Artichoke and Tomato Spaghetti

November 2, 2012 9 Comments

This recipe was one I made quite awhile back (a year ago). I pulled it out of my files as my main computer’s hard drive took a dump yesterday morning, right after we had a power outage (it wasn’t related). Kirk is rebuilding it (thank you off-site backups!!) but for now I can’t upload new photos – and I get to use my teen’s computer or my iPad. First world problems and all, boy do I miss my computer though!

PS:Thank you all for SO many visits and comments yesterday during the Vegan Potluck. It was fun, I will do it agin if it is held! We have a great community out here, all of us crazy bloggers!

A quick and easy dinner, add more red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Originally this recipe had cheese added. Now? I’d use finely ground almond meal mixed with Italian herb seasoning or Dry bread crumbs flavored with Italian herb seasoning. Both make great cheese substitutes for pasta!

Artichoke and Tomato Spaghetti

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 cup drained marinated artichokes, diced (reserve the liquid)
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup reserved marinade
  • Parmesan cheese, if desired or ground almond meal + italian herb seasoning or Italian flavored dry bread crumbs
  • 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti or 13.25 ounce multi-grain spaghetti

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, add the spaghetti and cook for time on package. Before draining reserve a cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat, add in the onion and cook covered for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add in the garlic, artichokes and spices, cover and let cook for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and marinade, turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the drained pasta and toss to coat. Add in reserved pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce. Top liberally as desired with cheese, ground almonds or bread crumbs.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

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Comfort Food Done Lighter: Green Mac n’ Cheese

October 20, 2012 7 Comments

Last week I had my blood draws done and while most of my numbers were looking great, because of being 8 months out from having Alistaire, I wasn’t so happy with some of my cholesterol numbers. I know why they had slid back up. Frankly it was due to me eating meat while pregnant (duh) and indulging in heavy cheese and eggs periodically. Yeah, beat me with that plant-based diet stick. I fell off the wagon. So for the past week I have made a push to use up the last of the dairy products in the house. Then back to being a good ol’ PBD follower once again. I want to pull my numbers in 4 months and see how it goes. Until then, I still have 3 freaking pounds of cheese to use up – being frugal I refuse to waste good cheese (My Mom would scream from the spirit world if I were to dump it!) But, I have at least been using it slowly and in small amounts. No more liberal touches…lol! I hope to be back on PBD fully on November 1st. A good way to celebrate Virtual Vegan Potluck Day, eh?

What I liked about this dinner was how fast it comes together, it isn’t full of butter/oil but still feels rich. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of mac n’ cheese that only tastes of salty/heavy cheese.

Green Mac n’ Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1¾ cups milk (used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 3 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 4 ounces grated medium white cheddar cheese
  • 10 to 12 ounce package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
  • 13.25 ounce package multi-grain or whole wheat elbow macaroni
  • 9 ounce bag spinach leaves, chopped finely

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly slated water to boil. Add pasta and cook for time on package. In the last 5 minutes add broccoli, in last 30 seconds add the spinach in, drain gently.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour, mustard, paprika, salt and nutmeg into ¾ cup of the milk.

Add the remaining cup of milk to a large saucepan, bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisk in flour mixture, whisking constantly until it has thickened.

Remove from heat, whisk in cheese till melted. Add sauce to drained pasta, tossing gently to coat.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

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Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo

October 1, 2012 3 Comments

Say hello to October! It is the start of October Unprocessed 2012 – the 31 day long pledge I am taking to asses how my goals are doing. The challenge can be what you want – there is no hard-line here, simply do the best you can. And while we eat this way most of the time I know we have huge areas that need improvement. Some things will slide I am sure, but I will also learn even more skills in our kitchen. If the guys want to join me, they can. But I won’t criticize them if the don’t.

Some of my goals?

 

No sugar, processed sugar (brown sugar, molasses, etc) or all-purpose flour. We already avoid it most of the time, so not a huge issue….

No going to Starbucks or similar, unless I am traveling and then no sweeteners unless it is honey. I am sure my wallet will appreciate it.

No eating out. Lets face it – the majority of meals eaten out are made of highly processed foods. Again, our wallet will appreciate it. A family of 5 isn’t cheap when eating out!

An unrelated goal is to dial in my grocery shopping even tighter. Not giving into weak moments. If I want something sweet, I make it. It is interesting though that much of the crap food I used to eat, even a year or two ago, doesn’t appeal to me anymore, nor does it smell good. But…I still have moments where a frappe or a store-bought organic cookie sound awesome. That has to stop!

This recipe was inspired by my weekly farmers market trip. Saturday dinners are usually inspired by what I find there. This weekend was a good one, I came home with a huge amount of vegetables and many ideas. The vegetable I found that inspired me most? These:

I found them on the table, 3 for $1. The farmer is Hispanic and doesn’t speak the best of English, but I was able to at least figure out they were sweet and not hot. I have come to realize just how little I looked at vegetables before this year. I rarely strayed out of what I knew – yes, we ate a wide variety compare to most but before? I’d never have looked at purple Tomatillos. Or at the red peppers, ugly and squat. I had no idea what they were so I googled and realized I had Round of Hungary peppers. I decided to roast them, something I had not done before. It is too easy for me to drive to Trader Joe’s and buy a jar. But what do I know of the plants used? Where they were raised? What they are packed in? Yes, it takes time. The farther I go down the unprocessed road, the more time I spend in the kitchen. I know where and how our food gets to us. And in the end? The peppers tasted like none I had before. They were candy-sweet and so tender they melted into the alfredo sauce

Roasted Red Peppers

Ingredients:

  • red pepper(s)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450°, line a baking sheet with foil. Rinse the peppers and dry off, placing on the baking sheet.

Place on the top rack, flipping gently every 15 minutes, until the skins are charred and the peppers are looking done. It will take 30 to 45 minutes, depending on what peppers are used.

Take out, cover with a second sheet of foil, crimp the edges to seal the steam in. Let sit until cool, the peel off the skins with fingers, discarding. Gently pop pepper open and remove seeds, discarding.

If using immediately chop as desired. If storing in the refrigerator for later use place in a glass container, cover with olive oil and seal tightly.

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo

Ingredients:

  • 12 to 13.25 ounce package whole grain or whole wheat pasta (used shells)
  • 1 pound string beans, trimmed and chopped (used yellow/green/purple)
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and chopped
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 ounces lower-fat cream cheese (¾ of package)
  • 1 cup milk (unsweetened almond used)
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ cup roasted red peppers
  • ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, add pasta. In the last 3 minutes add the beans. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large/deep skillet over medium. Add the oil, onion and mushrooms, sauté for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until melted and smooth, stir in the milk, garlic, pepper, red peppers and ½ cup of cheese, Turn to medium-low, gently simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in most of the basil, toss with pasta.

Top each serving with a bit of remaining cheese and basil.

Serves 4.

Side note:

While this recipe mostly comes under the unprocessed heading, the cream cheese is an issue. I am hoping to explore making my cream cheese, it is achievable at home. Till then, shop carefully and read brands. Some are better than others and even organic versions often have gums, both low-fat and regular do, so there isn’t a huge difference on what you buy. Vegan cream cheese would be a no-go, it is usually a medley of odd ingredients. Ad for the grating cheese?  Make sure it has a simple ingredient list, Italian imports are best. Whatever you buy, make sure it has no cellulose added.

~Sarah

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Sweet Potato and White Bean Rigatoni

September 22, 2012 10 Comments

Note: This was a recipe I wrote up last winter and came across it recently in my drafts. You can also use pumpkin as well. I was out and about today so I figured I’d slip in this recipe!

To make my life simple and to ensure a smooth sauce I used canned sweet potato purée but you can also bake or steam up some and mash them, you will need about 1¾ cups.

Sweet Potato and White Bean Rigatoni

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 tsp garlic,minced (4 cloves)
  • 2 Tbsp white whole wheat flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 15 ounce can Farmer’s Market Organic Sweet Potato Puree
  • 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 1 Tbsp dried or fresh parsley
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta, whole wheat preferably

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, cook the rigatoni as directed, drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium, add the oil and onion, sauté until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Sprinkle the flour on and whisk for a minute or two, add the milk and sweet potato, whisking smooth. Let heat through till thick, whisking often. Turn to medium-low and add the beans, cheese, parsley and pepper. let heat through and melt. Toss with the cooked pasta and serve.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

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Pumpkin and Sage Pasta

September 16, 2012 6 Comments

Note from me – I wrote this recipe last fall, in late October. It was saved as a draft and I forgot about it. Fall is nearly here again, seems like a perfect time to post this recipe!

I made this awhile back before my sage plants started turning yellow for fall (they tend to that as the nights get colder!). It was good but it needed something more, still not sure but I can work on it. Kirk’s reply was “sausage”. Gee, thanks!

In the recipe I use some not as common measurements. If you haven’t seen these Pinch Dash Smidgen Measuring Spoons before you need to! When Kirk got them for me as a present I wasn’t sure how often I would use them, I use them at least a couple of times a week now. It makes for much more accurate measuring over using ones fingers.

Pumpkin and Sage Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb small pasta shapes (used bow ties)
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, trimmed of stem and dry, cut into slivers
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, peeled and diced (or 1 onion)
  • 4 tsp granulated garlic (or 4 fresh cloves, diced)
  • 15 ounce can pumpkin purée
  • 2 cups lower sodium vegetable broth
  • ½ cup milk – dairy or unsweetened almond
  • 1 tsp hot sauce (used Tabasco)
  • 1 tsp ground sage
  • 2 pinches ground cinnamon (1/8 tsp)
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg (1/16 tsp)
  • Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, cook pasta for time on package and drain.

Meanwhile in a large non-stick skillet heat half the oil over medium heat. Add in sage leaves and cook until crispy (the pan will quit sizzling). Take out the leaves and let drain on clean paper towels.

Add in the remaining oil and the shallots and let cook until tender. Sprinkle the garlic on and let cook a minute, then add the broth, pumpkin and milk and the remaining seasoning.

Turn to medium-low and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Toss with the hot pasta and add cheese as desired.

Top with the crispy sage leaves on each serving.

Serves 4.

~Sarah

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A Vegan Dinner: Lemony Basil Pasta, Tofu-catta & Boozy Rum Cake

August 11, 2012 1 Comment

A recent dinner was vegan, not on purpose, but what I call accidentally vegan. And I can’t say dairy was missed. Although I am sure Kirk would have been happy with a lot fewer tomatoes….raw tomatoes are something he has never been fond of. Oh well, more fer me!

Lemony Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 13.25 ounce package whole-grain or whole wheat angel hair or spaghetti
  • 1 pint fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Juice and zest from 1 large lemon
  • 3 Tbsp capers, drained
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil, cook pasta for time on package. In the last-minute add the tomatoes. Drain, add back to the pot and toss with everything.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

I was wondering if the guys would like this and went over well. I don’t use tofu very often, this was a treat for us. After it had time to “marinate” I found the flavor very appealing with our pasta. I suspect it would delicious in veggie lasagna as well.

Tofu-catta

Ingredients:

Directions:

Drain the tofu in a mesh strainer. Crumble it in the strainer, leave over a bowl to drain.

Toss the tofu with the seasonings and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate, let the flavors develop for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Add on top of pasta, or as desired.

Makes enough for two meals, serving 8 total.

I surprised the guys with a quick rum cake, I baked it while we ate dinner and had it before bed, It was a perfect way to use up a big portion of a bottle of Myer’s Dark Rum I had in the pantry (we don’t drink, but I use it in baking). The scent of rum is VERY strong but yum, it was fantastic! Very moist. According to a USDA chart I read up on, only about 30% of the alcohol is left after baking. So it did possibly have some remaining, hence the kids only got a small bite. How sad ;-) I on the other hand ate way too much. Oh well. I did garden a bunch before, so that works it off, no?

Boozy Rum Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (see below)
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
  • ½ cup dark rum
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°, lightly oil a round cake pan with a neutral oil, such as sunflower.

Grind the oats into a fine flour, add it to a large mixing bowl with the other dry ingredients, whisk to combine.

Whisk the brown sugar through vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth, add to the dry and stir till mixed.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, til a toothpick comes out clean (check at 35). Be careful of over baking though!

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, gently turn out on to a plate, flip back over onto a second plate.

Can also be baked in a 8×8″ square glass baking pan as well.

Handmade Dark Brown Sugar

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup organic granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses, preferably organic

Directions:

Mix the sugar and molasses together with a fork until combined. Store in an airtight container.

~Sarah

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Avocado Sauced Pasta with Oven Roasted Tomatoes & Dessert Too!

July 8, 2012 1 Comment

The only long part about this dinner was waiting for the lousy avocados to ripen. Sheesh…I get sooo impatient waiting! My fault for buying the bright green hard as a rock ones from Trader Joe’s that take days to get anywhere. Oh well, my “patience” was rewarded eventually and we had a lovely dinner on Friday night. Followed by my favorite hot weather dessert – frozen banana “ice cream” made in yet another version.

Avocado Sauced Pasta with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Campari® tomatoes, quartered
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 ripe Hass avocados, cut in half with flesh removed from shells
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • ¼ cup raw walnuts
  • ¼ tsp each fine sea salt and ground black pepper
  • Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
  • 13.25 ounce package multi-grain or whole wheat spaghetti

Directions:

Preheat oven 300° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes on paper and gently roll in 2 Tablespoons of the oil. Roast for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add spaghetti and cook for time on package.

Meanwhile add the remaining oil, avocados, garlic, lemon juice, walnuts, salt and pepper to a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix), process on high until smooth. Grate a nice smattering of cheese and stir in the sauce.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, adding more cheese as desired. Fold in the roasted tomatoes and serve.

This pasta does not reheat well, plan for no leftovers or eat cold, heating will wreck the sauce.

Serves 4.

Frozen Banana & PB “Ice Cream”

Ingredients:

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • Half a batch of PB Dip

Directions:

Peel the bananas and slice then into coins. Freeze them in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet till firm, at least an hour, preferably a couple.

Add the frozen bananas to a food processor bowl. Process on high. The bananas will chop up and whirl around, scrape down, turn back up to high. It will suddenly turn into a smooth frozen mix. Stop and add the PB dip, turn on high to quickly blend in.

Serve immediately or freeze for later serving (I actually liked it being frozen for a couple of hours better than serving right away in this version).

Serves 3 to 4.

~Sarah

Proudly made with our Vitamix Blender:

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Tuscan White Bean Salad from Fine Cooking Italian

July 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

Released this past winter in January, Fine Cooking Italian: 200 Recipes for Authentic Italian Food, is a lovely cookbook full of inspiration. I will be making more from the cookbook, especially the pizza and dessert sections…..the pasta section is delicious looking as well.

While going through it, I came across a recipe for a bean and pasta salad on page 28 that sounded interesting. I adapted it a bit, adding 3 ounces more pasta to make it heartier and a bit more tuna, although the recipe didn’t specify what size can, most likely it would have been for a 6 ounce can.

Tuscan White Bean Salad (adapted)

Ingredients:

  • 7 ounces small tube pasta
  • 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 4.5-ounce cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained

Directions:

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, add past and cook for time on package, drain. Toss the beans and pasta together in a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile whisk the onion through pepper together, add to pasta and toss gently to coat. Flake the drained tuna on top and gently fold in. Cover and refrigerate.

Serves 4 to 8, depending on serving size (main dish or side dish).

~Sarah

FTC Disclaimer: We received a copy of the book for potential review.

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