Vegan | Gluten-free

#VeganizedPuertoRican is BACK! In the USA, people usually slater buffalo sauce in their chicken dip and call it a day. We don’t do that here, in Puerto Rico is all about the herbs & spices. I grew up seeing this dip at family gatherings, parties, school/university activities, beach days & work events. I used to love it so much that when I went vegan, my mom made a version with soy ground. Little did we know, that jackfruit would do the trick to make it fully authentic. This Vegan Chicken Dip is nothing but delicious1

This appetizer is traditionally made with chicken (obvs!), cream cheese, garlic, onion, parsley & red bell pepper. With only two ingredients being non-vegan, it ended up being super easy to veganize.

Just swap out the chicken for jackfruit & the cream cheese for vegan cream cheese!

Here’s how I make the Vegan Chicken Dip:

This is a video done in collaboration with 623 Foodie Studio, see it here.

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Vegan Chicken Dip

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can or 2 cups of jackfruit, drained & rinsed
• ¾  cup vegan cream cheese, softened
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup white or red onion, chopped
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Splash of white vinegar (or ½ lemon juice)
• A handful of parsley flakes

Procedure

1. Drain jackfruit, rinse well & place in water for about 20 minutes. This allows the jackfruit to soften up & release any brine that’s left from the can.
2. Drain jackfruit, and remove seeds. Set jackfruit aside.
3. To a food processor, add the vegan cream cheese, red bell pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and salt & pepper. Blend until the bell pepper is completely combined.
4. Blend in the jackfruit, chopped onion & parsley.
5. Serve with multi-grain chips, carrot, or celery sticks, and ENJOY!

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Vegan | Soy-free

Is this me posting an unscheduled recipe???? Yes! This is for you to make tonight for Christmas Eve; cookies that you can share with your family & friends!

Growing up these were my favorite cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms. My mom & I made them all the time, especially during Christmas. When I was little I used to make these for Santa, only to later find out that there was no Santa, and the cookies were getting eaten by my parents.

They have the perfect combo, peanut butter & chocolate, they’re soft with a little bit of crunch, and they’re super simple to make. However they’re not vegan, and only this year it occurred to me that I could make them vegan. Usually a Hershey kiss is pressed down in the center of the cookie right after it comes out of the oven, but unfortunately, there are no vegan kisses. You can totally make your own vegan kisses, but let’s be honest, ain’t nobody got time for that. So, I had to go for some non-dairy chocolate chips in the center. Equally amazing!

They turned out great, on my first try! And I can promise you, that even the PB haters will love them. And if you have someone in your family who’s allergic to peanuts, you can easily change the peanut butter for almond butter or even any other nut butter.

Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy a vegan version of one of my childhood favorite, during Christmas Eve!

Recipe: Santa’s Cookies- Vegan Peanut Butter Blossoms

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup non-dairy butter, melted
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, softened
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 2 Tbsp water, allow to sit a couple minutes)
• 2 tbsp plant-based milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• Non-dairy chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. To a mixing bowl, add melted butter & whisk in the sugar. Then mix in the peanut butter, flax egg, vanilla extract & salt.
3. Add in the flour & baking soda. Mix well until combined and a dough is formed.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
5. Scoop out small, tablespoon size amounts of dough and roll into balls between your palms. Then place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet spaced, an inch or two apart.
6. Then bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Super important: don’t let these overbake!
7. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, gently press your thumb in the middle, to create a dent. Place a couple of chocolate chips in the middle, and allow to cool completely.
8. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Dairy-free | Soy-free | Gluten-free

It’s finally December! My classes are finally over and I’m one step closer to finish my Masters. As soon as my classes ended I made my way to Mexico City, so while you’re reading this, I’m working on the next Vegan Travel Guide! And also eating my weight in tacos…

However, December also means that it’s time to veganize all of my favorite traditional recipes and master them so that you & I don’t have to miss out where the heart of the party is. Puerto Rico’s Christmas cuisine is amazing! There are so many recipes ranging from appetizers to dessert. And today I’m bringing you the vegan recipe of one of our classics: Arroz con Dulce.

The literal translation of this is “sweet rice”, but in a not literal way, Arroz con Dulce is a sweet rice pudding. Traditionally made with a combination of evaporated milk and coconut milk, this recipe only has coconut milk! Also, Arroz con Dulce is one of those desserts that you have to make in big batches, if not, you’ll be left without it because your family & friends will devour every bit of it.

Although Arroz con Dulce is super easy to make, the process takes a bit of time. However, it’s absolutely delicious and it makes a good amount for you to share. It’s a very similar process to making Risotto, so patience is key.

Notes:

• Even though the ground flaxseed is optional, I believe this is what gives it the soft yet compact texture.
• If you don’t like raisins, try adding other dry berries instead. Ex. cranberries, goji berries…
• Always use organic sugar to make sure that it’s vegan.
• Lifehack: That tea is also good for fighting the flu, colds and sometimes bellyaches.
• I prefer to let the rice soak through the day for a good 6-12 hours and then cook it at night one day before serving; just because I believe that the longer that’s left on the fridge, the better the flavors mend together.
• Got leftovers? Even though this rarely happens, if you get leftovers, they’ll be good for about a week.

Recipe: Vegan Arroz con Dulce

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup short or medium grain rice
• 5 cups full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cup sugar of choice, or to taste (I used brown sugar)
• 1 piece of ginger
• 10 cloves
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• Dash of salt
• ⅓ cup raisins, or to taste
• 2 tbsp non-dairy butter
• Ground cinnamon
• Optional: a dash of ground flaxseed

Procedure:

• Soak rice in water for about 6-12 hours, leave covered. This is best if you leave it overnight.
• In a boiling pot, add the 1 cup of water, crushed ginger, cloves & cinnamon. Boil to make tea for about 15 minutes. When ready strain to separate the tea, place aside. Save cinnamon sticks for later.
• Strain your soaked rice and place aside.
• To a rice cooking pot, add the tea, 4 cups of the coconut milk and dash of salt. Turn on the heat to high.
• When the tea-milk mixture is boiling, add the rice and lower the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
• Uncover, add ½ cup of coconut milk, stir in the sugar and dash of ground flaxseed. Cook to low heat for another 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Then add the other ½ cup of coconut milk and the non-dairy butter. When completely combined, add the raisins & take away from the heat.
• Place in a heat-safe container, top with dashes of ground cinnamon and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge, covered. Optional: If you saved the cinnamon sticks from the tea, you can add them to the container too.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Oh, the Holiday season, that time of the year where literally every single meal at the parties have meat, dairy and/or eggs. Food-focused events can be daunting for vegans and vegetarians, as most find themselves to be the only one. However, the holidays shouldn’t be about the dead bird (or in Puerto Rico the roasted pork) in the middle of the table, the egg-nog, or the dairy-filled casseroles. They are about family, tradition, getting together, and celebrating.

Since (until very recently) I was “the only one” at parties, I decided to put together a list of steps you can take for Surviving a Party as a Vegan. A simple one that can apply to any event, and even BBQs.

Always Be Prepared: A lot of people don’t really understand what veganism is about, and they’ll have questions. Someone is probably going to ask how long you have been vegan, why you became vegan, what it’s veganism, B12, how much does it cost, etc. Be ready and patient.

Bring your own food: Don’t expect your friends or family to have food for you; even if they’ve known you’ve been vegan for years. Sometimes preparing a party can be stressful for the host; they might forget or they can assume that you’ll bring your own food. I have two tips: 1. Call the host ahead and coordinate. Or 2. Prep your food in advance and pack it up in an easy to carry container. Also, make enough food to share, you can turn sharing into a learning experience for someone else.

Teaching Moments: Like I mentioned before, veganism to some people might be a foreign concept, they’ll have a lot of questions. Trying to figure out a way to address the fact that you’re vegan in a way that isn’t annoying or stressful to other people might cause anxiety. So usually, if I see that the person has a genuine interest, I’ll take my time and answer as best as I can; I’ll even send them links and share my food with them. Whatever you do, unsolicited vegan talk at the dinner table is a no-no, just enjoy time with your friends and family.

Be Open and Forthright: When someones see you not eating what everyone else is eating, they’ll probably ask why. I always like to answer with something along the line of “I choose not to”. Changing phrases like “I can’t” or “I don’t” for “I choose” can make a huge difference in how someone perceives your message.  

Be Appreciative: Be grateful and enthusiastic about the effort that people make to understand you and your lifestyle. Be happy, kind, and polite. As long as you have your food and the most important people with you, just have fun!

There you go, my tips for surviving a party as a vegan. And hey, if all else fails, well there’s always alcohol for that :).

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Dairy-free | Gluten-free | Soy-free| No-bake

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, the day to celebrate all of the fall foods, especially pumpkins. I figured out the most decadent fall dessert to let the season go with a bang! This would make the perfect dessert for holiday parties and fall gatherings.

Last week I shared my Vegan Thanksgiving recipes, and I promised that this week was going to be all about the dessert. So, here it is Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake! Back in high school, I discovered how perfect pumpkin pie is; no joke I could eat half of that Costco pie. But all that dairy and sugar? The perfect recipe for a tummy ache.

This year I wanted to try to make it, but I have to admit, I’m no pie baker. I definitely still need some practice. So I thought what else can I make, that it’s not traditional?

After seeing how successful my No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake was, I knew I had to make a fall version. Now, the idea of a vegan cheesecake is nothing new, I know. However, in all of the cashew cheesecake experimentation I’ve done so far through my vegan journey, I haven’t touched on pumpkin yet. And so, Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake was born! Creamy, rich, subtly spiced, and just the right amount of sweetness, filled with good healthy fats, protein, and fiber!

Oh, and did I mention that this is a no-bake recipe? Yup, just assemble the crust, blend the filling ingredients, and pop in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Now, let’s talk about the crust. I got two words for you: scrumptious & comforting. For this, I decided to go off the beaten path and created a crust by combining nuts, berries, and dates, making this cheesecake crust naturally sweet and hearty. However, you can totally try this with a more traditional graham cracker crust or make another creative crust, make it your own!

This was a hit among my family, my mom even said that this might be my best dessert yet!

The best part? You can have it for breakfast without an inch of guilt. Instead of having a slice with heavy dairy and sugar, you’ll have nuts, maple syrup & coconut. I hope you’ll love this as much as much as I did! 

Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• ½ cup cranberries
• 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• Optional: ½ cup coconut flakes
• Pinch of sea salt

Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked & drained
• 1 lemon, juiced (approx. 2 Tbsp)
• ⅓  cup light or full-fat coconut milk
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or light agave nectar (plus more to taste)
• ⅓  cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• cinnamon, to taste
• Pinch sea salt

Optional Toppings:

• Coconut whipped cream
• Cranberries
• Cherries (my fave)
• More cinnamon
• Pumpkin seeds

Procedure:

1. Line an 8″ diameter x 2.4″ depth Springform Pan (or 8×8 removable bottom pan) with parchment paper.
2. To a food processor, add dates and cranberries and blend until it forms a ball. Remove and set aside.
3. Then add the walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes and salt to food processor and process into a meal. Add back the dates and blend until a loose dough forms – it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. Tip: if too crumbly, add a few more dates,  if too sticky, add more nuts.
4. Add the crust dough to the pan, and press down with fingers to evenly distribute or use the back of a spoon to press down firmly. Also allow some of the crust to come up the sides, evenly. Set in the freezer.
5. After the cashews are soaked and drained, add to food processor with the other filling ingredients and blend until very smooth; this might take 3-5 minutes. If you find that the mixture is too thick or you have some trouble blending, add some more coconut milk.
6. After it’s completely smooth, taste and adjusts flavor/sweetness to your preference. Here you can add a bit more pumpkin puree, cinnamon, vanilla and/or maple syrup.
7. Pour filling into your parchment-lined pan. Tap a few times to release any air bubbles, then cover loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum paper and freeze until firm; for about 4-6 hours, depending on the size of the dish.
8. Once set, leave out of the freezer for a couple of minutes before serving, to soften up a bit.
9. Serve with your favorite toppings. I chose frozen cherries, and it was heaven!
10. Store leftovers in the freezer for 7-10 days, though let’s be honest, it will not last that long.
11. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Vegan | Soy-free | Gluten-free

Everybody loves Holiday Season food & all of the parties! However, this season can be daunting for us vegans, as most holiday foods tend to be very unhealthy and animal-based. Especially here in Puerto Rico where our holidays revolve around lechón asado or roasted pork, pasteles made with ground beef, and morcilla (literally the worst) pork intestines stuffed with rice and blood, yes blood. Talk about gross…

That’s why today’s recipe is more than just one recipe, it’s a Thanksgiving Feast that you can enjoy with a glass of last week’s Coquito! I put together of all of the vegan-friendly Puerto Rican Holiday foods so you guys can enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast that everybody can enjoy!

So, what’s in this feast?

First is the arroz con gandules, as your main dish. This rice is a staple in our Holiday seasonal feasts. You can find it at any Puerto Rican Holiday party; however, even though it doesn’t need any meat, some people insist on adding hamm.

Then as a side dish, you’ll have ensalada de coditos which is an elbow pasta salad. It’s a combination of pasta, vegan mayonnaise, red onion, garlic and bell peppers.

Pasteles, this is it, the staple of our Holiday Season. Similar to a tamale, but the dough is made out of green plantains and it’s stuffed with a ground of your choice. Sorry guys, this feast doesn’t include a recipe for pasteles. I’m no expert and I’m very fortunate to still have my grandmother around and makes them vegan for me. However, if you know someone that makes pasteles, just ask them to change the milk for your milk of choice, and prepare your own stuffing out of ground soy or veggies.

Avocados! The avocado season is still going strong, and I need a slice of avocado in every meal that I eat! So make sure to have some avocado for your feast.

Other things that you can make: roasted potatoes, squash soup, sweet potatoes, vegan mac & cheese, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, pumpkin sauce pasta, etc.

For dessert, you’ll have to wait until next Friday for the recipe! I prepared a delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake with the most exquisite crust. Stay tuned…

Notes:

• If you don’t like vegan mayonnaise, you can always substitute with olive oil or some cashew sauce.
• Do you want vegan pasteles? You can contact Atabey’s Vegan Shop in Puerto Rico to 787-460-0396.

Recipe:  Vegan Thanksgiving Feast

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

For Arroz con Gandules:

• 1 ½ cup medium-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 cup of pigeon peas
• 2 cups (approx) water or veggie stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sofrito
• 1 tbsp ground or minced garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: recao

For Ensalada de Coditos:

• 1 cup elbow pasta
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ red onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• Salt  & pepper to taste

Optional Ingredients:

• Avocado
• Tostones
• Vegan Pasteles

Procedure

For rice:

1. Heat up the olive oil in a boiling pot, lower heat to low and combine in the sofrito, garlic & tomato sauce.
2. Add in the salt, pepper & recao, and mix in low until fragrant.
3. Stir in the rinsed uncooked rice, mix well for about 2 mins. Then add in the pigeon peas.
4. Add in 1 ½ cups of water or stock, and bring to a boil. Stir ONCE and place the lid on; let sit for 20 minutes on low-medium.
5. If after 20 minutes the rice is still a bit undone, add the rest of the liquid, mix once & place the lid back on for another 10 minutes.

For pasta salad

1. Cook pasta according to instructions.
2. After the pasta is al dente, allow cooling completely.
3. Then add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until everything is combined.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve the arroz con gandules with the pasta salad with fried plantains, pasteles & avocado. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Searching for a vegan restaurant in Amsterdam? Most restaurants in Amsterdam offer some vegetarian & vegan options on their menus, but there are actually so many full vegan & plant-based restaurants, in and out of the city. Here are our favorite spots & what we ordered!

Note: Some places don’t have photos, either because we couldn’t take them, or because the end result wasn’t good.

Full Vegan

Vegan Junk Food Bar: Out of every place that we visited, this was our favorite. Seriously, in eight days we went there four times. The best part? Everything is plant-based.

Mastino V: The most authentic Italian pizza we’ve ever had! The first 100% gluten-free & vegan pizzeria in Amsterdam, ran by actual Italians. They use homemade vegan cheeses & dough. To top it all off they had vegan tiramisu! Dead.

Vegan Tiramisu

Vegan Brownie

Maoz: Previously Maoz Vegetarian, now Maoz Vegan Fast Food! We knew we couldn’t leave The Netherlands without trying their traditional fries with mayo; here they had the vegan version of that & more!

Dutch Fries with Curry & Garlic Sauce

The Dutch Weed Burger Joint: Don’t be fooled by the name, the weed in Weed Burger is SEAWEED! We actually didn’t order any burgers, we had enough of those already. We ordered Shawarma Wraps with fries & a Chocolate Milkshake that still has me dreaming of it.

Vegan Friendly:

The Mexican: This place was the first place we visited. After delayed & missed flights, we literally went with the first place that we ran into. We had nachos, which turned out to be really good and authentic.  

The Avocado Show: Avocados are my favorite fruit, so naturally I was dying to try this place since I ran into it while researching for the trip. “The Avocado Show serves visually stunning and incredibly tasty signature dishes made with love from sustainable and socially responsible avocados.” And they’re not wrong about the visually stunning & tasty dishes part.

Vegan Poke

Wok to WalkThis is actually one of our favorites! I think we ate there three times, because it was super simple & hassle-free. We popped into the store, ordered to-go, and went along with our schedule as we ate.

Wok wit: Coconut Curry Sauce, Shitake, tofu, bell peppers, onions & broccoli

Dominos: Normally, I’m not the type of person who travels to a whole different country to experience a whole new culture, just to end up eating at chain restaurants that I have back home. We notice a lot of people eating at American Fast Food Chains and to be honest, it drove us crazy. But when we ran into this Dominos with a huge vegan sign upfront, we really couldn’t resist. Probably because the Dominos back home doesn’t have anything remotely close to vegan except for a cheeseless veggie. For real, they had like five different vegan options! We went for the spicy. 

De Foodhallen: This place! If there’s one way that I could describe this place as, it would be as the 2025 version of Lote 23 in Puerto Rico. There are so many vegan options that it was really hard to decide what we actually wanted. We tried nachos from Taquería Lima & Vegan Temaki from Meneer Temaki.

Jacketz: This place is one that had very limited vegan options, yet that day was chilly & we felt like eating some comfort food. The potatoes were huge! I loved the green curry filling.

Happy Pig Pancake Shop: While researching for the trip, I ran into a page that said this place had the best vegan Dutch pancakes! This place is the original house of the rolled pancakes, and we were really taken by surprise by how amazing the vegan pancakes were.

Coffee & Others

C | T Coffee & Coconuts: A couple of months ago Raya from Rayawashere visited this place in one of her vlogs, I fell instantly in love with the place. Then I visited and it was so much beautiful than I imagined; three floors in an old cinema, with tropical vibes & amazing coffee.

La La Ijs: As we were walking towards De Foodhallen in 90 F weather at 8pm, we ran into a glorious sign that said “Vegan Ice Cream Here”, my jaw dropped. It was so hot that day that I didn’t know if I was hallucinating or not.

VegabondWe loved this place, and we wished we could have gone there more, but it was kind of far out of our daily commute. However it’s conveniently located near the Anne Frank House, so while you’re waiting for your entrance slot, you can pop into Vegabond for some snacks and a coffee.

Rijksmuseum Cafe: Have coffee within art? Check! That’s literally the only vegan thing on their menu. However it was great coffee & it gave us the energy we needed to tour the museum for four hours.

The Dutch Vegan Bakery: This was one of those places that we didn’t know that existed, we just ran into it & turned out to be a vegan gold mine. The bakery is located outside of Amsterdam, in the nearby city Zaanse Schans.

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Going Vegan is a whole lot more than learning to make bolognese without meat & dairy-free ice cream. Most people eat and wear animal products and rely on a multitude of products that are tested on animals. I have to admit to being guilty of this. Living in Island has a lot of cons, one of them being having limited access to other vegan products that are not food; like beauty, skincare, and clothes. Even when I want to buy some of those products online, I can’t, all because “We currently don’t ship to Puerto Rico”, it gets tiresome and frustrating. But hey, I’ve always said “There’s no such thing as a perfect vegan!”, even though I strive to be.

So what other ways can we support veganism when we don’t have complete access? Education. Comparing to other social movements, we’re pretty limited and truly in uncharted territory. But we can educate ourselves as much as we can.

I’ve put up a list of my favorite resources for vegan education:

Books

• The Mindful Vegan by Lani Muelrath
• How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger
• Millennial Vegan: Tips for Navigating Relationships, Wellness, and Everyday Life as a Young Animal Advocate by Casey Taft

Magazines

• Chickpea
• Vegan Food & Living
• VegNews: Vegan. Think. Eat Thrive. 

Documentaries/ Movies

• What the Health 
• Okja 
• Food, Inc.
• Forks Over Knives

Blogs

• Hot for Food
• Cocinina
• Cashew Kitchen
• Bianca Zapatka

Youtube Channels

• Avant-Garde Vegan
• Tess Begg
• Liv B
• Supreme Banana
• The Happy Pear

Some of the blogs and youtube channels that I mention here, I’ve been following for years and have served as learning outlets. Take some time to check these out; learning new things every day sometimes turns out to be life-changing.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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On June 10th, my family & I went on a Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean International. We visited four beautiful Islands in one week. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

First stop: St. Thomas. Being this our fifth time here, we decided to go straight to the closest beach. We ended up un Esmeralda beach which was less than 10 minutes away from the port.

After an entire day of cruising, on day four we stopped at Curaçao.

We went to the Curaçao Liqueur Factory & found out that my favorite liqueur is vegan. YES the original Blue Curaçao is vegan!

Otrabanda gave out some Netherlands vibes…

…but somehow it still felt like I was on the Caribbean

On the fifth day of the cruise we went to Aruba. This Island is so beautiful & the people were incredible; this was my favorite of all of the stops

This is the bus that took us around

We visited the Ayo Rock Formation…

… & the dreamy California Lighthouse that looks like it came out of a Wes Anderson movie.

We also stopped by a white sand beach; Eagle Beach

& the Marketplace that’s right next to the port.

Lastly, we stopped by St. Kitts 

We went around in a taxi that took us to this view…

ps. find the volcano

& to Carambola Beach on the south side of the island

To find out more of our trip, visit my last post about the Plant-Based meals Royal Caribbean has for us non-meat eaters.

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Food is the first thing that comes to mind when traveling; especially when cruising. There’s so much (SOOOOO MUCH)  food that’s already included in the price, making it hard to resist all of the goodness that are processed carbs, fats & sugars. But don’t’ worry, eating healthy & maintaining your lifestyle while cruising, isn’t impossible. For me, cruises are the least stressful form of travel when it comes to food; but that is if you plan ahead. Most Cruise Ship Agencies will be happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions, this is more likely on international cruise lines; they receive people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds & eating habits.

Here’s  what I did & how I did it, on Royal Caribbean International:

• Alert the cruise line as early as possible. I did this two weeks in advance & also made sure that I was listed as one of the plant-based travelers at check-in.
• Bring some pre-packed snacks on board. Snack bars, pre-packed soups, chips, ect.
• The buffet is your best friend for lunch (& sometimes breakfast). Huge salad bar, roasted potatoes, sautéed vegetables, sandwich station, veggie burgers & huge assortments of fresh fruits.
• Bring water with you on the first day & avoid paying $2 a bottle on board.
• If you can’t live without coffee, soy milk is available upon request in the buffet.
• Don’t get scared with the dining room’s main menu. On the first day ask for their special menu; they made me: tofu, fried rice, baked potatoes, sweet & sour soy chicken, different styles of pasta, mushroom soup, veggie onion soup, vegan pancakes(at breakfast, & bowls of strawberries too. I didn’t eat the same thing twice.
• Alcohol. You may want to skip the cocktails with bright colors, since they tend to be very sugary. Good news is, most beer is vegan!
• Not food related: If you’re into exercising, take advantage of the free gym & jogging track; especially on those “at sea” days.
• The sucky part is the lack of plant-based desserts; they only have a platter of fruits & fruit sorbet.

Here are some bad quality pictures (the lighting was terrible, sorry in advance) of my favorite meals on cruise:

buffet: Salad, mushrooms, chickpeas, almonds, raspberry dressing | steamed carrots & broccoli | toasts & roasted potatoes

dining room: pasta with pomodoro

 buffet: veggie burger (upon request) with everything from the burger section | ketchup, mustard & sriracha

dining room: vegetable & tofu fried rice

dining room (breakfast): eggless pancakes with peanut butter, banana & berries

johnny rockets: veggie burger with sauteed onions & mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes & mustard | fries & onion rings

dining room: veggie minestrone soup | pitta bread & hummus

dining room: baked potato with butter | sauteed mushrooms | soy meatballs with tortilla chips

dining room: chocolate covered strawberries

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