Ratatouille Riggies: Eggplant Marinara with Rigatoni and Zucchini

(This picture is not my own, it's Rachael Ray's!)

Someone gave me this recipe from an issue of Rachael Ray's magazine. Last night my roommate and I were celebrating the return of our amazing friend so we all whipped this little number up together, had some wine, and danced all over our apartment. It was lovely! This recipe really surprised me with some awesome flavor. I didn't really read through the recipe before we started cooking and I think I was just expecting it to taste like plain ol' pasta with marinara and some veggies. I was wrong! The eggplant marinara sauce was AWESOME and the fried zucchini added some really wonderful flavor to the dish as well. We decided instantly that this needed to become one of our staple meals. I served this with some toasted baguette slices and some vino!

Portobello Stroganoff

I know it's been a while since my last post, but believe me, I'm still at it!! I think lately I haven't been trying too many new recipes, but instead turning to my old favorites when I get home from work every night. BUT, I still love vegan cooking and baking more than ever and I'll forever be flipping through my cookbook collection in search of new tasty recipes to try and share with my peeps.
Anyway, I recently recreated a recipe I've made several times from Vegan With A Vengeance called "Seitan-Portobello Stroganoff". You may notice the "Seitan" is missing from the title of this post, and that's because instead of the usual seitan I use to make this recipe (which really, is equally as delicious) I tried it with Gardein's Beefless Tips. And just as a side note, I'd like to mention that Matt and I are seriously LOVING all of Gardein's stuff - especially the Crispy Tenders and Chick'n Good Stuff (and I'm not being paid to say this - however, Gardein, if you're listening, I'll take some free samples). Anyway, our grocery store just started carrying this line and we've been pretty excited about it all.
Back to the recipe! This, of course, is really yummy and earthy and hearty. And honestly, if you're feeling lazy or lacking ingredients, this recipe would be awesome without Beefless Tips OR Seitan. Just the mushroomy goodness over some pasta would be a great meal!

Lasagna Stoup

This recipe is actually a Rachel Ray recipe that I (easily) veganized. I think it's a great recipe for households with vegetarians and non-vegetarians trying to live in harmony OR for omnivores who are looking for some healthy alternatives. I say this because I'm well aware that not all things that are vegetarian/vegan taste as awesome to omnivores - especially any kind of mock "meat" or "cheese". But I have found that veggie grounds (among many other things!) are an excpetion to that. Whether it's spaghetti sauce or taco salad or whatever, veggie grounds are SO easily disguisable that no one will have to be scared that they're eating something vegetarian... We all know how frightening it can be! AND it's super delicious. I make this pretty often because it's easy, yummy, and makes great left-overs. And as a side note, you'll find that your left-overs will no longer be "stoup" - the lasagna noodles suck up all the liquid and it kinda just becomes plain ol' lasagna - but still very good!!

Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe With Rotelle

Here's another one from Veganomicon. Tonight is only the second time I've ever made this recipe but it was thoroughly enjoyed both times so I thought I'd share. Perhaps my favorite part of this recipe is the tempeh-fennel seed combination. It's awesome and it reminds me of the sausage on these frozen pizzas I used to eat way back in the day. I think I'll make a pizza sometime using tempeh prepared in the same way it is in this recipe. It's phenomenal!!

Ingredients

1/2 lb. spiral pasta

Spicy fennel tempeh:

1 15 oz. package tempeh, cubed

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. vegetable broth

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 tbsp. fennel seeds

1 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Broccoli rabe:

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 bunch broccoli rabe (1/2-3/4 pound), tough stems trimmed, chopped coarsely

2-3 tbsp. white wine, water, or vegetable broth

2 tsp. red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Boil water and cook pasta. Drain and toss with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Keep covered in a large bowl or the cooking pot. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the tempeh and broccoli rabe.

Prepare the tempeh

1. Place the tempeh in a large, nonstick skillet. In a measuring cup, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, and red wine vinegar. Pour over the tempeh, stir, and cook over medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer. Cover and steam the tempeh for 8 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

2. Transfer the tempeh to a bowl and crumble about half of the cubes with the back of the spoon.

3. Wipe down the skillet to remove any leftover tempeh sauce, return the skillet to medium heat, and add 2 tbsp. of oil. Add the tempeh and stir-fry for 4 - 5 minutes, until it begins to brown. Remove from the heat, add to the pasta, and keep covered.

Prepare the broccoli rabe:

1. Pour the remaining olive oil into the pan and add the garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, stir and cook it for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe, stir to coat it with the oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and cover the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. of the white wine and steam for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the broccoli rabe is bright green and its stems are tender.

2. Remove the cover and continue to saute for an additional minute or two, until any excess liquid is evaporated. Pour the cooked broccoli rabe onto the tempeh and pasta, sprinkle with red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything to mix.

Spinach Linguine with Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

This is the dinner I chose to make for my family when I went home to visit last week. I didn't want to scare them away with tofu or seitan or nutritional yeast or anything crazy like that so I stuck with something EVERYONE loves. You'd have to be nuts to think that pesto is anything less than divine. However, this is a basil-cilantro pesto which I know may not be agreeable to everyone but I promise, it's awesome. I had never made it before and was nervous that the cilantro could easily take over but it really didn't. It was delicious and everyone loved it. Oh, and I got this recipe from one of my absolute favorites, Veganomicon.