Spinach and Pine Nut Rotini

My family has had the flu this week so I haven’t had a chance to plan menus, make grocery lists, or go shopping.  So tonight was one of those times when I perused the refrigerator and the pantry looking for something to make.   There was a bag of baby spinach in the refrigerator, so I decided to toss that together with some ingredients I always have on hand: pasta, garlic, olive oil, canned tomatoes, and pine nuts (I keep a Costco-sized bag of them in my freezer).  The end result was quite delicious!  I’ll definitely be adding this combination to my recipe box.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole wheat rotini
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes*
• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• 1/4-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted**
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Boil pasta according to package directions.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the tomatoes and their juices, and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add cooked pasta and stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss in fresh baby spinach and let sit over low heat until spinach begins to wilt.  It will seem like a lot of spinach at first but it will shrink down a lot!  Add toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.  Keep extra virgin olive oil on the table for drizzling over each individual serving for a nice touch!

* If you cannot find petite diced tomatoes, then drain the juices from regular stewed or diced tomatoes directly into the skillet, then transfer tomatoes to a cutting board and chop before adding to the dish.

**To toast raw pine nuts, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put directly under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.  Watch these closely or they will burn!

Vegan Pesto Sauce

I can’t get enough of this rich and creamy pesto sauce. It is so versatile and always adds a delicious touch to any dish! Tonight I spooned it onto a pizza, but I also like it tossed with potato gnocchi or pasta, stuffed into phyllo triangles, or spread on a sandwich. The options are virtually endless! Pesto couldn’t be easier to make if you have a food processor, and it is truly worth making from scratch if you can get fresh basil.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of basil (about 3 cups, loosely packed)
• 2-3 large cloves garlic
• 6 Tbsp raw pine nuts or walnuts (or a combination of the two)*
• 3/4 – 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)**

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except the olive oil and nutritional yeast into a food processor. Process to a finely ground consistency. Add olive oil and process again, until smooth and creamy. If desired, add nutritional yeast and process again until creamy. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*Classic pesto is made with pine nuts, but it is also delicious with walnuts!  Tonight I was short on both so I used about 3 Tbsp of each.  I haven’t tried it with any other nuts, but if you experiment and find a good one, let me know!

**Nutritional yeast is a delicious addition to this classic pesto and will give it a kind of “cheesy” flavor and a more rich and creamy consistency. If you buy Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast, it is also a reliable source of vitamin B-12. Some people don’t like the taste of nutritional yeast, others (like me!) can’t get enough of it. If you haven’t tried it before, I recommend experimenting with small amounts to see how you like it.

Spaghetti Sauce

My family eats a LOT of spaghetti – it’s nutritious, it’s easy, and the kids love it. I have to admit, spaghetti is usually one of our “hurry-up” meals, so I tend to use a store bought jar of spaghetti sauce 99% of the time! However, we just got back from a trip to visit my grandparents, and they sent us home with a big box of delicious home-grown tomatoes, fresh-picked from their garden! So tonight our family was in for a treat — homemade spaghetti sauce.

Here’s a good, basic spaghetti sauce recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6-8 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped*
• 1 medium onion (or 2 small), finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tsp dried parsley**
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp natural sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot. Add onions and garlic, and sautee over medium heat until tender. Add water, tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes (longer is fine).

Uncover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has reduced to the desired consistency. Spoon over a pile of whole wheat spaghetti*** and enjoy!

* To peel tomatoes easily, make a small criss cross mark on each tomato with a sharp knife. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dunk each tomato into the water for about 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to a collander and rinse with cold water. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, you should be able to peel the skin right off!

**If you have fresh herbs on hand, by all means use them! You’ll need about 3 times the amount of fresh herbs as dry, and rather than adding them at the beginning, add them toward the end of the cooking time so that they retain their wonderful flavor!

***If you haven’t yet discovered whole wheat pasta, I really recommend it.  Whole grain pasta contains more fiber, protein, folic acid, and b-vitamins than white flour pasta.  In fact, a serving of whole wheat pasta has as much protein as a serving of almonds or peanut butter (7 grams)!  I get mine from Trader Joe’s, as it only costs about $1/pound for organic, whole-wheat pasta, and they carry most shapes — spaghetti, fettuccine, rotini, and penne. You can also find whole wheat pasta at most major supermarkets, though they may be more expensive.  The texture of whole wheat pasta takes a bit of getting used to, but after eating it for several years now, I actually prefer it to the white flour version!

Spinach Lasagna

I’ve always loved lasagna – especially spinach lasagna with lots of ricotta cheese.  Thankfully, since becoming vegan I’ve discovered that tofu can be transformed into a delicious ricotta, and Vegan Gourmet mozzarella works perfectly to top everything off!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz oven-ready lasagna noodles*, or 12 prepared noodles
• Tofu Ricotta:
  • 1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, drained
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 lb frozen spinach, thawed
• Easy tomato sauce:
  • 14-oz can diced tomatoes
  • 6-oz can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup (or other sweetener)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 oz shredded vegan mozarella cheese, such as Vegan Gourmet (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together tomato sauce ingredients in a pan, and simmer on low heat as you prepare other ingredients.   In a food processor, combine tofu ricotta ingredients and process until a semi-smooth yet grainy consistency is achieved (similar to dairy ricotta).  Transfer ricotta to a large bowl and fold in the thawed spinach.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  Layer 3 of the lasagna noodles over the bottom of the pan.  Spoon 1/3 of the spinach-ricotta mixture over noodles, and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the top.  Repeat twice more with noodles, ricotta, and sauce.  Layer the final 3 noodles over the dish, and spread with remaining tomato sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and sprinkle grated vegan cheese over the top, cover again, and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese has browned.

Allow lasagna to set for 5 minutes at room temperature before serving.  Enjoy!

* I used Ronzoni Oven Ready Lasagna noodles in this dish.

Sauteed Kale

Kale is abundant this time of year, and it is oh-so healthy! It is chock full of vitamin A, and has respectable amounts of calcium, iron, protein, potassium, and vitamin C. Not to mention all the phyto-nutrients in that dark green pigment! When I first tried to cook kale, I just steamed it and served it plain, and wasn’t impressed. After some trial and error, I’ve happened on the following way to cook kale – sauteed, and tossed with toasted pine nuts and raisins. Pine nuts make any dish taste delicious, and I especially like the way the sweet raisins contrast with the strong flavor of the kale. Enjoy this one often!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 large bunch raw kale, de-stemmed and chopped *
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted **
• 1/4 cup raisins
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for about one minute. Add kale and sautee until it looks bright green all the way through (about 5 minutes). If your pan is small you may need to add kale in batches, as it will shrink as it cooks. Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts and raisins. Salt and pepper to taset, and serve immediately.

* To easily remove the stems of kale, simply hold kale by the stem (stem facing you), and push the leafy portion down the stem with your other thumb and fingers.

** To toast raw pine nuts, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. You will want to check these frequently as pine nuts will burn in an instant! I recommend toasting them as your first step and having them set aside before you begin cooking the rest of your meal. It is just too easy to burn them when you are distracted with whatever else you might be cooking!

Red, White, and Blueberry Tart

Here is another dessert that I made for our 4th of July celebration! This couldn’t have been easier to make, and I won’t post it as a recipe because it isn’t 100% “from scratch.” I used the same pie crust recipe that I use for everything (including the Strawberry Pie below), pre-baked it, and filled it with a pudding made from Mori-Nu Light Silken Extra Firm Tofu and Mori-Nu Mates Vanilla pudding mix. Then I decorated it with fresh raspberries and blueberries (also from our wonderful farmer’s market!). I chilled it for a couple of hours and it firmed up quite nicely and made a tasty treat. I’ve only recently discovered the delicious Mori-Nu pudding mixes, and I love them! The chocolate is delicious on its own, and I am dreaming up all kind of possibilies for the vanilla!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

We got a big crate of strawberries from the Farmer’s market last Tuesday – freshly picked and bursting with flavor! Since very ripe strawberries don’t keep for very long, I decided to make this fresh strawberry pie for the 4th of July festivities! It can be a bit time-consuming to de-stem the berries, but otherwise this pie is incredibly easy to make!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-baked pie crust (I’ll post a recipe for that later, or just use your own!)
• 8 cups small to medium fresh strawberries, stems removed*
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

Preparation:

Prepare baked pastry shell, set aside.

Place 1 cup of the strawberries plus 2/3 cup water into a blender, and blend until very smooth. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in blended berry mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes without stirring.

Spread a bit of the glaze over bottom and sides of baked pastry shell. Arrange half of the remaining strawberries, stem ends down, in pastry. Spoon half of remaining glaze over strawberries, being careful to coat each one. Arrange remaining strawberries over the first layer, and spoon remaining glaze over berries, again coating each one.

Chill for 1 – 2 hours.** Enjoy!!

*Using small whole berries makes this pie very attractive, yet still manageable to eat. You can use larger strawberries if that’s what you have, just cut them in half first.

*Don’t chill this pie for much longer than 2 hours, as the glaze will begin to become watery and the pie won’t hold together as well. Unfortunately, this isn’t a pie that you can make the night before. You can, however, bake the pie crust and de-stem the berries ahead of time, which will save you lots of time on the day you plan to serve this!

Spanokopita (spinach phyllo pies)

I’ve made this as a casserole before, but for Father’s Day I actually attempted the traditional triangle-shaped Spanokopita! They turned out great, and the wrapping was surprisingly fun to do! They are easy but time-consuming, so I recommend you prepare the filling and then set up a table in front of the TV and watch a movie while you wrap! Or at least make sure you have some company! Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 1 lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 lb firm tofu
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pkg phyllo pastry* (if using frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator)
• Lots of extra olive oil for brushing
• Dried dill for garnishing

Filling:

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper and sautée until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place thawed spinach into a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible.

Place tofu into a food processor and process until it resembles the texture of ricotta cheese. If you don’t want to use a food processor, mash finely with a fork. Transfer tofu to a bowl and add squeezed spinach and other remaining ingredients (except for the extra olive oil and dried dill). Mix thoroughly. Add additional salt and/or pepper to taste.

Pastries:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll thawed phyllo pastry. Different brands of phyllo pastry come in different sizes. If a sheet of pastry is about the size of a 9 x 13 baking pan, you have small pastry sheets. If it is double this size, you have large sheets.

Take one sheet of pastry and lay it out on a cutting board. (Keep a clean damp cloth over the remaining stack, otherwise it will dry out!) If you have a large sheet, cut it in half widthwise – each half sheet will make one pie. Proceed to cut the half-sheet length-wise into two long strips. Brush olive oil onto one strip, layer the other strip on top, and brush olive oil onto the top strip also.

Place a heaping spoonful of the filling onto the bottom corner of the short end of the strip. Fold that corner up to form a triangle. Fold that triangle up again, then again, then again, until you have reached the top and have a single triangle. It is difficult to put into words but it is just like folding a flag! Place completed triangle onto a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of dried dill on top. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets until you have used up all the filling. You may or may not use the whole package – it depends on what brand phyllo you are using!

Bake for 20-25 minutes. You might need 2 cookie sheets to hold all of the pastries; if this is the case put two oven racks as close to the middle as possible, and place one sheet on top and one on bottom. Rotate halfway through cooking. After 20 minutes, keep an eye on these because they can brown very quickly!

*Phyllo pastry can be found in either the refrigerated or frozen section of most supermarkets. For large frozen phyllo sheets, I recommend The Fillo Factory Organic Fillo Dough – it comes in either white or whole wheat (I used whole wheat in the photo). For small refrigerated sheets, I recommend Athens Fillo Dough. Both brands are made without hydrogenated oils or trans fats.