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Cabbage and Wild Mushroom Pierogi

In a Venn diagram, we would see some definite overlap between this vegan cabbage and wild mushroom pierogi recipe and this one. If you like one, you’ll likely enjoy the other, because they involve some of the same key ingredients. And yet, one has potatoes and another has cabbage. One uses only white mushrooms and…
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Slow Cooker Beet Stew with Seitan, Mushrooms and Roasted Buckwheat

Is this just a mushroomy, buckwheaty version of borscht? Well, basically. If you’re into umami, earthy, sweet and sour flavors, you’ll love this vegan slow cooker beet stew recipe with seitan, wild and white mushrooms, and roasted buckwheat. It’s so hearty and makes a nice, big batch. It’s absolutely delicious in fall, the dead of…
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Vegan Pickle Soup

Traditional preparations of Polish zupa ogórkowa are brothy, and include ingredients like potatoes, brine, or grated fermented pickles. Variations can include sour cream. Because I love creamy-sour flavors, this is a rich vegan pickle soup recipe with cashew cream, carrots, celery and all the good stuff. It’s absolutely delicious and perfect for the dead of…
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Vegan Sauerkraut Apple Pierogi

Over the summer, I was obsessed with the vegetable section of Olia Hercules’ cookbook, Summer Kitchens: Recipes and Reminiscences from Every Corner of Ukraine. Because I am a sucker for all things sauerkraut, I found myself making one of her offerings (apple, celery and sauerkraut salad) over and over again. As I thought about the…
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Grilled Zucchini Spread

Across Russia, Ukraine and more, zucchini ikra is a cold vegetable spread that is popularly enjoyed on bread. Inspired by the tasty squash-centric ikra, I bring you this vegan grilled zucchini spread recipe with carrots, onions, tomatoes, dill and more. This recipe uses many of the common ingredients found in traditional recipes, so not much…
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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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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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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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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…
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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…
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Vegan Roasted Buckwheat Mushroom Patties

Buckwheat is an important grain-like seed that’s sustained Slavic people for a thousand years. To highlight this delicious pseudocereal and Slavic flavors, I’ve put together this recipe for vegan roasted buckwheat mushroom patties topped with caramelized onions and fresh dill. Roasted buckwheat groats (sometimes, called “kasha”) are combined with potatoes, mushrooms, onions, leeks and more.…
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Vegan Beet Pierogi

When there’s a chill in the air, it’s time to make pierogi! And this is a delicious vegan (or vegetarian) beet pierogi recipe with potatoes, caramelized onions and fresh dill. It takes time to execute, but if the weather outside is frightful, why not make a dish that’s oh so delightful? Enjoy these dumplings for…
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Vegan Halušky with Stewed Sauerkraut and Tempeh Bacon (Vegan Strapačky)

Halušky is enjoyed across Central and Eastern Europe. The term can refer to the thick, soft noodles or potato dumplings themselves, or to the dish containing them. Slovak Strapačky is a halušky dish with stewed sauerkraut, and bacon. Inspired by Slovak strapačky, this is a delicious recipe for homemade vegan halušky potato dumplings with stewed…
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Beet Risotto

This vegan beet risotto recipe is a delightful blend of elements of Slavic borscht and Italian risotto. It’s flavorful and delicious. And while beauty is never a high priority, I cannot deny how lovely magenta vegan beetroot risotto looks! As I’ve mentioned in other vegan risotto recipes, making risotto takes time and vigilance. It’s not…
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Vegan Stroganoff with Mushrooms and Seitan

About a decade ago, I came across a recipe for vegan stroganoff with tahini. Despite having no vegan sour cream in it, the sauce was great. Time passed, and I haven’t been able to locate it. And honestly, at this point, all I can recall is that it had tahini and cornstarch in it! Inspired,…
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Vegan Potato and Onion Pierogi

As the holidays approach, I find that I want to do nothing but eat comfort food. To me, that’s vegan cabbage rolls, mounds of mashed potatoes, sauerkraut soups, cabbage and noodles, halušky, beet soup and yes, lots and lots of vegan pierogi. So, I couldn’t resist putting together this vegan potato and onion pierogi recipe!…
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Smoky Red Bean Soup

This vegan smoky red bean soup recipe is inspired by preparations of Slovak Fazul’ová Polievka (or “bean soup”). There are many versions using different varieties of beans (like white beans, cranberry beans, red beans), meats (smoked bacon, sausage, etc), and add-ins (sour cream, vinegar, etc). However, most preparations involve potatoes, carrots, and paprika in some…
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Beet Potato Salad with Sauerkraut

Inspired by vinegret, a popular Russian and Ukrainian salad, this recipe for cold vegan beet potato salad with sauerkraut is very similar to traditional preparations. Commonly, there are beets, potatoes, carrots, onions, and then, sauerkraut and/or diced pickles. Often, it is dressed in additional brine from the sauerkraut or pickles, and sunflower oil. Positively delicious.…
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Refrigerator Dill Pickles

In the summer, my cousins and I would play outside all day. Periodically, we’d sneak into the refrigerator in the garage and eat icebox dill pickles. It’s one of my fondest childhood memories. And I still love dill pickles. For years, I wasted my money buying them at the store. But these days, I like…
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Vegan Sauerkraut Goulash

Segedinský Guláš is a pork and sauerkraut stew that’s popular in Central Europe, especially in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Inspired by this dish, this vegan sauerkraut goulash recipe is savory, creamy and sour in all the right ways. Vegan goulash with sauerkraut and seitan seasoned with paprika? Yes please! I love how the…
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Vegan Cheesy Potato and Bacon Pierogi

This homemade vegan cheesy potato and bacon pierogi recipe is rich in flavor. Hello tempeh bacon! They have no prepackaged vegan cheese products and are totally nut free. All it takes is some basic plant based staple pantry items to put these together. Similar to the Vegan Mushroom Sauerkraut Pierogi recipe, we’ll walk through the…
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Vegan Pierogi Dough

This is an easy vegan pierogi dough recipe with no eggs or sour cream. It does the trick with basic pantry staples (all-purpose flour, water, canola oil and salt). Once you finish following the directions of this recipe, you’ll be ready to add vegan pierogi fillings, like Vegan Potato and Onion Pierogi, Vegan Mushroom and…
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Radish Salad with Fresh Dill and Scallions

Inspired by Slavic flavors, this vegan red radish salad recipe has a pleasing, bright flavor with fresh dill, scallions and distilled white vinegar. It offers a nice counterbalance to rich foods. I feel like it would go very well with Vegan Potato and Onion Pierogi or with a large, holiday spread. It’s always nice to…

