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Vegan Cold Beet Soup
Inspired by Lithuanian Saltibarsciai, this easy vegan cold beet soup recipe has cucumbers, scallions, lemon juice, cashews, horseradish and fresh dill. It’s a very tasty creamy vegan cucumber beet soup recipe! Traditionally, Lithuanian cold beet soup uses buttermilk or kefir, and is topped with hard boiled eggs. For this inspired vegan version, we’ll be using…
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Smoky Maple BBQ Popcorn
This is an easy vegan BBQ flavored popcorn recipe with maple syrup, smoked paprika, chipotle powder and more. It’s smoky, sweet, spicy, and savory. It’s texture is crunchy and light. As you snack, it doesn’t leave seasoning all over your fingers, as some recipes do. In the end, it’s flavor dares you not to finish…
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Vegan Stuffed Red Peppers with Chickpeas and Rice
This is an easy vegan stuffed red bell peppers recipe with brown rice, chickpeas, turmeric, lemon juice, cilantro, mint and more. It’s partly inspired by UVK’s Golden Beet and Couscous Salad with Slivered Almonds and Currants and to some extent, it’s inspired by elements of Indian cuisine. This dish is easy to make, tastes amazing,…
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Vegan Pistachio Pesto
According to National Geographic, “Sicily is the only place in Italy that pistachios are grown” and “pistachio pesto is wonderful on pasta, bruschette, risotto and much more.” How delicious does that sound? Especially, if you, like me, positively love pistachios and Italian food. You can read the brief article here. As a long time lover…
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Green Pea Soup with Spinach and Vegan Pistachio Pesto
Recipes really evolve over time. Sometimes, I have an idea for something, but the way it shows up in it’s final form is quite different. And this easy green pea soup recipe with spinach and vegan pistachio pesto is exactly that. If I told you how it started out on my notebook page, you might…
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Quinoa Salad with Basil, Berries and Butternut Squash
Recently, I finished reading Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. The book focuses on how he became dependent on alcohol, found his way to sober, and turned to whole foods veganism and ultra endurance sports to change his life. At the very end, Rich provides some of his favorite recipes. This recipe for vegan quinoa salad…
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Smoky Lentil Sauerkraut Buns
While I put this vegan smoky lentil sauerkraut buns recipe together, I had a few things on my mind–kapustníky, pirozhki, and bierocks (or runzas). All are somewhat similar. And yet, they possess distinct differences, whether it’s their shapes, preparation (baked or fried), fillings, or even their size. Each proved to be quite inspirational. In the…
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Vegan Potato Rolls
This is an easy vegan potato rolls recipe with all-purpose flour, turbinado sugar, dry active yeast, vegetable shortening and more. They’re moist, slightly sweet, and buttery. The smell as they bake in the oven… wow. And they’d make a great edition to your dinner table or holiday spread (Easter, Thanksgiving and more). This recipe makes…
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Tempeh Sandwich with Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Artichokes
This is an easy vegan recipe for a grilled tempeh sandwich with mushrooms, caramelized onions and artichokes. It’s savory, gooey, toasted, and basically a showstopper. No shade on reubens (I love them too! I mean, sauerkraut!!), but this is yet another way to enjoy tempeh on a hot sandwich. And honestly, it shouldn’t be missed!…
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Root Vegetable Soup with Fresh Herbs and Chickpeas
I’d like to think this recipe for vegan root vegetable soup with fresh herbs and chickpeas transitions nicely from winter to spring. It’s loaded with celeriac, parsnips, carrots and potatoes, but then, finished with copious amounts of fresh parsley, dill and chives. It’s light and brothy, but still satisfying. And that little bit of allspice?…
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Chickpea Pizza Salad with Marinated Mushrooms and Black Olives
This vegan chickpea pizza salad recipe has it all—marinated mushrooms, black olives, pepperoncini, chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices. It’s everything I love about a good veggie slice, but sans crust. You can enjoy it any time of year. It holds up well, which makes it a terrific candidate for packed lunches and picnics. And it…
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Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic, Fennel Seed, and Hungarian Paprika
This is an easy vegan marinated mushrooms recipe with red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, Hungarian sweet paprika, fennel seed, mustard powder and more. It’s savory, pickled shroom deliciousness. And it takes less than 20 minutes to put together. They’re terrific in salads, enjoyed on a charcuterie board, or eaten alone (or even one at…
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Almond Apricot Muffins
This is an easy vegan almond apricot muffins recipe with cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, quick oats and more. I like that it uses dried fruit, because it transcends seasonality. You can enjoy them any time 💚 This recipe makes ~12 muffins. A few things… Discover other UVK recipes, like Vegan California Benedict with Portobello Mushroom, Lemon…
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Wintry Three Bean Salad
After the holidays, I find myself on the prowl for something less rich to eat. I just know that I’ve eaten a lot of X, so now, I’m in the mood for Y. And that’s where this wintry vegan recipe for three bean salad with green beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, fennel seed, thyme, citrus juice,…
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Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
This is an easy vegan biscuits and gravy recipe with TVP “sausage”, blanched slivered almonds, raw cashews and more that’s perfect for breakfast or any time. The vegan breakfast gravy is oil and gluten free. And while I used store bought plant based biscuits, you could certainly use your favorite recipe. It’s everything I love…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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.…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…