Pasta with White Bean Sauce

I'm broke. I get paid at the end of the week, but until then I'm being very thrifty and getting to know the contents of my kitchen cupboards. At the request of my son, tonight's dinner was originally planned to be one of our favorite soups, but I realized I was missing a couple of key ingredients. And since I'm determined not to go shopping this week, a special trip to the store for only two ingredients was out of the question. I had the white beans and the pasta though, and thought a white sauce would be nice. I did a Google search for recipes and soon found my inspiration. I added a few ingredients, increased the recipe, and in less than 30 miuntes dinner was on the table with a side of red kale.

This was really easy to make, calls for simple ingredients and is surprisingly satisfying. The flavor is delicate and just slightly "cheesy" with a nice smooth texture. I hadn't made a bean sauce before tonight, but now I'm a huge fan. I know I'll be playing around with this one some more. With a little adjusting, I think it would make a great base for a Stroganoff, too.


You'll Need:

6 T Earth Balance
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 C or 2 15oz cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), drained and rinsed
2 C soymilk
1 t Spike seasoning
2 t nutritional yeast
splash dry vermouth or dry white wine (optional, but recommended)
salt and pepper to taste

Your favorite pasta–I won't try to guess ounces this time. Plan for 4 - 6 servings.

Method:

While pasta is cooking according to instructions, get started on the sauce. In a deep skillet, melt margarine and saute garlic for 2 minutes. Add a splash of vermouth and cook another minute or so. Put beans in food processor and add margarine and garlic, soymilk, nutritional yeast and Spike seasoning. Puree mixture until completely smooth, adding more soymilk as needed to reach desired consistency. Return mixture to the skillet and simmer on medium-low, stirring frequently for 6-8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Food I've Been Eating Lately

I have a few posts that are still in draft form and a couple of recipes that need to be refined before sharing, so I thought I'd offer you some food porn today. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2009 - We followed this recipe for the tofu and gravy. Yum!

Rachael Ray Redux

Off-the-cuff Mexican-type casserole with a mole-like sauce - I'm going to play around with this one some more. I really liked it and the kid LOVED it.

I used to love eggs in a basket and my son still does. We had tofu in a basket for breakfast on Christmas Eve and plan on making it a tradition.

Christmas dinner 2009 - My sister and I made potato kale burritos with mole sauce, and as she so astutely proclaimed, chocolate is always a good choice for dinner! (Or something like that.)

Have you heard of the Texan "treat" called armadillo eggs (or atomic buffalo turds)? My dad recently told me that he had made a ton of them over the summer and I immediately started worrying about his blood pressure and general coronary health. I told him I would try and come up with a vegan version of this truly offensive dish. I'm not there yet, but I did make these. Mini sweet peppers halved, seeded, filled with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, topped with an olive or mushroom and sprinkled with some Spike seasoning. I put them in a 325 degree oven for about 12 minutes. They tasted even better cold the next day.

Black Beans with Roasted Pumpkin

Did you know you can eat those mini pumpkins that often end up as seasonal decoration? I received those two little cuties pictured above in my produce box a few weeks ago and had no idea what I'd do with them. I was a little upset to think that they'd just serve as knick-knacks for a few weeks before ending up in the trash. (I don't compost. I know...) I couldn't believe that Fresh Abundance would throw ornamental food into one of their weekly produce boxes, so I did a little research. A friend told me that she was told our particular variety is a mini jack-o-lantern. Doesn't sound very appetizing, but then I came across this post over at The Kitchn. I thought stuffed pumpkins would be cute (sans egg, cheese and meat, of course!), but I wasn't really in the mood for cute. I wanted something hearty. Something satisfying. I remembered seeing this recipe for black beans on the same website and suddenly I had my inspiration!

I peeled and cubed the pumpkin and tossed it with olive oil, cumin, nutmeg and salt and pepper and roasted for about 15 minutes. In a large pan I sauteed some red onion with pickled garlic, added some black beans and drizzled in a little tamari, balsamic and sake. When the pumpkin was tender, I added that to the pan also and threw in a little bit of fresh sage. I served the beans and pumpkin over jasmine rice. (We usually eat brown basmati rice, but sometimes I just crave jasmine!) I was so pleased with how this came out. I hadn't even finished eating my first helping and I was already looking forward to making it again. My son loved it too and specifically requested leftovers for lunch the next day.

I love autumn!

Curry Thing

I could live the rest of my life eating nothing but curry. I prefer Indian curries, but never make them because they require ingredients that I'm either not familiar with or am intimidated by. Most of the curries I make at home utilize one of those bottled pastes or powders and coconut milk. Knowing that I love curry so much, I don't know why I hadn't made it in such a long time. So when my son asked for curry last night, I eagerly obliged. Yesterday we picked up our bi-weekly produce box. I used the potatoes, carrots and lovely red onion from the box along with some curry flavor Small Planet tofu. Yum. I had leftovers for lunch today.I don't know what I had planned for dinner tonight, but when Ben asked for curry again, how could I say no? Again I looked for inspiration in the vegetable crisper. This time I found celery, carrots and onions. (What's that French term for the trinity of these three aromatics? I've watched enough cooking shows in my life to know that these ingredients mean something together, I just can't remember what it is.) I threw in the rest of the tofu, more coconut milk and this time added a little tahini and some garbanzo beans. Looks like I'll have leftovers for lunch again tomorrow. There really aren't any major flavor differences between these two (or four) meals, but I don't care. That's how much I love curry.

I served a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA a few years ago and I had to go to a few three or four-day training conferences where we stayed overnight in another city. They always had the meals catered and much to my surprise, always had vegan offerings. On one of these trips, the first veggie meal served was a delicious peanut butter curry that was subsequently used in each of the following meals for the duration of our stay - even as a topping for baked potatoes! After day two, everyone was complaining, but I was in heaven. Food at a catered event like that can be iffy, even if it is vegan. But I feasted on delicious curry for the better part of that week.

More Soup!

We celebrated my mom's birthday on Sunday. Her has back was giving her trouble (she's not that old!) so we stayed in and made soup! We took the idea of Vegan Dad's Creamy Chunky Cauliflower Chowder and used it as a base. My mom wanted curried cauliflower soup, but my step-dad really doesn't like curry, so we made two batches. We added coconut milk to both, curry to one and went super savory on the other with lots of Dijon mustard. Vegan Dad's recipe is great to play around with and build on. The chowder takes a lot of prep, so it probably isn't a weeknight dinner, but it's totally worth the effort!


I had a great time cooking with my family and the soup was awesome! (In fact, I was so busy enjoying my dinner, I almost forgot to take a picture until it was almost gone.) My mom said it was better than anything she could have ordered out and was happy we stayed in. And it was all vegan! After dinner, we had some GF vegan chocolate cupcakes (a Cherrybrook Kitchen mix - meh) and watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Happy birthday, mom!

Soup Season

This is the year of soup! Until recently, I never really got too excited about soups or stews. I don't know what changed, but all of a sudden I'm crazy about the comforting ease of making and eating soup. I've been eying a recipe for pasta & bean soup from Maxine Clark's cookbook, Italian Kitchen that was printed in October's issue of Woman's Day magazine and finally decided to give it a try. Once again, my co-worker's abundant magazine subscriptions and my employer's frugality inspired my dinner. Who knew?

(Please forgive the poor picture quality. Soup tends to be a little camera shy and photographing steaming-hot food is a bit of a challenge.)

The original recipe calls for dried beans, but I used canned and adjusted things accordingly. I also used a Not Chicken veggie bouillon instead of the broth called for in the recipe. The bouillon added more salt and oil, I believe, so I adjusted the oil and did not add any additional salt. The soup turned out really well! We'll happily be eating leftovers for lunch the next two days. Another great thing about soups - leftovers!

You'll Need:

2 cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 C vegetable broth or equivalent prepared veggie bouillon
1 C short pasta (I used Ancient Harvest quinoa elbows)
4 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped (thanks, Keena!)
1/4 C Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Add broth (or prepared bouillon), reserving 1 cup, to a large soup pot with garlic and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. While pasta cooks, puree 1 1/2 cans of the beans with reserved liquid and olive oil in a blender or food processor. Stir bean puree and remaining whole beans into pasta and broth, simmer until pasta is tender. Remove pot from heat and stir in tomatoes and parsley. Ladle into individual warmed bowls and garnish with fresh cracked black pepper. Bellissimo!

I've been seeing other grains

Wheat and I have one of those on again off again relationships. Right now we're on the outs and this time maybe for good. I've never been diagnosed with celiac disease (the inability to digest gluten), but I know that my body doesn't like it when I eat a lot of foods containing gluten. Lately, my body has been screaming at me not to eat gluten. Following a gluten free diet is challenge enough, but throw in the commitment to a vegan lifestyle and we're talking hardcore diet restrictions. I've experimented with a gluten free (and vegan) diet a few times the past couple of years. My downfall is always baked goods.

I've found a really good GF mix for chocolate cake/cupcakes and a decent mix for a GF pizza crust and I've even seen some GF vegan veggie burgers out there (gluten is used in almost all faux meats). But trying to find a palatable GF bread that is also vegan is near impossible. And baking anything not from a mix requires investing in a dozen different kinds of GF flours and, it would seem, a degree in chemistry. (I have neither.) Dining out? Dinner at a friend's house? Family get-togethers? Good luck.

Despite this seemingly implausible diet, I'm giving it another try. From here on out (actually, since yesterday), I'm gluten free. Knowing that I was going to make this commitment when I was craving scones on Thursday, I set out to find a recipe for vegan and gluten free scones. I came across this recipe. Intrigued by the use of coconut milk, I decided to give it a try. I tried the recipe twice the past two days, using two different GF flour mixes. Here are the results:

For the first batch, I followed the recipe and used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Mix. The scones came out with a nice texture and good crumb, but the use of garbanzo and fava bean flours in the mix gave the scones a decidedly "beany" taste. I wasn't satisfied and decided to give it another go.

For the second batch, I deviated from the original recipe a little. This time I used Bob's Red Mill GF Pancake Mix. I omitted the lemon zest and added vanilla. I also topped the scones with cocoa powder and cinnamon. The flavor of the second batch was definitely more pleasing, but the texture was too heavy, grainy and dry.

So both experiments were a bust, but I haven't given up yet.

GF Vegan Pizza

First off I need to start by saying just how much I love my mom's camera! I took this amazing shot using my mom's fancy Nikon, thanks mom! Also, I love my step-dad's oven. Yes, it's his oven - a shiny new convection oven. I made this spinach and mushroom pizza on Christmas day for lunch. I'm the only vegan in the family, but I wasn't the only one eating this pizza! I used a mix for the crust. It's not the best crust in the world, but it is gluten free and it isn't bad.

You will need:

Namaste Pizza Crust Mix (gluten free)
pizza sauce, you decide how much
1 C fresh spinach, washed
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
5 oz Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet mozarella style "cheese", shredded
olive oil
pizza pan or stone


Method:

Preheat oven according to package directions and prepare crust according to directions. The rest is pretty straight forward: Spread the pizza sauce on the crust and follow with toppings. I like to put the cheese on last so it melts nicely. Be sure to brush the exposed crust with olive oil to prevent it from drying out! Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust has started to brown. I like to put the pizza under the broiler for a minute or two after baking to brown the cheese a little. Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes then slice and enjoy!

Curried Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

We visited my friend and her boyfriend in Richland a few weeks ago and my friend's boyfriend made us stuffed peppers for dinner. I don't know that I'd ever had a stuffed pepper before and if I did, I probably didn't like it. But my taste buds have developed a lot over the years and I really enjoyed the classic stuffed peppers with rice, tomato sauce and veggie sausage. I enjoyed it so much that my mind started racing with variations on this humble classic. So here is my take on the stuffed pepper, with some of my favorite flavors such as coconut milk, cashews, curry and cilantro. (Sorry about the poor picture quality - I really need a new camera.)

You will need:

4 green bell peppers, cored and seeded
1 C quinoa
1/3 C currants
1/3 C cashews, roasted, unsalted
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 t cumin
1 t ginger powder
1 T curry powder
1 C coconut milk
salt to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°. Add quinoa to 2 cups water and bring to boil. Cook covered at a simmer until all water is absorbed and the germ has separated from the grain. Stir coconut milk, spices and garlic into quinoa and combine thoroughly. Toss in mushrooms, cashews, currants and cilantro. Fill peppers with quinoa mixture and place in a deep baking dish filled with 1/2 inch of water. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until peppers have softened but are still firm. Let sit for 5 minutes and enjoy!

shopping vegan

i found these primal strips at the rosauer's at the north division "Y" in the natural foods section (actually, i found all of these snacks there). they carry the mesquite and hickory smoked flavors. these make a great snack. my son loves them!

these taste just like cheetos, but they're vegan and they don't have that gross orange powder! even non-vegans like these.

vegan GF french bread pizza! i was really happy with these. the bread was toothsome, the soy cheese didn't have much flavor, but added a nice texture and the sauce was good and garlic-y. this is a new quick meal favorite in our house.

Soup & Waffles

A few weeks ago I stumbled on a match made in heaven. It was a Sunday afternoon and I really needed to do some grocery shopping, but I was just too comfortable in my pajamas to even think about showering. I needed to come up with lunch, but it had to be simple and quick because that's the way I like my Sundays. I had picked up some Pacific Cashew Carrot and Ginger soup a few days earlier and I had just enough (GF) Namaste Waffle and Pancake mix left for one more batch. I'd never thought before to eat waffles with my soup, but really they're just another form of bread, right? Taking a cue from the soup, I added a teaspoon of ground ginger to the waffle batter. The combination was brilliant. The meal was quick and simple and oh so delicious! My son loved the unlikely pair and we found a new favorite. Soup and waffles: try it!

Quinoa Crusted Quiche

Growing up, quiche was one of my favorite breakfast dishes. So I was very excited to come across this recipe from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. I made a few substitutions to the recipe based on what I had at hand. Instead of brown rice for the crust, I used my favorite grain, quinoa. I subbed broccoli for the asparagus, added some Italian seasoning and topped it off with tomatoes. It turned out pretty good. I think the tofu mixture needed a little more seasoning and the crust would be better with a quick pre-bake, but I will definitely make this again. I took left-overs to work for lunch and got compliments on the smell. That's unusual. Most days my food just gets suspicious looks from my tofu-fearing coworkers.

Autumnal Inspiration

Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves change, the skies are overrun by cotton ball clouds, we pull sweaters from our closets and we eat warm rich foods. One of my favorite foods to eat when the mercury drops are potatoes; any kind will do. I love the warm and exciting color of yams and the sweet rich flavor is a real treat. This dish was inspired by the earthiness of fall's colors and flavors. Although it's perhaps a tired denomination for foods of a certain taste, I like to call it harvest quinoa. The nutty flavor of the quinoa really shines here and compliments the sweetness of the raisins and yams.

You will need:

4 small yams, peeled and cubed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Italian seasoning
1 C quinoa
1/3 C raisins
1/4 C dry roasted pumpkin seeds
2 t olive oil
salt to taste

Method

Quinoa:
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover and bring water back to boil. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes. Add raisins and pumpkin seeds and stir. Return lid and let sit until all water is absorbed.

Yams:
Boil yams for 3-5 minutes, until just soft. Heat olive oil in large pan or wok. Sauté garlic for minute. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes. When yams are just soft, drain and add to pan with Italian seasoning and cook until yams start to brown. Combine quinoa and yams in pan and salt to taste. Serve warm.

Variations on a theme: Add 1 cup mushrooms with yams, substitute cranberries for the raisins and/or use walnuts in place of pumpkin seeds. Add 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro before serving.

Veganagna

My favorite cartoon character growing up was Garfield the cat and one of my favorite foods was lasagna. I remember watching Garfield eat pans of lasagna in one swift gulp and admiring him for his good taste. Lasagna is one of those classic comfort foods that so many of us vegans crave and one that tends to make the omnivores cry foul if done incorrectly. I assembled this veganized version of the classic recipe on the fly a few weeks ago when I needed to come up with an easy dinner option to take to my (omni) mom's house. It turned out well and even got compliments from my tofu-suspicious steak-eating step-father. I was really pleased with the recipe but did a little tweaking of the tofu "ricotta" mixture and voilà! Here, then is my recipe for GF vegan lasagna, or what I like to call veganagna:

You Will Need:

1 box GF lasagna noodles* (I like the rice variety)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 C water
1 T lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
1 C fresh chopped parsley
3 t Italian seasoning
3 T vegan parmesan style rice topping
1 C vegan mozzarella style soy cheese, shredded (I like Follow Your Heart Gourmet Cheese Alternative)
13" x 9" baking pan (I use glass)
foil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Drain and press tofu. Using a fork, crumble tofu in medium sized mixing bowl until crumbles are uniform in size. Add parsley, lemon juice, 2T "parmesan", garlic and 2t of Italian seasoning to tofu and combine. Mix water with marinara sauce and coat bottom of baking pan in a thin layer. Add a layer of noodles** and top with marinara and tofu mixture. Repeat layers, leaving the top layer of noodles without tofu mixture and instead top off with remaining marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle "mozzarella" and "parmesan" on top. Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 - 50 minutes. Remove foil and brown under broiler for 1 - 2 minutes. Bon appétit!

* There is no need to boil the noodles if you add water to the marinara sauce. Add more water if your sauce is very thick.

**I like to break a couple noodles and use the pieces it to fill in any gaps in the layers.