it out together and opt for a tahini or peanut butter based sauce if you prefer. Add a grain and you’ve got a delicious vegan stir fry recipe you can call on at anytime.

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

Quick & Tasty Eggplant Buddha Bowl Recipe

Posted on March. 2023March. 2023 by writinstuff

Today we have another Buddha bowl recipe and it will be quick because this author is incredibly busy this week. I’m making SUCH good progress on Green St. Girls book 2 so I’ll keep this week.

It’s no secret how much I love a Buddha bowl and today’s is no different except, well one of the main ingredients is roasted eggplant, and if you’ve been here a while then you know I’ve slowly but surely developed a fondness for some eggplant dishes.

So let’s keep this short and sweet.

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Grains, Plant Based, Vegan

Whole Food Vegan Recipes ~ Vegan Buddha Bowl

Posted on February. 2023February. 2023 by writinstuff

Sometimes you just want to eat something healthy but also delicious. Right?

Okay, maybe you don’t but sometimes I just want to get back to my early days of being a whole food, plant based vegan and make something that’s easy and healthy and calorie friendly. When that times rolls around, I grab my favorite veggies and whatever grain makes me smile that day and BAM, I’ve got a meal.

What is it that you do?

Today’s meal is simple and delicious. Why? The short answer is that I’m busy right now and popping a bunch of vegetables in the oven while I make 10-minute bulgur on the oven is just an efficient way to get out of making dinner without going an unhealthy route.

The longer answer is that I’m re-editing my back log of books starting with Mustang Prairie and between that, managing my clients and working on my current work in progress I don’t time to be all up in the kitchen whipping up delicious insta-worthy meals.

BUT, having said all that I did see a gorgeous bunch of carrots with the frunze (leaves in Romanian) on them and I knew exactly what I wanted. Roasted veggies.

Just that simple so let’s not wait any longer to get down to business.

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

Oyster Mushroom Vegan Mujadara Recipe

Posted on January. 2023January. 2023 by writinstuff

Mujadara is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for vegans looking to expand your culinary knowledge or to simply tickle your tastebuds. I love trying out new recipes from around the world because it’s fun to veganize them and then I get to experiment with new herbs and spices in all kinds of other dishes.

Made with golden lentils, wild rice, and oyster mushrooms, this easy vegan recipe is full of flavor and nutrition. The addition of ginger, garlic, onion and turmeric give it a warm and comforting taste that is sure to please.

You can use a variety of vegan meat alternatives to make this dish include tofu, vegan beef strips or even beans. The choice is yours!

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Asian Food, International vegan cuisine, Noodles, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Easy Plant Based Vegan Udon w/Veggies

Posted on May. 2022May. 2022 by writinstuff

The 2020’s have been wonderful for vegans. There’s a plethora of vegan meat alternatives available for you to satisfy your appetite from old faithful tofu to vegan sausage, steaks, chicken and even seafood. If you live in one of the major cities around the world, there’s no end to the vegan options available to you to try out and enjoy. Even if you live in a smaller town, the internet makes it easy to order just about anything that strikes your fancy.

But some days you just want to keep it simple. An easy plant based vegan recipe that’s full of vegetables and creamy udon noodles.

This is a simple vegan recipe that is the perfect answer when you want to use up the rest of your vegetables before your next shopping trip, or if you’re out of ideas but you really need to eat. 🙂

Cooking vegan food at home doesn’t mean that you need to whip up gourmet food every single day, sometimes it’s about simple and vegan and nutritious.

There are really just three components to this dish: noodles, veggies & sauce. If you want anything else, feel free to add it and I’d be happy to see/hear the results.

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

Vegan Curry Recipe ~ Butternut Squash, Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry

Posted on April. 2022April. 2022 by writinstuff

This weather has been so all over the place lately that it makes it difficult to meal plan. Okay the truth is that I’m not much on meal planning, our Midnight Tokyo Diner nights have been working out incredibly for the past few years so we get tons of ingredients, many of them fresh and then pantry staples, and then we can decide from one night to the next.

But with food shortages and shipping delays it’s harder and harder to get what you expect to find in the grocery stores in April. For example, there has been a TON of butternut squash lately which I love, but for me it usually means soup like, Squash & Lentil Stew. Or cookies. Or cake. Those are my go to recipes for squash, but sometimes I feel creative and make Vegan Spinach & Squash Queso Dip or Squash Blondies.

But I wasn’t in the mood and the weather was just insane. It was super warm and we went for a long walk without jackets one day and the next it was gray and gloomy and super chilly. And the only thing to like about a cold and gloomy day is cold weather vegan food. Chili and soups and stews and casseroles are all great vegan meals when the temperature dips and I knew when The Hubs asked for cauliflower curry, exactly what I would do.

Roasted Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Curry

This isn’t a quick vegan dinner but the good news is that the oven does most of the work.

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Curry, Dips, International vegan cuisine, Plant Based, Vegan

Easy Plant Based Vegan Recipe ~ Jamaican Style Curried Artichokes & Mushrooms

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

With each passing year there are more and more vegan meat alternatives. Whether it’s Beyond Burgers, vegan meatballs, sausages or the all-purpose TVP, there are many ways you can take your vegan diet and lifestyle to the next level. You can enjoy childhood favorites without the cruelty. You can still enjoy your favorite comfort foods, like Vegan Salisbury Steak, without using animals to satisfy your hunger.

Great, right? It’s the goal of every vegan I’ve met since becoming vegan in 2017.

But sometimes you just want to get back to your plant-based vegan roots. Or sometimes I do, anyway. There’s no particular reason for this. I eat plenty of fresh vegetables. Fruits? Not so much, but it’s something I’m working on becoming better at as much as I can. But between vegetables (raw and cooked), whole grains and beans, I do try to get a good dose of them to my diet each week.

But on this day, I was visiting a new Lidl here in Ploiesti and they had, guess what? Fresh artichokes, already trimmed!!! I was totally stoked and knew that it was time to use them or lose them.

So, I used them.

Jamaican style curried rice & peas, mushrooms & roasted artichokes.

This is a simple totally plant based vegan recipe that is easy to make and super delicious.

So let’s see what this recipe has to offer.

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Asian Food, Bowls, International vegan cuisine, Vegan

Restaurant Style Vegan Beef & Broccoli

Posted on September. 2021September. 2021 by writinstuff

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Asian food? Because I do. A lot.

There’s no good Asian delivery options with vegan options so when we want it, we have to cook it ourselves. That’s just fine by me because then I can use Cronometer to make just enough for two people. Takeout Asian food always gives out so much, which I love…but I also don’t love.

There was a beautiful head of broccoli at the market this week and I knew immediately what I wanted. Vegan Beef & Broccoli but not just the kind you make when you’re being a lazy vegan, but the kind that comes in a thick, silky sauce filled with flavor.

Oh yeah…

There’s nothing better than finally getting a vegan beef & broccoli recipe right. Like, really right. This one, credit to my hubs, was Top 5 Vegan Beef & Broccoli, at least in my opinion.

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