Apparently you can cook pasta in any liquid.
Why not choose a liquid you love?
Pasta is an easy go-to dinner, but you can make it extra fancy with a strange but incredibly good twist. Why not boil the pasta in red wine? This simple move makes a complex, beautiful pasta.
Seems appropriate for Valentine’s Day, no?
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You can do anything with cauliflower.
Really… I bet you could even make ice cream. Maybe… that might be weird.
I’ve made cauliflower pizza, pancakes, waffles, sriracha muffins… the sky is the limit. Why not sheets of noodles? It sounds strange, but it works!
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Taking risks is one of life’s great joys.
It can also be a fail require patience.
My favorite risks involve something food-related. Hence all the #strangebutgood.
A couple of years ago I decided to adopt a vegan diet. That risk didn’t pan out, but it did result in a TON of recipe risks that did. One of my favorite discoveries from that time was Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP). It’s super-high in protein, low in carbs, and low in fat. It’s like a body builder’s dream food.
Texturally, TVP is reminiscent of ground beef. This lead to the obvious first recipe – “Beefy” TVP Chili. Taste-wise, TVP is like chicken. It will take on the flavor of anything you add to it… so the “Chick-less” Nuggets were born. Beef, chicken… why not bacon?! Kat made hers and then I followed with a smokey version.
All of that was good… but was it really that strange? Chicken and TVP take on any flavor… hold up. So does… OATMEAL!
I went TVP oatmeal crazy: Mango-Coconut, Maple, Pumpkin Pie, Spiced TVP Breakfast Squash, and even Greek Yogurt Overnight Oats!
This was a really, really long-winded way to say that I am ridiculously excited to share Kat’s guest post today. Her brilliant move is to use it in lasagna! Well played, my friend.
Here’s Kat….
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This blog has to be short and sweet because I am in study mode. The Georgia Bar exam is less than a week away, and I’m still trying to absorb as much as I can! (Editor’s note: How’s that osmosis working for ya? 😉 )
Mostly through the emotional, mentally exhausting roller coaster, I have realized it is SO important to stay positive through this time.
Choose to see the good stuff (because it IS a choice), and I have to trust that I have it in me to achieve this goal! (Editor’s note: YES YOU DO! I’m so proud to call you a friend.)
I would not be able to make it through this time with out running, lots of running… and thinking about what I will do after. When I get done, I am going to the beach! I am getting a haircut, and I am going to NOT study, and maybe never take a test again!
Anyway, let’s get to the fun stuff! Every now and again a more intensive kitchen project is relaxing to me. Remember that ricotta I made? (Editor’s note: you mean the one you haven’t made me yet?) I decided to use it to make a vegetarian, gluten-free lasagna…. with zucchini and TVP!
Note: You can also use this quick, vegan tofu ricotta.
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For the Zucchini:
Slice the zucchini length wise to about ¼ inch slices. A mandolin would be a great tool for this, but I just used my knife-skills, since I don’t have one.
Lay them out on a pan and broil for 6-7 minutes to dry them out a little. Drain off water, then broil again for another 5 min. Drain.
For the Filling:
Mix the TVP with water, season with garlic salt and your favorite spices.
Sautee the onion on medium high heat for about 5 minutes in a medium-large sized pot, then add the mushrooms and TVP. Sautee for another 8-10 minutes or so, then add about 3 ¼ cups of the pasta sauce to make it a thick filling (reserve ¾ cup for the assembly).
Turn the temperature to Low, and let it continue to cook.
For the Assembly:
Grease 9 x 13 pan with coconut oil.
Coat the bottom of the pan with ½- ¾ cup the remaining pasta sauce, then lay zucchini gently over the sauce, letting it overlap slightly.
Then spread ½ of the filling evenly over the zucchini. Next, take 1/2 the ricotta, and crumble it around evenly over the filling. Cover with 1 ½ cup of grated mozzarella. Repeat again… Zucchini, the other ½ of the filling, ricotta, the other 1 ½ cup mozzarella.
Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. (I then like to broil mine for 5ish mins to get the cheese a little browner).
The homemade ricotta made a huge difference in this dish! It really comes through. This is cheesy, surprisingly light, and really delish!
And for the leftovers… I refrigerated the pan over night. The next day, I cut it into individual sized portions, wrapped them in plastic wrap and then foil, and froze them. The lasagna is even better leftover! (Editor’s note: I’m convinced that all Italian food is better on day 2… and I love it on day 1.)
Now back to Bar Review! Hope you all are having a great week, seeing the good everywhere, and not getting TOO jealous of Laura’s trip! 😉
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Good luck to Kat taking the Bar Exam in a week!!!! If we all send her good, focused study-vibes it must help a little, no?
What kinds of kitchen projects are relaxing to you?
What goal are you trying to achieve in your professional/personal life?
It’s a seasonal landmark.
I had to bust out the socks. I woke up and it was only 60 degrees. This may sound perfect to many of you, but I love the summer. I’ll miss you, ballet flats.
Don’t get me wrong. There are many thing about fall that I do love: football, boots with the fur, apples… and tomato sauce.
You can tell what season it is by looking at how I’m eating tomatoes. In the spring, I’m eating salsa like a deranged Mexican. In the summer I load up on Heirlooms – no recipe needed, just slice ’em fresh. When cooler weather strikes, I want marinara sauce and red wine.
When Uncle Dude’s posted to twitter asking for people to try out their sauce, I jumped at the opportunity. I am guilty of being a lazy sauce-maker. It’s not hard to make from scratch, but more often than not I use something from a jar and add my own twist to it.
This particular sauce is called “Uncle Dude’s Ridiculous Marinara.” With a name like that I had to try it!
Dude’s sauce is indeed good. I especially love that they left nice chunks of tomato and onion in it. It gave it a feeling of being homemade. My only complaint is that it was a bit salty. If you don’t have a low-sodium diet, you probably won’t notice.
Being homemade with fresh veggie pieces didn’t save it from my modifications. This bake received as herbed twist with fresh rosemary , basil, and thyme. I also topped it with a little nutritional yeast (it would also be good with freshly grated parmesean). Finished with a thick, velvet-y aged balsamic that I scored on my trip to Italy last October.
This rich, herb-laced bake was served with a glass of my current favorite el cheapo wine: Apothic Red. This wine runs about $10 a bottle and has a deep cherry flavor with hints of mocha on the nose. It has a smooth finish with just a hint of spice.
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Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread 1/4 C of the marinara sauce along the bottom of a 9×9 baking dish.
Arrange the veggies, tempeh, and herbs in layers in the dish. Top with remaining sauce, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove foil and bake 15 mins more, or until veggies are tender and sauce is bubbling.
Make 2 large or 4 side portions.
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Today I need full-body support socks. Leg day with my evil trainer nearly killed me last night. 450 lb leg press?! Really?!
What is your favorite fall meal?
Have you had to bust out the socks yet?
Three days ago it was 70 degrees.
Yesterday morning I braved the airport amidst snow flurries. Ok, ok, it was more like slightly freezing drizzle. I hope this doesn’t mean we have a crazy, ice-filled winter!
Today I’m lucky because not only is it my favorite What I Ate Wednesday:
It’s also Spicie’s Foodie‘s November Your Best Recipe reveal! Click here to check out my Red Wine Cake Balls and everyone else’s best dish of the month on her blog.
On to the eats!
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I love to make muffins, but never am able to eat a dozen alone while they are fresh. My solution is the freezer. You can always bet I have 3-4 muffins varieties just 30 seconds away from being breakfast-ready. Perfect for those of us who aren’t morning people.
My pre-flight rush breakfast involved these Pumpkin-Zucchini Muffins (low sugar!) and my recently concocted Cinnamon Cacao Nut Butter.
Scarfed down in the car to fuel a morning jaunt through Concourse A. 🙂
The beverage portion of my breakfast happened in the airport – my traditional Starbucks coffee treat and some water. Flying dries me out!
Having landed wayyyy before our meeting was to begin, my boss and I stopped in a Starbucks (this time I had an unpictured Orange Blossom tea) to get some work done… followed by a surprisingly delicious lunch near our destination.
Bocci is a new Italian spot in Clayton, MO (a suburb of St. Louis). Their northern Italian-style soups hit the spot after walking through some serious cold St. Louis wind!
I ordered the Aquacotta – a tomato soup with mushrooms, onions, basil… and a poached egg! Italian egg drop soup?! I broke the egg and the yolk ran out, adding a wonderful creaminess to the brothy tomato. With copious amounts of Bocci’s crack foccacia-like bread sticks dipped in olive oil, balsamic, and parm.
Moment of Boss Appreciation: You’ll notice I got a pic. My boss didn’t even flinch when I whipped out the camera to go paparazzi on my food. My job satisfaction went through the roof today.
I made my first chili! It is a vegan tempeh chili… with 2 “secret” ingredients. I could have made it hotter, but that’s nothing a little Sriracha didn’t fix!
Short on time so the recipe will come tomorrow!
We landed right at dinner time, but I wanted to get a workout in. I downed a Sweet Tango Apple to tide me over until chili-time. Sarah introduced me to this variety – if you ever see one grab it immediately! Of course I had my pretzels on the plane too.
I also had a late-night protein shake for dessert:
Strawberry-Banana Shake
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Check out Peas and Crayons to see how everyone else celebrated Hump Day on Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday.
Did you get any snow?
What is the best thing you’ve eaten post-Turkey Day? (P.S. Quit eating leftovers! 6 day post-meal that meal is growing bacteria!)
Do you have spots in your town that seem to be unable to keep a tenant?
There is a location in my neighborhood that has become a revolving door for restaurants. It is unfortunate, but the property owner has come up with a unique idea to combat the problem.
Let the people choose! Literally. They took suggestions and narrowed them down the the Top 5. Now we get to vote! Since I obviously have a ton of influence… VOTE FOR THE HIGH END MARKET!!!
I loved Savi when I visited the Inman Park market a few weeks ago. Midtown has nothing like it. I would definitely walk to it 2-3 times a week if we did!
A week into the cleanse and we made the best cleanse meal yet.
By “we” I mean Mom. Though I added the kale and red pepper flakes!
If you are making your own sauce, start it first. It is better when the flavors have time to meld together!
We blended a container (750g) of Pomi chopped tomatoes and 3/4 C of basil, simmered the mixture in a pot, and added salt and red pepper flakes to taste as we went.
Sugar isn’t allowed on the Cleanse, but mom remembered that carrots add sweetness and combat acidity.
This was a great addition since tomato sauces often call for sugar to balance the acidity and eggplants can be on the bitter side.
Bring water and vegetable broth to boil. Add wild rice and cook according to package instructions.
Chop onion, carrots and cloves. Heat the olive oils on stove top over medium heat. Saute chopped veggies until tender, place on dish, and set aside.
Dice eggplant into ~1/2 in pieces. Salt to taste. Place in saute pan used in step 2 (fewer dishes! 🙂 ), and cook eggplant until tender over medium heat (about 12 mins). Dice mushrooms and to pan to cook for last 4-5 mins.
Add veggie mix from Step 2 to the pan. Toss with kale and heat until kale is just wilted.
Plate the rice, add the veggie stir-fry, and top with your favorite tomato sauce!
