Easy Angel Hair Pasta

2 tsp. Olive Oil

2 Shallots, sliced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 c. Marinated Artichoke Hearts

1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, in oil

6 oz. Angel Hair Pasta (I use whole wheat, as white has absolutely no nutritional value)

Freshly Chopped Parsley

Salt

Cook pasta according to manufacturers' directions and drain.  Do not rinse!!! Rinsing your pasta washes away all of the starch, which is what your sauce will adhere to.  No starch= plain pasta with watery sauce running all over your plate... ick!

In the meantime, heat oil over medium heat in a skillet.  Add shallots and cook 3-4 minutes, until soft.  Add in garlic and basil and cook another 30 seconds.  Toss in marinated artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes and cook until just heated through.  Lower heat and toss in pasta and fresh parsley.  Serve immediately.

*I served this pasta with an italian marinated tofu for an extra bit of protein!

Italian Marinade

1/2 c. Vegetable Broth

2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. each freshly chopped Basil and Parsley

7 oz. Extra Firm Tofu

Press tofu until dry.  Combine all marinade ingredients and toss with tofu in a freezer bag or bowl.  Let marinate 2-8 hours or do a quick marinade by simmering the tofu in the marinade for 10-15 minutes. Bake, broil, or grill.

Red Wine Tempeh w/ Polenta

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Shallots, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. each dried Basil and Thyme
2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
3 Zucchini, 1/2" slice
2 tbsp. Sun Dried Tomato, in oil
8 oz. Tempeh, cut into 16 cubes
15 oz. can diced Tomato
1/4 c. Red Wine
1/4 c. prepared Marinara Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste
Garnish with fresh Parsley

Prepared Polenta, 1" slice

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in garlic, dried basil and thyme and cook another minute. Reduce heat and add in balsamic vinegar to deglaze pan. Stir constantly until the vinegar has dissolved. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes until zucchini and tempeh are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over grilled polenta and garnish with parsley.

Barley Salad

This salad tastes great on it's own or can be used for stuffing. It has a tangy, fresh taste that's perfect lunch. I used this recipe to stuff portobello mushrooms and it turned out delicious!

1/2 c. Barley
1/2 c. Vegetable Broth or water

2 tsp. Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/4 c. Artichokes in oil, chopped
1/4 c. Kalamata Olives, sliced
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
Season with salt and pepper

Bring a half cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in barley, cover and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in shallots and cook 2 minutes. Add in garlic and cook another minute, stirring as to not let it burn. Add in zucchini and cook 3-5 minutes until it begins to soften. Lower heat and add in artichokes, olives, salt and pepper. Add in parsley at the last minute. When the barley has finished cooking and cooled, add it in with the vegetable mixture.

Makes 2 servings

Portobello Steaks

Portobello Mushrooms have a naturally meaty, earthy flavor, and are often substituted in the place of meat dishes and burgers.  They also easily absorb flavors which make them incredibly versatile and juicy!  Here, I decided to marinate and stuff them in an Italian style.  I must say, my favorite way to eat them is between two buns, but this is a nice change.

2 Large Portobello Mushrooms

1/4 c. White Wine

1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard, whole grain
2 cloves Garlic, minced

Clean mushrooms and remove the stems.  Place the mushrooms in a dish with gill sides up.  Combine all of the marinade ingredients and pour over the gills of the mushrooms and use hands to coat the bottoms.  Marinate for at least an hour.

From here, you can bake, broil, or grill the mushrooms.

I baked mine at 375 degrees for 10 minutes , gill side down, then flipped and stuffed them with the Barley Salad, and baked them another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the mushroom.

Spaghetti and "Meatballs"

These babies are better than mama's meatballs! They have a slightly smokey, meaty taste that will make hardcore carnivores question why they need to eat real meat. The nutritional yeast also gives a creamy texture that you would normally get from parmesan cheese. They're super fast and easy to make. You can also make them ahead of time, freeze them after shaping into balls, and then just defrost when you're ready to use. Bon Appitit!

8 oz. Tempeh
1/2 Yellow Onion, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Marinara Sauce, recipe below (you can use a prepared sauce to save time)

Cut tempeh into 4 strips and steam for 10 minutes.  After tempeh has cooled, use a cheese grater to cut tempeh into tiny pieces. In a large bowl, combine the tempeh with the remaining ingredients and use your hands to thoroughly combine.  The "meatballs" should begin to clump together and feel slightly sticky.

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Using an ice cream scoop, measure out the tempeh mixture and form into balls.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer the "meatballs" to a saucepan with marinara sauce that is already heated and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with spaghetti.

MARINARA SAUCE
10 Tomatoes
1 tbsp Olive Oil + 1 tsp.
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. Fresh Basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Half tomatoes width-wise and seed. Coat tomatoes with 1 tbsp. of olive oil and place in a large Pyrex dish with cut sides up. Bake in a preheated oven for an hour until tomatoes are soft and broken down. Let the tomatoes cool before handling. Once they are cool, squeeze the tomatoes from their skins.

Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add in garlic and oregano and cook for one minute. Add in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and allow the flavors to develop. Add in basil. Use an immersion blender, or transfer to blender/food processor and blend until chunky/almost smooth.

Sweet and Savory Flatbread

1 pkg. Prepared Pizza Dough
Cornmeal
1/2 recipe of Roasted Garlic Hummus
1/2 large Kabocha Squash, roasted
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
2 Leeks, sliced
1 Green Apple, julienned
Basil

For the squash:
Preheat oven to 375.
Cut squash in half.  Remove seeds and outer shell.  Cut squash into 3/4" cubes and coat with 1 tbsp. of olive oil.  Place squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, turning half way through.  Remove from oven.

For the leeks/apples:
Slice the leeks, using the white and light green parts only. Separate the leeks and place in a colander. Run under cold water to remove any dirt that may be caught inside. Remove the skin and core the apple. Julienne (cut into very thin slivers) the apple.
Over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet. Add leeks and
saute' 8 minutes, or until softened. Add salt about half way through. Add thyme, rosemary, pepper and apples and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

For the flat bread:
Preheat oven to whatever package says (mine was 425).
Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal.
Roll out pizza dough into the shape of a rectangle to 1/2" thickness. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Spread Roasted Garlic Hummus over the pizza dough. Evenly distribute the roasted squash atop the pizza dough. Repeat with the leek/apple mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with freshly torn basil.

Let the flatbread cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

White Bean Ratatouille

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/2 c. Leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
3 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 1/2 c. Fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 c. White Wine
3/4 c. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
15 oz. Can Diced Tomato
15 oz. Can White Beans (aka canelli)
1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet or saute' pan. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add a pinch of salt if the pan becomes too dry. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in fennel and cook another 30 seconds. Add wine to deglaze pan and stir until all of the wine has evaporated, another 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, white beans, roasted red pepper and balsamic and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavor has developed. Season with salt and pepper.

*I served the ratatouille atop a bed of raw spinach. The heat from the ratatouille wilted the spinach and I was able to mix it in with the rest of the dish.
Serves 3-4

Lo-Cal Pesto Pasta

I'm personally not a huge fan of pasta because of it's high calorie content and the amount it takes for me to eat in order to feel full. So a lot of the time I'll swap it out for vegetables such as spaghetti squash, zucchini, asparagus, or shiritake noodles. Sometimes I'll still cook pasta (whole wheat) because of it's nutritional benefits, but just cut back and use a combination of the two.

1 Spaghetti squash
2 Cloves garlic, roasted*
2 tsp. Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

1/2 c. Sun dried tomatoes in oil
5 tbsp. Pesto sauce

Begin by pre-heating the oven to 400. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and seed. Puncture the flesh of the squash all over with a fork. Combine the olive oil and roasted garlic to create a paste. Rub down the squash with the paste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash, flesh side down, on a greased or lined baking sheet and roast for 45-50 minutes until tender. Let cool.

When squash is cool enough to handle, remove from skin with a fork and try to separate as much as possible to resemble spaghetti noodles. Toss the squash with pesto sauce and tomato.

*To roast garlic, leave the entire bulb in tact, but peel off the outer layers leaving just one layer (or as close as you cam get to it) to cover. Cut off the top of the entire bulb, leaving the cloves exposed. Rub with oil and cover in foil. Roast in a 375 oven for 25-30 minutes. Simply squeeze the cloves out of their skin when ready to use.