Pasta Sauce (WFPBNO)

I love pasta. I also love all good sauces. This sauce pulls out all the punches, it's flavorful, thick and filling. I love the kalamata olives in this sauce. If there is an ingredient you don't care for either leave it out or substitute with something you do like. This made a thick hearty sauce. Serve over your favorite pasta or whatever you have on hand. I also think the leftover pasta and sauce would be good mixed together and topped with with some panko and baked in the oven. I'll be making a pot of chili in a little bit for the play offs this afternoon. There are several versions of chili on the blog, just use the "search" tool. Go Jags!!!!

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14 ounce) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup pinot noir
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups chopped spinach

Sauté garlic and onion in a few tablespoons water until onions are translucent.

Add oregano, fennel seeds, black pepper and give it a good stir.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and wine. Stir well and simmer 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and spinach. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Be sure to get your water on for your pasta at this point.

Add the olives, capers, basil and parsley. Stir well.

Serve the sauce over your favorite pasta shape. I used penne today. But any short pasta with ridges would work great so that the sauce has something to "hold" onto.

Serve with a side salad and/or your favorite bread for a complete meal.

Enjoy!!!

Thai Noodles (WFPBNO)

These noodles were amazing. I used a frozen stir-fry blend that I picked up from  Aldi's. I know all grocery stores carry these types of blends. But if you have sugar snap peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, etc. you could make your own blend. I always say the trick to delicious Asian food is the sauce. This sauce was delicious! If you don't have vegan oyster sauce just use low-sodium soy with a tiny splash of molasses. 

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 cloves minced garlic (2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce

Noodles:

• 8 ounces Lo Mein Noodles
• 1 12-ounce package frozen Asian style vegetables
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet combine all the sauce ingredients with a 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir in the frozen vegetables and cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.

Toss well to coat the veggies in that delicious sauce.

Add the cooked noodles and toss to coat. Heat about 2-3 minutes.

Serve with green onions, chopped peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges.

Enjoy!!!

Baked Eggplant Arrabiata

This is one of my favorite ways to fix eggplant. It's similar to eggplant parmesan but you cook each slice and once they are done you can stack them or leave them separate. I like to cook pasta and serve these over the pasta with the extra marinara sauce over the pasta. Add a side salad and you have an amazing dinner. I haven't tried it, but I think it would also make a great sandwich! There are a couple of steps to getting these ready for the oven but this dish is totally worth it.

• 1 medium globe eggplant
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup non-sweet almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• pasta

Seasoning for bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• a few grinds of black pepper

Eggplant topping

• 1 cup marinara sauce (plus extra for the pasta)
• vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
• nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and get three medium bowls and a few forks to make your breading station. 

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick circles. In the first bowl the coconut flour.

In the 2nd bowl add the garlic to the milk and stir. 

In the 3rd bowl add the spices and pepper to the breadcrumbs, stir.

Use a fork to help you turn and/or remove the slices from each bowl. Coat eat slice in flour, then milk wash and finally in breadcrumbs. Place slices on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Start the water for your pasta and cook it according to package directions.

Remove from oven and increase oven to 425F.  Turn each slice over.

Add a dollop of marinara to each slice then spread from edge to edge. Top with mozzarella and return to oven for 12 minutes. 

Sprinkle each slice with nutritional yeast. 

Serve the slices over pasta with extra marinara and a side salad.

Enjoy!!

Bean & Corn Enchiladas (WFPBNO)

 I made these last night for dinner. The amounts I use made 4 fat enchiladas. These come together pretty quickly. I started out cooking dried pinto beans in the Inst-Pot for 30 minutes and let them natural release. I highly recommend you add seasoning to the beans (something I didn't do) and the enchiladas were good but would  have been much better if the beans  had some seasonings. I thinking next time I'd add cumin, a some chopped sweet onion, etc. I also made my own Enchilada sauce which is below, I used all of the sauce but these were really saucy. These will definitely be made again.

Enchilada Sauce:

• 1can (8 ounces) no salt added tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Whisk tomato sauce, chili powder, cornstarch, onion, garlic powder and 1 1/2 cups cold water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Enchilada Filling

• 1 batch of Enchilada sauce
• 2 cups pinto beans, smashed
• 1/2 cup scallion, chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen, thawed whole kernel corn
• 1/2 can (2.25 ounces) sliced black olives, drained
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• Garnish: shredded lettuce, salsa, pickled jalapenos, etc

Measure your beans and mash with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. 

Cover the bottom of your 8x8 baking dish with a layer of sauce.

Place a tortilla on a flat surface and add 1/4 of the filling to the center of the tortilla.

Fold the sides in and then bring the bottom of the tortilla over the filling. Roll up and place seam side down in your dish.

Cover with remaining sauce.

I had a little filling left over and top each enchilada with a dollop. Cover dish with parchment paper, then with aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired,

Enjoy!!

Lemon Basil Pesto

 One of my favorite things to do with Pesto is make a big bowl of mixed veggies. Toss them in a grill basket and grill until there is some char on them. Cook pasta, toss with pesto, top with veggies and then nutritional yeast. Yummy! I made this pesto yesterday and froze most of it but kept enough to have this very dish for dinner tonight. I typically use zucchini, yellow squash, sweet onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and whatever else is in the frig. Let's make some pesto!

• 3 cups packed basil
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• water to thin (thin to the consistency you like)

Add all ingredients to a food processor.

Blend until it's totally mixed together. Add water as needed to get the consistency you enjoy.

I like to freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen pop out of the tray and store cubes in a freezer bag. I  normally take out 3 cubes for 2 servings.

Enjoy!

Artichoke Crab Cakes with Cajun Remoulade Sauce

 Okay, y'all these are amazing. Yes they are a little messy to put together, but so worth it. I actually looked at several recipes online came up with this dish. It isn't WFPBNO since I used vegan mayo. But, I have made a tofu mayo that was yummy from Dr. McDougal's website. 

Cajun Remoulade Sauce

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/2 small sweet onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together well. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors marry.

Artichoke Crab Cakes

• 1 cup oat flour (directions below)
• 2 cans quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup corn kernels, if frozen thaw first
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kelp granules
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 cup vegan mayo

Put the oats in your food processor and pulse until you have oat flour.

Put the flour in a small bowl.

Put the artichoke hearts in the food processor and pulse 6-7 times. You want it broken up but still some chunks. 

Add artichoke hearts to a large bowl.

 Add scallions, bell pepper, corn, Old Bay, kelp, garlic powder, parsley and mayo.

Stir in oat flour. Mix well.

I added about 1/2 a cup of panko and 1/2 cup cornmeal to a sauce to dip the cakes in before placing on the baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400F.

Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop out the artichoke mixture. Shape into a patty and then place in the cornmeal/panko mixture. Gently flip so both sides are coated. Then place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cook crab cakes for 20-25 minutes until golden. Carefully flip them half way through cooking. I served these with baby Yukon Gold baked potatoes and roasted fresh asparagus.

Enjoy!!!