Roasted Veggie Spaghetti with Balsamic & Basil

This past week has been a bit crazy for me, as I've had to pack up over three years worth of my belongings and move into a new place (I know three years isn't that long, but somehow I've accumulated a lot of stuff - mostly junk haha). Not surprisingly, I've been relying on quick and easy meals that don't involve much cooking to get me through the process!

Now that I'm finally settled into my new place, I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and testing out my new kitchen!  Although I'm not sure how my baking is going to turn out with a stove that currently only has one oven rack that appears to be stuck in the lower half of the oven...

The first actual meal that I cooked for myself after moving in was this simple summery pasta dish of thin spaghettini noodles tossed with a variety of colourful roasted veggies and balsamic vinegar, and topped with some fresh basil.

This dish was inspired by a recipe from the cookbook Appetite for Reduction, which used fusilli pasta and a slightly different mix of vegetables (I left out the yellow squash and added spinach and basil). The original recipe was called a pasta primavera, but to me primavera usually implies pasta with veggies in a creamy white sauce, and this dish is quite different!

Instead of adding a sauce, the vegetables are simply roasted until tender with lots of herbs and garlic, then tossed with the noodles in balsamic vinegar for a nice light meal that really highlighted the veggies - perfect for summer evenings!

The basil was a nice addition, and feel free to add other toppings you like, such as parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, or maybe even a touch of pesto!

Roasted Veggie Spaghetti with Balsamic & Basil
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

1/2 bunch asparagus

1 large zucchini

1 small red onion

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

1 bell pepper (I recommend orange, red, or yellow)

4-6 cloves garlic (4 large or 6 smaller)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme or basil (I used basil because I didn’t have thyme)

Salt and pepper

1/2 lb spaghettini (or another pasta)

2 cups packed baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

A few handfuls of fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Prepare the veggies: snap the woody ends off the asparagus and slice the stalks into smaller pieces (3-4 pieces per stalk). Slice the zucchini into half-inch slices. Peel the onion and cut in half, then slice each half into thin slices. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and core, and thinly slice. Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices as well.

Divide the veggies among the baking pans and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle the dried herbs over top and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove pans and give the veggies a toss. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until tender and browned.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain.

Add the pasta and roasted veggies to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach so that it wilts. Add balsamic vinegar and toss well to mix. Divide into serving bowls, top with some fresh basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. You might want to add another drizzle of balsamic vinegar as well.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe Round Up: Spring 2014

With our Mothers Day brunch and dinner this past weekend, and a month or two worth of other treats and snacks that I've made from other blogs, I thought it was time for another recipe round up to share some of kitchen successes I've had lately!


For my birthday last month, my sister Natalie got me a couple of new cookbooks that she knew would be exactly my style - the Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon (mine is the Canadian cover), and Straight from the Earth by mother-daughter duo Myra and Marea Goodman.

I knew I wanted my own copy of the Oh She Glows book after seeing so many other bloggers rave about the recipes, and I know from my own experience that Angela's recipes are not only healthy but they always turn out well!

I've only made one recipe from the book so far - the 15 minute creamy avocado pasta (one that I've made from her blog a few times before as well) and if it's any indication of the quality of the other recipes in the book, then I definitely can't wait to try more!

Another birthday treat that I haven't mentioned on my blog yet was the one I made for myself! Instead of making a cake this year, I opted for miniature "cheesecakes" that I could bring in to the office to share with people. I based the recipe off of Chocolate Covered Katie's greek yogurt cheesecake, except I used a regular (non-vegan) lemon greek yogurt and reduced the sweetener a bit.

Instead of making one large cake, I crumbled the graham cracker base into muffin liners and made individual cups that I baked for about 20-25 minutes. The texture was definitely different than a regular cheesecake, but it got better after one or two days in the fridge and I loved how creamy they were! 

Another recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog that I tried recently was her one-minute coffee cake in a mug (pictured below). I left out the topping and added cinnamon to the batter instead, and I also baked mine in a wider ramekin so it was a bit flatter, but it came out perfectly! I thought it did taste like coffee cake and had a nice texture - hard to believe you can make it so easily just in the microwave!  Topped with some yogurt and a sprinkle of granola, this made a nice light breakfast along with a smoothie. 

I've also been loving the recipes posted by Lauren on her blog Oatmeal with a Fork - she always has new ideas for healthy no-bake treats that I keep bookmarking!

I tried her double layer chocolate cookie bars recently and loved the combination of oat-based cookie dough on top with a cocoa and date layer on the bottom. I made a few changes based on the ingredients I had on hand, including adding some PB2 to the top layer for a bit of a peanut butter flavour which worked well.  

Another healthy treat I made recently was this vegan banana bread chocolate chip snack cake from Ambitious Kitchen. I loved the flavour that the oat flour added (although I substituted half of the oat flour with whole wheat flour), and I thought they had the perfect amount of banana taste. These were nice and light with a touch of richness from the chocolate chips. I would definitely make these again!

I actually made the banana cake for a daytrip with my family that we organized for my dad's birthday. Along with the cake, I also made these no-bake fig newtons because my dad loves figs! I followed this recipe for date newtons by the Pancake Princess, adapted from the blog Rawified (who also made a fig version). The outside is made from ground up nuts, oats, and flax, and the inside is a paste made from dried black mission figs. They were soft and chewy, and pretty rich so you only need a small piece for a healthy snack!

Finally, I wanted to share a few of the recipes that I tried this past weekend for Mother's Day.

For brunch, my sisters and I got together to eat with our parents and we prepared a fun and interactive breakfast buffet!  I set out a couple of kinds of yogurt with a variety of fruits and some granola so that everybody could make their own yogurt parfait, and my sister also made some amazing biscuits that we ate fresh out of the oven with different jams.

My favourite part of the meal though was this no-cook strawberry lemon chia curd from Edible Perspective that I made the night before and let thicken in the fridge overnight (I used all black chia seeds so mine turned out a little darker). It was the perfect addition to both the yogurt parfaits and the biscuits! 

For dinner later on in the day, my sister made a strawberry goat cheese salad topped with chicken, and for a vegetarian option I decided to make some tofu to go with the salad. I followed this recipe for breaded tofu from Divine Healthy Food, making a couple of small changes to the marinade and sauteeing it rather than grilling. I've never made breaded tofu before but I loved how it turned out!

I also made this strawberry focaccia with maple-balsamic caramelized onions and basil from Saveur to go with the meal. The crust came out a little crispier than I wanted, but I loved the topping combination and I thought the leftovers were even better the next day because the crust had softened up a bit. 

It was a great meal overall, complete with rhubarb and lemon custard tarts made by my sister for dessert! You can check out a more detailed post about our Mother's Day meals on my sister Natalie's blog Once Upon a Cutting Board.

Hope you're all enjoying the Spring weather and hopefully I'll be back soon with a new recipe to share!

Greek Pasta Salad with Tofu Feta

With the Easter holiday coming up this weekend, normally I would be posting an Easter-themed recipe on my blog this week. But for some reason, my Easter inspiration just wasn't there this year - I couldn't come up with anything that hasn't already been done!

So if you're looking for a cute Easter idea, check out these peanut butter bunnies and raw cookie chicks that I made last year. Or if you're just here for the recipes, I've got a great pasta salad to share with you today!

I'm not typically a huge fan of pasta salad, as it can sometimes be a bit boring. For me, the keys to a memorable pasta salad are to add lots of veggies, some kind of protein, and a flavourful dressing - all of which are included in this recipe!

This dish is like a bulked-up Greek salad - besides the usual veggies that you would find in a Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers - I left out red onion based on personal preference), I added olives, artichokes, and capers for lots of salty, briny flavour, and rotini pasta to help soak up the dressing.

Instead of using traditional feta cheese, I decided to make "tofu feta". If you've never heard of this idea, you can mimic the flavour and texture of a salty cheese by marinating uncooked firm tofu in a dressing made with lots of lemon juice, miso, a bit of olive oil, and lots of herbs.

The tofu was actually my favourite part of this dish - I love the chewy texture and it really soaked up the marinade so it didn't just taste like bland tofu! I also loved how each bite was full of ingredients - the ratio of pasta to veggies was a bit skewed towards the veggie side, which is how I prefer my salads!

This makes a lot of pasta - enough to feed yourself for lunches for the week, or it would make a great potluck or BBQ dish to share with a group!

Greek Pasta Salad with Tofu Feta
Inspired by Katy's Kitchen; tofu adapted from Keepin' it Kind

Tofu

350g/12 oz package extra firm pressed tofu, drained and water squeezed out

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Salad

~450g dried pasta (I used rotini)

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tomatoes, diced (I removed most of the seeds as I chopped)

1/2 an English cucumber, sliced into half-moons

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in half

6 oz jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (*save the oil for the dressing)

2 tbsp capers, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp oil (I used the oil from the jar of artichoke hearts, but you could use olive oil)

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

Salt and pepper

First, start marinating the tofu. If you don’t have already pressed tofu, press it between layers of paper towel with a heavy object on top for at least 15 minutes to remove excess water. Slice tofu into small cubes (about ½”). Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the marinade. Place tofu slices in a shallow container and pour marinade over top. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure all the tofu pieces get coated.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for length of time specified by package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies (green pepper, tomatoes, and cucumber) and place in a large bowl. Add the olives, artichokes, and capers. When the pasta is done, add it to the bowl as well.

Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss to mix.

Add tofu to the bowl, including any leftover marinade. Add parsley and toss well to mix.

Chill until serving time. 

Makes 4-6 servings.

Smoky Red Pepper, Broccoli & Veggie Sausage Pasta

Has anyone experienced their first snowfall of the season yet? I've heard of snow sightings from friends further north in Ontario the past couple of days, so I hope it's not making its way down to southern Ontario - I'm not quite ready for that yet!

There's nothing like a hearty dinner to warm you up on cold days like this though, which is why I'm sharing this pasta recipe today!

When I eat a bowl of pasta, I like it to have lots of sauce and lots of "extras" in it so that no bite is just plain pasta, and this pasta was just that. I've been wanting to try making a roasted red pepper sauce for quite a while now, and I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago when I had a lonely red pepper in the fridge that needed to be eaten before it went bad.

I used Colourful Palate's recipe for vegan mac & cheese as a guide for the sauce, but turned it into a more smoky and spicy dish by adding some spices to the sauce, roasted broccoli, and Mexican veggie sausage (one of three flavours from Field Roast and the only brand of veggie sausage I've found that I really like!).

The sauce was an interesting change from the tomato-based pasta sauces that I'm used to. It had a bit of a chunky texture from the cashews and sunflower seeds, a nice smoky flavour and a hint of cheesiness from the nutritional yeast.

This can be a quick and easy dinner if you make the pasta sauce ahead of time like I did, and to save even more time, you could just cook some noodles and toss it with the sauce for a simple meal. If you like veggies in your pasta like I do though, the roasted broccoli was the perfect addition.

The spicy veggie sausage complemented the flavours in the sauce really well too, while also making it more of a hearty and filling dish - just what I crave to warm my belly on a chilly night!

Smoky Red Pepper, Broccoli & Veggie Sausage Pasta
Sauce adapted from Colourful Palate

Red Pepper Sauce

1 red pepper

2 tbsp raw cashews

2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

3 tbsp nutritional yeast (or more if desired)

1 tsp tamari

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

Turn oven on to broil and rub the outside of the red pepper with a bit of oil. When oven is ready, place the whole pepper on a baking sheet and broil for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until it starts to blacken. Remove pepper from oven and place in a bowl of water to help loosen the skin. Peel off as much of the outside layer of skin as you can and discard. Roughly chop the pepper into pieces and remove the seeds.

Place the cashews and sunflower seeds in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the red pepper pieces and the remaining ingredients and puree until as smooth as possible (it may still be a bit chunky from the nuts). Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Makes about ¾ cup sauce (enough for about 2 servings of pasta).

Pasta

Half a head of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1-2 tsp olive oil

2 servings of dry penne pasta (I just eyeballed the amount I wanted)

1 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle veggie sausage (optional)

red pepper sauce (recipe above)

Preheat the oven to 400°F and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss the broccoli pieces in a bit of olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to brown.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Cook the veggie sausage for about 5 minutes total, turning often, just until it is heated through and browned on all sides. Chop into pieces.

Add the broccoli to the pasta and pour the sauce over top. Toss well to mix. Gently mix in the sausage pieces, or divide the pasta into bowls first and then top with the sausage.

Makes 2 servings.  

Summer Pasta Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing

I've been wanting to make a summery pasta salad for a few weeks now, especially after my sister Natalie made this tasty looking arugula pasta salad with chickpea, veggies, olives, and goat cheese. 

So when I finally managed to make a trip to my local farmers' market this past weekend, I filled my bags with all the summer veggies I could find and brought them home to use in this pasta salad.

Besides pasta (obviously), this salad has heirloom tomatoes, corn off the cob, field cucumber, Ontario radishes, and fresh basil, plus avocado (not local) and jalapeno. 

And as if that wasn't enough, I tossed everything in a creamy green dressing made with roasted cubanelle peppers and avocado. I actually meant to use poblano peppers, but when I couldn't find those, I took my chances on the milder cubanelles and the dressing still turned out wonderful.  

The original recipe that I adapted the dressing from was meant to be a salad vinaigrette, so I reduced the amount of water to make it thicker and doubled all of the amounts to make sure I had enough to coat a large amount of pasta. I loved the tang from white wine vinegar and lime juice, and it still had a bit of a bite from jalapeno, garlic, and shallots. 

This big batch of pasta salad was enough to last me through meals all week, and I looked forward to eating it for lunch every day!

You can't really go wrong with all those fresh summer ingredients, but I really loved the combination of veggies and bowtie pasta noodles coated in the creamy dressing.

And if the long list of ingredients scares you off, don't worry - you can easily adapt the recipe to your whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. I'm thinking red or yellow peppers, green beans, or fresh peas would work well in this salad, and feel free to add more herbs besides the basil.

Summer Pasta Salad with Roasted Pepper Dressing
Inspired by a recipe from Crazy Sexy Kitchen

Dressing

4 medium sized cubanelle peppers (can substitute poblano peppers if you can find them)

1 tsp olive oil

1 large shallot, minced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

1 large jalapeno, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice

~2 tbsp water

Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta

1lb (one box) dried farfalle pasta

2 cobs of cooked corn, kernels removed

2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes

2 cups halved (or quartered) cucumber slices

1 cup halved radish slices

2 avocados, diced

1 large jalapeno, minced (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

First, make the dressing: Preheat oven to broil. Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and broil until slightly blackened on all sides, turning occasionally to broil all sides. Remove from oven and place peppers in a bowl of water for a couple of minutes to loosen the skin. Carefully peel off as much of the thin outer layer of skin as you can, then slice off the stems and remove the seeds. Roughly chop the peppers into pieces.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer the cooked peppers, shallot and garlic to a blender. Add the avocado, jalapeno, basil, parsley, vinegar and lime juice and puree until smooth. Add water to thin out a bit (you can add more if needed, but you want a thick dressing). Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Transfer dressing to a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Fill a large pot with water and heat on the stove until boiling. Add pasta to the water and boil according to directions on the box. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Place cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add the remaining pasta ingredients and toss to combine. Pour dressing over the salad and stir until thoroughly mixed. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Gnocchi with Sauteed Vegetables

I'm sure a lot of you have stand-by "emergency dinners" - something you keep in your pantry that can be whipped up for an easy meal on those days when you have no plans for dinner, no time to visit the grocery store, and nothing substantial left in the fridge.

I sometimes keep a boxed soup in the pantry for such occasions, although if I have leftovers of something stored in the freezer (veggie burgers are a great option) then that's my first choice!

Recently I was at an Italian grocery store and decided to pick up a package of spinach gnocchi to have around just in case as an emergency dinner. The problem was that I didn't have any sauce around to go with it, and what good is plain gnocchi if you don't have a sauce?

So this week I sacrificed my emergency dinner gnocchi and stopped at the grocery store so that I could make a planned meal with it using fresh vegetables and herbs instead of a jarred sauce.

Rather than making an actual vegetable sauce, I took the easier route and just made a sauté out of zucchini, carrots, spinach and grape tomatoes to eat along with my gnocchi. Seasoned only with salt and pepper and topped with some fresh basil, this was a really easy meal to put together and still tasted fresh, since it was full of actual vegetables rather than a processed sauce (not that there's anything wrong with that occasionally too!).

Feel free to change up the vegetables with whatever is in season, and parmesan cheese on top would go really well here too!

Hope you all enjoy the weekend - especially Canadian readers who have a long weekend - yay!

Gnocchi with Sauteed Vegetables
Inspired by Martha Stewart and Australian Good Taste

1 (500g) package gnocchi (I used a spinach flavoured gnocchi)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small onion (or half a large onion), diced

2 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons

1-2 small carrots, diced (about ½ cup)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

2-3 cups packed spinach

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup sliced fresh basil

Parmesan cheese for serving (optional - I didn't use any)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and let cook until they float to the surface of the water, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring often. Add onion, zucchini, and carrot and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and spinach and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, covered, for about 2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Remove lid and continue to cook for another minute or two, until the tomatoes have softened a bit. Add the drained gnocchi and toss to combine.

Season well and top with basil and parmesan (if using – I left it out). Serve warm.

Makes 3-4 servings. 

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus

I should probably start this post by admitting I've never really been a fan of creamy pasta. I've always preferred a tomato sauce or even a simple oil based dressing rather than any cream based pasta sauce like alfredo. That being said, I've finally found a creamy pasta that I really enjoy in this vegan version of fettuccine alfredo!

Instead of butter, cheese and heavy cream, the creaminess from this pasta sauce comes from tahini (sesame seed paste) mixed with almond milk. To add even more flavour and thickness, the liquid base is stirred into a mixture of pureed onion and garlic that's been sauteed on the stovetop.

The result is a rich and creamy sauce that coats each noodle perfectly and really does resemble a traditional alfredo sauce, but with much more flavour in my opinion!

The original recipe was a simple dish of noodles with sauce, but I always like to include extra vegetables in my pasta to make it more interesting. My first thought was to add asparagus, since its long shape goes well with noodles and it seemed like a fresh seasonal choice for this time of year!

I steamed the asparagus to avoid having to turn on the oven, and tossed it in a bit of lemon zest. A healthy dose of fresh lemon juice and parsley were the final touches to brighten up the dish.

I was actually surprised at how filling this pasta was because of the tahini, which also makes it the perfect transitional meal from hearty winter dinners to lighter spring and summer dishes!

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus

Adapted from Get it Ripe

~8-9 oz dry linguine or fettucine

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup pureed onion (from 2 small yellow onions, peeled and pureed in a food processor - mine was still a bit chunky)

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1.5 cups almond milk

1/2 cup tahini

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 lb asparagus (about half a bunch)

1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Lemon wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes, until browned.

Stir together almond milk, tahini, salt and nutmeg until tahini is fully mixed in. Pour into skillet with the onion mixture and stir. Reduce heat to medium. Add freshly ground pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and lemon juice and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and discard. Add the asparagus to a steamer basket and steam, covered, for 3-5 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Remove from steamer basket and chop each asparagus stalk into three pieces. Toss asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon zest.

Return the drained pasta to its cooking pot. Add the sauce and stir well to mix (you may not need all of the sauce). Add the asparagus.

Serve warm. Season each serving with additional salt and pepper if desired and squeeze a lemon wedge over top.  Top with additional parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with White Bean-Sage Sauce

A bowl of warm pasta with lots of veggies and sauce is one of my favourite comfort foods in the winter. I grew up eating my parents' homemade veggie and tomato pasta sauce and I still look forward to eating that meal whenever I'm at home!

It may seem surprising that I've never actually made my own tomato sauce for pasta!  I like to think the reason is that I want to keep my family's recipe special by not attempting to create my own version, but sometimes the truth is that I just use jarred pasta sauce.  Another reason is that I'm always tempted to try new recipes and unique ideas for pasta using different combinations of noodles, veggies, and sauces other than tomato.

The latest pasta recipe that I've tried was inspired by a white bean and sage pasta recipe in the cookbook Vegan Planet.  The original version was a simple linguine tossed in a sauce made from white beans and vegetable stock and infused with fresh sage.

For my own version, I added some garlic for even more flavour, used a thicker noodle to catch all of the sauce, and added some roasted cauliflower so that the dish would have something other than just noodles and sauce.

I thought this combination really worked well together!  The sauce ended up being nice and thick and creamy, even though there was no dairy in it. It had lots of flavour from the garlic, sage, vegetable stock and lemon juice, and the roasted cauliflower was the perfect addition!

Overall, this was a healthy, yet still hearty and comforting pasta dish for winter.  And the best part was that my leftovers lasted me all through the week, so I could look forward to coming home out of the cold weather and heating up a bowl for dinner!

Roasted Cauliflower Pasta with White Bean-Sage Sauce

Adapted from Vegan Planet

For the cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup torn sage leaves

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Scant 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2-3/4 cup vegetable stock

For the pasta:

1 lb dried pasta, such as fusilli

Lemon wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Roast for 25-35 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. 

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and sage and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the beans, vinegar, salt and pepper and cook until beans are heated through, 2-3 minutes.

Transfer contents of the pan to a blender or food processor and blend, gradually adding ½ cup of vegetable stock. If you are making the sauce ahead of time, transfer it to a small saucepan and keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain and return pasta to the pot.  Add the sauce and the cauliflower and stir until thoroughly mixed. If the sauce is too thick, add more of the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable stock. Transfer pasta to a serving dish.

Serve warm, with additional ground pepper and fresh lemon wedges for squeezing over top.

Makes 4-5 servings. 

Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas

During the summertime when fresh herbs are so abundant, one way that I like to use them up is by making a pesto sauce.  Pesto pasta seems to be one of those things that people can either love or hate, but I've always loved it!

Up until now, I haven't expanded much beyond the traditional basil pesto, but I'm intrigued by other types of pesto I've seen on food blogs, like arugula, cilantro, kale, roasted pepper, and most recently - broccoli pesto.  So the last time I picked up some broccoli with no specific plans for it, I decided to try making broccoli pesto.

The pesto itself was pretty easy to make - the broccoli is blanched in boiling water, then blended with the traditional pesto ingredients of olive oil, garlic and lemon. I also added some fresh parsley and tahini because I I like the combination of tahini and lemon in sauces. Finally, instead of using parmesan cheese, I added some nutritional yeast to give the sauce a bit of cheesy flavour.

For the pasta, I tossed some cavatappi with the pesto sauce and added chickpeas to make it more of a complete meal (the original recipe that I used for inspiration suggested using white beans, so you could try that too, although I prefer chickpeas).

I liked how the taste of the broccoli came through in the pesto without being overpowering - if you have picky eaters in your family, this could be a good way to get them to eat their veggies!  Topped with a big squeeze of lemon juice, this was a nice bright and flavourful meal that made me even more excited for summer!

Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas
Adapted from Mrs. Regueiro's Plate

Half a head of broccoli, chopped (about 2.5 cups)

About 7 oz short dried pasta (I used cavatappi)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 tsp lemon zest

Juice of half a lemon,

Pinch of salt

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Additional lemon wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli pieces and boil until they are tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Remove immediately using a slotted spoon and place in a food processor.

Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions, then drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Return pasta to the pot and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the pesto by adding the olive oil, tahini, nutritional yeast, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt to the food processor with the broccoli. Process until completely smooth. If the pesto looks thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it out (I added 2 tbsp of water).

Transfer the pesto to the pot with the pasta and stir until all the pasta is coated (you can add more of the pasta water here if needed). Stir in the chickpeas.  If you want the dish to be served hot, turn the stove on medium-low and heat until the pasta and chickpeas are warmed through.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Makes 3 servings.

Pretty in Pink Pasta (aka Beet Pasta)

Now that Super Bowl is over, it's time to post some Valentine's recipes!

Valentine's Day doesn't really have much significance for me, but I still like to celebrate it by watching romantic movies (hence the title of this post) and making treats to fit the holiday theme!  This year, I made two recipes (a dinner and dessert) that both feature a secret ingredient to make them a beautiful Valentine's pink ... beets!

For my dinner recipe, I made this pasta with a colourful beet sauce.  The beets are first roasted in the oven and then pureed with yogurt, lemon, garlic and spices to make a creamy and flavorful coating for the noodles. I also added some toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley on top of my pasta, which I thought made it more special and enhanced the presentation factor, but you can leave the pine nuts out for a more budget-friendly dish.

Since I love beets in any form, especially the flavor of roasted beets, it was no surprise that I loved this pasta! But if you do decide to make this for someone special, make sure they're a fan of beets first because they are definitely the star of this dish!

Stay tuned later this week for my Valentine's dessert with beets!

Beet Pasta
Adapted from Moderate Oven

4-5 oz dried pasta - wide noodles like fettucine or pappardelle work best (make sure they are egg-free for a vegan dish - I used durum wheat ribbons in parsley-garlic flavour)

2 medium beets

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt (or soy yogurt)

1/2 tsp cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

2-3 tbsp pine nuts

about 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnishing

First, roast the beets. Wrap whole beets in tin foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven at 400° for about 60 minutes, until they are tender. When the beets are done roasting, peel and slice off the ends. Cut into quarters, then place in a blender.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until lightly browned. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the blender with the beets.  Add the lemon juice, yogurt, cumin, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the blender.  Puree until you have a smooth sauce. 


Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes, until they are lightly browned and fragrant.

To serve, toss the cooked pasta with the beet sauce.  If the sauce and pasta have already cooled, you can heat a large skillet on the stove, then toss the pasta and sauce together in the skillet and heat until warm.  Top with toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley.

Makes 2 servings. 

Tofu Pasta Salad with Veggies and a Basil Sauce

I've never been quite sure how I feel about pesto - sometimes I like it and sometimes it's just a bit too overpowering. But when I saw this recipe for a pasta salad with a basil pesto vinaigrette, I knew immediately that I wanted to make it. It looked like it was full of all sorts of good things - veggies that I could get from the farmer's market, baked tofu (my favourite way of cooking it...this would be a really good recipe to serve to anyone who hasn't tried tofu or doesn't think they like it!), and a sauce that promised to be amazing. And let me tell you, it definitely lived up to my expectations!

This is worth making for the sauce alone...while some pestos can be too oily or too garlicky, this one was smooth and lemony (although my garlic wasn't that fresh, so that might have made a difference. I also cut down the amount of oil by half).

I made the sauce first, and then I was tempted to skip the rest of the recipe and just eat the sauce with a spoon because it was so good...but I restrained myself to just licking it from fingers and saving the rest for the pasta!

Preparing the rest of the ingredients does require a bit of coordination - cooking each of the veggies separately, boiling the pasta, baking the tofu and toasting the walnuts. So make sure you read through the entire recipe first so that you know everything that needs to be done (that way you won't forget a step like I did...I completely forgot about the tofu until my veggies were almost done so everything had to be put on hold while I waited for the oven to heat up.) But don't worry, this recipe is very forgiving and is good to eat either warm, cold or at room temperature!

Tofu Pasta Salad with Veggies and Basil Sauce
Adapted from Smokin' Chestnut and Fine Cooking

½ lb dry pasta (I used rotini but another short type like bowties would work)

¾ lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

1.5 cups grape tomatoes, sliced

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 package firm or extra-firm tofu

¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Dressing:

1.5 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup grated parmesan

3 tbsp wine vinegar

Zest and juice of one lemon

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ tsp kosher salt

Pepper

To make the dressing, blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor and keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

For the tofu, preheat the oven to 400. Drain the tofu and cut into ½ inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet lined with a greased foil sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned, flipping partway through if necessary.

For the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes, until they are just crisp-tender. Remove beans with a slotted spoon and place on a clean dish towel to try. With the water still boiling, add the peas and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove and let them dry with the beans.

Next, add the pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, following the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and sauté the sliced squash until it is softened and lightly browned. Lastly, toast the walnuts (you can use the same pan) for a few minutes, being careful not to burn them.

Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl. Add in the beans, peas, squash, tomatoes and walnuts. Add the dressing and stir until it is all incorporated (I used the full amount of the dressing and it was just the right amount). 

Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings (I got 5 meals out of it, plus a bit of random snacking from the fridge!)