Tag Archives: pasta

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.
IMG_7122

IMG_7121

IMG_7119

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.
IMG_7073
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.
IMG_7058

IMG_7059

Tacos, of course!
IMG_7038

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.
IMG_6911

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.
IMG_6918

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.

IMG_6800

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

→ 2 Comments

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

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Gluten-Free Vegan Valentine’s for All!

Posted on February 13, 2012 | 1 Comment

this whole trying to be ‘gluten-free-as-much-as-possible-within-reason’ has been pretty swell so far! i’ve discovered doughnuts! yes, doughnuts! and i’m learning  about new culinary wonders- buckwheat flour isn’t from wheat, it’s a groat/berry! i was going to let myself gracefully fall off of the wagon for a night to take advantage of the valentines dinner benefit at the seward cafe for bone shaker books, but the 8:30 dinner has sold out. i hear there may still be some 7pm seats left, so hurry up if you want a fancy feast somewhere new! It’s sold out!

i’m celebrating the “national day of getting laid” early, and i’m adapting some old stand-by’s to fit the GF bill. a savory, roasted eggplant lasagna, and sharing a recipe i found online for a gluten free, vegan, chocolate torte. yum!

this is definitely a labor intensive meal with the pre roasting, but you can always pre-assemble your sexy lasagna a day in advance/morning of and pop it in the oven when you know you have an hour til’ romancing. besides, who said love was easy? this is also quite a hefty lasagna, so feel free to halve it and assemble it in a brownie pan. if you like your lasagna saucy, grab an extra jar (or can if you find BPA free) of sauce to pool on your plate for serving.

sexy roasted eggplant lasagna

serves 8-12

1 box Tinkyada Rice Lasagna

3 med/large eggplants- pick ones with taught, shiny skins.

1 lb cremini mushrooms

1 large red onion

tarragon

fennel

a couple GF veggie burgers to crumble up, opt

daiya cheese, opt

salt, pepper, ect

Tofu Ricotta: 

1 lb tofu

1 tbs miso

1/2 c cashews that have been soaked for a few hours, or 30 minutes in very hot water

1 tbs nutritional yeast

Simple Marinara

24oz jar strained tomatoes

2 tbs itallian seasoning

1 tsp agave

crushed red pepper, opt

crushed garlic, as many cloves as you’d like

preheat the oven to 425

Prep:

if you have a cast iron griddle, pop it in the oven while it heats up to 425. peel the eggplants, and slice into 1/3″ rounds. once the cast iron is hot, smear it with a dab of oil, and place a layer of eggplants down. season the tops with salt and pepper and roast for 8 minutes per side or until golden and ‘dry’ looking. keep repeating until all slices have been cooked. if you have no cast iron, put some parchment on a cookie sheet and roast them on it. the parchment helps the eggplant dry out as it roasts so it won’t turn to mush!

meanwhile, thinly slice your onion into half moons. sauté in a little earth balance or oil until caramelized, about 15 minutes. thinly slice your mushrooms and add a few handfuls at a time, cooking until soft before adding the next hand full. once all of the mushrooms have been added, increase the heat and sauté until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. add 1/4 tsp each fennel and tarragon, and crumble in your veggie burgers if using. otherwise, fold in the spices and sauté for a minute more, until fragrant, and set aside.

to make the sauce, open the jar of tomatoes and pour in the agave, garlic, hot pepper, and the itallian spices. re-cap and shake well. easy! *or cheat further and buy spaghetti sauce.

to make the ‘ricotta’, crumble the tofu into a food processor, add the miso, nutritional yeast, cashews and a 1/2 tsp salt. puree until smooth.

Assembly and Baking:

preheat the oven to 375

*rice pasta can get gummy if boiled too long so i par-boil mine for 3-5 minutes. the residual liquid in the filling will finish the pasta in the oven. i use a large high-walled skillet so that i can easily grab individual sheets from the water with a tongs.

oil a high-walled casserole/lasagna pan. pour about one fourth of the pasta sauce into the bottom and spread out. put down the first layer of pasta. spread with tofu ricotta- if it got too thick, thin with a little almond milk or water. then add half of your eggplant slices, overlapping slightly. lastly, sprinkle with half of your mushroom/veggie burger mix. top with another fourth of the sauce and spread out. i like to really press down at this point to ensure all of the layers are compact as it will help the noodles retain their shape and soak up the rest of the veggie liquid. repeat the layering with the rest of your filling, and top with a final layer of pasta, and the rest of the sauce. cover tightly with oiled aluminum foil (oil side down) and bake for 60 minutes. once the lasagna is hot all the way through, top with daiya or vegan béchamel sauce, and return to the oven to melt the cheese- or skip this step and serve as-is. i served mine alongside some steamed broccoli with a little garlic olive oil on top.

sexy roasted eggplant

vegan roasted eggplant lasagna

for dessert, i made this flourless chocolate cake, topped with this caramel sauce, and coarse sea salt.

gluten free vegan chocolate torte with salted caramel sauce

next time, i’ll tinker with the cake to make it a bit denser- maybe more buckwheat flour, or brown rice flour? and i want to cook the caramel longer in the first stage, it seems too light, i think.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in baked goods ect, cake, casseroles, Gluten Free, Holiday, sexay nom nom nom, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day <3, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in casseroles, food porn, juicing, pasta

Tagged , , ,

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!

→ 1 Comment

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

Tagged , , , , ,

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!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in pasta, shopping, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , , , , ,

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

→ 2 Comments

Posted in pasta, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , , , ,

Roasted Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Butter *food-gasm alert!

Posted on November 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

i was so freakin’ excited for tonights dinner! i’m combining my one of my favorite things -pasta, with an under appreciated vegetable in my kitchen-beets! i chose this recipe first and foremost because of the beautiful photo (recipe here), and the “blue ribbon” rating. also, the recipe is super simplistic, relying on the beets, ricotta, and the poppy seed butter to be the stars of the show. i did make some of the filling with carrots because i wasn’t sure how big the beets were supposed to be, and they came with the greens attached so i couldn’t weigh them. but none the less,  i kept the beets and carrots separate, and now my dinner plate looks like a rainbow. fantastic! i used leftover tofu ricotta from last night’s pizza, and subbed earth balance for butter.

my one cheat? wonton wrappers.

as you know, i am a HUGE fan of rolling my own pasta but i couldn’t find the time tonight. i get my wonton/potsticker wrappers from united noodle, and they have over 15 different brands to choose from. out of all the choices, only 2 were vegan, so double check the ingredients for eggs. let them thaw, if needed, overnight in the fridge before using.

i served these beautiful gems with garlic-lemon broccoli florets and the beet greens. i blanched them before sauteing in a few tablespoons of garlic oil and lemon zest.

also, in lieu of using a parmesan alternative, i mixed roughly 2 parts breadcrumbs, 1 part ground pecans, a few pinches salt, and a few pinches nutritional yeast together with a few tablespoons of oil and toasted it before sprinkling over the finished plate.

the whole thing was so much better than i’d even anticipated! the beets were perfectly sweet with barely- lemony ricotta, and was accented just enough by the poppy seed “butter”. i thought it would have been mostly for looks, but after the first bite it’s subtlety had me hooked! these paired wonderfully with the lemony garlic greens, all tied together with the pecan crumbs! the pecan crumbs deserve accolades all their own, and i almost regret not measuring the ratios! the carrot version really let the flavor if the ricotta shine through, and almost enhanced what cheesy-ness it had. although, after eating a plain ricotta one, i’ve decided that this batch was more like cream cheese-tangy. must have been the raw cashew/lemon juice combo.

i love this color

i love this color

filling!

filling!

vegan tofu-ricotta, carrot, and roasted beet raviolis!

vegan tofu-ricotta, carrot, and roasted beet raviolis!

raviolis and lemony garlic greens

raviolis and lemony garlic greens

the resemblance to a fried egg is wierding me out

the resemblance to a fried egg is wierding me out

→ Leave a comment

Posted in pasta, sexay nom nom nom, side dishes

Tagged , , , , ,

pasta toss!

Posted on November 13, 2010 | 1 Comment

it was 70 degrees this past thursday, and  30 with 5 inches of snow today with another 6 to come overnight. yup. thats minnesota for ya. i’m resigning to hibernating with a box of wine and a deck of cards, and will hopefully sneak out to the coop in the morning. and, as long as i’m hibernating, i may as well try to whip up something truly special tomorrow for you mofo-ers out there. maybe some dessert!? tonights dinner was nothing fancy, just some random veggies, beans, the last of a box of wine and some pasta, but theres something so comforting about pasta; its happiness in a bowl, and given the blizzard we’re sitting in, i want all the happiness i can get! this is a pretty basic dish, so feel free to add or subtract things. adding the bullion to the pasta water is pretty important since the only other flavors added will be the wine, and the crushed red pepper, but the nice return will be the subtle sweetness each flavor gets.

saturday night pasta dance party

serves 6-8

3/4 pound whole wheat fusilli

1 red onion, thickly sliced

8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered

1 carrot, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 c chickpeas

1 zucchini, halved and sliced

14 oz can tomatoes

1 c green beans, 1 inch pieces

1/2 c white wine

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 c pasta cooking water mixed with 1/2 tsp bullion

start a large pot of salted water to boil. in a large sauce pan, heat 2-3 tbs olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. when they start to sizzle, cover the pan and let soften for five minutes. add the mushrooms and cook until soft. add the wine, garlic, carrots, crushed red pepper, and the green beans. turn the heat to high, and let the wine reduce until almost a glaze-about 5-8 minutes. (add the pasta to the water when it comes to a boil, and save 1/2 c of the water when you drain it) now add the zucchini, chickpeas and the tomatoes and 1/4 c of the pasta water. simmer until the vegetables are tender, and toss with the pasta.

pasta!

pasta!

 

 

→ 1 Comment

Posted in pasta, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , ,

Decadent Cashew Heirloom Lasagna

Posted on September 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

mmm hmmm, lasagna. again. its already “fall” again in minneapolis; even though i was sweating my ass off in the 94 degree heat at the fair, by the following wednesday the temps dropped into the low 60′s & 70′s. tear. i honestly hope that it warms up for at least a few more days, as i have a considerable amount of peppers and tomatoes that are thisclose to being ripe. and i want to eat them! the first night that we had a big chill run through the house,  i had another craving for lasagna. i also wanted to tinker with my pasta dough recipe, and i wanted to see what would happen when raw cashew cheeze met the oven; an hour and a half later (due to tinkering endlessly) i had a creamy, ridiculously rich lasagna that was incredibly satisfying. if full strength cashew cheeze is too rich for your palette, try cutting it in half with mashed up, firm tofu, and let it hang in the fridge (preferably overnight) before using. this recipe uses red sauce only as an accent-i use a tad to keep the pasta from sticking, and to serve the lasagna on top of. i will even say that i think i prefer my lasagna this way! marinara can be so sweet, and so overpowering, and with cashew cheeze’s delicate flavor you may want to skimp on the sauce, too!

Cashew Heirloom Lasagna

makes 4-6 servings

1/2 pound fresh pasta recipe here*, rolled out to the #5 setting, and cut into 9 sheets fitting an 8×8 brownie pan -or- 9 whole wheat lasagna sheets from the box

2 Large Heirloom Tomatoes, i used striped germans

15 oz can tomato puree, doctored up any way you like with dried herbs

2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced

1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups raw cashews

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tbs mellow white miso paste

salt to taste

* i tinkered with the recipe, adding ground flaxseeds to replicate egg dough, about 1/2 tbs per 1/4 c h20. this will make your dough hold more water so you may have to keep adding in additional flour as your roll. i thought the flavor was still mild, but it will help pump up your fiber intake-so experiment!

preheat your oven to 375, and get a large pot of water on to boil.

first, the cheeze. place your cashews into a bowl and cover with one inch of water. soak for one hour minimum while you prep everything else.

start the pasta. roll out your pasta to the #5 setting, and cut sheets to fit an 8×8 cake pan. mine were a bit wide and overlapped, and it worked just fine.

filling! slice the tomatoes into 1/4″ rounds and lay onto paper towels to help soak up water. pour a few tablespoons olive oil into a large skillet and heat over a medium flame. start sauteing your onions until soft and starting to turn golden. add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid. add a pinch of salt and raise the heat to cook off the water. now toss in the zucchinis, adding another pinch of salt if necessary to help evaporate the liquid. hint-the wider the pan, the easier this will be. set aside once nice and browned.

cheeze! drain off the cashew water and reserve. toss the nuts, miso, and nooch into your food processors work bowl. pulse until ground, turn the machine on, and stream in enough cashew water to make a paste the consistency of thin frosting. or pudding. or cake batter. you get it.

pasta. is your water boiling yet? if so, add your pasta 3 sheets at a time and cook until floating (if fresh) and remove to a counter top lined in foil or waxed paper. otherwise, cook the boxed stuff until firm but pliable (al dente).

assemble! pour about half of your marinara into the bottom of your casserole/cake pan. layer 3 noodles on top, and cover them with a generous layer of cashew cheeze. arrange 1/3 of your tomato slices on top and sprinkle with 1/2 of your sauteed veggies. this time, repeat the layer without marinara. now add the last layer of pasta, another thick layer of cheese, and decorate with remaining slices of tomatoes. sprinkle with salt and pepper. cover in foil, and bake for 35 minutes, uncover and bake 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes get wrinkly and start to brown. let rest 10 minutes before cutting. warm up the extra marinara to pool on your plate for serving.

vegan cashew tomato lasagna-post baking

vegan cashew tomato lasagna-post baking

a slice of vegan heaven

a slice of vegan heaven


→ Leave a comment

Posted in casseroles, pasta, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , , ,

Fresh Heirloom Lasagna Stacks

Posted on September 1, 2010 | 5 Comments

summers winding down and my tomatoes are going bonkers! out of my five plants, i’m harvesting at least a half pint of cherry tomatoes, and at least 2-3 green zebras and brandywines a day. now believe me, i’m not complaining about the abundance, but a girl can only eat so much gazpacho, and the thought of applying heat to such beauties seems so cruel. i was thinking of caprese for dinner, but i didn’t have any tofu to marinate for a sub for feta, and pasta salad gets old…. a poke around the refrigerator turned up some leftover raw cashew “cheeze”, and a poke around the internet for tomato recipes turned up this lovely image: http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/tomato-stack-thumb.jpg

this was still essentially layers of tomato and cheese, and i felt the need to replicate the stacking, but i had an idea to take place of the mozzarella; pasta! i decided to roll out sheets of whole wheat lasagna, cut circles, and after cooking  i would slather them with the cashew spread to add a little “heft” to the meal. ideally your tomatoes will be the same exact width as the pasta, (cut with a pint glass ,natch) and to achieve this you will have to discard the bottom and top ends of the fruit to have nice flat tops-leaving 2-3 perfect slices per tomato. use those “scraps” as decoration, or save for another use. however, i do not recommend trimming the outside skin of the tomato for sake of symmetry, it’ll get messy and take away some of the beautiful color-especially with heirlooms. to save time you can pre-make the pasta and the cheese up to a day in advance for fast assembly. you could also absolutely swap out the pasta for circular slabs of marinated tofu for a tasty, gluten free meal.

Fresh Heirloom Lasagna Stacks

serves 4

1/2 recipe pasta dough recipe here or, use egg-free wonton wrappers- 12 total

1 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tbs mellow white miso

4-6 medium-large heirloom tomatoes, any color

2 skinny, long bell peppers, or annaheim peppers-i used chocolate bells

36 basil leaves

salt

pepper

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

first, start the cashew cheese. pour your raw cashews into a bowl and add enough water to cover. soak for one hour and drain, saving the soaking liquid. dump them into a food processor with the miso paste and nutritional yeast, and pulse to combine. now run the machine and slowly stream in the soaking water until the cashews are thick, pale, and fluffy like frosting. spoon into a container and chill while you get ready to assemble.

now, the pasta. if making your own, take your dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. feed each piece into your roller, but only work up to the number 2 setting; this will keep the circles sturdy, and wonderfully chewy. move each sheet to a cutting board lightly dusted with semolina, and use a pint glass or equal sized biscuit cutter to make 3 circles. lay these out on some waxed paper to dry out for awhile. meanwhile, get some water on to boil.

tomatoes and peppers. take each tomato, and with a serrated knife cut them into 5 pieces-the top and bottom being thinner than the 3 middle pieces. depending on your size, you may only get 2 slices so have a few extra tomatoes on hand. trim the core from your scraps and set them aside for another use. layer your slices between some napkins to help absorb extra water. slice your bell peppers into 1/4″ thick slices and remove the seeds.

pasta part 2. drop your pasta, 6 at a time, into your boiling water. simmer until floating, and then for 30 seconds more. remove the pasta to a piece of waxed, or parchment paper to dry.

assemble! once the pasta has dried off, smear a generous layer of the cashew cheese onto one side (now the “top” of the pasta) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. on your plates, starting with the widest tomatoes and working to your smallest, layer in this order: tomato-pasta-3 basil leaves-3 bell pepper slices, repeat this 2 more times but omit the bell pepper from the last layer. dress up the top of the stack with extra black pepper, pieces of extra tomato or a pepper ring, and a drizzle each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. serve asap!

the work station

the work station

sexay stacked heirloom lasagna

sexay stacked heirloom lasagna

→ 5 Comments

Posted in can be Gluten Free, pasta, salad, side dishes, Uncategorized, whats for dinner?

Tagged , , , ,