It’s savory, sweet, sour and totally delicious! Braised Red Cabbage and Carrots is light and acidic, and makes a terrific side dish that isn’t chock-full of sodium, fat or calories. This recipe takes some time to make (about an hour), but has very simple ingredients and is easy to do. The only requirement is patience!…
Lemony Greek Wheat Berry Salad
This Mediterranean-inspired grain salad is chewy from the wheat berries, crunchy from the orange pepper and cucumber, and possesses a flavorful lemon herb dressing that keeps you coming back for more! And best of all, Lemony Greek Wheat Berry Salad’s texture holds up, even after a day or two of refrigeration. It is great for…
Vegan Slow Cooker Stewed Green Beans and Tomatoes
Upon trying these green beans, my husband announced that this is the only way he wants to eat green beans from now on. This recipe takes inspiration from the U.S.’s Southern-style green beans and tomatoes. Usually, meat is used to add complexity and flavor to this popular side dish, but I wanted to see if…
Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Apples and Walnuts
With the holidays swiftly approaching, it’s time to think about a vegan main course that’s worthy of celebration. This recipe is absolutely delicious, has a nice presentation, and possesses delightfully contrasting textures. It takes a bit of time to roast the squash, but it’s easy to do with my step-by-step directions. And the filling is…
Vegan Creamy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables
Sometimes, I think I should have called this blog, “The Hearty Vegan Kitchen”. It’s probably taken already, but I want to think it rings true for nearly all the recipes that can be found here. And this recipe is no exception. Plus, the vegetables smell absolutely exquisite roasting in the oven. Is it the roasting…
Roasted Carrots and Farro with Citrus, Ginger and Dill
This recipe works well as a warm side dish or as a cold grain salad. As a warm side, it can be served directly after combining all the elements together. If you choose to serve it cold and it has been marinading in the fridge for a few hours, make sure to taste it and…
Slow Cooker Seitan and Green Pea Stew
As cooler months approach, I get more and more excited to breakout my slow cooker. Not only is the slow cooker easy to use, but after a few hours of simmering, you have a dish saturated in deliciousness. And this vegan stew recipe is a phenomenal example of how things can go really right for…
Vegan Slavic Green Bean Soup
This recipe is inspired by the Slovak soup, Polievka zo Zelenej Fazule. There are lots of regional differences in how green bean soup is prepared, but I took a little bit from one recipe, a little from another, and took some liberties. We end up with a soup that is creamy, slightly sour, fresh and…
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Creamy Curry Dressing
Inspired by Indian flavors, this is a zippy, flavorful sweet potato salad that’s perfect for the summer. Pop those sweet potatoes on the grill outside, and keep your house from feeling like a total inferno. It’s all about timing with the grilled sweet potato. Leave it on the grill too long, and you’ll have a…
Vegan Fiesta Rice
When I was a kid, we would eat Rice-A-Roni® Spanish Rice. My mom would add a can or two of beans and frozen corn. Sometimes, we would add shredded cheese to the mix. It was a quick, frugal meal for a working mom to serve her family, and it got the job done. This recipe…
Summer Wild Rice Salad
While I think of wild rice as an American staple (especially in states like Minnesota), it always feels pretty seasonal. One eats wild rice in the fall or winter. I rarely see it outside of soup or stuffing recipes. It’s a shame, because it has a lot of vital mineral and vitamins, and possesses a…
Vegan Tortilla Soup
This tortilla soup is all about the corn flavor. Corn tortillas are cut into strips, fried, simmered in the soup’s broth, and then, completely pulverized by a blender. The result is an intense corn flavor that announces, “This is tortilla soup!” Because tortilla soup often involves chicken, replacing it with soy curls was a no…
Kidney Bean Succotash
Lima beans are my least favorite vegetable. Maybe it’s the way I’ve had them prepared? Maybe it’s because I just haven’t acquired a taste for them? If they are in front of me, I will eat them, because they are food. And in my opinion, food should never be taken for granted or wasted. But,…
Grilled Curry Spice Okra
This recipe combines all my favorite things—okra, curry spices, and grilling! Best of all, it is incredibly easy, quick to make, and flavorful. It makes an awesome side to any cookout or summer meal. While I use a grillable pan with aluminum foil over the top of it to grill the okra, you can also…
Italian Grape Tomato, Baby Kale and Farro Salad
A little while ago, we moved back to California. As soon as we got a little settled, I planted a garden. While there’s been a learning curve around growing vegetables (there are so many threats to a plant’s survival!), it has been very gratifying. Not to mention, the flavor of a homegrown vegetable is amazing….
Rosemary Walnut Lentil Burgers
Years ago, I followed a recipe for a vegan pâté that used walnuts and sherry vinegar. I remember thinking at the time, “This sherry vinegar better be worth buying, because I don’t know when I’ll ever have an excuse to use it again.” But once I tried it in the vegan pâté recipe, I was…
Slavic Cabbage Soup
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandma. She could make delicious food out of very little. Everything was hearty. Everything used simple ingredients. Everything made you feel cared for and loved. Recipes lived in her head. She’d add a pinch of this or that. For her, cooking was visual, led by taste, and…
Thai Pineapple Cucumber Salad
From the spicy notes of Thai basil to the sweet, juicy addition of pineapple, this salad takes inspiration from Thai cuisine. It’s fresh, easy and oil free. It brings together spicy elements with sweet and sour elements. Overall, it’s a refreshing salad that is perfect for summer. I’ve been going through a slight obsession with…
Gnocchi with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes
This recipe is fast, hearty and delicious. I use prepackaged gnocchi, but you can also make your gnocchi from scratch. (If you want to make this gluten free, make gluten free vegan gnocchi!) As an additional time saver, I also have used prepackaged Swiss chard that’s already washed, chopped and ready-to-use. When this is the…
Black Bean Avocado Salsa
Black bean avocado salsa… the perfect answer for “lunch?” The crowd-pleasing homemade addition to a potluck. An awesome topping to a baked sweet potato. A delicious filling for a tortilla wrap. A tasty topping to a Southwestern-themed green salad. Over and over, black bean avocado salsa is my go-to, whether it is the meal, a…
Asian Almond Sesame Noodle Salad
Some people are allergic to peanuts, and some people just don’t like them. I’m one of the latter. I wanted to make an Asian Noodle Salad that did not involve peanut butter, but still had a nice nutty flavor. So here we are! This pasta salad is satisfying, and great for any time of year….
Vegan Caribbean Papaya Stew
Stoba is a popular stew from Curacao, which may include green papaya, beef, pork tail or goat. Also popular in Aruba and Bonaire, it is a hearty mainstay on the ABC islands. Taking inspiration from Curacao’s stoba, I put together a stew that is rich in flavor and hearty. While some recipes for stoba incorporate…
Grilled Zucchini Bulgur
This recipe is easy, Mediterranean-inspired and perfect for summer! It takes about 30 minutes to make, and it’s sooo good. I love how all the elements work together in a symphony of summer flavor—fresh mint works so well with grilled zucchini, bulgur and vegan feta. You can use either store bought or homemade vegan feta….
Slow Cooker Vegan Chili Verde
When I bought the ingredients for this recipe, the cashier at the grocery store commented, “Now, that’s what I call the right ratio of chiles to tomatillos.” I told him, “If you’re gonna do it, then do it.” He probably didn’t realize that I was going to cook up a vegan version of chili verde…