Quinoa Linguine with Vegan Italian Sausage Bolognese

 

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for pasta. It was one of the first things I learned how to cook when I was 10 years old. I've come a long way from my tri color rotini with ragu days. When cooking at home I usually opt for gluten free pasta. My favorite is quinoa pasta. It has a great consistency and is much healthier than your normal white or whole wheat pastas. Here is my recipe for Vegan Italian sausage Bolognese.

 

Ingredients

1 package gluten free linguine

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 can organic tomato sauce

tomato pasta

2 links of Field Road Italian sausage, chopped into small chunks

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

half a bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow bell pepper)

about 4 baby bella mushrooms, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh basil for garnish

 

Directions



1. In large saucepan drizzle olive oil. Turn to medium heat and toss in chopped onions, garlic, pepper and mushrooms. Add the chopped sausage, mixing as you go.
2. Once veggies are starting to slightly brown, add diced tomatoes, sauce and tomato paste. Stir
3. Add salt & pepper to taste. You may want to add some crushed red pepper if you like a little kick.
4. Leave at medium low heat while you boil the pasta. I like my pasta al dente but you cook it to you liking.
5. After simmering for about 25 minutes your sauce should have a nice thick consistency. Turn heat off and add drained linguine. Mix well.
6. Serve immediately and garnish with fresh basil.

Either use vegan cheese, parmesan cheese or no cheese! All up to you. This sausage is really one of my favorites. As an ex-meat eater, I find it has a lot of the familiar flavors of real Italian sausage without the guilt!

Buon Appetito!

-Kat

Tofu & Black Bean Enchiladas

 

Even meat eaters will love this recipe. Enjoy this vegetarian spin a classic Mexican comfort food. Yum!

 

Ingredients

 

·        Pack of 8 white corn tortillas

·        1 pack of extra firm tofu

·        2 cups Mexican cheese

·        Chopped cilantro

·        1 fresh jalapeno, sliced

·        ½ cup chopped red onion

·        1 can no-salt black beans, drained

·        1 can of enchilada sauce (or make your own homemade enchilada sauce!)

·        Salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder

 

Directions

 

1.        Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2.        Drain package of tofu, removing as much excess water as possible (this is important for the texture to be right). Crumble up the tofu.

3.        In a large bowl, mix the crumbled tofu, drained black beans, 1 cup of cheese, ½ cup of red onions. Add a handful of your chopped cilantro and add the spices to your liking. Mix well.

4.        Pour enchilada sauce into a bowl. Take each tortilla and fully coat with sauce. Then, fill each tortilla with the tofu/bean mixture.

5.        Place each filled and rolled tortilla into a 1 inch deep baking pan. Once all tortillas are placed with seam-side down, pour the remaining sauce onto all the tortillas.

6.        If there is any remaining mixture, sprinkle on top. Then, sprinkle the other cup of shredded cheese on top.

7.        Sprinkle remaining cilantro and sliced jalapenos on top and pop into the oven. Bake for about 20-25 until hot and bubbly and the cheese is beginning to brown.

8.        Serve with shredded lettuce and a dollop of sour cream as garnish.

 

Happy Cooking!

 

- Kat

Grilled Tofu Kabobs

A friend of mine had a BBQ recently that was chock full of meat options; churrasco, sausage and chicharrón. I was in charge of the sides since I don't eat meat. I made a summer pasta salad and replaced mayo with plain Greek yogurt and we grilled Tofu Kabobs & asparagus. The asparagus was lightly seasoned with sea salt, pepper, olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. We put the asparagus on the grill for about 15 minutes, perfect!

For the tofu kabobs I cut up red onions, green, red & yellow bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini. I used extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes. You have to squeeze as much liquid out of the tofu as you can. Put veggies and tofu onto long wooden skewers. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle sea salt, ground pepper and garlic powder. Smother in your fave BBQ sauce. I used a smoky one from Trader Joes. Throw those babies on the grill for about 10-15 minutes on each side (flip a couple times) and enjoy!

Traditional Ceviche

This ceviche is so simple to make and is super healthy! I served with baked sweet potato and toasted corn chips (store bought, local). So, here we go!

Ingredients
1 1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, sliced
1 1/2 hass avocado, cubed
1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/2 small shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lb Corvina fish, sliced
1 cooked octopus tentacle, sliced (avail at Whole Foods)
4 large limes, juiced
3 large lemons, juiced
(the juice from both limes & lemons should be about a cup and a half)
sea salt (my dad brought me some from his recent trip to Spain, from the Canary Islands, delish!)
pepper & garlic salt
1 large sweet potato

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush your best olive oil onto clean sweet potato, skin on. Sprinkle on some sea salt. Once oven is heated, bake for about an hour.
2. After dicing and chopping all your ingredients, combine into a large bowl. Add avocado, lemon/lime juice and seasonings last. The seasoning should be to your taste.
3. Leave marinating overnight so the seafood "cooks" in the lime juice.
4. Serve with the sweet potato sliced and add toasted corn chips.

Super simple and this yields enough for about 6-8 servings. You could also use a different white fish, like grouper or flounder. The corvina was delicious. Stay away from tilapia! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did and the lucky people who got to taste it!

Happy cooking!

-Kat

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Yams

These roasted sweet potatoes and yams are so simple to make. A friend of mine told me to add a little bit of maple syrup to the sweet potatoes, which I tried and loved! I drizzled maple syrup onto the sliced sweet potatoes and yams along with sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. This is the perfect side dish, just add a protein and another veggie side and you are good to go!

Happy Cooking!

-Kat

Broiled Lobster tails with Roasted Zucchini and Asparagus

                                                                                               

                                                                                                                      
My Dad surprised me with these beauties the other day as they were on sale. I decided to go the simple route and broil them. They came already cut down the middle of the shell. You should pull the meat away from the shell before cooking, if not the meat will stick to the shell. I sliced some butter for each tail, seasoned with paprika, freshly dried parsley and a pinch of sea salt. I drizzled some white wine in the pan to add a little flavor and popped them in the oven for 10-12 minutes on broil. They came out perfect! I also made roasted Zucchini and Asparagus.

                                                                                                                             
In a large bowl, mix cut zucchini and asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil, shaved parmesan, sea salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. So yummy!

                                                                                                                                                       
Happy Cooking!
-Kat                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

easy buffalo cauliflower wings

I've been wanting to try this out since I became vegetarian over 5 years ago and never got around to actually making it. I don't know why I waited so long because it is sooo good. I used to love eating wings before so this is a great alternative. You can make your own buffalo sauce or buy your fave from the store. Or you can use BBQ sauce or hot sauce instead.

Ingredients
1 head of organic cauliflower (or you can buy a bag of cauliflower florets)
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup buffalo sauce (add more or less to your taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
ground pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut up head of cauliflower into florets. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Make sure the cauliflower is fully coated.
3. Spread evenly on baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes. For crispier cauliflower, broil for a couple minutes at the end.
4. Add some celery and/or carrot sticks with blue cheese dressing and you got yourself an appetizer!

 

Happy cooking!

-Kat