Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

I love pasta. It's satisfying, protein rich and great running fuel. A fusion of pasta Florentine, Cacio e Pepe and pasta in garlic oil, this dish is quick and easy to make. However, it delivers many levels of nuanced flavor.  All the cooking takes place in one pot. So clean up is easy. Which is a very important factor.  I use the hot pasta to cook the spinach, which simplifies things. It also ensures we don't overcook it.  We also use the pasta water and oil to activate all the flavors of the herbs, spices, garlic, yeast and peppers. It's a neat and easy trick to create a flavorful pasta sauce with very little fuss.  Recipe Ingredients 1/2 box penne pasta 1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water 2 1/2 ounces fresh spinach 1 jalapeno, minced 1 serrano, minced 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 1/2 tbls olive oil 2 tbls nutritional yeast powder or flakes 2 tsps dry basil 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 2 tsps salt 1 tbl black pepper Add spinach uncooked to a heat proof storage container

A little something different. An easy sauce you can quickly whip up in the blender. You don't need to cook it, but it can be heated if you prefer. It's a thicker sauce. More gravy like. Inspired by mushroom gravies and that sort of thing.  Something new to dress up your veggies, potatoes or tofu. Just use it like you would any sauce, condiment or gravy.  It's sweet, spicy, salty, thick and creamy. But it's vegan, so no actual cream is involved.  Recipe Ingredients 1 can black beans rinsed 3 cloves garlic 1 jalapeno 1 tbl hot sauce 2 tsps soy sauce 2 tbls olive oil 1/4 cup water 1 1/2 tsps salt 1/2 tsp cayenne 1 tsp black pepper It's very easy to prepare. Put everything into your blender and puree. 

Just a little something different. Everyone's heard of three bean salad, right? This is similar. There are three types of bean in play. Added ras el hanout for another dimension. You don't need a lot. Just a little goes a long way.  It can be had on Amazon if you're not sure where to obtain it.  It turns an ordinary bean salad into something a little more interesting.  1 can garbanzos, rinsed 1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed 1 can black beans, rinsed 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn 1 poblano, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 long hot, diced 2 tbls olive oil 1 tsp ras el hanout 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper Just toss everything together to combine. I served mine over spicy garlic pasta.  This part is really easy and it's delicious on its own too. Really, really good. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and see it in the fridge having it for lunch motivates me to run farther. That's how good it is.  1/2 box pasta, cooked, reserve 1/3 cup cooking wat

 I was just trying to come up with something a little different to eat that would also incorporate tofu. The result is a tomato and saffron sauce that's thick, rich and creamy. I didn't start out with the idea of tomato as a part of it, but I'm glad that's where it ended up.  Ingredients 1 package silken tofu 1 plum tomato 3 cloves garlic 1 jalapeno, chunked 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup almond milk 2 tbls olive oil 1 tsp saffron threads 2 1/2 tsps salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Buzz all in the food processor.  Add the mixture to a sauce pan and simmer on low for 10 minutes.  Return the mix to the food processor and puree again until silky smooth.