Roasted Veggie Pasta

This was so easy to make.  I just chopped up some veggies I had leftover from the week, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme, and roasted while the pasta cooked.  Very yummy, and the kids loved it.

Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F).  I chopped an eggplant, 3 tomatoes, and an onion, but use what you have.  Also, add a few pealed cloves of garlic.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Spread out on a baking sheet, and roast for about 20 minutes until they are all carmelized and yummy looking... like this.

Pick out the garlic and smash with a bit of salt until it forms a paste.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta in salted water until al dente.  I used whole wheat spaghetti for extra nutrition.  Drain, and toss with veggies and garlic paste.  Top with nutritional yeast.  

Spinach "Feta" Pasta

So delicious and full of iron!

Cook whole wheat pasta to al dente.


Meanwhile, sautee some spinach and garlic in olive oil.  Sprinkle in a tiny bit of ground nutmeg, black pepper, and corse salt.


Toss all together with some crumbled herbed firm tofu (I use the back of a fork to do this).

Caprese Rice Salad

I took my fav Italian salad and made it into a meal by adding rice.  Very good!

Toss:
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp minced shallot
Balsamic vinaigrette, S & P to taste

Easy Bruschetta

This is super easy and good!  Great for a crunchy snack or appetizer.

Top ready made bruschetta toasts with your favorite vegan pasta sauce.  Enjoy!

Eggplant "Parmesan"

This is so good.  I'm talking life changing good.

Slice an eggplant into 1/4 inch disks.  Place a single layer in the bottom of a colander.  Sprinkle well with coarse salt.  Add another layer on top.  Sprinkle with salt.  Repeat until it's all in there.  Place a heavy bowl on top and press it down a bit.  Place in the sink and leave it for 2 hours.  Press down a bit again.

Preheat oven to 185 C (375 F).  In a shallow bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp parsley, and 1/4 tsp thyme.  Heat a nice layer of olive oil in a large frying pan.  Take the eggplant slices and dredge them in the flour mixture.  Fry on both side until golden.  Place on paper towels after to cool a little and drain.  Work in batches, adding more oil as needed.


Place 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a medium casserole dish.  Add a layer of eggplant.  Top with a drizzle of soy cream (maybe 1/3 cup).  Sprinkle with 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil., then 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.  Repeat layers once more.


Bake for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Pasta Alfredo

Adult mac and cheese.  What's not to love!  This tastes very similar to the Alfredo at my pre-vegan favorite restaurant.

Cook pasta to al dente in salted, boiling water.  Save a 1/4 cup of the cooking water.  Drain the pasta.


In the mean time, saute 1 minced shallot in 2 tbsp margarine until translucent.  Add 20 cl (a large 3/4 cup) soy cream and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened.  Add s & p to taste.


Pour sauce, reserved cooking water, and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast onto pasta.  Toss until well combined.  Top with a little parsley.

Mom's Garlic Toast

From my childhood, very simple garlic toast.  

Butter whole wheat bread with margarine.  Sprinkle with garlic salt.  Place under the broiler until light brown and bubbly.

Fast and Easy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

I make this from an quick sauce recipe that my Italian neighbor (a caterer) used to make.  My whole family loves it.

In a small sauce pan, saute a large, chopped shallot in olive oil until translucent.  Add 1 medium can of chopped, peeled tomatoes (Italian if you can find them), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp sugar (brings down the acidity), and 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil.  Simmer on low until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Quinoa Tomato Basil Salad

Quinoa is a superfood, a vegan total protein.  Tomatoes and basil are also very good for you.  Eat this after you've chilled it a while in the fridge.

Rinse 1 cup quinoa, and place in a pot with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally.


Toss the cooked quinoa with 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, and 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil.  Top with a dressing, made with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp coarse salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper.  

"Cheesy" Lasagna with Fresh Basil and Spinach

YUM!  I took a tip from the French on this one.  They do not use ricotta in their lasagna.  They use a bechamel.  So, living here, where vegan cheese is non-existent, I whipped up this lasagna with what I could get.  By the way, be careful with the lasagna noodles.  They usually will have egg in them.  I had to get mine from the UK.

Preheat oven to 185 C (350 F).  


In a food processor, pulse...
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, peeled
... until crumbly.


In a small sauce pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add 2 tbsp flour all at once, and stir rapidly to eliminate the lumps.  Cook until bubbly.  Add 1 cup vegan milk, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 pepper.  Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.


Spread a little bit of jarred marinara sauce on the bottom of a medium casserole dish.  Add 2 noodles, uncooked.  Top with half of your milk mixture.  Top with half of the bread crumb mixture.  Top with half of the remaining marinara sauce.  Add 2 more noodles, the rest of the milk mixture, most of the bread crumb mixture (save a little for the top), and the rest of the marinara.  Sprinkle with the rest of the crumbs.


IMPORTANT!!! - Wrap tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Take out, remove cover, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Pesto Génois

I promise you, if you make this for ANYONE, even your non-vegan friends, they will kiss you square on the lips.  And, your kitchen will smell like Heaven!!!

Cook pasta according to package directions.


In your food processor, pulse chop...
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
...until fine.


Add...
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
...and pulse until fine.


Through the feed tube, with the machine running, drizzle in....
1/2 cup olive oil
... until well incorporated.


Add 1/3 cup nutritional yeast and blend.  (For non-vegan friends, use parm.)


Stir desired amount into hot pasta and yum.  Store unused pesto for up to one day in a plastic container with a very thin film of olive oil on top to protect the color.  

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

My new favorite way to eat eggplant!  And I "mommified" it for my non-vegan kids by tossing their servings with parm.  They gobbled it up and asked for more!

Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).   In a large bowl, toss until well combined....

1 eggplant, pealed and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 medium tomatoes, sliced into wedges

1 medium onion, sliced into wedges

2 cloves garlic, smashed with side of large knife and pealed whole

A healthy dose of olive oil

S & p to taste

A sprinkling of parsley, basil, thyme.

A very light sprinkling of oregano (too much can be overpowering)

Spread veggies out onto a baking sheet into a single layer.  Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook whole wheat penne in salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain.

Pick out garlic and place in small bowl.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and turn into paste with back of spoon.  Add to pasta and stir well, letting that garlic paste infuse the pasta.  Add veggies and a good drizzle of olive oil to pasta and toss well.

Top with nutritional yeast for that like parm experience.

Tomato Basil Pizza

Joy!  I found out that the refrigerator pizza crust in my local store is vegan.  So good!

1 package pizza crust
A few tbsp of vegan pasta sauce
Thinly sliced tomato
Shredded fresh basil
Sprinkling of nutritional yeast
Drizzle of olive oil


Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).  Top crust with sauce, tomatoes, basil, yeast, and oil.  (I also added diced red peppers because I was craving them.)  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.


Mommy tip.... bake two, and add cheese to the other for your non-vegan family.

Sauteed Gnocchi

Yummy and filling, and can be made for you and your non-vegan family at the same time.  Just toss their servings with cheese.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.  Sautee them in olive oil until golden.  Season with s&p.

Quick French Bread Pizza

This was ready in 15 minutes.  And I made non-vegan pizza for my family at the same time.  

Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).  Slice French bread in half and place on baking sheet.  Top with vegan pasta sauce (I used Barilla Basilico).  Add finely diced veggies (I used shallots, red peppers, yellow peppers and garlic).  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 5 to 10 minutes until golden.

Fast Tomato Basil Whole Wheat Pasta

After a very busy day, I needed a quick meal I could cook for both me AND my kids.  This was brilliant, and on the table in 15 minutes.  (I just tossed cheese on top of the kids' dishes.  They are non-vegans.)


Cook whole wheat pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain.  Toss with jarred vegan tomato basil sauce (my favorite is Barilla Basilico).  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast (for a 'like parmesan' experience), if desired.