First Pesto of the Season

I love me some pesto. Short of avocado--which is the sexiest beast alive when it comes to food--pesto is one of my very favorite foods of all time. Needless to say, I love basil season. And although we're not quite there yet, in excitement and preparation, I decided to try the Appetite for Reduction edamame pesto.

I've fiddled with many different pesto variations over the years. And I love edamame, so I figured it'd be an easy success. And it was. Not only is it much cheaper than most homemade pestos (this required less basil than most, and edamame is cheap as hell if you go to the right place to buy it, especially in comparison to pine nuts which are INSANELY expensive right now or even walnuts) but it also has a lightness and brightness to its flavor that sings of spring and summer and sunshine and gardens. It was really damn good is what I'm saying. So much so that I can't wait to bust it out in the summer knowing that it'll also definitely make my basil stretch further (1 cup of basil yields about the same amount of pesto in this recipe as 3 cups does in most standard pesto recipes). And it's way healthier too, of course.

So yes, for those of you bumping about in Appetite for Reduction cookbook trying to figure out what to cook next: this should definitely be at the top of your list.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 cup packed basil leaves


• 14 oz package shelled edamame, thawed


• 1/2 cup vegetable broth


• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 1 teaspoon olive oil


• 1 teaspoon salt


• optional: 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS

Place garlic and basil in food processor and pulse a few times to get it chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add a little more vegetable broth if it seems too stiff. Set aside until ready to use.

(from Appetite for Reduction, reposted at The PPK)

Gnocchi of Guilt

So two posts in a week. AM I BLOWING YOUR MIND OR WHAT?!?

And it's actually a RECIPE POST!!!! *scraping chunks of your cerebrum off your blinds*

So yes: I am still getting a subscription to Vegetarian Times even though I make fun of it incessantly. And yes: I'm still cooking shit from it although I was a frequent complainer about the tepidness of their recipes. And yes: shock of shocks, I've been finding a string of good food in there as of late. So maybe they're not as hopeless as I'd thought (although again: you really COULD easily post vegan alternatives for many of your recipes, veg times, if you only took the time to add in an "or agave nectar" or "or vegan margarine" etc, but I WON'T GO THERE AGAIN because you've been doing good with the recipes so *deep cleansing breath*).

Anyways, last week I made the Gnocchi with Chickpeas and Seared Broccoli Raab on p. 36 of the Sept. 2010 issue, and DAMN was it good.

I DID end up having to sub in spinach for the broccoli raab though because a) I wasn't sure what broccoli raab even LOOKED like, so I spent like 20 minutes peering closely at various vegetables that looked SUSPICIOUSLY like they could be a raab but then were just, say, kale or something (still not sure what exactly it looks like), and because b) I had THIS conversation with the dude in the produce department:

ME: Excuse me. You don't happen to know if you guys carry broccoli raab, do you?

DUDE: [blank stare]

ME: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm not exactly sure what it looks like, so I can't tell if you have it and I'm just not seeing it or what.

DUDE: Broccoli, you say? We carry broccoli. [pointing at broccoli]

ME: Well, no. Broccoli RAAB. Apparently it's different?

DUDE: (looking puzzled and then getting excited and looking like he's had a sudden epiphany) Wait! Do you mean broccoli FLOR-ETS? [here he pronounces florets for me as though I am deeply mentally challenged and incapable of realizing that "raab" is actually pronounced "florets"--he points again at the broccoli]

ME: Um, nevermind.

So needless to say: substitution. That being said, it was a goddamn good substitution and I recommend it in case you are unable to locate broccoli raab (pronounced "florets"). Granted, you can't so much "sear" it, but it's still tasty.

And the recipe's super easy.

And it's got a lovely kind of flowery aromatic lushness to it that will make your tastebuds happy, namely due to the inclusion of reserved sundried tomato oil (so don't skimp and use olive oil or something).

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the dish, so instead, I give you a picture of my guilt:



INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. (1/2 package) gnocchi, such as Gia Russa)


• 8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and quartered, 2 T. oil reserved


• 1/2 c. reserved cooking water


• 1/2 onion thinly sliced


• 1 small bunch broccoli raab, stems trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (4 cups) OR 4 cups baby spinach, rinsed and destemmed


• 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS

• Cook gnocchi according to package directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.


• Heat reserved sun-dried tomato oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until beginning to brown. If using broccoli raab: increase heat to high and stir in broccoli raab. Cook 2 to 3 mins until it begins to wilt. If using spinach, well, actually: pretty much the same damn thing, so nevermind.


• Add sun-dried tomatoes, cooked gnocchi, and chickpeas and cook 2 to 3 mins more or until gnocchi begins to brown. Stir in reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

(Recipe from Vegetarian Times, Sept. 2010, p. 36)

Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

So the original recipe for this came from The Vegan Cook's Bible (which actually is a really cool cookbook if you haven't yet perused it).

The recipe itself is super easy-peasy, easily adaptable (get inventive and throw in some more seasonings or, as I did, add some shroomies), and it actually tastes like a lot more work was put into it than is actually the case.

And it's one of those recipes where you can really just wing the quantities and go entirely by taste.

It also is REALLY REALLY good, *AND* you could easily adapt it into a spinach-artichoke dip by leaving out the liquid from the artichokes and also leaving out the shrooms.

So: make it.

INGREDIENTS:

• Frozen spinach (about 2 cups if you wanna be anal)


• 6-oz. jar of marinated artichokes


• Vegan sour cream (1 to 2 cups, depending)


• Penne pasta


• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced


• White mushrooms, quartered (I used about 2/3 of a large container)


• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Cook penne pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside.

Reserve the liquid from your artichokes and dice the artichokes up finely.

Heat oil in a pan on low. Add garlic and cook a minute or two until fragrant.

Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they start putting off moisture.

Add spinach, artichokes, and reserved liquid.

Let simmer for maybe 10 minutes or so, however long it takes for the frozen spinach to cook through.

Add vegan sour cream and stir until mixed. Simmer on low until sauce is heated through.

Season with fresh pepper and salt to taste.

Serve over hearty portions of pasta.

(The sauce goes a long way, so you can get at least 6 servings out of it and possibly up to 10)

Yes, I'm Lazy, But I'm Also Awesome and Have a Fairly Decent Rack, So Suck It

See, what starts happening is that I bust out ye ol' laziness, don't post regularly, food p0rn accumulates (stuffed under the mattress so your mom won't find it), and then I can't remember what the recipe was for the pic, and if it was at all good or not, or if it made me throw up chunky sparkles and rainbows for three days.

Like this cream of broccoli soup: I just looked through about 5 broccoli soup recipes I bookmarked, and I *think* this is the one I used, though I can't be certain.

Rainy Day Cream of Broccoli Soup



Vagueries: This one I *do* remember liking. I remember thinking that it reminded me of college, where I used to buy broccoli cheese soup and then plain noodles from the pasta bar and then dump the broccoli soup over the pasta and have broccoli-cheese pasta. *Sigh* The good ol' days.


This one I had to stare at for a little while to figure out wtf it was. And as senility momentarily slipped away, I realized that I think it was this Beer Pie (fuck Guinness), which I made one day with a bunch of substitutions.


"Fuck Guinness, I'll Use VEGAN Beer" Pie



Vagueries: I do remember that I was excited to find out that Pepperidge Farm (I think) puff pastries were vegan, so I decided to try using those on top instead of the crust recipe. I also didn't use the seitan log recipe--I think maybe I subbed in the packaged shit? Which probably ultimately explains why I *do* remember thinking that this recipe made WAY too little food, and that I could've probably eaten the whole thing in one sitting if I wouldn't have been disgusted with myself for doing so. It LOOKED pretty though.


Here, I tried to make my own Southern Fried Vegetarian "Chicken," and upon doing so, I realized my friend P has a special knack with it 'cause mine didn't come out NEARLY as good as hers did when she made it. Mine: Kind of doughy, and super-greasy. Actually, this whole meal sucked, that I do remember. In the back there are the lemony roasted potatoes from Veganomicon which I actually really like but this time came out inexplicably gross. So the long and short is: if I want Southern Fried "Chicken" again at some point, I'm batting my eyelashes gratuitously at Ms. P and maybe flashing a little nip.


Southern Fried Vegetarian "Chicken"



This one I think was Chipotle Split-Pea soup, and honestly, I feel like I was surprised at liking it for some reason, but that I did. But if my life was at stake in saying that, I must admit, I can't be positive.


Chipotle Split-Pea Soup



This, on the other hand, I *DO* remember, as it was THE most beautiful cupcake I've ever seen. I wish the camera had captured how vivacious the red was on this cupcake--I literally kept pausing while eating it just to stare at how lovely the color was--but it didn't. Nonetheless, I got it at Nature's Bin and haven't seen them there since. Obviously, it's a red velvet cupcake, and just thinking about it has got me all teary-eyed. Please excuse me. *sob*





This I think was the eggplant something-something from Vegan Planet. I remember thinking, Oh yay, a vegan eggplant parmigiana recipe!! when I decided to make it, and then suddenly realizing, Hey, wait a minute! The recipe doesn't even bread the eggplant!!! What the hell was I thinking! But now I'm not even 100% certain that's where it came from. I remember I was underwhelmed by the recipe though, but I *did* like the gomashio recipe that accompanied it. (Which is why I feel like it probably WAS from Vegan Planet since every time I make something out of that cookbook, I find myself extremely underwhelmed. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel this way too??)

From Vegan Planet, I think



And finally--at least for the time being--I made this fettucine dish.


Fettucine with Sausage, Basil, and Sundried Tomatoes



Vagueries: I left the fennel out of this since I knew the "sausages" I bought were plenty spicy/fennely, and I can only take so much of the stuff without feeling like I'm sucking on a big pasta-y rope of black licorice. Other than that though, I remember liking the recipe. Perhaps not being blown away by it, but I definitely think it was decent.



And that catches me up through mid-April! *Stuffing my food p0rn back under the mattress for now*

Stay tuned for more lazy catch-up!

Pasta with Olives, Artichokes, and Dried Tomatoes

                          from The Accidental Vegan

New favorite food combo of lustiness:

Sundried tomatoes & kalamata olives.

They both are strange and perfumey and an acquired taste, and for that reason, they mingle like a fucking sexy hot tango.

And I don't even really LIKE sundried tomatoes in other situations. Truly.

Anyways, the recipe is from The Accidental Vegan and doesn't appear to be posted on-line.

But really, it's simple enough that a) I really didn't think I'd like it nearly as much as I did (which was enough so that I'm cooking it for my mom again tomorrow), and b) you kind of can do all the ingredients to taste really.

Kalamata olives, diced
Sundried tomatoes (maybe a dozen or so), rehydrated in boiling water and drained
Olive oil
Almonds, ground or chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Garlic, minced
Can of quartered artichokes, drained and chopped
White wine or veggie broth (maybe 1/4 c. or so)
Fettucine or other pasta of choice

Anyone who's ever cooked pasta can probably figure out where to go from here, but essentially: Heat olive oil, add garlic for a minute or two, add the rest of the ingredients (minus the fettucine) and simmer for a little bit. Add in pasta, mix, and serve.

(Actual recipe from The Accidental Vegan)

So f-ing yum. Despite the fact that the pic above makes it look boring and albino.

White Bean Alfredo Sauce

Ok. So I'm a big fan of alfredo sauce. Actually, I'm a big fan of pasta in general, and alfredo has always been one of my favorite sauces. So I'm always trying out new alfredo sauces. (Click HERE for others.) The VwaV Fettucine Alfreda is one of my favorites still, but with the admission that it doesn't really taste like ALFREDO per se, despite the fact that it's fricking so good.

So when I noticed this white bean alfredo sauce a few weeks ago, I was skeptical (that's ALL the ingredients?!?) and yet interested. I scrounged it up this past weekend, and I've gotta confess: it really tastes surprisingly like alfredo sauce, even with the very minimal amount of ingredients.

And it takes so little time to make that it seems conceivable that it could cause a tear in the space-time continuum just for existing.

The nice part too is you can funk it up whatever way you'd like: add whatever spices and top it with delicious grilled veggies (like red peppers and portabellas, for example).

The ONLYONLYONLY down-side to the recipe is that you have to eat it fast: like most pureed bean-based dishes, once it starts to cool, it coagulates. So if you're trying to be all romantical with your significant other or something so that you can get some long overdue action, you will DEFINITELY get laid as long as you somehow get them to EAT IT QUICKLY (that's what she said).

Oh, and it would behoove you to food process the SHIT out of those beans, because the smooth consistency is key to the recipe's success. Plus you don't want the aforementioned significant other putting their mouth all over your sexy places with beans stuck in their teeth.

Moodkiller if I've ever seen one.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 c. vegan margarine


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 c. cooked white beans, rinsed and drained


• 1 to 1-1/2 c. unsweetened soy milk (I used sweetened and it works fine too)


• Salt and pepper, to taste


• Parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a sautee pan over low heat, melt the margarine. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the margarine mixture to a blender or food processor, add the white beans and 1 cup of soy milk. Blend until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add the remaining soy milk until you reach the desired consistency.

Pour the sauce back into the pan over low heat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fresh herbs, such as parsley, if desired. Cook until the sauce is warm.

Makes enough sauce for like 4 to 6 servings maybe?

(Recipe from Vegcooking Blog)

Gastronomics and Intestinal Godzillas!!

                                       from A Vegan for Dinner


Yeah, so gluten makes me a fart-factory. OMG yes.

And I don't actually think I'm ALLERGIC to it. 'Cause I'm fine with foods with flour and stuff in them.

It's just recipes I make with vital wheat gluten.

I swear to you, within five minutes of the food hitting my stomach, it starts making THE loudest noises ever. And physically, it feels like a small version of Godzilla is stomping around down there.

Case in point were these "meat"balls.

Holy mother of intestinal distress!

They were like flatulence bombs, like if I fed them to others, I'd immediately be arrested for committing an act of terrorism.

But crap, were they yummy.

Now, things:

I didn't 100% stick to the recipe, 'cause vegan Worcestershire sauce and chicken/beef vegan bouillons are my archnemeses (archnemesises?). They are a pain in the butt to track down, so basically, I pretend they don't exist. I have MADE vegan worc sauce before (from a recipe from like Garden of Vegan or something), but it seems so elaborate for something that, when it comes down to it, sorta just tastes like soy sauce anyways.

So yeah: that.

Also, I wasn't sure if "bouillon" meant "dried bouillon" or "wet broth." And as I'm writing this, I realize it's probably the former, otherwise it would just say "broth." But WHATEVER. Sue me.

Other things: I subbed in 2-eggs worth of egg-replacer (prepared according to the box's directions) for the flax-seed mix.

And I think that was it. (I think I tossed in some oregano too, but BFD really.)

End result: I think I need to tweak my version of this recipe a wee bit (the "beef" broth probably WOULD help in that regard) just to get a more meatbally tasting meatball. But what I really liked about these was that: a) They actually have the consistency of meatballs! Meaning: they stay together and don't crumble if anything heavier than, say, a feather brushes up against them. *COUstupidveganomiconbeanballsGH*. And b) they even stood up against the imminent sogginess that Tracy warns about--I *DID* heat up leftovers IN sauce and let them sit, and they STILL were uncrumbly.

So: way to rock the "meat"ball, Tracy!

I mean, look at how goddamn firm and photogenic they are! For pete's sake!

They're like the Christie Brinkley of the "meat"ball world:



So yeah: I recommend them.

They would make for a nice, firm "meat"ball sub for sure. And they're real good over spaghetti. Plus, they make an assload.

I've put my changes in parenthesis, but I suspect you'd be better off following the original if possible (at least seasoning/bouillon-wise--the egg sub should be fine).

But try them out! Just don't sue me for intestinal terrorism if you do!



TVP MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. hot water


• 1 t. vegan Worcestershire Sauce (I subbed extra soy sauce)


• 1-1/2 T. ketchup


• 2 T. Soy Sauce


• 2 T. beefy vegan bouillon (or I used a half-cube of veg bouillon tossed in with the hot water above)


• 1 t. onion powder


• 1 t. garlic powder


• 1/2 t/ black pepper


• 3/4 t. paprika


• 1/2 t. thyme


• 3/4 c. TVP crumbles


• 1 T. ground flax + 3 T. water (or egg-replacer prepared to make two "eggs")


• 2 T. cornmeal


• 1/2 c. rolled oats


• 3/4 c. breadcrumbs


• 2 T. flour


• 3 T. vital wheat gluten flour

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, toss in all the ingredients up until the TVP crumbles. Stir.

Once combined, add in your TVP crumbles. Let sit until cool.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix together the flax and 3 T. water (or prep your egg replacer). Beat with a fork, then lit sit until it begins to gel. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, toss in all the remaining ingredients. Once your TVP mix cools, stir it in as well and add the "egg" mixture of choice.

Knead dough into a solid ball.

Shape into 32 "meatballs" and fry in oil until brown. Alternately, you can bake on an oiled pan at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (I did the latter of the two.)

Use as you would any other meatball, like spaghetti or sweet and sour sauce. Do not allow the meatballs to sit in the sauce for an extended period of time; add close to the end of the cooking period, just long enough to heat thoroughly.

(Original recipe from A Vegan for Dinner)

Not Really Ultimate Vegan Lasagna

                                       from Veg Times

The most recent issue of the Veg Times had an ASSLOAD of tasty-sounding recipes, so I've kind of been whoring it up on the VT front. (I posted one last week I think, and I have another one in the queue. The queue being MY BRAIN.)

Anyways, the recipe I was most looking forward to trying was their Ultimate Vegan Lasagna. It called for vegan Italian sausage links, which sounded f-ing delish. The "ricotta cheez" recipe sounded boss (I'm having a 1980s moment--please excuse). And the sauce was roasted red pepper-based which sounded yum.

But when all was said and done, I wasn't sure whether to be angry at this recipe or embrace it and grab its ass for a wee little squeeze.

Anger:

1. There is NO way the amount of sauce the recipe calls for can cover a whole lasagna. NO MOTHERF-ING WAY. Allegedly, the sauce recipe makes 5.5 cups. And I'd like to believe that. Really I would. But there's no way.
   
   Fallacies: a) This sauce calls for two small onions. But then they say in parenthesis (2 cups). Now, if two of VT's small onions = 2 cups, then MOTHER OF GOD, I can only imagine what their large onions look like: Beachballs. Blimps. Small planets. And perhaps this partially accounts for the dryness of the lasagna, but b) giving this the benefit of the doubt that it DID make 5.5 cups, I'm STILL not sure that's enough for a whole lasagna. Consequently, this lasagna was extremely dry, especially as leftovers. My mom said she liked it that way, that it was nice to not have a sauce that was overpowering 'cause it let the other flavors shine through. Then again: it WAS my mom saying this, so although I don't doubt she liked it, I think I could poop on a saltine and she'd probably STILL give it a thumb's up. 'Cause she's my mom. But to me: incredibly dry. And maybe I'm a cracked-out sauce whore. (That IS a possibility.) But look at how dry it is in my pic. And if you can, check out the pic in the Veg Times. Entirely different sauce-fest.


2. Regardless of whether or not this actually made 5.5 cups as it alleges (I'm gonna assume that it did): this is STILL not enough sauce to allow for you to not precook your noodles. You want to know how long this lasagna cooked before the noodles were remotely soft? At least an hour and a half. And that included me bumping up the temp of the oven to 425-degrees after the first 30 minutes. And it was supposed to take only 45 to 50 minutes at 375. FALSE! In order for that to actually have taken place, you need an OCEAN of sauce, my friends.


3. I wasn't really bowled over by the inclusion of vegan Italian sausages in all this. Which was kind of disappointing since it was one of the things that attracted me to the recipe in the first place.

BUT!

Ass-grabbingness:

1. This ricotta cheez recipe is the BOMB (1980s moment #2). Seriously. I haven't made a ton of fake ricottas, but this puts the ones I HAVE made to shame. And no doubt it's the inclusion of vegan cream cheez. It gives it a weird, sour, cloud-likeness that is weirdly reminiscent of ricotta in both flavor and consistency in a way that, say, the VwaV ricotta cheez recipe does not quite capture.

So, my conclusion: I don't know that I'd ever make this recipe again. Even if I DID whip up extra sauce, I don't think it was worth the cost (which is pretty hefty, seeing as you need to buy two cubes of tofu, a tub of vegan cream cheez, AND vegan Italian sausages, which is at LEAST $10 or so, and that's not including the ingredients for the sauce, the noodles, etc.) because really, there isn't anything mind-blowing about this lasagna. EXCEPT for the tofu ricotta.

Toss the rest of the recipe and steal that, my peeps. And start using it wildly, crazily, and all over the place.

You will not be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS:

FILLING:

• 2 t. olive oil


• 2 medium onions, chopped (2 c.)


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 10-oz. bag fresh baby spinach


• 2 12-oz. pkgs. firm tofu, drained


• 1 8-oz pkg. vegan cream cheese


• 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil


• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast

SAUCE:

• 1 12-oz. jar roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained


• 1 T. olive oil


• 2 small onions, diced (2 c.)


• 2 T. dried basil (or 3. T. finely chopped fresh)


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 28-oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

LASAGNA:

• 12 uncooked whole-wheat (or regular) lasagna noodles


• 12-oz vegan italian sausage links, cut into thin rounds, or soy sausage crumbles, broken apart


• 1 c. shredded vegan mozzarella cheez (I actually didn't have this, so I made a quick white-sauce that I poured over the top)

DIRECTIONS

FILLING:

Preheat oven to 375-F. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic in oil 4 to 5 mins or until golden. Add spinach and cook 2-3 mins or until wilted. Transfer spinach/onion/garlic mixture to food processor. Add tofu, cream cheez, basil, and nutritional yeast. Puree until mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

SAUCE:

Puree roasted red peppers in food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, and saute 5 mins or until golden. Add basil and garlic, and saute 1 min more. Stir in tomatoes and roasted red pepper-puree. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Simmer 10 mins or until slightly thickened.

LASAGNA ASSEMBLY:

Spread 1/4 of sauce on bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of noodles, then half of filling, and ladle on another 1/4 of sauce. Repeat layer of noodles and remaining filling. Spread sausage evenly over top, and top with 1/4 of sauce. Finish with a final layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheez.

Cover lasagna with foil, and bake 30 mins or until bubbling hot.

Uncover, and bake 15-20 mins more, or until noodles are tender (which in my case was about 60 more mins with the temp bumped up to 425-F) and topping is melted.

Remove from oven and let stand 10 mins before serving.

Serves 8-12

(Recipe from February 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times)

Fettucine with Three-Herb Pesto, Black Kale, and Oyster Mushrooms

                                       from the Veg Times

The first day I made this I was like, Meh. Yet another simple but somewhat boring recipe from the Veg Times.

But second day: scrumptious.

Point being, the flavors really need to meld on this one and really soak into that pasta in order for you to enjoy it in all its glory.

Also: I have no idea what the f- black kale is. I am cheap and lazy and not into obscure vegetables. So I just subbed in regular.

Oh, and I didn't use fresh rosemary/thyme. I'm including the measurements for the fresh stuff, but I think I subbed 1/4 t. dried rosemary and like 1 t. dried thyme. Or something.

Also, the whole "tossing shit into the water with the noodles"-deal, I kinda skipped that (except for the garlic) since I wasn't using fresh.

Also, I subbed in portabellas instead of oyster shroomies.

And I only used like 10 oz. of portabellas. So not nearly 1 1/4 lbs. But it still turned out just fine.

Let's see. What other changes can I toss at you?

Hmmm. Since I didn't have black kale, I used black water to boil the noodles in instead.

I also tossed some of your mom into the cooking water to lend it a bit more spice. BLAM!

Does that make it unvegan? I think not! No moms were actually harmed in the making of this pasta.

Also, and slightly unrelatedly: Greens have been battling it out on my palate lately, all in an effort to decide which is deserving of the position as my favorite green. And right now, collard greens have got kale up against the ropes, but kale could conceivably be pulling a bit of the ol' rope-a-dope, so stay tuned.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 c. fresh parsley


• 1/4 c. walnuts


• 5 cloves garlic, divided


• 1 t. finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 large sprigs, divided


• 1 T. fresh thyme leaves, plus 2 large sprigs, divided


• 4 T. olive oil, divided


• 8 oz. black kale (1 bunch), stemmed and coarsely chopped


• 12 oz. Fettucine


• 1 1/4 lb. oyster or other large mushrooms, halved (I used portabellas)


• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 c.)


• 1 c. low-sodium veggie broth


• Vegan parmesan, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Blend parsley, walnuts, 3 garlic cloves, thyme and rosemary (minus the sprigs) in the food processor until finely chopped. Add 3 T. oil and blend until smooth.

Cook kale in a large pot of boiling water about 5 mins or until tender. Remove kale to drain but keep water. Bring to a boil again and add pasta, garlic, and remaining sprigs of thyme and rosemary, and cook according to pasta directions and drain.

Heat remaining 1 T. oil in a large pot. Add shrooms and onions and saute about 12 minutes or until tender and golden.

Add pesto and saute 2 minutes or until sauce begins to stick to bottom of pan and turn golden brown. Add broth and simmer 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half, scraping sauce from bottom of pan.

Add kale and pasta to the pot and toss to cook. You can stir in a tiny bit of water as well to moisten, if necessary.

Season with black pepper, vegan parm, and/or salt.

Serves 6.

(Recipe from the Feb. 2009 Veg Times, p. 45)

Porcini Mushroom Stroganoff

                                       from The Candle Cafe Cookbook

It is currently 14-degrees. I am indoors. It is lightly snowing outdoors. I am listening to weird Radiohead covers. And I'm worrying about the damn outdoor stray that I built my cat shelter for.

I bumped into him yesterday when I got home from dinner with a friend. He was sitting in the snow. It was freezing.

I gave him some more food.

And then he did something out of the ordinary: he let me pet him all sorts of crazy. Normally, he'll barely let me touch his head, but this time he was GUNG-HO.

Which made me feel bad. Because I thought: he's probably being super-affectionate in the hope that I'll let him indoors with me.

So I fretted. And I tried to coax him into the cat shelter (which he doesn't seem to have used this past week). And I came back out and tried to coax him into a cat carrier (I figured since he wasn't being skittish, perhaps I could finally coerce him to come live with my mum, but no luck). And I pet him. And I lectured him about getting somewhere warm and STAYING there instead of sitting in the snow. When I tried again to coerce him into the carrier, he leisurely trotted off and scooted under my back neighbor's porch.

And that was that.

It upsets me though. Because the poor thing doesn't deserve to have to deal with this bitter cold. He's a big sweetie. And that makes it EXTRA-sucky.

Both N-A and my mom reminded me yesterday though that he made it through a winter or two already, so clearly he knows how to keep himself safe and warm. And they're right.

It just bothers me, going to bed, all snug under tons of covers, my cats all snuggled up against my legs, knowing that the poor thing's outside just trying to keep warm. And that there's only so much I can do.

So yeah.

I HATE THIS WEATHER.

Nonetheless: Since we don't have much choice, I figured I'd post this recipe today as it is a nice F- You to the snow. It'll warm you from your belly out to your toenails and the tips of your hair.

It's thick and heavy. And it's warm and very home-cooking-esque.

**AND** it's real super-easy to make.

So if you're cursing the snow, go whip some up.

And send your good vibes in the direction of my little neighborhood stray.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 T. unbleached flour


• 2 T. soy margarine


• 3 garlic cloves


• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped


• 1/2 T. sea salt


• 1 T. freshly ground back pepper


• 2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms


• 1 lb. button mushrooms


• 1/4 c. white wine (or veggie broth works too)


• 1 T. tomato paste


• 1 c. soy milk


• pinch of dried parsley


• pinch of dried dill


• 1 thyme sprig (or a pinch or two of dried thyme)


• 1 bay leaf


• 1/2 c. chopped fresh chives


• 1 lb. fettuccine

DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Stir in the flour and cook for four minutes, stirring frequently. Add the soy margarine, garlic, onion,salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

Add the porcini and button mushrooms, wine, tomatoes paste, and soy milk. Stir in the parsley, dill, thyme, bay leaf, and chives Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Drain.

Spoon the sauce over the fettucine and serve at once.

Makes 4-6 servings.

(Recipe from the Candle Cafe Cookbook, reposted at Bodhi Studios)

Orangey Kalamata Fettucine with Asparagus

So the other day, I had the world's most specific craving: asparagus, orange juice, and kalamata olives.

No: I am not pregnant.

Thankfully, however, I was at the grocery store, so I picked up all of the above for dinner. Playing on a variation of the whole Roasted Asparagus with Orange Gremolata pasta idea, I decided to whip up a quickie fettuccine dish. (I just now realized that I think I've been spelling fettuccine wrong.)

And fuck if it wasn't tasty. No seriously: right now. On top of your desk. Or bent over your kitchen table. Or in the shower. Do it.

Ha.

Anyways, I actually liked it much better than the aforementioned gremolata dish. It didn't have the bitterness of the orange rind. And the saltiness of the kalamata olives tickled the sweet oranginess in just the right way.

Unfortunately, I didn't write down any specific measurements. And unfortunately, I just whipped up one gut-busting serving for myself. So this recipe won't have a whole lot of specificity to it. But consider it a jumping point to explore your own variation.

INGREDIENTS:

• One generous serving of fettuccine noodles


• 10-12 kalamata olives, pitted and diced


• Juice from one orange


• 3-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced


• About 4-6 stalks of asparagus, cut diagonally into thirds


• 1-2 T. olive oil


• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Toss in your garlic until fragrant. Add your asparagus and cook until nearly tender, maybe 5 minutes or so. Add your orange juice and kalamata olives and heat a couple minutes more until just warm. Grind some fresh black pepper into your sauce and serve over your fettuccine.

Serves 1-2.

New Year's Resolutions & Spicy Vodka Lasagna

Wow.

So it's been like 3 weeks, give or take, since I last posted. Twenty-four whole days to be exact.

Madness.

But I must admit, during the time I was off from work, I didn't use the internet at all. Not even once. And *looking around to make sure no one's listening too closely* I LOVED IT. I know, I know. As a blogger, such a comment is like treason. But I've got to admit, it really was kind of great. NOT to get you scared. I *will* still be faithfully blogging here. But man oh man, is it nice once in a while to not be beholden to the interwebs. *sigh*

So yes: it's the New Year finally.

And I know a lot of hipsters think New Year's Resolutions to be uncool, but I'm not one of them.

So here's my list of New Year's Resolutions for 2009:

• Write more poetry/fiction--get a rhythm down so I'm not all rusty and clunking along anymore like a 5-legged robot.


• Stop drinking alcohol on weeknights, except on special occasions--this is a variation on the "lose weight" resolution that usually makes it on folks' lists. I could use a little bit of deflabbing, but I think indulging in alcohol only on the weekends is a good start.


• Keep up this winning-streak with N/A.


• More frequently place myself in situations that I would normally avoid due to uncomfortability.


• Get it on with your mom more often.


• Wow--I know I had some more when I was talking to N/A about them, but now I can't remember. *sigh*

Now onto the food!

Since the reason I haven't posted in so long is because of the holidays, let's start off with that for today.

I'm not religious. But I do like X-mas. There's just something warm & squishy about it--the hustle and bustle (as long as it doesn't include people getting trampled to death by crazed shoppers), the snow, snuggling under blankets with loved ones, X-mas lights, friends in town, my cat Zooey trying her damnedest to figure out how to reach my little X-mas tree. Good stuff.

This X-mas, I spent X-mas eve with N/A. And it was a wonderful and lovely night, one whose details I refuse to indulge 'cause they're what made it special. So MEH!!!!

X-mas day I spent dinner with (most of) the family. We accumulated at my mom's, and we chowed on delicious grub, boozed, and bullshit.

My mom made mushroom paprikash (w/the world's most perfect dumplings), black bean & corn salsa, and pumpkin oatmeal cookies. My brother whipped up some rice with peppers. And I scrounged together a lasagna and some VwaV chocolate chip cookies.

It was a DELICIOUS delicious night.

Most of the recipes have already been posted here, but the lasagna recipe was my own creation, so I'll post that at least today. It makes for a pretty hefty and spicy lasagna, one that even my brother (the constant vegan-skeptic) really liked. So enjoy!

Oh, and that there's a pic of what I think may be my favorite X-mas ornament, which my bff got me one year for X-mas. Doesn't it rock?

And now: Time to play catch-up on all the vegan blogs I've not read over the past three weeks. Wish me luck!

SPICY VODKA LASAGNA



INGREDIENTS:

• One batch vodka sauce--recipe below (I omitted the almonds, but I'm sure it'd taste just as good with them)


• One box of lasagna noodles, cooked


• One 1 lb. bag of veggie "ground-beef" crumbles


• One tube Gimme Lean "sausage"


• 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced


• 1-2 T. olive oil


• 2 t. Italian seasonings


• One batch of tofu-ricotta recipe below


• Vegan parmesan, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Whip up both the vodka sauce and tofu-ricotta according to the directions below. Follow the directions on the box of lasagna noodles and cook accordingly.

Heat up your olive oil in a large pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add your "sausage" and smoosh it up with a fork as it cooks. (It'll be mushy and clumpy at first, but as it begins to brown you can crumble it apart with a fork.) You'll want it to be the consistency of crumbles. Cook until browned. Add your "ground-beef" crumbles. Cook until browned and heated through. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400F. Spoon a thin layer of vodka sauce over the bottom of a lasagna pan. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with 1/2 the "meat" mix. Spoon out some vodka sauce over the meat and smooth. Cover with another layer of noodles. Smooth the tofu-ricotta across them. Add some more vodka sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Top with the rest of the "meat" and a little more sauce. Add a final layer of noodles and spoon out the rest of your vodka sauce over the top until noodles are totally covered. Sprinkle a generous amount of vegan parm over the top.

Cover with foil and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook about 30-40 more minutes or until heated through.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes, slice, and serve.

Serves 7-10.




VODKA SAUCE

• 4 t. olive oil


• 8 cloves minced garlic


• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper


• Two 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes


• 1/2 c. vodka


• 1/2 t. dried thyme


• 1/2 t. dried oregano


• Salt, to taste


• A few dashes fresh black pepper


• 1 c. sliced or slivered almonds


• 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh basil, plus a little extra for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the saucepan and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add the crushed red tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cover, and turn the heat up a bit to bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the almonds. Use an immersion blender to blend the almonds into the sauce until creamy and only slightly grainy. Add the basil to the sauce.

(Recipe from VwaV, Posted at Answers.yahoo.com)




TOFU-BASIL RICOTTA

• 1 lb. firm tofu, pressed


• 2 t. lemon juice


• 2 t. olive oil


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1/4 t. salt


• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes


• handful fresh basil leaves, chopped fine (ten leaves or so) -I just used some dried basil


• dash fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands, till it's crumbly.

Add lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and basil. Mush with hands again, this time you want it to get very mushy so squeeze through your fingers and mush until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. May take 2-5 minutes.

Add olive oil, stir with fork. Add nutritional yeast and combine all ingredients well. Use a fork now, because the oil will make it sticky.

(Recipe from Veganomicon, posted at Recipe Exchange)

PS. Anyone know what happened to the PPK website??

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

                          from VegNews

I immediately wanted to try this mac n' cheez recipe, partially because

a) the recipe's sweeping through vegan food blogs, and I've only read good things thus far,

and partially because

b) it's total MacGyver-style vegan mac n' cheez.

I mean, IT HAS NO CHEESE! AND IT HAS NO NUTRITIONAL YEAST! (Which, as most of you know, is usually the cheese-substitute in vegan mac n' cheez.)

It's like this recipe was created when some bad-guy dude locked MacGyver in a room where there was nothing but a potato, handful of baby carrots, onion, cashews, and some bread. And the room was rotating at 100-miles an hour on a platform over Niagara Falls. But MacGyver was all, All I need to saw through these barred windows is this nosehair that I tweaked from my own nose. And once I saw through THOSE, I will bite off the toenail of my big toe and THROW it in the mechanism that is making the room spin at 100mph, forcing it to come to a grinding halt, and then I will LEAP into the rushing waters of Niagara Falls, but will be saved by using a rope that I've crafted by weaving together my own pubic hair, pulling myself ashore to safety. But I cannot waste this potato, handful of baby carrots, onion, cashews, and bread that have inexplicably been left in the room with me. Thus, before I rescue myself, I will whip up... VEGAN MAC N' CHEEZ!!! Absurd? Perhaps. But I am MacGyver, and I can make anything out of anything. So: VOILA! Vegan mac n' cheez!


(MacGyver solemnly weaving
his pubic-hair-Niagara-
Falls-rescue rope...
Veganmofo.)

And lo and behold, somehow the combination of carrots, potatoes, cashews, onions, and various seasonings TASTES STARTLINGLY SIMILAR TO ZINGY KRAFT MAC N' CHEESE! It really kind of freaked me out. I had N-A taste it and verify, and he gave me a weird shocked look upon tasting and then asked if he could snag some for dinner.

The only thing that REALLY REALLY REALLY pissed me off about this recipe was the amount of salt called for. Typically, I only use about 1/4 of the amount a recipe has listed. But I got excited to finally use my sea salt, so I put the whole 2 t. in. And it was SOOOOOOOOOO salty I cannot even begin to tell you. And I'm a fricking MOLESTER of salt, that's how wrong my love for it is. So I've adjusted it in the recipe posted below.

Nonetheless, this is crazy-ass good mac n' cheez. I still prefer the creamiest mac n' cheez EVER simply because it's super fricking creamy and delish. But this recipe makes a nice easy stand-in for old-school krafty macaroni (and it COULD conceivably beat out the creamiest mac n' cheez ever once I try it again with barely any salt this time). And also, you can freak people out when you tell them what the cheez sauce is actually made of. And we all know how much fun THAT is.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 quarts water


• 8 oz macaroni


• 4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces


• 2 T. + 1/3 c. Earth Balance non-hydrogenated vegan margarine


• 2 T. shallots, peeled and chopped (or an extra 2 T. onions if you don't have shallots handy)


• 1 c. red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped


• 1/4 c. carrots, peeled and chopped


• 1/3 c. onion, peeled and chopped


• 1 c. water


• 1/4 c. raw cashews


• 1/4 t. sea salt (or to taste)


• 1/4 t. garlic, pressed


• 1/4 t. dijon mustard


• 1 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed


• 1/4 t. black pepper


• 1/8 t. cayenne


• 1/4 t. paprika

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the veggies are very soft.

In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened veggies and 1 cup cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended "cheese" sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the "cheese" sauce starts to bubble and the top has turned golden brown.

(Serves 6+)

(Recipe from VegNews)

Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

                                    from Smitten Kitchen

I *KNEW* some pics of foods I'd recently cooked had vanished, dammit all! I kept wondering these past couple weeks how the hell I'd been cooking a decent amount and yet didn't seem to have very many recipes to post. And voila--apparently I'm a tool and somehow deleted a bunch of food pics.

Anyways, I actually made this recipe a few weeks back. What I liked most about it was the mint/eggplant/red pepper flake mix. It was a strange and yet delighful combination--kind of like a battle of fire and water in the mouth.

Hm. Realizing I don't have much more to say than that.

Wow that was a boring post.

Vagina!

PS. I have no idea why MY pasta sauce looks all Barbie while Smitten Kitchen's is all deep and sultry in color. So don't ask.



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes


• 1 pint cherry tomatoes


• 3 cloves garlic, whole


• 3 T. olive oil


• 1 t. salt


• 1 t. freshly ground black pepper


• 1 t. red pepper flakes


• 1/4 c. toasted pine nuts


• 1 lb. rigatoni pasta


• 1/4 c. torn fresh mint leaves


• 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil


• Parmesan, to taste (optional)*


• Glug of balsamic or red wine vinegar or freshly-squeezed lemon juice (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.

Heat up a small pan on medium-low heat and dry-roast your pinenuts until lightly brown (between 3 and 5 minutes or so).

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve (at least) 2 cups of the cooking liquid. (Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure that I used anywhere near CLOSE to 2 cups of water when I whipped mine up.]

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. Puree the vegetables.

Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the vegan Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy, as well as a glug of vinegar (optional). Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve. (Or you can just serve your noodles with some of the sauce poured on top, a sprinkling of pinenuts, and some parm on the side.)

(Recipe from Smitten Kitchen)

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

                                    from VeganYumYum


Why is it that recipes that taste SO good somehow manage to look like baby vomit so often? *SIGH*

Actually, it just dawned on me that I've posted quite a few scatalogical recipes (mainly ones that look like shit and vomit) over these last couple years. Which is really quite disgusting. But which also explains all the weird google searches.

Case in point...



VOMITS:

Recent Fettucine Alfreda





Less recent Curried Split Pea Soup





Baby Vomit Syrup






FECES:

Chickpea Nuggets





Veganomicon Mole Sauce





Slow-Cooker Vegetable Vindaloo




This is making me think I really need to have a Scatology-themed Dinner Night. How gross (and thus, totally awesome) would THAT be?

Anyways, back to today's recipe. Last night I whipped up VeganYumYum's Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta. And I must admit: It was super. It was quick. It was tomato. It was basil. It was cream. And it was pasta. SCORE!

It also was really quite tasty. Alas, my pics aren't quite so pretty as hers, but nonetheless: good. I *DO* recommend throwing in at least a TAD bit of the optional wine. Gives it a depth and perkiness that is otherwise kind of missing. But yes, it is creamy and delish. And I plan on gorging on more tonight.

I've reposted her recipe with quantities doubled (so as to serve four). I also ended up using 4 slightly smaller tomatoes, which resulted in me having to use a bit more cashews and tomato paste. But I'm not going to reflect that below. It'll just be straight-up doubling.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large, ripe tomatos (4 cups roughly chopped, 3 cups blended)


• 1 c. raw cashews


• 2 T. tomato paste


• 1/2 c. water


• 4 T. olive oil


• 4-48 cloves garlic, minced, optional


• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti


• Salt, to taste


• 2-3 T. wine or water, optional


• 2-4 t. freshly cracked, coarse black pepper


• 1-2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Core the tomatoes, then roughly chop them. Add them to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Serves 4-6.

(Recipe from VeganYumYum)

Cold Sesame Noodles

                                    from BitterSweet


Yes, the Prodigal Daughter of Veganism has returned. (That's me. And also a joke. I'm not THAT egotistical.) Anyways, I left my Michfest program at home, and I'd like to be as specific as possible when I share all my foodiness and experiences with you this week, so I figured I'd wait to post about it until tomorrow. Today, I instead bring you a recipe. If you can believe it. That's true dedication: returning from four days in the woods WITH a recipe to share. BUDDA BLAM!!! TAKE THAT!

Anyways, I made this pre-Michfest for lunch a couple weeks ago. It looked tasty. As does mostly anything on Hannah's blog. And I, of course, was not disappointed. I actually will say that I liked this quite a bit more than the spicy peanut noodle recipe I tried from the Vegetarian Times ever so long ago. It's got kick, but it also has a nice roasty depth to it from the sesame seeds. And I like the use of tahini in it as well because it gives it a markedly distinct flavor. Plus, goddamn people, it's super fricking simple to make. So yeah: go make it. Preferably topless. You know, in the spirit of Michfest and all.

INGREDIENTS:

• 7 - 8 oz. soba noodles or spaghetti


• 1/3 c. Tahini


• 3 T. soy sauce


• 1 T. rice vinegar (or regular vinegar if you don't have rice handy)


• 1/4 c. water


• 1 garlic clove


• 1/2" fresh ginger root


• 1 t. brown sugar


• 1/2 - 1 t. red pepper flakes


• 1 carrot


• 1 zucchini


• 2 T. toasted sesame seeds


• 2 T. chopped chives

DIRECTIONS

Cook the noodles as you normally would, drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, and water. Finely mince the garlic and ginger before stirring them in as well, along with the sugar and pepper. Dump the noodles into the bowl and toss them so that they’re all thoroughly coated with sauce.

Peel your carrot and julienne it, along with the zucchini, before tossing them into the bowl and mixing again.

Cover with plastic wrap and throw the whole thing into your refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

It will last 2 or 3 days, but the sauce will become thicker/dryer as it grows older, so you may want to stir in extra water if that’s the case.

When you’re ready to eat, just sprinkle sesame seeds and fresh chives over the top. Done!

(Makes 4 Servings)

(Recipe from Hannah at BitterSweet)

Pasta and Asparagus in Shallot Cream Sauce

                                    from Happyveganface

I love having someone to regularly cook for again. It makes my heart go squee.

I must admit, I think I have just a TAD bit of the domestic housewife in me. But the bad-ass, campy 1950s-type domestic housewife.

Or maybe the kind that greets her dinner-date decked out in garters, heels, and lingerie, with a spatula tucked against one hip and a dishrag tucked into her garter, and who spends the rest of her prep time bending over provocatively as she places items in the oven or whips up a frothy, sexy roux.

Either/or.

I may be a bit domesticated, but that don't mean I don't have any FUN in me.



Anyways, I cooked this for me and N-A last week. He's a fan of asparagus, as am I. So I decided to whip this up. (Though I must admit, part of my fandom is derived from the surprise you get when taking a leak after you've downed a bunch of it. I wish MORE foods messed with the smell of your pee.)

And seriously, Happyveganface: this recipe was DELISH for being so fricking simple.

I think I may be in love with the shallot, so that may be PART of why I liked it. But really: for a sauce with so few ingredients, this really was quite good. And despite it being a cream-type sauce, it's not too terribly heavy, so you can definitely get away with making it in the summer.

And since it's not super-heavy, you won't have to spend time sucking in that gut so that it doesn't droop over your garters as you make your date/significant other whip you up some dessert. (Either of the pie-variety, or the wink wink nudge nudge variety, depending. I may be domesticated, but I'm not stupid! Make them WORK for their dinner, goddammit!)

And now: unrelatedly:

I must share with you this magnet that my friend P got for me, because it cracks my shit up, and you should immediately go buy stuff from its creator on Etsy. (Buy at The Mincing Mockingbird.)


(Except the real version actually
HAS the swears in it! Hee hee. Swears!)

Totally rocking out my fridgerator.


* * * *




INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 small shallot(s), minced


• 3 large cloves garlic, minced


• 2 T. margarine


• 1 c. plain rice/soy milk


• 1 T. corn starch


• 1 T. nutritional yeast


• 1 large bunch of asparagus, cut into 2" pieces(& tough ends removed)


• 4 c. cooked pasta


• a pinch of sea salt


• 3 T. pine nuts, toasted


• 1 T. water


• 2 t. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve rice/soy milk + corn starch in the small mixing bowl and set aside.

In the large pan heat up oil on medium high heat. Once it's hot, add in the pieces of asparagus and saute for 3 minutes. Add 1 T. water to the pan & cover. Let this "steam" for about 3 more minutes. Uncover, cook for another minute, remove from heat & set aside (or cook for a little longer for more tender asparagus).

While your asparagus is cooking, heat margarine on medium heat. Once melted, add minced shallot & garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes (until garlic & shallots start to get really fragrant). Reduce heat just a tad. Whisk in nutritional yeast & rice milk/corn starch mix. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking about every minute or so. Once it's thickened up remove from heat & pour cream sauce over your pasta, top with sauteed asparagus & toasted pine nuts, and enjoy!

Makes 2 large portions or 4 small.

(recipe from happyveganface)

Pasta Carbonara

                                    from Urban Vegan


I've mentioned that I've been enjoying having people cook for me lately. But even moreso, I've been enjoying having people to cook for.

Last week I whipped up the Sweet Chili Lime Tofu for Mo, P, and N-A. It was a muggy night. The air was thick with rain. Nina Simone was sauntering out of my speakers. And it was all about good food and company and winning $5. Unfortunately, I wasn't overly-enthusiastic with the results this time around--I don't know if doubling the recipe f-ed things up or what, but it just didn't have that magical week-long-orgasm-type ring to it that it had the first-time round. It was good, but it wasn't positively DRIPPING with juicy pockets of explosive flavor. Then again, perhaps it's just difficult not to become SUPER critical of one's cooking when cooking for others. Hard to say. I *DID*, however, make up for that fact by whipping up the VegNews Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake which really just flat-out rocks.

Then Sunday night, concert plans fell through, so I ended up inviting N-A over for dinner. I'd been wanting to try this recipe for a while, and since N-A's an omni veg-in-training (or at least will be once I'm through with him... *Planting my spike-heel firmly on his chest and cracking my whip in the air*), I figured it'd be fun to whip up something creamy and meaty that wasn't at all creamy or meaty. I had bookmarked this recipe a few weeks ago, and then in my more recent blog-perusing, I noticed someone else gushing bountifully about how good it was. So I was like, Fuck yes. This is the one.

The recipe's pretty much as easy as your mom is around any man under the age of 30 (SMACK). But it definitely is not for the weak-hearted by way of fat-content. I mean, dear lord almighty, SIX tablespoons of vegan margarine???????? That's a fricking lot. But man muthafuckin alive is it GOOD. N-A actually looked up at me with an expression of surprise after the first bite, that's how tasty it is. And it's decadent, and smoky, and sultry, and just DAMN well worth the calories and fat. At least once in a while.

And yes: Urban Vegan noted it as a good recipe for guests, and I second that, as this will have any doubting omni- on your side pretty much immediately. And if that's NOT the case, I can just lend you my spike-heels and dominatrix whip. That will change their mind. Believe you me. Maybe I'll even throw in my nipple clamps for good measure. We'll see.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. spaghetti, fettucine or linguine


• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil


• 1/4 c. dry white wine


• 5 to 6 oz. vegan bacon, chopped fine


• 1 T. kudzu root, cornstarch, or arrowroot


• 1 1/3 c. soy milk


• 6 T. vegan margarine


• 3 heaping T. nutritional yeast


• 1 tsp salt (optional--if your "bacon" is uber-salty, you may want to leave this out)


• Additional nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan for sprinkling


• Freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Dissolve kudzu/cornstarch/arrowroot and salt in soymilk and set aside.

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Saute tempeh for about 5 minutes, or until heated through (You should be able to smell the smoky aroma). Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, and transfer tempeh to another dish.

Melt butter in the same saucepan over medium-low heat and sprinkle in nutritional yeast. Whisk together to make a roux, then slowly whisk in the milk. Turn heat to low, and cook until thick, whisking occasionally--about 15 minutes. Add the tempeh, turn heat down very low, and simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If too thick, you can always add a tiny bit of wine to thin it down.) Add pepper to taste.

Toss over drained pasta and sprinkle generously with more nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan.


4 large or 6 small servings

(from the Urban Vegan)

Fettucine Alfreda

                       from Vegan with a Vengeance


My apologies for the lack of blogging this week. The week was pretty much consumed by The Day of Reckoning and its aftermath (which entailed gratuitous sleeping and gratuitous boozing).

I *DID* manage to squeeze in some cooking this past weekend though, mostly because cooking does wonders to calm my nerves. There's just something so relaxing in the method--the rhythm of dicing, the quietness of measuring, the gentleness of mixing. I heart it.

One of the things I made was the Fettucine Alfreda from VwaV. I'm not quite sure it tastes anything quite like alfredo sauce. It's got ASSLOADS of nutritional yeast in it, which I know will turn many of you off to the recipe immediately. And it looks kind of like you fed a baby a whole bunch of mustard and they got the runs. BUT! BUT BUT BUT! I thought it was fantastique. It's kind of a grown-up version of some of the mac-n-cheez recipes out there. It *IS* salty though, so I omitted the amount of salt originally called for in the recipe, because I think it may be overkill. I also think you could probably use close to a pound's worth of noodles with this sauce as well. It LOOKS like it makes a really small amount, but it's so potently flavored that a little goes a long way.

I served mine with a mix of fried shrooms on top, and I thought it was delish. My mom snacked on some when she watched my cats the other night, and she heartily concurred.

So nooch-haters, be forewarned. The rest of you--get you to your cookbook and try it out.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb fettucine (or linguine)


• 2 t. olive oil


• 1 medium size onion, chopped into big chunks


• 4 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1/2 c. water or veg. broth


• 2 t. yellow mustard


• 1/2 c. toasted pinenuts


• 2 t. soy sauce


• 2 t. chili powder


• 1 c. nutritional yeast


• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Prepare pasta according to package.

In a skillet over moderate heat, sautee onions in oil for 3 minutes, until just softened. Add garlic, sautee two more minutes. Transfer to blender and blend with all other ingredients. It should be somewhat smooth but still a bit grainy.

Makes four servings.

(Recipe from VwaV, posted on Livejournal.com)

Pasty White-Boy Asscheek Pasta (aka Pasta Genovese)

Seriously: looking at these pics is like looking at pasty white-boy asscheeks that have never seen the light of day. Unappetizing, sickly, anemic-looking, you name it. Pasty white-boy asscheeks.

NONETHELESS, this is seriously f-ing good. What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat mentioned making pasta genovese last week, and I was like, that sounds so damn simple and tasty that I'm just gonna whip up my own on the weekend. And seriously: for those really unbearably hot days, this is a perfect meal. All you have to do is steam your potatoes and green beans and boil up some noodles. And pesto, well, goddamn. I mean, it's basil season, folks. So you could make bucketloads of this for dirt-cheap right now. (I've actually been making batches of it and freezing it in ice cube trays--a hint I procured from some other blog so long ago that I don't quite remember whose blog it was anymore. Anyways, it's a brilliant idea because, when you have a taste for pesto or just don't feel like cooking, you just pop a couple pesto-cubes out of your ice cube tray, let them thaw--or pop them into the microwave--and voila, homemade pesto.)

I don't really have exact measurements, because really, it all depends on how much you want of potatoes and green beans in your pasta. But this should give you a general idea. And it also includes the pesto recipe from VwaV (which is my favorite)--I've noted my alterations with the recipe, since I like my pesto thick and not-quite-so-oily.

The nice thing about this dish as well is that you can eat it piping hot or, if you're suffocating under the weight of the latest heat wave (which was my case this weekend), you can serve it cold and it tastes just as good.

INGREDIENTS:

For the pasta:

• Fettucine noodles


• Potatoes, cut into 1/2"-dice (I used red potatoes)


• Green beans, cut into 1" bites

For pesto:

• 1/2 c. walnuts


• 3 c. packed basil leaves


• 3 cloves garlic


• 1 1/2 tsp course salt (or to taste)


• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I just add olive oil until the mix of walnuts, basil, nooch, etc. start to cling together)


• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (optional)


• 2 tsp lemon juice (or, if you don't have any on hand, a couple t. of water works too)

DIRECTIONS

For pesto:

Toast the walnuts in the oven on a baking sheet at 175 degrees c for 10 mins. (Unless it's 90-degrees out or something, in which case, you can deal with untoasted walnuts. Just soak them in some warm water for 30 minutes and you'll get some of the bitterness out.)

Combine walnuts, basil, garlic and salt in food processor and process while you add the oil (or water) in a slow steady stream. Add the nutritional yeast and lemon juice and pulse to combine. The sauce should be the consistancy of a slightly grainy paste.

For everything else:

Toss your green beans and potatoes into a steamer and steam until tender. (Your potatoes will probably take a tiny bit longer than your green beans, so you may want to keep them segregated to separate sides of your steamer so that you can easily remove the green beans and set them aside when they're done.) Rinse to cool once they are done. Drain and set aside.

Cook your fettucine according to the directions on the box. Rinse with cold water and allow to drain.

To serve, toss a generous amount of potatoes and green beans in with your fettucine. Mix some healthy dollops of pesto into the mix, and serve.

Again, I give no quantities for the pasta/green beans/potatoes. I made single-servings of these, and kind of just eyeballed them. You're brilliant people. You'll figure it out.

(Pesto recipe from VwaV, posted at iVillage.co.uk)