Thanks to my parents, grandma and aunt, I am back in business with a camera! It’s so nice and fancy and takes the best looking photos. Check out our dinner last night:

I’ll admit that it’s not the best photo but that’s because the food was so hot that I kept getting a picture of the steam coming off of it.  This dish was really easy and is perfect for those clean-out-the-fridge nights.  I sauteed one small red onion with one clove of garlic in some olive oil.  Once soft, I added some frozen artichoke hearts, some chopped broccoli and cauliflower and sliced zucchini (broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini all organic from the farmer’s market).  After allowing it to cook for a few minutes, I dumped in one jar of organic marinara sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the veggies were soft.  A little basil from my garden and the sauce was done.

We had this with some brown rice noodles, a gluten-free pasta that I picked up from Trader Joe’s.  I’m toying with the possibility of going gluten-free in an effort to fix my thyroid (that’s another post for another day), so I’ve slowly been buying G-F cereals, pastas, etc to try.  This is similar to how I transitioned to a vegan diet and I found that it was the best way for me to transition.  I’m not saying that I’ll for sure go G-F, but cutting out some sources of gluten certainly won’t hurt me.  Anyway, we all really enjoyed these noodles and I think I will buy brown rice pasta from now on.  No one was able to tell that it wasn’t wheat pasta.

I also made these cookies last week.  They are not G-F, but they were pretty tasty.  The recipe is a slight adaptation from the Cranberry-Walnut Oatmeal cookie recipe from Vegan Planet. I’ve made this recipe a few times– once with raisins and pecans– and this time with dried cranberries, pecans and white chocolate.  I think I preferred the first one with the raisins, but I liked this one too.  If you’re wondering where I get vegan white chocolate (good luck finding it in any store), I have to special order it from Vegan Essentials.  I order my vitamins from there too and usually do a big order once every three months.  If I’m low on the white chocolate, I’ll throw that into my virtual cart too.  Here’s a tip for ordering from Vegan Essentials: sign up for their email newsletter that they sometimes include discount codes in.

Have a good weekend everyone!

While watching the Food Network the other day, I was inspired by one of the dishes that Giada was making. She made these individual lasagne and I thought I could do the same, but make them vegan. The dish was a surprising success!  Also, you could prepare these ahead of time, like over the weekend, and throw them in the oven for a quick weeknight meal.  Just be sure to let them come to room temperature before baking.  Putting a cold ramekin into a hot oven probably isn’t a good idea.

For mine, I used some spinach lasagna noodles that my cousin-in-law brought back for me from Argentina. These noodles are wider and shorter than normal lasagna noodles, so I cut them in half to give me two longer, skinnier pieces. Also, my noodles are the “no boil” type, but since they need to be soft for this dish, I soaked them for a few minutes in some hot water. I bet you could take a similar approach with regular “no boil” noodles or use the boil type and cook per package directions.

The tofu ricotta that I used in mine are based on this recipe, but I changed the recipe just a tad.  Here’s how I made mine:

Tofu Basil Ricotta

1/2 lb tofu, packed in water (use the kind that comes in those twin packs and just use one side)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 TB nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

15 large basil leaves

Pat the tofu dry and add it and the rest of the ingredients to your food processor.  Process until completely smooth.

Step 1: Begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees.  Liberally grease your ramekin dishes and place them on a baking sheet.  Take one noodle and layer it in the bottom of the dish so that the edges of the noodle hang over the edge of the dish (again, since my noodles were wider and shorter than normal noodles, I overlapped the two pieces at the bottom):

Step 2:  Place another noodle in the bottom of the dish, but the in opposite direction to form a “X” in the bottom of the dish.  Top with a generous amount of tofu ricotta (recipe above– I put mine in a piping bag to make it easier to dispense into each dish):

Step 3:  Put a generous amount of marinara sauce on top of the tofu ricotta.  I used about 3 TB.  Top that with a layer of sliced zucchini (or other vegetable of your choice– eggplant slices or spinach leaves would be yumy).

Step 4:  Fold over one set of the noodle edges.

Step 5:  Top with a little bit more tofu ricotta (not as much as used in Step 2; maybe half that amount).  Top with about 1 more TB of marinara and more zucchini slices.

Step 6: Fold over last set of noodle edges.  Top with another TB of marinara and vegan mozzarella of your choosing.  I used Diaya, which I had been keeping in my freezer (just to explain why it looks a little funny in the photo).

Step 7:  Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbly.

Step 8:  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then use a large spoon to scoop it out of the ramekin and place onto a plate.

Yes!  A new recipe!!!!

I made this for dinner last night and it was SO EASY to make and was also really flavorful (and my kid ate it with minimal complaining).  Feel free to add whatever veggies and fruit you like or have on hand.  It’s a great use-up for those that may be on their way to the compost bin, if ya know what I mean.  Grapes or nectarines would be a really yummy addition.

Easy Peasy Creamy Pasta Salad

2 cups dry pasta, any shape

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup peas, frozen

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup cucumber, seeded and diced

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegan mayo of your choosing (I use Vegenaise)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)

S&P to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  When boiling, salt the water and add the pasta.  I used penne, which took about 9 minutes to cook through.  When your pasta has about 3-4 minutes left on it’s cooking time, add the carrots to the boiling water.  When it has about 2 minutes left, add the peas.  Cook until the pasta is tender, then drain and rinse with cold water.

While your pasta is cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and the pasta/carrot/pea mixture once it has been drained and rinsed.  Toss to coat with the dressing and refrigerate until ready to eat.  If the dressing made just enough to cover everything, you may want to consider making a little extra since the pasta will absorb it and your leftovers may be a tad dry the next day.

To go with our pasta salad, I made Tofu Fish Sticks from Vegan Lunch Box.  These are so simple to make and are really good.  While the texture isn’t quite the same as I remember real fish sticks being, the taste is spot on.  I made a quick tartar sauce to dip them in by mixing some Vegenaise with sweet pickle relish.  Really, could our meal have been any simpler to prepare?!  I love easy (and relatively inexpensive) meals like this one.

The pasta salad could even stand alone as a meal itself, if paired with a simple green salad or something.  It’s got good protein in there from the beans and peas (yep, peas are pretty high in protein), as well as a good mix of veggies.  Like I mentioned above, the addition of some fruit would be really good.  When my mom made pasta salad when I was a kid, she always added grapes or nectarines and it was so good.  Seriously, you have to try it!

This is an interesting take on a pasta salad.  The pasta here is Israeli cous cous (or you could use regular) and I made a citrus dressing to toss it all in.  It was pretty darn tasty too.  It’s great for picnics and summer parties because it doesn’t contain anything (mayo) that will go bad if left out.

Citrus Cous Cous Salad

1 1/2 cups Israeli cous cous*

1/2 large cucumber, seeded and diced

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped green onions

For the dressing:

Juice and zest from 1 medium orange

Juice of half a lemon

2 TB white wine vinegar

2 TB olive oil

1 tsp agave

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.   Add your cous cous and cook until tender.  While cous cous is cooking, mix together the dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large mixing bowl.  When pasta is cooked, drain well and toss in the dressing.  The hot pasta will soak up all of the yummy dressing, so it’s important to add it before it has cooled.  Add remaining salad ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.  (Since the cous cous is still hot, you may want to wait until it has cooled before adding the mint to keep the mint from wilting.)  Serve either cold or at room temperature.

*If you are unable to find Israeli cous cous (the large type of cous cous), you can use regular.  Cook according to package directions, then follow the steps above.

Lazy me didn’t take a photo, but I made the tastiest pasta dish last night.  I’m sure you can use your imagination. 

Anyway, I boiled up some rigatoni about a minute shy of the package directions.  Poured over some organic sauce from the jar and sprinkled in some fresh basil.  Topped with 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs mixed with 1 TB olive oil and baked (uncovered) at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Yummy!!!  And it’s such an easy way to jazz up pasta with sauce from a jar.  Be sure to put on more sauce than usual because the noodles will absorb it in the oven while they finish cooking.

I veganized a dish from Superfoods: For Babies and Children. The cannelloni are stuffed with a tofu spinach ricotta (I halved the recipe and had the perfect amount to stuff 5 noodles), topped with jarred marinara sauce, then a thin slice of FYH cheddar cheese (to represent turned-down sheets).  Chow mein noodles are used for the hair, sauteed mushrooms for the heads, bits of olives for the eyes and red pepper pieces for the smiles.  Whole olives are the “feet” sticking out of the bottom of the blanket.

For such a cute idea, I’d love to report that this went over better than it did.  Emma is very wary of trying new things and, after a big tantrum, she was sent to bed without any dinner.  *sigh*  This is the first time we’ve ever had to resort to that, but she needs to learn to eat what’s served in a reasonable amount of time.  Anyway, Matt and I really enjoyed this and I’ll definitely be making it again.  After she’d calmed down, Emma told me that she wanted to eat the “faces,” but by then she was in bed and it was way too late.  I think she may be more receptive to it next time.

Constructing all of the heads and stuff really did take a lot of time.  If you were planning to make this meal on a weeknight (totally doable– everything else came together very quickly), I’d suggest having everything already cut out and ready to be assembled.

I boiled my cannelloni about a minute shy and baked everything for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Then I stuck it under the broiler to help melt the cheese.  The hair, heads and feet all get added after the dish is done baking.

It’s been a long time since I’ve made stuffed peppers.  I usually make some sort of a rice mixture to stuff them with, but decided to change it up by using some orzo pasta instead.  These turned out pretty good!

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

(click here for a printer-friendly version)

1/4 cup orzo (dry)

2 large shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

1/4 cup olives, chopped (kalamata and green)

2 TB toasted pine nuts

1 TB basil, chopped

Juice and zest from one small lemon

2 bell peppers, any color

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Half and clean bell peppers, then place in a baking dish and bake in the oven while you prepare the stuffing.

In a small pot, cook the orzo in boiling water per package directions.  Meanwhile in a small skillet, sauté the shallot and garlic in the olive oil until softened.  Remove from heat and mix in the roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, pine nuts, basil and lemon juice and zest.  When orzo is fully cooked, mix that in as well.  Taste and season with S&P.  Stuff the mixture into the bell pepper halves, and then return them to the oven to finish cooking, about 10 minutes.

Today is World Vegan Day!  For lunch, I made my hubby and I a “date” meal that we enjoyed after Emma had gone down for her nap, Pasta with a Creamy Pumpkin Sauce.  I feel like we haven’t spent much time together since we got back from vacation and this was a nice treat.  I know it sounds kinda gross, but it was actually really, really good (and pretty rich– I would advise to serve this as a side dish, rather than a main course).

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground

1 cup veggie stock

3 TB MimicCreme (unsweetened)

S&P to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, cayenne, cinnamon and veg stock.  Stir to combine and cook for another few minutes, until most of the stock has cooked off.  Turn off the heat and add the MimicCreme.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Stir in your cooked pasta.

Sorry for the brief hiatus.  Emma and I went to Sacramento for a couple of days to visit my parents and I’ve been fighting a cold the last few days.  I’m feeling better, but with the traveling and the sickness, there hasn’t been anything exciting happening in my kitchen, aside from the ants.  Those guys just won’t quit!  A tip that my Nana told me about works better on ants than anything else I’ve tried.  It sounds crazy, but it works.  Stick a slice of cucumber in any place you see the ants coming in from.  It really does work.  I have cucumbers all along where the ants have been coming in and my kitchen is now ant-free.  I usually leave the cucumbers there until they shrivel up, just to be safe.

Anyway, for dinner last night, I managed to whip up My Favorite Pasta Dish (isn’t that name so clever?!).  It was delish, as usual.

This time, I tossed in a some toasted pine nuts, which gave it some nice crunch and nutty flavor.

Since I mentioned our trip to Sacramento, I want to give my parents (who, sadly are NOT loyal readers) kudos for eating completely vegan meals the two nights we were there.  See, guys, it won’t kill you!  In fact, they even liked both of the meals that I made for them.  My dad claims that veganism is “too extreme,” but that becoming vegetarian is something he can handle.  Well, I don’t believe for a second that he’ll even attempt going vegetarian, but I hope he’ll at least consider it.  Think about all those medications that you could avoid taking just by changing your diet…

One of our meals was this miso/udon soup.  Yep, Emma and I just can’t get enough of this stuff.  I made it exactly the same way as before, except I used red miso instead of white.  I have to say that the red has more flavor, despite being really funky looking.

A few nights ago, I made some capellini (the package was open and I wanted to use it up before opening another) with marinara and meatballs.  I often have a hard time gauging an appropriate amount of noodles to throw into a pot– they seem to grow as they cook.  I ended up cooking way more noodles than I needed for that one meal and have been eating the same thing for dinner a few nights now.

I made the same thing last night, but added some kalamata and green olives and fresh basil.  It definitely perked the dish up a bit and reminded me of my favorite pasta dish, which I haven’t made since April according to my blog.  Yikes!  We are definitely due to have that one night soon.

The good news is that I have eaten all the noodles and can move on to something new for dinner tonight.