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

Granola Bars : : Any Time, All The Time

I made these Granola bars on Sunday night while the kids were in the bath...it's such a simple recipe that I prepped, prepared and had it it the oven before the boys had their jammies on.
Granted, my boys bathe like they are royalty at a Roman bath house, luxuriating for ages while they contemplate things like which Star Wars character is the best or who farted last.

Anyhoodle.

Here is the recipe...

Anytime Granola Bars (yes, that includes breakfast) : :

Dry : :

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used gluten free oats)
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of almond meal (I made my own by processing raw almonds in my Vitamix)
• 1/8-1/4 cup flax meal (optional)
• 1/2 cup mixed nuts or seeds finely chopped (I used Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 - 1 cup dried fruit (I like apricots and cranberries, Chris loathes dried fruit and has his without any. at all. ever.)
• 1/4 cup of chocolate chips...if you're feeling Crazy, which I usually am.

Wet : : 

• 2-3 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup coconut oil warmed to liquid state
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbs agave, brown rice or maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º

• In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, making sure the dried fruit doesn't clump up.
• In a separate bowl mash bananas.  Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well.
• Add wet to dry and mix until well combined.  If it's too dry add another mashed banana.
• Spread batter onto a large prepared cookie sheet.  I use my Silpat to avoid greasing/oiling the sheet.  Parchment would probably work great too.
• Smooth batter out to be about 1/2-3/4 inches thick.  Take care to smooth out the edges creating a tidy rectangle.  Now with a sharp knife or a pizza roller you can cut them into bars.  I like ours about 3" x 2".  Using a spatula slide the bars a little bit away from each other to help with more even cooking.  Alternatively you could shape the batter into individual logs and then flatten on the cookie sheet with a little space between each.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bars are firm in the center and browned around the edges.  Start checking them after about 20min.

Till Soon,

A

Corn Bread BBQ Sandwich : : Heck yes

So, I may have invented something.  

Not likely, but humor me anyway OK?

A Cornbread, Baked BBQ tofu, Caesar Salad Sandwich.

Just take these simple things and stack them all up!

I used the BBQ Tofu recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook

The Caesar Salad recipe from The Kind Diet Cookbook (which I almost have completely memorized at this point)

And the Cornbread recipe from The Happy Herbivore (I made it gluten free by using a gluten free all purpose flour mix in place of wheat flour)

And if you are the type who prefers to keep your foods separate thankyouverymuch, you can absolutely do that and still have a delicious dinner (like both my children opted to do).  This is one of the kids' favorite dinners and is sure to elicit requests for seconds or thirds.   BBQ sauce has magic powers!

You can bake the tofu and the cornbread at the same time, and the dressing just whips up in the blender so it all comes together pretty quickly.  

Till Soon, 

A

Butternut Coconut Curry Soup : : Yum

Yesterday, being the day before Halloween, I felt the full crisp warmth of Fall hit me.  Pumpkin carving, baking, costume fittings and leaves crunching under my feet when I walked the dog.  I had an overwhelming urge to make soup...and not just any soup, but one using the butternut squash that has been sitting in my fruit/veg platter since last weekend.  So, before we headed out to the store to stock up on last minute Halloween supplies, I poked a few holes in the skin of my squash and threw it in the oven to roast while we were gone.  When we arrived home about an hour and a half later the house had that warm, nutty sweet smell that only a butternut will produce.

After a quick peeling session and throwing a little of this and a little of that in the blender I had a delicious, creamy, spicy warming soup.  I had mine with a salad and some toasted bread.

Chris and the boys, on the other hand, were looking pretty suspicious of the creamy orange concoction.
I asked everyone to at least have one taste and then if they didn't like it the could make something else. One by one they took their spoons and dipped them into the soup, and one by one they wrinkled their noses and said they would make their own dinners.  They decided on black bean burgers, which I am sure were good...but no way were they even close to this soup!

Sounds good to me...Now I can freeze half of the soup to have on a rainy day when I don't feel like cooking.


Here's the recipe...
Inspired by the Happy Herbivore cookbook's Sweet and spicy Butternut Soup, which I have made and love!

Butternut Coconut Curry Soup

4-6 servings depending on the size of your squash

• 1 med to large butternut squash, roasted.
• 1 can of green chilies, drained
• 1 can of light coconut milk
• 1/2ish cup of veg broth or non dairy milk (for thinning)
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 2 Tbs green curry paste
• Salt to taste
• Hot sauce to taste 

1. Roast your squash for an hour or so...depending on size.  Then peel the skin and remove the seeds.
2. Transfer squash to a blender with chilies, coconut oil, curry paste, and salt.
3. Add broth or other non dairy milk as needed to achieve the consistency you like, I like mine pour-able but not watery.
4. If your soup is still hot at this point you can serve straight from the blender, otherwise pour it into a saucepan to heat up before serving.
5. Drizzle some hot sauce on top after you dish up.  

Till soon

A