Baked : : Ziti

A big hit at our house for these cold, dark evenings is Baked Ziti.  Back in the old days I used to make ours with sausage, but of course now that isn't an option.  But I still want the strong flavors and smells that you get from using sausage.
So, I thought I would add some common sausage seasonings to the sauce and cross my fingers. Well, it worked!  We all loved the end result.  A hot, steamy, garlicky, basily, fennely, baked casserole deliciousness.



Baked Ziti

1/2 onion, diced (I used white)
1/8-1/4 cup water
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use my garlic press)
1 carrot, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded

1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
2-3 tsp fennel seeds

1 package Soy meat crumbles (ours are from Trader Joe's)
1/2 jar organic marinara
2/3 box veggie broth
salt to taste
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional, vegan cheese would also work)

1 package gluten free brown rice ziti (any tube style pasta will work well)

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Pre-heat oven to 375º

Start a large pot of water boiling.

Saute onions in water until onions are translucent (I saute in water to avoid using oils, works great).  Do this in a large casserole, dutch oven or oven ready deep pan.

Add shredded carrots, zucchini and half the garlic and cook until soft. (add more water if you need to)

Add soy meat crumbles, basil, oregano, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and salt and saute over med heat for 5 min. ish. A little browning on the bottom of the pan is good at this stage.

Add vege broth and deglaze pan (scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan)

Add marinara and remaining garlic and let simmer.

Add ziti to water.

Drain ziti (and rinse if using brown rice pasta)

Add cooked ziti to sauce and stir to combine, Sauce should be a bit thin at this stage, if it's not add some more veggie broth to thin it a bit.

Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top (or any vegan cheese)

Place casserole dish in the pre-heated oven with no lid for about 20-25 min, or until bubbly and browned on top.

Enjoy!

P.S. Adding the garlic in two stages gives you two different types of garlic flavor.  The sauteed garlic will be mellower, and a little sweeter and the garlic you add into the marinara will have a fresher, slightly sharper garlic taste.



'Till soon,
A

Summer Veggie Orzo : : Salad

A delicious summer salad.

I made this before I started my 5 week cleanse,

 but is a great vegan meal for those not restricting their diets.

Slice some veggies to put on the grill, then grill 'em.

Dice tomatoes and a halve lemon.

Shuck some corn.

Get out your orzo...put a pot of water on to boil.  

Cook according to the package directions.

Brown rice or Quinoa would work well here for a gluten free option.

Rinse your chickpeas, black beans, and olives.

For the dressing combine lemon or lime, cold pressed olive oil,  a couple cloves of garlic, 

salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, cayenne and chili powder.

Chop up those grilled veggies.

Throw all of it into a bowl and mix, mix, mix.

Let it set in the fridge for at least an hour for the flavors to combine.

Eat!

Zucchini Pesto : : Pasta

it was a hot summer day...

all i wanted was some fast, simple food that used lots of veggies and basil from the garden (mine and my mom in law's).

Zucchini Pesto Pasta is what i came up with.

I julienned up 2 big zucchini on my mandolin.

for the pesto i blended:

2 cloves of garlic

2 handfulls of basil

1 large zucchini

olive oil

salt

pepper

juice from 1 lemon

1 handfull of cashews

put the julienned zucchini in a large bowl.

add 1 package of cooked whole wheat pasta

pour pesto sauce over noodles and zucchini.

stir  and serve.  

this is good cold or warm and was a hit with the adults and the kids both!