Fried Spaghetti

When I was younger, maybe 16 or 17, I decided to become vegetarian. There was not real reason why I wanted to try it.. more than likely I was just looking for a new way to be difficult. So I went out and bought the starving students guide to vegetarianism, made a couple recipes out of it and then within a few days I was back to eating animal products again.

Fast forward 10 years and the idea of going veggie crossed  my mind a lot. Any time I was looking to lose weight, change my diet, eat healthier it was the first thing I thought of. When I decided to try a vegan diet this last time, it really only stuck because I put the time and effort in. It isn't as easy as just announcing to the world that you are now vegan and starting up a blog (we just make it seem that way). In reality, I did a lot of research, bought cook books, talked to other vegans, followed many, many vegans on twitter and found a way to get back on track when I screwed up along the way.

I am not going to lie and say it was easy, but because I wanted to do it, it didn't seem like as big of a commitment as it does now looking back. One thing that helped though was attempting veggie diets and failing miserably in the past. Not only did I end up with a few recipes I knew I could fall back on now (made it seem like not everything I was eating was foreign to me) and I remembered why it didn't work before and what was the trigger to falling back into an animal based diet.

I haven't cooked any of my old veggie recipes in a long time and today I was feeling the urge for my original vegan recipe - fried spaghetti. I stole this recipe from that first veg cook book I bought.. I haven't changed it too much over the years. Sometimes I add to it, sometimes I just make the basic recipe. I love recipes like that. So simple that you know you can change it up a hundred different ways. So here is the basic recipe and I have added a few things you can do to change it up.

Fried Spaghetti
*Adapted from Starving Students guide to vegetarianism
Serves 2, takes about 20 minutes for the basic recipe

• Spaghetti - enough for two (about a toonie-size amount)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (other oils are fine too)
• 1-2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2-3 Tbsp of tomato paste (I don't really measure, but you can add more if it looks like not enough)
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Alright, first get your water going for the pasta (remember to salt the water.. much better that way). Get a large frying pan and add the oil to it over medium low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the Italian seasoning, onion and garlic and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. By this point the water should be boiling. Add the pasta and cook al dente. 

As always, prep first. Luckily this one is easy 

The sauce, it will look like there isn't enough, but this is a drier pasta.
Don't expect a ton of sauce, the pasta will soak it all up

Now, add to the tomato paste and water to the pan. Stir it well until it's combined and cook for about 5 minutes. If the pasta isn't ready yet, but the sauce is you can turn the pan to low while you wait. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and throw it in the pan. Toss it really well so it is all combined. I usually used a wooden spoon and tongs or a pasta spoon. Turn the heat to medium high and cook for 5-8 minutes. If you cook it longer you will get some crunchy bits of pasta, if you cook it less, it will be softer. You decide. Lastly, top with the chopped parsley and serve.

Ready to fry!

And the finished result - Dinner in under 20 minutes

Now, there are tons of ways you can jazz this recipe up. I love it on its own, but I also love it modified. It will still be an easy and fast meal to have regardless, so I just judge on what I have available in my kitchen. Here are a few ways I have modified the recipe:

• Instead of water, add marinara or other pasta sauce
• instead of or in addition to, do roasted garlic (see below)
• make roasted zucchini and tomatoes and at to sauce
• Add mushrooms or other vegetables when you add the onions
• add red chili flakes or hot sauce
• add tofurkey sausage or veggie ground
• deglaze the pan with wine before adding the pasta
• Add bread crumbs with the pasta and fry together (about 1/4 cup max)
• Add ground sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Add cabbage when you add the tomato paste and water
• Add vegan cheese

Any other suggestions, let me know.. really this is such a basic dish that any Italian flavour will work. Now, since I made roasted garlic when I made my version, I thought I would share a little secret... Roasted garlic is easy and a fantastic way to may garlic bread or fancy-up any dish. Seriously... any dish.

Roasted garlic right out of the oven - totally worth the hour!

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Get a head of garlic and chop off the top so the cloves are exposed. Now, place it on a sheet of tin foil and cover in olive oil (about 2 Tbsp). Next add some salt and pepper and then fold up the tin foil to seal the head of garlic.Bake in the oven for about 50-60 minutes, turning once about half way. When you turn it over the oil might seep out so either make a catch with more foil or place on a baking sheet. When it is done you can just squeeze the garlic on to a slice of toasted bread or make garlic croutons (fry bread in oil and then add the roasted garlic) or you can add it to this, or any pasta dish. Roasted garlic is amazing. it is like garlic, but a little sweeter and more mild in flavour. It really makes any dish better. It is one of those flavours that when you add it to something, people can tell its there, but can't figure out what it is. Try it next time by substituting some or all of garlic in a dish for roasted or make a quick garlic bread on your own and you will see for yourself :)

Seeing Green, Pasta Edition

I didn't know what to call this recipe. I based it of a dish that I came across on ohsheglows.com and there are variations of it all over the Internet and in lots of cookbooks. I decided to make my own variation. I have been eating really, really crappy lately. No other way to put it. I have been living off of junk food and restaurants for a while (this, not a lot to blog about). Even though it was another late night tonight, I decided that something needed to be cooked.

I love this dish for a few reasons, it is a full meal in one bowl, it takes about 15 minutes to make, it's really easy to alter, it's filling, you get at least a few servings of greens and it has avocado in it for a sauce base. If I have a had a crappy day, I really look for meals like these and they are so, so much better than take out.

I don't think I have gone on too much about avocados, but they are seriously one of my favourite fruits. They can be made into dips and sauces, added to salads, stir fries, spread on toast and can be used in smoothies and desserts. Extremely versatile. Some people think that they are a bit on the high fat and cal side to be eaten, but if combined with the right foods, they are extremely good for you. Avocados aid in the absorption of two carotenoid antioxidants (lycopene and beta carotene) by upwards of 200%. Now avocados are definitely fatty, over 85% of its calories are from fat, but it's the good kind, so it's totally fine! They are also high in fibre, Vitamin K and folate. The are good for your heart and very low in sugar. So hopefully knowing this, you will all go out and add more avocado to your diet.


The original recipe can be found here and below is my take.


Pasta with veggie avocado sauce

*Serves two

• Pasta - Half a box, or enough for two bowls
• 1 avocado
• half a lemon, zest and juiced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt
• 1/4 cup spinach
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp water
• broccoli (one crown or as much as you want to eat)
• 1/4 cup of frozen peas

Cook the past according to the instructions. While it is cooking, add all ingredients except for the peas, lemon zest and broccoli to a food processor and blend until smooth. If it is too thick, add some water until it is the desired consistency.

Before...

And after. A sauce in under 5 minutes!

When there is about 3-4 minutes left on the pasta, dump in your broccoli and peas and the strain it together. add the sauce to the pot and stir to combine. If you like you can add fresh basil, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper before serving. I added all of these and it was really good. Not necessary, but gives the dish a bit more of a punch.

Complete meal with one pot and one bowl. Can't beat it.

You can sub out the spinach if you want and use parsley, cilantro or basil as well. All very good in this basic sauce. A note to serving, do not make the sauce ahead as avocados will brown once exposed to the air. Make the sauce and serve immediately.

Homemade Gnocchi and Spinach Pesto

It feels like it has been, so, so long since I have blogged. Really, it has been. It has been a truly busy fall and I am finally back at home. It feels good... and feels not so good all at once. It is definitely nice to be back and see friends and family, but I miss being away. I think I am one of the few people that would prefer to be away 50 weeks a year with 2 weeks at home.

Regardless of my away-sickness (I don't know if that's what you call the opposite of homesick; I am going with it), it was time to get back in my own kitchen and make something... anything. I really missed cooking while I was gone!

With a quiet night at home, I figured it was a good chance to try out some comfort food. For me, pasta is comfort. It's warm, easy, quick and goes with almost anything. However, boiling some pre-made pasta would have made a pretty boring blog post so I stepped it up a notch and had my first attempt at making gnocchi.

Gnocchi is not really a pasta, but more of a potato dumpling, but it plays the part of pasta really well. It is really easy to make and it freezes well, so you can make a big batch and save some for a day you are pressed for time. I think the only things that are tricky about gnocchi is you have to be careful with with the consistency of your dough. Too dry and it can be gummy. Too soft and it can fall apart a bit. Regular gnocchi usually has eggs in it to help bind things together. Most vegan versions use oil for the same effect.

Nutrition? Well, gnocchi is potatoes and flour mainly, so I don't know how nutritious I can make them sound. They are a treat, when you are looking for something warm and filling. They aren't really a diet food. They are also really filling, so remember, a little goes a long way. However, they do have some nutritional benefits. Potatoes are a decent source of  vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and fibre. They also have lots of phytonutrients. All of these are good things. I think the main reason why people think potatoes are not good for is that we usually eat them as french fries and potato chips. The potato is not the problem here, it is how we are cooking it.

But, back to gnocchi. Now that I proven that potatoes are kind of good for you. Let's add lots of flour to them and make them into dinner! To make this a bit healthier and keep the comfort food vibe, I made a spinach pesto to go with my gnocchi. I took the recipe for regular pest (basil, pine nuts, garlic, oil) and switched out the main flavours for spinach and walnuts. It is a lot cheaper and to be honest, I thought it was just as good as basil pesto. Feel free to add other herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, spice.. whatever. I kept it simple.


Gnocchi with Spinach Pesto
*takes about 20 min, serves 3-4


Gnocchi:

• 2 large potatoes, baked and skinned
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or other herbs if you have some)
• salt and pepper
• approx 1 1/2 cups of flour

Pesto:

• 1 cup of fresh spinach, lightly packed
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

If you have potatoes already bakes, this will take no time at all. If not, Bake your potatoes for about 45 min at 400 F. Let them cool completely, about 30 minutes for this. Skin the potatoes and put them in a big bowl. Add the oil, herbs and salt and pepper. Mash the mixture well. It is ok for a few lumps, but they should be pretty mashed. Now, add the flour a little bit at a time. Mix it together until it starts to get the consistency of dough. You can take the dough and put it on your cutting board and add the remaining flour and kneed it until it isn't too wet, but also isn't too dry.

Mashing the potatoes... once you add the flour it will start to look like dough

Two minutes later... dough!

Now separate the dough into four pieces. Roll them out on a floured cutting board until they are about 1" ropes. Cut the ropes into 3/4 - 1" pieces. Now take the pieces, one-by-one in your hand and roll them on the back of a fork so they get little grooves in them.

Make the ropes about 1" in diameter

When you are done you should have a whole bunch of little gnocchi's. Freeze them or cook right away

Now, get your pot of water on the stove and prepare to make your pesto. Get your food processor out and add in everything except for the oil. Process everything so it is almost a paste. Now add the oil slowly and process to the consistency that you want. I like my pesto thick, so add more oil if yours is too thick. This should take just a few minutes.

Love pesto. Through it in the food processor and sauce is made.

I like my pesto thick, but add more oil if you prefer it to be more, saucy

Once your water is boiling, add the gnocchi. It will only take a couple minutes to cook. Wait for the gnocchi to start to float. When it floats, it's done. Remove it with a slotted spoon, dish it with the pesto on top and toss.

gooood

I dare you to tell me this was difficult.

Garlicky Greens Pasta

This is my first recipe attempt from Colour me Vegan, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's latest cookbook. Now, this not only was a pretty safe start, but it was so good that I decided I needed post. I can't believe I never thought of making this before. Colleen also has a garlicky greens soup that is fantastic, so i knew this would be good.

I, of course, did not follow the recipe exactly, so I am going to post how I made this one.

Garlicky Greens Pasta a la Caity

• 1 bunch of kale
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups of whole wheat pasta
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, toasted
• salt and pepper

Check Collen's book for her original recipe.



First get a big pot that you would use for your pasta, fill with water and bring to a boil. Add the kale and boil for about 5 minutes or until well cooked. Remove the kale with a slotted spoon and add it to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Do not drain the water.

Next add the pasta (Wait a minute or two if the water isn't boiling) to the water from the kale and cook according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Next, add the red pepper flakes and cook another minute or so. Squeeze all the water out of the greens and then add it to pan with the remaining ingredients and saute for 2-3 minutes.

When the past is done, strain it and add it to the greens and toss. Cook for a few more minutes so the flavours are incorporated.

 Serves two.

I am planning to try a few recipes out of Colour me Vegan this week and will let you know how it goes. I have a feeling it is going to be a yummy week! Colleen's book is available online at Amazon, or through her website: http://www.compassionatecooks.com/

Compassionate Cooks is a resource that I go a lot. I find if I have a non-vegan slip, or feel that I might, the Compassionate Cooks podcast gets me back on track every time. There is also a lot of resources and FAQs available that are handy when people ask those common how do you get your...? type questions. Highly recommend.