Category Archives: pasta

Summer Salad Season is Here!

Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

We finally shook off winter in Minneapolis, and jumped right into the 90′s on Tuesday, because well, why not? I prepped well by making huge cold salads and buying tons of fresh fruit to nibble on this week. I’m also being extra dutiful to make sure I’m drinking plenty of water, and propping my feet up whenever I can to prevent swelling. With the return of beautiful a.m. weather I started walking the 2 miles to work a few times a week to make sure that I’m getting cardio in to prep my body for my upcoming labor- August is coming fast!

Earthy Pesto Pasta Salad

makes 6-10 servings

1 12oz bag Gluten Free Fusilli

1/2 pint sugarplum tomatoes, halved

1 lb tempeh, cubed

1 cup vegetable stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 medium beets, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes

1/2 lb dino kale, de-stemmed and cut into 1 inch slices

2 tbs capers, drained

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cups packed basil

2 handfulls of raw almonds

1 tbs nutritional yeast

olive oil

salt

pepper

Toss the beets in some olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 until soft- I used my toaster oven and it took roughly 20 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool. While the beets are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Rinse well under cold water when done. Place the tempeh, balsamic vinegar, and veggie stock on a wide skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and steam until the liquids have been absorbed. Remove the lid, add some olive oil, and pan fry until golden before setting aside.

To make the pesto, combine the lemon juice, basil, almonds, and nutritional yeast in a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the nuts. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, some pepper, and then turn the machine back on. Stream in enough olive oil to make a slightly smooth paste. Now, add in either water, or more olive oil until the consistency is at your liking.

Place the kale into a serving bowl. Pour in the pesto, and either with tongs or clean hands, massage the dressing into to the kale to help wilt it. Toss in the rest of the ingredients and fold until well mixed and coated with pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill well before serving.

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Posted in Gluten Free, pasta, salad, side dishes, todays lunch, Vegan Pregnancy

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Insta-foodporn- Spring so far.

Posted on May 11, 2013 | 2 Comments

My ‘eat like I’m pregnant’ moment at The Seward Cafe. Hasbrowns Supreme, a Righteous Pancake, and a Tahini Almond Cookie, all while basking in the sunshine on their patio. I barely dented the pancake, lol.
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I’ve become a devotee of Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix. It seems like no matter what I do to tweak the recipe, they come out perfect every time. My secret is to add 1 tablespoon ground chia and 1 tablespoon melted earth balance to every 1 1/2 c dry mix. Then, I mix in whatever fruits or nuts my heart desires- chopped small- and add enough almond milk to make a smooth, slightly thin batter. I let it rest for 5 minutes, check the consistency, and start cooking. I ignore the suggested liquid amount on the bag- when it’s thick, the cakes get dense and never cook all the way through. These little short stacks were stuffed with bananas, cinnamon, and ginger, and were topped with white fig jam.
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Falafel! I always use Mark Bittmans recipe- essentially you soak chickpeas overnight and then grind them down with tahini, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and coriander. A generous sprinkling of salt in the batter is crucial.
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Tacos, of course!
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Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spinach. I’m adding greens and legumes to just about everything I eat to ensure I have good iron and protein levels. I started with 2 cans of sauce, onions, garlic, and seasonings, and added 2 cups of chickpeas to it. Once it came up to a bubble, I added 1 1/2 cups of packed, finely chopped spinach to it, and continued to simmer the sauce until the spinach was tender.
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Tofu Benedict with Spinach. I’ve made this before, and its so, so good! The vegan hollandaise sauce is really rich, so I added extra lemon to it this time.
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Tempeh Chimichurri from The Post Punk Kitchen. The chimichurri sauce was so fresh and savory I found myself scraping the bowl over tacos days later. I served them with cachapas, black beans, and kale from Terry Hope Romero’s book Viva Vegan.

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All of this has made for a very happy vegan baby belly.

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Posted in 3 part epic!, breakfast, cookbooks, cookies, deep frying, food porn, Gluten Free, lovely legumes, mexican, pasta, restaurant, sexay nom nom nom, sweets, todays lunch, Uncategorized, Vegan Pregnancy, vegetables, websites i love

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Today’s Lunch; Microwaved Meh

Posted on February 21, 2012 | 1 Comment

i’m chili-ied out, yo. i’ve eaten in twice a day for a few days so my little tastebuds wanted a break. i stopped at the co-op and found some of their sesame kale salad (yum!), but i wasn’t feeling the salad bar (too cold?), and the sandwiches are definitely not gluten free, so i hit up the freezer section. i nevereat convenience meals so i’m not sure what ideas of grandeur i had in mind, but Amy’s Gluten Free Dairy Free Vegan Macaroni and Cheese did not live up to my expectations, but to be fair i shouldn’t have expected so much. it wasn’t awful by any means, but it’s 500+ calories of bland rice pasta, oil, and daiya. at least it mixed with my kale. it also reaffirmed my love for nutritional yeast and cashews <3

nice face

p.s. the kale was amazing

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Posted in casseroles, Gluten Free, pasta, todays lunch

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Nacho Lovers, Unite!

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 1 Comment

i didn’t watch the Super Bowl, or the puppy bowl for that matter, but for some reason i had a hankering for salty tortilla chips dunked in neon orange goo with a side of salsa. the hubby is back home again, and he too had a craving for bar food, but instead of plunking down $30+ bucks for a few rounds and some so-so vegan nachos at a local bar, we made our own! *i’m also still trying to ride the Gluten-free train as much as possible, and vegan nachos at the bar usually involve wheat flour in the nooch sauce, so making my own also saved me from a few days of achy joints! yay! i think this is my best version of cheesy sauce yet, and i’ll give you a few GF options to tweak it! (just for you, clairedo!) chickpea flour thickens this like a dream, and it doesn’t get gelatinous when it cools, so you don’t need to resort to trickery when you want to reheat it.

Basic Gluten Free Cheezy Sauce

2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 heaping tbs raw cashew butter

1 tbs miso paste- white

1/4 tsp sea salt *or more if you really like salt or won’t be dumping this on salted chips

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 c nutritional yeast flakes, aka nooch

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, this adds a little “tang”

3 tbs garbanzo bean flour, also called besan, gram, or chana dal flour at indian grocers

3 tbs water

this is super duper easy:

melt the cashew butter over low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. whisk in everything else except for the water and the chickpea flour and increase the heat to medium high.  slowly whisk the water into the chickpea flour, and stir until completely smooth. add some of the hot sauce into the chickpea flour to help warm it, (much like tempering eggs if you’re familiar) whisking until smooth. now, slowly whisk the chickpea mixture into your sauce and keep stirring until thick and smooth. enjoy as is, or follow some options for tinkering!

10 am nacho fix!

for nacho/queso cheese:

add 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder, and up to 1 c of your favorite salsa. you may need an extra tablespoon of chickpea flour if your salsa is runny.  you can also fold in a cup of daiya pepperjack or cheddar if you want the consistency of stadium/pump cheese, but after experimenting, i don’t notice a big difference in flavor to make it worth a 5$ bag of cheese.

for mac and cheese:

double the sauce recipe and use regular paprika instead of smoked. add a pinch of ground nutmeg. fold into one pound of  al dente quinoa or brown rice noodles (or regular if you tolerate gluten). then, fold in up to an entire bag of daiya if you really, really want to go overboard on the cheesiness factor. i sometimes like a small sprinkle on top, but i won’t judge ;) spoon into a lightly oiled casserole, cover, and bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

bechamel style- great as a fondue dip:

skip turmeric, omit 1/2 of the nutritional yeast. add a pinch of nutmeg and an extra tsp of onion powder. serve with blanched vegetables, cubes of bread-regular or gluten free, olives, and wine.

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Posted in appetizer, can be Gluten Free, casseroles, dips and such, Gluten Free, pasta, snacks

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birthday porn!

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

ahem, food porn.

cold bustin' juice

i had an awful cold so the hubby made me some super C juice to kickstart my birthday last week. we used 1 giant ruby red grapefruit, a lime, and a helluva lotta oranges. so, so good!

birthday brunch!

‘fronch toast’ vegan with a vengeance style, smoky ‘facon’, and broiled tater tots!

vegan stuffed shells

shells stuffed with cashew ricotta and daiya.

sexy close up

i didn;t write it all down, but heres roughly what i used:

1/2 c raw cashews, soaked overnight in water, drained

10oz extra firm tofu

2tbs nutritional yeast

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper, dash each of onion and garlic powder

puree all of them until almost completely smooth, then fold in 1/2 bag of daiya. this filled 24 pasta shells.

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Posted in casseroles, food porn, juicing, pasta

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lunch-gasm!

Posted on October 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

todays lunch was simple, and pretty damn awesome! mac n’ cheeze dressed all up with bac’uns and tapatio for a spicy casserole fit for a cloudy day. i randomly found the bac’uns in the pantry and figured, “why not?”.

you will need:

3/4 lb WW pasta, fun sauce catching shape like fusilli, cooked until al dente

10 oz bag frozen peas

4 c unsweetened almond milk

3/4 c flour

1 c nutritional yeast

2 tbs cashew butter

2 tbs earth balance or oil

1 tsp dried onion flakes

2 tsp mustard

salt and pepper

tapatio hot sauce, or whatever you like

bac’uns or smoky tempeh strips, ect

*to go gluten free, sub rice or quinoa pasta, and chickpea flour for the regular flour, same amounts should work out

melt the earthbalance and the cashew butter in a large pot over medium high heat. whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the ‘raw’ taste. turn off the burner and slowly whisk in the almond milk; if it gets lumpy, use an immersion blender to smooth it out. turn the heat back on and bring to a low bubble. whisk in the nutritional yeast, onion, mustard, and add salt and pepper to taste. at this point, feel free to doctor up your sauce with more yeast, salt, mustard, ect. most people have preferences for how they like their cheezy sauce, so go for the gold-turmeric if you like it extra golden, lol.  once perfected, add in the pasta and the peas and heat through. serve with tons of hot sauce and a sprinkle of bac’uns.

vegan mac and cheeze

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Posted in can be Gluten Free, casseroles, pasta, Uncategorized, whats for dinner?

food porn! birthday edition!

Posted on October 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

my hubby just had a birthday, so i now am the owner of a fridge full of cake; life’s a bitch, ain’t it? compared to my grill-heavy array of photos last time, these are getting decided more fall-themed, especially the seitan roulade. i’ve attempted a few versions of seitan roulade; i made the vegan yum yum version with disastrous results: bland, hard, rubbery seitan that puffed all crazy-like. i also made a cumbersome version by attempting to make, and steam one large sheet of seitan- it was ok, but like i said, a bitch to put together! now, i feel as though i have nailed the seitan part, but my kale filling didn’t hold up to the awesome, hearty texture. it was a sort of thanksgiving test-drive, and it went well enough that i will repeat the “roasted mushroom seitan” layer, and fiddle with the stuffing. i’m thinking my next run will have a more traditional herbed breadcrumb stuffing with cranberries, orange, and pecan. yum!

vegan seitan roulade, potroast style

split pea soup from the conscious cook

i recently picked up the conscious cook, by tal ronnen. after devouring the split pea soup with tempeh bacon and chipotle cream, i decided it was in my top 5 vegan cook books. ever.

here’s another recipe from the book, but i cant remember what it’s called and i am too lazy to go look. penne tossed in a “sauce” of tomatoes, onions, fennel, and chard. fennel doesn;t really do anything for me, so i could have done with far less of it, but we jazzed up the leftovers with extra tomatoes, spices, and some daiya for an impromptu ziti.

birthday burger!

ah, delicious birthday wishes. the hubby wanted a full-on feast fit for a beer; homemade mushroom black bean burgers topped with tempeh bacon, daiya cheddar, and maple-caramelized onions. made complete with ultra-crispy tater tots- in my deep fryer! i have to say, sometimes i really do like daiya- i think it works well as a condiment, but i think i’d be overloaded in the flavor/texture department if i used it for “mac and cheese”.  the cake was a repeat of last years chocolate stout cake, and oh man is it ever good! i had to use a different brand of stout, and i think i prefer the rogue that i used last time. the samuel smith oatmeal stout didn’t have as much depth, but like i said, it was good!

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Posted in baked goods ect, cake, cookbooks, pasta, sexay nom nom nom, soup, whats for dinner?

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Grilled Ratatouille

Posted on August 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

there have been two consistent occurrences in my life these past few weeks; one is that it’ll be hot as blazes with ridiculous humidity, and the second is that i’ll buy up everything cute at the farmers market on sundays.  you could set a watch to it. i’ve been maintaining by grilling out as often as my work schedule allows, and i’ve been trying to make as many different concoctions as possible. if there’s one thing i get asked besides “what do you eat?”, it’s “what do you grill?”, and “vegetables” as a response tends to get you the evil eye. most people, vegan or not seem to think that there’s no life beyond meat, seafood, corn, and potatoes when it comes to grilling- but i made tonight’s meal entirely (minus the pasta) on the grill, and not a single meat analogue was in sight. i highly recommend a la chamba pan, or a cast iron skillet with high walls in creating this smoky sauce, but the la chamba will be far easier to maneuver on the grill top. this also would have been exceptional with a couple grilled portobello caps mixed in, so feel free to go for it. i served mine over Pasta Alley Whole Wheat Itallian Herb Fettuccine that i picked up at the minneapolis farmers market- they have gluten free pasta, too!

Grilled Ratatouille

serves 6

5 small eggplants, peeled and halved (slightly smaller than a baseball)

8 whole heirloom tomatoes

3 medium zucchini, halved

2 red onions, diced

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 c tomato sauce, juice, or leftover gazpacho (i had the latter)

4-5 medium bell peppers, diced

This is super fun!

get your grill preheated. i have a charcoal grill and i used one overflowing chimney starter full of natural wood coals. dump them in the center and spread out a little. place your pan on the side of the grill, and toss in the onions with a tablespoon of canola oil. arrange the eggplant and zucchini around the pan. the onions will be alright with some inattentive stirring, so keep an eye on the char on the veggies. if they start to burn you can always close the vents a bit.

la chamba on the grill

once the eggplant and the veggies are looking deep brown with little bits of char, either remove them from the grill, or push them to the edge. by now the onions should be very soft, so add the bell pepper. stir often.

if you haven’t already removed the zucchini and eggplant, do so once they’re soft.

place your tomatoes over the hottest part of the grill and char each end and immediately remove to a cutting board. using a large fork and a bread knife, cut the stem ends off, halve, slice into quarters, and remove to the pan. i found it best to do 2-3 tomatoes at a time.it’ll give the previous ones time to caramelize a little before the next addition. once all of the tomatoes are in, stir them until they bubble and reduce a little. add the garlic.

giving the tomatoes extra flavor

saucy stuff

now you can toss in the tomato juice/sauce/gazpacho, season with salt, pepper, and any other spices you’d like.

chop up the eggplant and zucchini and stir in. simmer for 5 minutes and you’re ready to serve!

dinner!

^grilled baguette with cashew cheeze! nom!

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Posted in can be Gluten Free, Gluten Free, grilling, pasta, whats for dinner?

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Habanero Linguine with Black Beans, Grilled Veggies and Avocado Cilantro Pesto

Posted on July 12, 2011 | 1 Comment

i’ve been going to the farmers market (lyndale, aka ‘the big one’) regularly this summer for my weekly produce stock up, and i found a great pasta vendor- pasta alley- they have a huge variety of flavors, and also makes whole wheat and gluten-free pastas as well. we’ve bought quite a few flavors over the last few weeks, but we have come back to one over and over again, habanero! just like the name implies, it’s definitely a spicy noodle, so we tend to mix in an equal proportion of another flavor to help dull the heat. i only wish they made more of their flavors in whole wheat or gluten free, because i can’t rationalize eating ‘white’ pasta more than once or twice a month. oh well. here’s a fun recipe that we have whipped up twice now using plenty of farmers market finds! You could also use plain pasta and add heat with either a little habanero sauce, or crushed red pepper flakes.

Habanero Linguine with Black Beans, Grilled Vegetables, and Avocado Cilantro Pesto

serves 6-8

1 8 oz package habanero pasta

1 8 oz package chive and onion pasta (or another flavor)

4 small zucchini, halved and sliced 1/2” thick

1 1/2 c or about 4 ears worth of sweet corn

1 28 oz can black beans or about 2 1/2-3 cups total beans

Avocado Cilantro Pesto* make a double batch if you like your pasta saucy

1 ripe avocado

the juice of 2 limes

1/2 c slivered almonds

1 bundle, or 1 cup loosely packed cilantro

1 tbs nutritional yeast, opt

1/2 c water if needed

olive oil or canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

first, lets make the sauce. combine all sauce ingredients except for the water and oil in a food processor. pulse until finely chopped and pasty. with the machine running, stream in roughly 1/4 c of oil. now stream in some water until thinned slightly. depending on your personal preferences, you could use more or less oil or water since the avocado makes it so creamy, and the lime adds a nice punch of flavor. set this aside.

grill the zucchini and corn either on your grill pan, under the broiler, or on a coal grill until crisp tender and lightly golden on the edges. either grill the corn on the cob, or remove the kernels and place in aluminum foil. place in a large serving bowl. rinse the black beans under hot water and add to the bowl.

boil the noodles according to the package directions, and rinse under hot water once al dente. drizzle with a teeny bit of oil- this will help everything combine smoothly without a gummy mess.

toss the pasta with the veggies, and then with the pesto sauce. serve immediately or at room temperature.

the original versionthe first version with just cilantro and corn, tossed with lime juice and coconut oil.

the new version!

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Posted in pasta, shopping, whats for dinner?

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Seitan Stroganoff with Green Beans and Mushrooms

Posted on November 22, 2010 | 2 Comments

tonights dinner was adapted from the wheat meat stroganoff recipe found in vegan planet. home made seitan teams up with crunchy green beans, and savory mushrooms in a creamy sauce, thanks to some pureed silken tofu. when i first started making this, i would swap tempeh for the seitan because i’ve never cared for the texture of the store bought varieties-too dry. i would also use an imitation sour cream, but after reading the label i decided that i could do with a few less hydrogenated things in my life. i have yet to truly hit it on the nose with tofu sour cream, but in a dish like this it really works, because you’re not really tasting the sour cream- you just get the body, and the color and that hint of tang. i really wish someone would make a whole wheat bowtie pasta-the shape seems synonymous with stroganoff, and i have yet to try to make them myself.

anyways. heres my rough recipe.

seitan stroganoff, midwest vaygun style

serves 4-6

1 lb seitan, sliced into 1/2” pieces

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into thrids

3/4 lb cremini, or portabello mushrooms, cut into slices, or 1 inch dice

2 tbs flour

1 1/2 tbs hungarian paprika

2 c vegetable stock

1/2-3/4 c tofu sour cream

3/4 lb pasta, that can hold sauce, like fusilli

get some water set to boil, and start by browning your seitan. once done, set it aside and toss your onion and mushrooms into the pan. cook until the mushrooms have begun to release their liquid, and add the green beans. cover the pan, and let the mushroom liquid steam the beans. remove the lid, and let some of the liquid evaporate. now sprinkle in the flour and the paprika, and add some pepper. stir everything to coat, and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. now pour on your stock, stir well to de-glaze the pan, and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. now, toss in some tofu-or-whatever-sour-cream, stir, and taste to see if you need more. once you get that down, let it hang for ten minutes while you cook your pasta. serve on top of your noodles, and call it a night.

seitan stroganoff

seitan stroganoff

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