All posts by Athanasia

Valsamo Interview

Interview

Valsamo Interview

I buy most of the spices I use in my cooking plus herbal teas, superfoods, vegan treats, dried fruits, plant based cosmetics and much more from Valsamo (Yperikon) here in Patra. I don’t know how Vasilis does it, but his spices are so fresh, full of flavor with a strong aroma! They are, by far, some of the best herbs and spices Ι have ever tasted! I enjoy walking in his beautiful store while Vasilis and his wife welcome me in their calm and friendly way. Anytime I have asked him for an herbal remedy to help me with something specific such as a light cold or even improved concentration for studying, he has always   delivered and it worked! Of course, it would be hard to write this interview without mentioning the smoked paprika they sell there! I asked him for an interview because I wanted to find out how a small business owner in Greece is handling the economic crisis, especially when he sets quality as his priority. I strongly suggest you try anything from his store, which you can now find online as well!

Valsamo Interview

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Vegan Greek Christmas Cookies

Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Raw, Snacks, Snacks To Go, Vegan,

Vegan Greek Christmas Cookies

As you can see from our old melomakarona recipe, they are traditionally made using flour, honey and sugar. However, we veganized it and left the honey out! This year I thought why not leave the flour out too? This new recipe uses walnuts combined with the traditional flavors of melomakarona: orange, cinnamon and cloves! These make for a juicy cookie wrapped in a scrumptious layer of chocolate that melts in your mouth! Very vegan Greek Christmas cookies, wow! 🙂 Continue reading Vegan Greek Christmas Cookies →

Eggplant Boats

Dairy Free, Gluten-Free, Main Courses, Product Reviews, Vegan, Vegetarian

Eggplant Boats

One of the very first recipes we posted was very similar to these Eggplant Boats we are posting today. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years already! One of the challenges for the food blog awards we are participating in is to make a simpler version of one of our favorite foods. We both loved the original version of this recipe so we wanted to see if we could simplify it without sacrificing flavor or satisfaction. We are very happy with the end result! As stated, this recipe is another one of the recipes we are posting for the food blog awards we are participating in. If you are interested in supporting us, click here then click like to vote for us. Thank you for your support!
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Food Photography Part 2

Inspirational, Interview

Food Photography Part 2

Back in June we posted the first of two posts about food photography. We wanted to interview some other food bloggers on the subject of food photography to find out what they have learned and any advice they might have for others. We are also pleased to announce our nomination for Greece’s first BHMA Gourmet Food Blog awards! We are participating in the Special Diet category so if you feel like showing us and veganism some support feel free to click here and like us to vote for us. Thank you for your support! Now, here is part two of our food photography series:

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Vegan Space Bars

Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan Space Bars - homemade gluten free dairy free vegan chocolate & caramel candy bar recipe

Wait, so you’re telling me the space bar on my keyboard isn’t vegan? What is a vegan space bar anyway? If you have asked these questions then you’ve come to the right place. One of my favorite candy bars before I was vegan was Mars bars. These vegan space bars are not quite Mars bars but they are out of this world and delicious! They feature delicious caramel, a cookie nougat and bananas if you choose to use them covered in melted chocolate that hardens when it cools. These vegan candy bars are amazing and definitely worth trying!

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Peach Perfect Smoothie

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Gluten-Free, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegetarian

Peach Perfect Smoothie Recipe

This smoothie is so delicious it makes me want to sing acapella (Get it? Peach perfect? From Pitch Perfect? I am a sucker for those kind of movies but can you blame me?!) Ok, but seriously, this peach perfect smoothie is one of my favorite smoothies; plus it’s really easy and simple to make. This smoothie is great for breakfast, in-between meals snack or even a well deserved treat! I am no nutritionist but it’s got some good stuff in it too.

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A Week of Greek

Appetizers, Dairy Free, Desserts, Inspirational, Main Courses, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

PicMonkey Collage

Greek Food is only one of the reasons to visit Greece, although many will argue it is one of the best ones. Some other reasons are the beautiful scenery, swimming in the sea, the hot sun and of course the hospitality of the people. My country may be going through a rough patch but this doesn’t affect the way we welcome the travelers! If you are visiting Greece or plan to, please don’t hesitate to ask us anything, such as places to eat or how to go about being a vegan while staying here. In smaller villages people may not know what vegan is, but in islands and places that attract visitors more and more vegan options show up on the menus of the restaurants. You can ask for horiatiki salad without feta and Yemista without meat, you can find these two dishes everywhere in Greece this time of the year. Swimming in the crystal clear blue waters under the Mediterranean sun is enough to relax you and make you fall in love with this place! We have added some photos from here in Patras for you to see as well in this post.

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Vegan Greek Soutzoukakia

Dairy Free, Gluten-Free, Main Courses, Vegan, Vegetarian,

Vegan Greek Soutzoukakia

Tomatoes are in season now; full of color and flavor! They are great for making sauces like the one used for vegan Greek soutzoukakia. We made our soutzoukakia using mushrooms and walnuts but the main idea is taken from this awesome lentil soutzoukakia recipe. As you will see, it can be a task to make some of the most traditional Greek recipes. This is because we take our time with the preparation, sizzling the spices and slow cooking for amazing flavor. It is a labor of love but the food is always worth it! The Vegan Greek Soutzoukakia are served with oven fried potatoes. This is another installment in our collaboration with Oh She Cooks for her Week of Greek recipes!

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Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves – Dolmadakia

Appetizers, Dairy Free, Gluten-Free, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian,

Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves - Dolmadakia Recipe Traditional Greek Food, Gluten Free

My friend Katherine from the amazing blog Oh, she cooks! has a special love for Greece and Greek food. She suggested we do a week of sharing traditional Greek recipes. I loved the idea, especially now that my country is under all of this pressure. Today I’m sharing the recipe for Greek stuffed vine leaves – dolmadakia; delicious little bites of heaven. I have even included photos showing the appropriate folding technique! You should also go check out Kathrine’s bread recipe and read her spot on observations about Greek’s relationship with bread and olive oil, it cracked me up!

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Instant Strawberry Pudding

Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Snacks, Snacks To Go, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan Instant Strawberry Pudding Recipe

It’s officially summer! During the summer, we like to use our oven less while coming up with easy snack ideas like this instant strawberry pudding. This recipe takes five minutes to make and is perfect for a hot summer afternoon snack. This pudding is even more enjoyable when it is served chilled.

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