Fettuccine and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce

I love anything with a spicy peanut sauce, so I decided to try this recipe that is from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Fettuccine and Green Beans with Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp tamari
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp hot chili paste, or to taste
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
12 oz fettuccine
12 oz green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro or Thai basil
2 Tbsp chopped roasted peanuts

In a food processor or blender, combine the peanut butter, garlic, tamari, brown sugar, lime juice, chili paste, and 1/2 cup of the stock. Blend until smooth. Transfer the peanut sauce to a saucepan and stir in as much of the remaining stock as needed to give it a smooth, sauce like consistency. Heat the sauce over low heat, stirring until it is hot, then keep it warm over very low heat.

Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally. When the pasta has cooked for about 3 minutes, add the green beans to the cooking pasta. .When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and green beans, and place in a large bowl. Add the peanut sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to individual plates and garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

My notes: I used regular soy sauce instead of tamari. I made the mistake of adding ALL the vegetable stock and my sauce was very runny. I thought the sauce was a little bland, so I added more chili paste and more soy sauce. I should've added more garlic, too. I used frozen green beans and they cooked up perfectly in the fettuccine water. I also very thinly sliced some carrots and added them to the water along with the green beans. They also cooked up quite nicely. This tasted really good, but the sauce was way too watery. I was lazy and didn't garnish with the cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Southwestern Pasta Gratin

Another recipe from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson. This one features cheese, so it's not vegan.

Southwestern Pasta Gratin

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 Tbsp chili powder, or more to your taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups picante sauce, store-bought or homemade
One 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar or so cheddar cheese

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat, add the garlic and jalapeno, and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the beans, chili powder, and oregano. Stir in the picante sauce and tomatoes and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni with the bean and tomato mixture and transfer to the prepared dish. Top with the cheese. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the top is lightly browned.

My Notes: I don't like cooking with jalapenos, so instead I added some hot sauce. This was easy to make, but didn't taste all that great -- seemed like something that would be served in a hospital or a school -- but I was so excited to eat some cheese that I didn't care. Nigel calls it Chili-Mac. The kids refused to eat it, so I made some extra noodles and just added some butter and cheese.

Pasta Puttanesca

Yesterday we ate breakfast casserole (eggs and ham and cheese -- oh my!) and then we had pigs in blankets and chicken cream cheese crescent rolls for dinner (it was my nephew's farewell dinner and that's what he requested). So now we're back on the vegan bandwagon. Here's another recipe from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Pasta Puttanesca

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
One 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup pitted black gaeta olives, halved
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, olives, capers, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and place it in a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with the minced parsley and serve immediately.

My Notes: This recipe is quick and easy. I did think that it didn't make enough sauce for the amount of spaghetti. It was good, but not great. My only complaint is that I would find these hard bits in the sauce. I don't know what they were. Maybe they were from the capers? Do capers have little pits in them? Also, I did not "serve immediately." We had a school thing and didn't eat until after that was over. Isn't spaghetti supposed to taste better if it sits for a little while? What kind of an instruction is "serve immediately." This isn't baked Alaska -- it's spaghetti!

White Bean Cassoulet

Another recipe from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

White Bean Cassoulet

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced
2 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp mellow white miso paste dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot (not boiling) water
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked or two 15-oz cans Great Northern, navy, or other white beans, rinsed and drained if canned
One 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cups vegetable stock or water, or more as needed
1/2 cup dry toasted bread crumbs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and parsnips. Cover and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Blend the mustard into the miso mixture and stir it into the vegetables. Add the marjoram, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the beans and tomatoes in a lightly oiled casserole dish. Add the vegetables mixture and enough stock just to cover the ingredients, stirring to combine.

Cover and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parsley and serve hot.

My Notes: I didn't want to run all over town trying to find "mellow white miso paste," so I just left that ingredient out. I must've cooked the vegetables for 15-20 minutes (because last time Nigel felt that the onions were "not soft enough") and even after baking for 45 minutes, the carrots were still crunchy. How is that even possible? Can someone please explain to me why I would need to "chop" the diced tomatoes? They're already diced! I didn't have any toasted bread crumbs (and I wasn't about to make some), but I did have croutons. So when I served it, I put a handful of croutons in the bottom of each bowl and ladled the cassoulet on top. It was quite tasty. Again, this is supposed to serve 4, but it's more like 6 (which is good because I'm going to need some for tomorrow's dinner -- it's my nephew's going away dinner and he has requested meat, meat, and more meat).

Roasted Vegetables Amid the Revolt

My kids and husband have revolted against my vegan efforts. So for dinner tonight they had fried chicken, Hawaiian sweet rolls, macaroni salad, and coleslaw. I decided to roast some vegetables. Here's what I had:


Roasted Vegetables

Red potatoes, quartered
Baby carrots
Brussels sprouts, trimmed
Cauliflower, cut into florets
Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Coat the potatoes and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on a large cookie sheet and put in oven. After 15 minutes, coat the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with oil, salt and pepper. Stir the potatoes and carrots and add the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Put in oven. After 15 minutes, coat the asparagus with oil, salt and pepper. Stir the potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Add the asparagus and put in the over for an additional 15 minutes.

My Notes: I love roasted vegetables, but this is my first time doing it with Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. The cauliflower was delicious and the Brussels sprouts tasted like...well... Brussels sprouts. Some people add thyme or Parmesan cheese, but I usually just do salt and pepper. Yummy!

Vegetable Paella

Nigel loves Paella, so I thought that I'd try this recipe. Again, it's from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Vegetable Paella

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
One 28-oz can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1 1/2 cups Valencia or other short-grain rice
1/4 tsp ground fennel
Pinch of saffron threads or 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and green beans and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and stock and bring to a boil, then stir in the rice, fennel, saffron, salt and red pepper flakes. Remove from the heat, cover, and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Remove from the oven, stir in the cannellini beans and peas, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

My Notes: I used frozen green beans, two cans of diced tomatoes, just regular rice, and turmeric instead of saffron (I used to have saffron, but when my girls cleaned out my spice cupboard they threw out "those weird string things" -- ugh). This was easy to make and cooked a lot faster than the recipe said. Again, it made a LOT of food. I thought it was pretty good, but we're getting a little sick of these recipes. They're all too much the same and we need something different. Time to take a break from this recipe book.

Moroccan Chickpeas wtih Couscous

My kids LOVE couscous, so I was hoping they would like this recipe. Again, it's from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Moroccan Chickpeas with Couscous

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp allspice
One 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups apple juice
3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained if canned
One 12-oz package frozen vegetarian burger crumbles
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Salt to taste
4 to 5 cups cooked couscous
2 Tbsp minced scallions, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the marjoram and allspice. Stir in the tomatoes and apple juice. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chickpeas, vegetarian burger crumbles, peas, and salt, and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until the desired consistency is reached. Server over couscous, and garnish with the minced scallions.

My notes: I'm scared of cutting up jalapeno chiles, so instead I used some bottled hot sauce. I didn't have any scallions, so no garnish. This was easy to make and very yummy. It's quite fragrant and flavorful. As always, my kids refused to go near it (Jeffrey did eat some couscous with cheese, though). The recipe says that it serves four, but I don't know four of what -- elephants? This makes a TON of food! I'll definitely half the recipe if I make it again.

Linguine with Summer Vegetable Puree

I know it's not summer yet, but I wanted to try this recipe from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Linguine with Summer Vegetable Puree

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 zucchini, peeled and chopped
4 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound linguine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are very soft. Stir in the tomato paste and salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree. Strain the sauce into a saucepan through a fine-mesh strainer, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Keep warm over low heat, adding a little stock or water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and place it in a shallow serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the basil and serve immediately.

My notes: I used twice as many mushrooms because that's how many come in the package and I didn't want leftovers. It's April, so the tomatoes weren't really ripe. I left out the fresh basil. This was easy to make and since I pureed it in my industrial blender, I didn't need to strain it. The sauce came out with a disturbing orange color, but it tasted really good. I usually don't like pasta, but I scarfed this down. It did taste more like red bell pepper than tomatoes. My kids refused to eat it. Nigel said it was very flavorless. Looking over the recipe, it's really lacking in herbs and spices. My only complaint is that it made a lot more sauce than the amount of linguine listed in the recipe.

Vegetable Pastitsio

I was eager to make this recipe because pastitsio is one of Nigel's favorite dishes (it's like a Greek lasagna). Like the others, this is from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Vegetable Pastitsio

12 oz elbow macaroni
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
One 12-oz package frozen vegetarian burger crumbles
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups tomato-based pasta sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup soft tofu
2 cups milk or soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or soy Parmesan cheese

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, burger crumbles, oregano, cinnamon, and wine and simmer to cook off some of the alcohol. Stir in the pasta sauce and parsley and cook over low heat for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

While the sauce is cooking, combine the tofu, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a blender or food processor, and blend until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared dish and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Spread all of the tomato sauce over the top and layer the remaining macaroni over the tomato sauce. Spread the tofu mixture over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

My notes: First off, let me just say that I don't know why this is called "Vegetable" Pastitsio because there really aren't any vegetables in it! I used more macaroni than the recipe called for (again, I just wanted to dump the whole bag in), which might've been a mistake because it was kind of overflowing in the 9x13 dish. I didn't have any red wine, so I just added water. All was going well into I got to the tofu part. I just want to say that two cups of milk (the only vegan substitute I had was Vanilla Almond Milk, so I used regular milk in this recipe) plus 3/4 cup of tofu does not equal something you can "spread" over anything. It was way too liquidy. I added more tofu and it was still sloshy. Also, since there are no eggs in the recipe, I was afraid that it wouldn't set and my delicious casserole would be swimming in goo. I added as much of the tofu mixture as I dared and let it go with that (besides, I had way too much macaroni and it would've spilled all over). I didn't have soy Parmesan, so I used regular grated Parmesan cheese. I added more nutmeg and cinnamon on the top (that's Nigel's favorite thing about this dish -- nutmeg and cinnamon in a main course!). Miraculously enough, the tofu mixture did set up beautifully and I was then mad at myself for not added more in. Nigel said that this recipe tasted just like the real thing. The kids weren't raving about it, but they don't like the real thing, either. The burger crumbles had an authentic ground beef texture to them, so that was surprisingly good (Alice-Grace thought it was real meat). This may turn into my preferred recipe for pastitsio because it's a lot simpler and faster to make than my old one.

Succotash Saute

I'm not a big fan of succotash (lima beans and corn), but Nigel LOVES it, so I decided to try out this recipe. Again, this is from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson.

Succotash Saute

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, minced
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 cups cooked long-grain white, Texmati, or other rice
One 10-oz package frozen succotash, cooked according to the package directions
1 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the scallions and bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until slightly softened. Add the rice, succotash, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until heated through. Serve hot.

My notes: I accidentally used up all the scallions in the previous day's Pad Thai recipe, so I tried to rehydrate some dried onions and use them in the recipe. I don't think I used enough or maybe you really need to have scallions because this dish was so bland. I used an entire red bell pepper because I hate having leftovers. I put some leftover rice from last week in the freezer and tried to thaw it out in the microwave and finally gave up and just tossed it in the skillet with everything else. I also didn't read where it said to "cook according to package directions" for the succotash. I had just tossed in the frozen lima beans and a can of corn into the skillet. I guess it didn't matter because I was cooking the frozen rice, anyway. No matter how much parsley, salt, and pepper I added, it was still super tasteless. I tried adding some vegetable broth and some onion powder, but to no avail. Nigel said he liked it, but I'll try to avoid making this dish again.

Fettuccine Pad Thai

Again, this recipe is from "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson. One thing I really like about this book is that the recipes are practically vegan. A lot of vegetarian cookbooks put so much cheese and butter in their dishes that you might as well just eat the rest of the cow and get it over with.

Fettuccine Pad Thai

12 ounces fettuccine
2 Tbsp safflower oil
8 oz extra-firm tofu, drained, blotted dry, and cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 Tbsp tamari
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 bunch scallions, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tomato, cut into eighths
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente. Drain and place in a bowl. Toss with a small amount of oil and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Splash the tofu with 1 tablespoon of the tamari, stirring to coat. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Reheat the skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the bell pepper, scallions, and garlic and stir-fry until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, brown sugar, vinegar, and the remaining tamari. Cook for about 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the fettuccine and tofu and toss gently to combine and heat through. Divide among individual plates, sprinkle with bean sprouts and peanuts, and serve immediately.

My notes: I used 16 ounces fettuccine because I was lazy and wanted to use the whole package. I didn't have safflower oil, so I used olive oil. This might've been a mistake because it got too hot and the smoke alarms went off in my house (which is quite a normal occurrence when I'm cooking -- Jeffrey calmly walked out of his room and into the kitchen to say, "Dinner must be ready!"). I actually love tofu, so any chance I have to eat it, I take it. The tofu stuck pretty badly to the pan, so that was a pain. Tamari is expensive soy sauce -- I think it's geared towards people who can't have gluten. I just used soy sauce. I think it could've used more garlic and I don't know what the deal was with the tomato. It seemed a little odd. Next time, I'll put in zucchini or carrots instead. I was lazy and put the bean sprouts and chopped peanuts in with the whole dish and mixed it all together. This was delicious and even the kids were scarfing on the tofu -- I guess anything's delicious if it's fried. The sauce was very subtle and the noodles were super yummy.

Thyme-Scented Mushroom-Rice Soup

So for my first vegan meal, I tried something out of the cookbook "One-Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson. I'm keeping a log of my recipes so that I can make the ones I like again and remember to avoid the yucky ones.


Thyme-Scented Mushroom-Rice Soup

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks (white parts only), chopped
1 celery rib, including leaves, chopped
1 cup long-grain white rice
5 cups vegetable stock or water
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
1 bay leaf
12 oz white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
2 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, stock, wine, the dried thyme if using, and the bay leaf, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in the mushrooms, parsley, and the fresh thyme, if using. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes longer, or until the rice is tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot.

My notes: I had never cooked with leeks before and I was a little scared because I'd heard they were so hard to clean. It turns out that they were super easy and not dirty at all (or my cooking is so bad that I just eat dirt and don't even notice). My celery didn't have any leaves on it, so I had to leave that part out. I don't usually like cooked celery, but this recipe called for so little that I could barely taste it. I bought some vegetable stock and it really made the dish extra flavorful. I used dried thyme because I'm too cheap to buy fresh. I did manage to find the bay leaf after cooking, so nobody choked to death! I used 16 ounces of mushrooms because I love mushrooms. I'm pretty sure my parsley was from Mexico and not Italy, but it still added a nice freshness to the dish. I forgot to add the salt and pepper, but it didn't need it because the broth was so flavorful. Maybe it's because I added in extra mushrooms, but this much thicker than a soup. Also, it took a lot longer than it stated for the rice to be completely tender. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again. It would be perfect alongside a tossed green salad and some hearty whole-wheat bread.

Lightening Up for Spring

The calendar says that it's spring, though the snow on the ground makes me think otherwise.

I've decided to lighten things up by going flexetarion -- you know, a flexible vegetarian. Actually, my goal is to go vegan, but I'll take whatever baby steps I can muster.

Time to go to the store and get some veggies!

Letter Karma

I wrote a letter to my nephew and he didn't just write a letter back -- he sent a whole package!

He mailed us a box full of fabulous gifts for the kids and a nice long letter.

Who knew that a letter could inspire such wonderfulness?