Ugly Vegan Kitchen

Slow Cooker Vegan Italian Beef

This easy slow cooker vegan Italian beef recipe combines shredded young jackfruit and thinly sliced seitan with a super savory au jus loaded with red miso, reduced sodium soy sauce, onions, garlic, and Italian herbs and spices. Slow cooked in a crock pot for hours, it makes such a delicious plant based filling for vegan…
Roasted Garlic Spinach Artichoke Dip

After several years on the blog, I decided to revise this recipe. It retains many of the original ingredients, but has been modified for simplicity and flavor. This vegan roasted garlic spinach artichoke dip recipe has silken tofu, raw cashews, lemon juice, miso, nutritional yeast and more. It’s still creamy, savory and mouthwatering. And whether…
Edamame Kale Slaw with Orange Sesame Dressing

Inspired by Asian flavors, this is an easy, refreshing vegan kale slaw recipe with edamame, red cabbage, toasted almonds, carrots, red pepper, and an orange sesame dressing. To match it’s tasty flavor, it’s got a texture that’s also very satisfying. Depending on whether it’s the main course or a side salad, this recipe serves ~2-4.…
Vegan Hominy Chili Bake

Who doesn’t love a vegan chili cornbread casserole? This casserole’s cornbread crust is moist and sweet. The hominy chili filling is smoky, spicy, and very easy to make. Baked in the oven for ~25 minutes, and it’s a delicious vegan hominy chili bake recipe that will keep everyone coming back for more. This is not…
Vegan Cheese Ball with Pecans and Cranberries

Inspired by Miyoko’s Creamery Roadhouse Cheddar Spread, I put together this vegan cheese ball recipe with cashews, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, miso, and covered it in chopped pecans and dried cranberries. Some of the ingredients are similar to the store bought variety, but I’ve also taken some liberties to infuse flavor and dress it up…
Tempeh Marinade with Garlic, Thyme, and Hungarian Paprika

This easy savory garlic thyme tempeh marinade recipe has reduced sodium soy sauce, stone ground mustard, Hungarian sweet paprika, and more. The first time I cooked up it up, we just ate it right out of the skillet. It never made it to our plates. But if you have more restraint that we did, this…
Carrot Kasha Pierogi

Recently, I came across an article about Zuza Zak, the author of the cookbook, Pierogi. In it, she discusses a Lublin pierogi filled with twaróg cheese, roasted buckwheat and sugar. It wasn’t the first time I’ve read about a kasha pierogi, but I was certainly intrigued! So, I did some thinking about what I would…
Lemon Tahini Farro Bowl with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Peppers

While I love ordering bowls in restaurants, I don’t always enjoy making them at home. It usually requires a lot of different ingredients, cooking techniques, and time. I admit, it’s probably the recipes I’m attracted to. But a few months ago, I had some fresh broccoli with no plan for how to use it. So,…
Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

Inspired by Italian flavors, this is an easy vegan recipe for kale and cannellini bean soup with garlic, dry white wine, carrots, tomatoes, and more. The spices and dried herbs really make this brothy soup! It’s warming and comforting. And best of all, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. This recipe makes 4 servings.…
Orangy Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Pears and Pumpkin Seeds

Recently, I learned that you can cook quinoa in fruit juice. Who knew? Immediately, I was inspired to put together a vegan recipe for orange quinoa salad with cranberries, pears, spinach and toasted pumpkin seeds. It packs a lot of flavor and stores well. And it works well as a Thanksgiving dish, as a side,…
Semolina Porridge

While there isn’t much to the ingredients for this creamy vegan semolina porridge (or pudding) recipe, it does take a bit of technique to pull-off without lumps. The secrets are lots of whisking and staggering when you add the plant based milk. It comes together in about 2-3 minutes, and is ready for all kinds…
Seitan Fajitas

Inspired by the Tex-Mex classic, this vegan seitan fajitas recipe has bell peppers, onions, garlic, cumin, lime juice and more. They were an important part of my mom’s meal rotation in the late 80’s. These days, I break them out on occasion, but have changed the recipe up a bit. Whether you make them out…
Vegan Shopska Salad

Almost a year ago, I was listening to The Slavic Connexion interview with Dr. Mary Neuburger, Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin and Director of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES). She discussed her book, Ingredients of Change: The History and Culture of Food in Modern Bulgaria.…
Vegan Cucumber Mint Sandwiches

Inspired by Thai flavors, this is an easy recipe for vegan cucumber mint sandwiches with almond butter, cilantro, jalapeño slices and pickled red onion. It hits all the right notes–salty, sweet, bitter, sour and spicy. And it takes very little effort to make, which couldn’t be more fitting for summer. At Chez UVK, I often…
Cold Mango Soup

One of my favorite summer treats is cold fruit sprinkled with Tajín. For a person, who hardly tolerates fruit, the chili pepper, lime and salt seasoning is a game changer. I actually look forward to it! So, with this in mind, I created a refreshing vegan cold mango soup recipe with pineapple, cucumber, red bell…
Grilled Red Pepper Spread

I’m lucky enough to live very close to a grocery store stocked with delights from Ukraine, Poland, Romania, the Balkans, and more. One of my favorite things is trying all the spreads! Over the last couple months, I’ve tried so many delicious savory vegetable spreads, but one that really stands out is Bulgarian lyutenitsa (or…
Tofu Sushi Rolls with Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber and Vegan Wasabi Mayo

I like plant based sushi rolls to taste like something. I need sauces that are going to highlight the filling in the best ways. So using wasabi mayo, I put together this delicious vegan tofu sushi roll recipe with asparagus, avocado, and cucumber. Think of it as an AAC roll, but up a notch. This…
Vegan Wasabi Mayo

Looking for a sauce to take your plant based sushi to the next level? Maybe you’re stick of the same old, same old veggie burger condiments? Or perhaps, you want your next coleslaw to have a bit more pizzazz? Have I got the thing for you! It’s an easy vegan wasabi mayo sauce recipe with…
Vegan Tofu Burger with Indian Spices and Green Peas

At the beginning of the year, I purchased a copy of Plant-Based India by Dr. Sheil Shukla. Let me just say, there’s a reason this cookbook was voted one of the best of 2022 by the New York Times. It is incredibly good! There isn’t a recipe that isn’t a showstopper. And after cooking out…
Vegan Granola Bars

If you love vanilla chai, this homemade no bake vegan granola bars recipe with maple syrup, almond butter, crispy rice cereal, quick oats, cinnamon and more is for you! They don’t take a lot of effort, but they’re really good. They work well as a snack, as nourishment on a hike, toted along on a…
Curried Cauliflower Soup

Inspired by the flavors of India, this is a vegan curried cauliflower soup recipe with potatoes, green peas, carrots and coconut cream. One of the chief ingredients is madras curry powder, which is a personal favorite. If you love curries, I hope you’ll find this soup is warming, nourishing and has a tasty flavor to…
Vegan Taco Pasta Casserole

I had three things on my mind–Taco Bell Crunchy Tacos, Hamburger Helper, and Frito Pie. And that is how I arrived at this easy vegan taco pasta casserole recipe. Seriously, what if a classic hard shell TVP taco was completely deconstructed, combined with pasta and black beans, and baked in the oven? As it turns…
Lemon Puffs with Almond Ricotta

This is an easy vegan recipe for lemon puffs with homemade almond ricotta, garlic and store bought pastry. They’re refreshing, light and savory, and work well as an appetizer or snack. And while they look a bit fancy, that’s just the power of microgreens (they make everything look fancy). These babies are super simple to…
Roasted Baby Carrots with Leeks, Lemon Zest and Parsley

Looking for an easy veggie side dish? Well, look no further than this recipe for vegan roasted baby carrots with leeks, lemon zest and parsley. It proves once again that simple can be very tasty! This recipe makes ~4-6 servings. A few things… These roasted baby carrots are great for Easter or spring holiday spreads…
Stuffed Turnips

Slovenes have a tradition of stuffing turnips with millet porridge and cottage cheese, and then, baking them in the oven. To this day, Slovenia’s dish, loška smojka, is considered by some to be a classic part of their cuisine. Inspired by this dish, I decided to create a spin-off vegan recipe for stuffed turnips with…
White Bean Hummus with Roasted Garlic and Crispy Sage

One of my friends has an allergy to peas and lentils. Due to this, he cannot eat chickpeas without consequences. For years, he had to forego hummus. As it became in vogue to make hummus out of everything, his world started opening up. And so with this in mind, I put together this easy white…
Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes with Apple Cinnamon Topping

This is an easy vegan buckwheat pancakes recipe with an apple cinnamon topping. The pancakes use everyday kitchen pantry staples. The topping uses green apples, cinnamon, ginger, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Together, it’s heavenly! But even if you skip the topping and just make the hotcakes, you’ll find they’re are fluffy, nutty and moist.…
Vegan Chicken and Rice Soup

This is a Mexican-inspired vegan chicken and rice soup recipe with soy curls, cilantro, jalapeño, carrots and more. It’s hearty, warming and comforting. Plus, as an added bonus, it is a great way to use up leftover cooked rice. This recipe makes ~4-6 servings. A few things… Vegan Chicken and Rice Soup 2 cups water…