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

Sesame Roasted Eggplant & Mushrooms with Vegan Peanut Sauce

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!

Continue reading “Sesame Roasted Eggplant & Mushrooms with Vegan Peanut Sauce”
Posted in Bar Food, International vegan cuisine, Italian, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Vegan

Crispy Baked Eggplant Recipe

I don’t know about y’all out there in the internet land but when it comes to fried foods, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I love them. I love to eat them provided they aren’t greasy to too caloric, which is to say that I don’t actually love to eat them in reality. In theory or perhaps in my memory, I love them but I don’t like that greasy feeling coating my mouth and teeth, I don’t like the act of frying food and I don’t like the way it makes me feel afterwards.

But I do love the crispiness of fried foods so the conundrum is and has been for many years, how to achieve that crispiness without all the downsides.

The two obvious answers are baked or air fried, right? Of course. But that’s not always enough. The key with most fried vegan food is finding the right combination of breading without–again–going into the land of lots o’ calories. But today I think I have achieved the right blend of crispy and crunchy and not over the top calories.

Hooray!

vegan meals

I eliminated some of the common tricks I’ve seen including the crispy-maker combo of flour and cornstarch, because what they add in crispiness does not make up for what they add in calories.

This crispy eggplant recipe is baked but it totally tastes fried, calorie friendly and you can use it for all the vegan recipes that require fried eggplant such as the famous vegan eggplant parmesan. It’s not too cumbersome as a recipe since I’ve managed to eliminate one of the breading stations so…you’re welcome.

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

Vegan Noodle Recipes ~ Eggplant & Chickpea Udon Recipe

Hey Peeps!

I hope you’re doing well and this Monday finds you better than it finds me. Okay, there’s nothing wrong…not really. Mondays are my day to hit the grocery store and run other errands which means I’m always a little bit cranky because people tend to exhaust me. Anyway, I’m good and busy. How are you?

Today’s vegan noodle recipe is a simple vegan recipe that anyone can make. The ingredient list is minimal and it takes about 30 minutes–give or take–from start to finish.

I can’t even say what made me think to combine eggplant and chickpeas other than the fact that I bought an eggplant (on purpose) and I didn’t really have a plan for it. That combined with the fact that I saw a bunch of eggplant and noodle recipes on Pinterest and figured eggplant would go with it. Now, whether or not it was going taste good was a matter of opinion but, let’s see what happens.

The combination of these two foods isn’t new, I’m sure, but it’s not one that I’ve tasted or experienced because eggplant is a tricky food. It can go from tough and raw-ish to soggy and overcooked in a flash, which is why I’m determined not to let it defeat me.

Let’s see if it did.

Continue reading “Vegan Noodle Recipes ~ Eggplant & Chickpea Udon Recipe”
Posted in Bar Food, International vegan cuisine, oil free vegan recipes, Plant Based, Sides, Snacks, Vegan

Vegan Vinete Dip – Vegan Eggplant Recipes (Romanian vinete)

Hey there, friends and vegans and vegan friends! I hope your week is off to a good start because I feel as if I’m already behind on this week and it’s just Hump Day!

What’s Up With Me?
I’m busy working for my clients as well as making excellent progress on book 2 in my Emerald Creek series, which is a small town contemporary romance series. It’s keeping me busy and I’m hard at work, which is why today’s episode is a quick and easy eggplant dip.

What Is Vinete?
The easy answer is that vinete is the Romanian word for eggplant. The more complicated answer is that really not all that complicated. Vinete is an eggplant dip, or more accurately salata de vinete is an eggplant dip that is almost always vegan.

This dip was my first foray into the world of eggplant. I’ve talked plenty about my love-hate relationship with this vegetable, until it shifted into mild tolerance and then like in certain circumstances. But it was this dish that made me realize that eggplant wasn’t as gross as I always thought it was.

The best part about this vegan eggplant dip? It isn’t difficult to make and it doesn’t require a long list of ingredients.

So if you like eggplant or you want to try a new eggplant recipe, keep reading…

Continue reading “Vegan Vinete Dip – Vegan Eggplant Recipes (Romanian vinete)”
Posted in Bar Food, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Plant Based, Sandwiches, Vegan

LOW-KEY VEGAN EGGPLANT PARM RECIPE

It’s so incredibly hot and I’m sure you guys are tired of me complaining about the heat so I’m not complaining, just explaining why today’s vegan recipe is a sandwich.

First, I’m lazy.
Second, it’s hot.
Third, I found a beautiful eggplant and I knew exactly how I wanted to use it.

This isn’t your regular eggplant parmesan so don’t come for me. First, it’s not breaded or fried. It’s just seasoned and baked. Second, I didn’t have any vegan parmesan on hand but I did have vegan mozzarella so that’s what I used. So I guess this is more of a vegan eggplant mozzarella.

Okay, are we all caught up? Cool.

Also, here is a funny eggplant I found but I did not buy.

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