Marinara sauce

Marinara Recipe
Makes ~ 4 cups
Gluten free, soy free, 30 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil (I reduce this to maybe 1 tablespoon - you might try to see what suits your taste)
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Fresh black pepper to taste
24 oz can crushed tomatoes (may be 28 oz can- one large can, or two small will work)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I usually omit this, the tomatoes and olives are salty enough for us)
Zest of one lemon

Preheat a 2 qt pot over medium low heat. Add the olives and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), black pepper and sauté a minute more. Add tomatoes and salt (if using) and stir. Cover pot, leaving a little gap for steam to escape and cook for 10 minutes. Add lemon zest, stir, and serve!

Vegan linguine with porcini, walnut, and fresh sage

Disclaimer: I haven't made this yet. I'm just planning here. But via Saveur, I find an intriguing no-knead pasta recipe/technique that looks good, though it calls for 1 egg per person. I have another vegan pasta recipe I'll sub in, since I'm not sure that just subbing a flax egg here will work. Bryanna Grogan Clark's recipe has worked well for me in the past, so I'll use that, but (gasp) use the food processor for kneading. Actually I find that she does give food processor AND bread machine options for the kneading, so I'll just go with that (nothing like taking the long way round the block!)

1 lb pasta dough, formed into linguine and dried

topping: This is adapted from another Saveur recipe

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
10 oz. porcini or other earthy mushrooms (portabella would work too),roughly chopped
1 cup soy creamer (unsweetened!)
1 15 1/2 oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed well
1 s onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c walnuts
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 T fresh sage leaves plus extra for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Fry onions in 1/2 T olive oil over medium heat until they're crisp and brown, but not burned. For the last few minutes, saute sage leaves as well, then remove from pan. Now use the same pan to dry-fry your walnuts 'til they're toasty but not burnt; remove and roughly chop.
2. In the same pan, heat to medium high, then add your mushrooms. Cover and cook for a few minutes, until they release liquid and brown, becoming very fragrant; now immediately lower heat to medium.
3. Add 1 T olive oil, and garlic, saute for 30 seconds being careful not to overcook the garlic.
4. Add cannelini beans, saute until beans start to split and soften.
4. Add soy creamer and optional red pepper flakes, lower heat to medium low, and let the liquid cook down to thicken slightly, then fold in fried onions, sage, and walnuts.
5. Serve over linguine, topped with additional fresh sage leaves, cracked pepper, and a sprinkling of sea salt if desired.

Dinner last night

I think I'm still full! We had some leftovers - Veganomicon's basil tofu ricotta, and a wonderful spinach walnut pesto. To use them up, we made:

- spiral pesto rolls (but with ricotta, instead*)
- whole wheat linguine with pesto**
- pan roasted brussels sprouts

* I have no doubt I'll make this again, but I'll have to remember to use less filling. These things are really substantial - in fact, tonight we're having them with salads as a full meal. If you make these, you might a) cut the roll into 8 rather than 6 portions, and b) use only 1/2 c. filling.

** The pesto is really good, but I found that it goes a long way when used with pasta. Next time, I'll thin it with some broth, I think.

A terrific meal!

Walnut-basil (and spinach) pesto

This is an adaptation of an adaptation of an adaptation, so at this point I think I'll just call it my invention! We used it as the base for a pizza, with tofu ricotta, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and some minced roasted red pepper.

makes about 1 1/2 cups

3 cups fresh spinach (I used a full package of baby spinach)
3 cloves garlic (2 might be better)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 cup walnut pieces or more
½ c fresh basil
1 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil

Wilt the spinach and fresh basil over boiling water for 1 minute, or in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Mince the garlic with the salt in a food processor. Squeeze any moisture from the spinach and basil, and add to the food processor along with the dried basil, flax seeds and walnuts. Puree until smooth. Add the olive oil gradually and process to a smooth paste.

Semolina pasta

This recipe is courtesy of the Bob's Red Mill site (as is the Semolina I used). Followup note: what a great pasta recipe! I used the full cup of water, and started the mixture in my food processor, then finished it off by hand. I did find it needed even a touch more water, which I added while kneading by wetting my hands just a little. I roasted about 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes with 5 or 6 garlic cloves and 1 1/2 medium-sized onions, chopped up large. The onions and garlic were drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, then slow-roasted at 350F for maybe 40 minutes, then I added the halved tomatoes, and let it all continue to roast until the tomatoes were collapsed. With it, I did fresh limas boiled, then tossed in a chili-infused olive oil for a touch of heat. Those limas would be GREAT with the tomato-onion mix!

1-1/2 cups Semolina
1 cup White Flour, Unbleached
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 to 1 cup Water
1 tb Olive Oil

On a flat work surface combine flours and salt in a mound, add 1/2 cup water and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough. Add one tablespoon of water at a time while combining mixture, until desired consistency is achieved (moderately stiff dough). Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired.

Bring a large pot of water containing 1/2 teaspoon olive oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender (approximately 3 - 5 minutes). When making lasagna, no need to boil noodles. Add directly to your recipe.

Strangely reminiscent of...

Emmenthaler cheese. That's what I said to Mike after trying Esme's special sauce, which I had copied a while back and just made last night. Folks, this is not a low-fat sauce. It is also very rich, and there is a savory... unctuousness to it. I think in future it will do well as a sauce over veg, such as roasted potatoes, on the side.

Last night, with little interest in cooking and less in trotting 2/3 mile to the store & back (no car - we've not had one for around 4 years now and believe me right now this is not a bad idea), I decided to try this out.

We cooked up some soba noodles, then tossed in a good half-bag of frozen chopped spinach, about a cup of frozen peas (told you we were lazy!) and finally, a can of drained & rinsed cannelini. It went together like that (snaps fingers unsuccessfully - I never could do that well) and in no time at all we were laid back, overstuffed. This is a comfort food. Curry's better (curry is ALWAYS better) but this is fast.

esme's special sauce

copied with gratitude from the postpunk forum

esme25 wrote

i make a sauce for pasta that's equal parts:
tahini
miso
soy sauce
olive oil
nooch or mustard
lemon juice or vinegar
and a few cloves of garlic.
eta: if i have mirin i sometimes throw that in, too.

mix it all up and add to hot pasta. it usually winds up being about 2 T. of each item. sometimes i add some spinach or something.

i usually use the sweet white [miso], but any kind will work.

it's really good with any kind of green veggie thrown in (like spinach, arugula, brocolli, scallions - that kind of stuff).

eta: when i say 2 T. of each, i don't measure. i get out my big soup spoon which i use interchageably with a tablespoon in non-baking recipes and use heaping tablespoons of everything.

and a quick trick. since the sauce is so easy to make, i boil the pasta, drain it, put the pot back on the warm stove, make the sauce in there, then add the hot pasta back to it. the heat of the pan and the pasta helps melt down the tahini and miso so that it works through the pasta better.

Ravioli fillings

I'm trying the first recipe, and one with the tofu ricotta, though I have added finely minced leek and another clove of garlic, plus a few drops of hot sauce. I'm also going to try the white bean idea, using it in place of tofu: cannelini plus herbs & garlic, and some greens. Over all that we'll have the famous 5-minute tomato sauce, and a green salad.

• 
  
• Smashed white beans with garlic and herbs, plus maybe some steamed and finely chopped greens
  
• Basic Spread Mixture for vegan boursin (from Bryann's blog):
  

1 (12.3 oz.) box extra-firm SILKEN tofu, prepared as instructed in recipe text below
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces, ground very fine in a coffee/spice mill or mini-chopper (I don't have this so will leave it out)
1/2 cup original Earth Balance
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon miso (not the very dark variety)
1-2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

To prepare the tofu (important step!):

Crumble the tofu in a clean tea towel or piece of cotton sheeting, gather the ends up and twist, knead, and squeeze for a couple of minutes to extract as much of the water from the tofu as possible.

Whirl the squeezed tofu and the rest of the Basic Spread Mixture ingredients in a food processor at high speed for several minutes. Be patient-- it has to be VERY smooth. You may have to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the sides and push the ingredients that have accumulated under the blade towards the middle.

When as smooth as possible, add the Basic Flavoring, or whatever additions you prefer. Process again if you want them well-incorporated into the spread

• basic tofu ricotta recipe (from Vegan with a Vengeance) with added finely chopped (reconstituted) sun dried tomatoes and garlic, plus hot pepper sauce to taste (4 or 5 drops)
• Vegan dad's burger recipe mixed with steamed, squeezed-out finely chopped greens

'Asian' noodles

This was just posted by ficbot at the ppk. Of course I won't be able to leave well enough alone, but if this works, it's a good canvas for added veg & & &t:


ASIAN NOODLES

1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp liquid sweetener (e.g. agave)
2 tbsp soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
1 packet rice noodles

Boil some water, pour over the rice noodles, let sit for five minutes. Meanwhile, melt the PB in the microwave for about 20 seconds, stir in other ingredients, whisk well. Drain the noodles and toss with the sauce. Serves 1. This is a very quick and easy lunch with some fruit on the side. I tried making it with soy butter (my workplace is nut-free) and it was not as good.

Sausage-filled tortellini with 5-minute sauce

I wrote before about a fantasy meal (I know, pathetic, right? - deal with it) and then never did anything about it other than looking, realizing that it would probably take a while to do the pasta part, and something more expeditious to cook. So I finally reached some kind of tipping-point, and followed through - success! This is the sort of thing you want to make a double batch of, because it takes a bit more time, AND because you will definitely want to have it again (and again). I would serve this proudly to guests, including omnis.

The pasta for tortellini is Bryanna Clarke Grogan's recipe:

VEGAN HOMEMADE PASTA
Makes slightly over 1 lb.

1 and 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
OR 1 c. unbleached white flour plus 2/3 c. wholewheat flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour OR full-fat soy flour
2/3 cup water
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
My note: I added a pinch of hot pepper flakes and oregano to the dry flour prior to adding in liquids. This was a great move :)

TO MAKE THE DOUGH IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, mix the flour, chickpea or soy flour and salt, if using, in a dry processor bowl, then add the water (or water and pureed vegetables, mixed together) through the top with the motor running. Process for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth ball forms. (The dough may seem a bit sticky, but you'll be flouring it as you work.) Place the dough in a plastic bag and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

TO ROLL AND CUT WITH A HAND-CRANK PASTA MACHINE OR ELECTRIC PASTA-ROLLING MACHINE, divide the dough into eighths, keeping the portions you aren't working with in the plastic bag. Flour the dough well and run it through the first setting of the machine. Now, flour it lightly again, fold it into thirds, and run it through the first setting again. Do this until the dough looks smooth. Then flour the dough and run it through each successive setting twice, until it is the desired thickness.

Next, there's the filling. I had just made a batch of Julie Hassan's sausages, with sweet potato - here's the variation I had done:

2 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
4 T. chickpea flour
4 t. unchicken broth powder (I used chicken seasoning, and you could just use sage)
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. hot pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper

2 c. grated sweet potato (1 medium sized)
3 chipotle chiles, minced
4 t. adobo sauce
2 T. canola oil (I used olive oil)
2 T. black strap molasses
2 c. cool water

To quote Julie:

Before mixing your ingredients, get your steaming apparatus ready, bring water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.

Have ready 4 sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans until no whole ones are left. Throw all the other ingredients together in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide dough into 4 even parts (an easy way to do this: split the dough in half and then into quarters). Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will snap into shape while it’s steaming because this recipe is awesome.

Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. That’s it! You can unwrap and enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

So, I had this sausage done already. I know, I know, at this point it's sounding like this recipe will NEVER get done. Bear with me a moment. We're almost there. Next is the actual filling - this part's easy.

I took one of the sausages (you want about 1/2 cup total sausage stuff) and ground it up in the food processor, adding half a package of frozen spinach, which I had thawed and squeezed out pretty well to get out as much water as possible, and about 2/3 c. of nutritional yeast. That's it for the filling. Set aside.

Now for forming the tortellini. You cannot go wrong following this method, though note that I used my hand-cranked pasta machine, and rolling pasta out to a setting of 5.

Finally (!) I made the 5-minute tomato sauce">5 minute pasta sauce.

tortellini with 5-minute sauce

At this point, this is just a fantasy meal. But hey, it's got to start somewhere, right? I'm on the heels of a very frustrating soup-making experience (more about that in a minute) and need something truly delicious to cheer me up.

I found a yummy-sounding 5-minute tomato sauce - simple, pure, and I have all the ingredients on hand. I mean, look at it! If you have any love at all for tomato sauce, it's a must-try. Perfect for topping a simple tortellini (once I make it - I have to do some recipe-hunting, first). I am not satisfied with what I've seen of whole wheat pastas - too thick, too crumbly. Here, I'm a traditionalist: al dente, beautiful smooth semolina-based pasta. And then there's the filling. I'll keep working on this. I'm thinking about: the vegan tofu ricotta I've seen, with basil; the small tin of mushroom Tartex I'd ordered from Food Fight along with other stuff, and haven't opened yet; other ideas (spinach with mushroom).

So, back to my previously mentioned soup dilemma. We had a (very) large bundle of collards that were getting long in the tooth, and thought - hey, soup! So I carmelized several onions, adding in lots of garlic for the last few minutes, and slow-roasted up a bunch of veggies in order to get that wonderful sweetness that only comes that way - carrot, rutabaga, 2 different sorts of squash. Chopped up half the huge batch of collards, and threw it all in my big dutch oven, where I'd just done a large batch of veggie broth, heavy on the leeks.. Added in bay leaves. Simmer simmer simmer simmer (about 2 hours); blend with stick blender. Add Bragg's, tahini (about 1/4 c), hot pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, several tablespoons of brown sugar. It is bitter. The topnotes are delicious, but there is an overwhelming bitter taste and I know it's from the collards. Damn it. Hopefully I can rescue it - there's a lot of it! Pretty frustrating experience. I have learned from it, though - a) old collards can be bitter, and b) old collards, in particular, have a very assertive taste, best used in small amounts as part of something like a soup. I think it would've been a lot better if I'd added 1/3 as much as I did.

Cashew Garlic Alfredo Sauce

This is copied from Tofu Mom's wonderful blog, here

1/2 cup raw cashews (not roasted)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I don't measure, just a good squeeze)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp. extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tb. nutritional yeast (optional)

Pulverize raw cashews in the food processor until very fine. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. (*The BEST way to do this, is to make the sauce while the pasta cooks - scoop out 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted pasta-cooking water and use it - the starch from the pasta-cooking water thickens the sauce PERFECTLY!) Add water to cashews and process until smooth... this will take several minutes.
Add nutritional yeast (optional - my kids prefer it without), garlic clove, olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice. Process again until smooth, another couple minutes, it'll start to thicken a bit too! Makes a decadently creamy sauce. Serve over cooked pasta.

Homemade pasta with bechamel, collards, and cannelini (and who knows what else?)

This is experimental. I'm too lazy to go to the store so am forced (oh, sob!) to rely upon my overful pantry and fridge and freezer. What I have in mind is (exactly as alluded to by the title) a simple eggless pasta with a bechamel. However, I want to add some things. I'll write out my ideas, then go back later and amend. This is sort of cobbled-together from various sites, which I'll of course credit.

VEGAN HOMEMADE PASTA (CAN BE SOY-FREE)
Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe, copied from http://www.vegsource.com/mcdrecipes/messages/14031.html
Makes slightly over 1 lb.

1 and 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
OR 1 c. unbleached white flour plus 2/3 c. wholewheat flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour OR full-fat soy flour
2/3 cup water
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt

TO MAKE THE DOUGH IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, mix the flour, chickpea or soy flour and salt, if using, in a dry processor bowl, then add the water (or water and pureed vegetables, mixed together) through the top with the motor running. Process for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth ball forms. (The dough may seem a bit sticky, but you'll be flouring it as you work.) Place the dough in a plastic bag and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

TO ROLL AND CUT WITH A HAND-CRANK PASTA MACHINE OR ELECTRIC PASTA-ROLLING MACHINE, divide the dough into eighths, keeping the portions you aren't working with in the plastic bag. Flour the dough well and run it through the first setting of the machine. Now, flour it lightly again, fold it into thirds, and run it through the first setting again. Do this until the dough looks smooth. Then flour the dough and run it through each successive setting twice, until it is the desired thickness.


BECHAMEL
This recipe is amended from here Post-dinner note: this is an excellent and super-easy sauce to make. Don't overdo the nutmeg. This would go well as a sauce over a baked potato, too,- or layered in a casserole dish and baked. I can imagine it'd work well over those famous chickpea cutlets, too.
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c flour
2 c soy milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add flour and mix well for one or two minutes. Don’t let it burn. Then, slowly add soymilk, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps, until the desired consistency. You can add more soymilk if you find the sauce too thick. Then add the seasonings and let simmer on low heat.

THE VEGETABLE PART
1 med onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 c collard greens
1 15 oz can of cannelini, drained & rinsed
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T red pepper flakes
1 T dried parsley
1 t onion powder
1 L tomato, chopped

Carmelize onion in oil, then add garlic; throw in collards to saute with the onion, then along with the cannellini.
Thrown in spices and may (at the end) serve this with crushed red pepper flakes/nutritional yeast. Add tomato about 10 minutes before you eat, for color.

Assemble plate: pasta, then veggies, then sauce; top with nutritional yeast & red pepper flakes.

Veganized Sausage Balls

from ppk at http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=39124
(these may work for spaghetti & meatballs, or subs)

14-oz pkg Gimme Lean Sausage
2.5 C shredded Follow Your Heart Cheddar
3 C Bisquick dry mix
1 large pinch sage leaves
1 to 2 large pinches fennel seeds
2 large pinches crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 small cloves grated or very finely minced garlic (I use a Microplane zester)
1/2 to 1 C nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but EXTREMELY recommended)

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.

Mix all ingredients together by hand, until everything is well-incorporated. Form into balls (my mix made about 3 dozen) and place on sheets about a half to one inch apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until bottoms are browned, and tops are beginning to brown. Best served warm.


I also made a little dipping sauce to go with it. I don't think it's necessary, but some people really like their dipping sauces. In a small bowl, I mixed :

1/3 C vegan mayo
2 TB dijon mustard
1/2 Tb paprika
1 tsp chili powder