Apparently it was not a dumb question, because dinners won!  Although, that was only out of 11 votes.

This [...]]]> Yesterday on facebook, I asked if you guys were more in the mood for dinner or cookie recipes.  I then asked if that was a dumb question to ask, figuring the answer would clearly be cookies.

Apparently it was not a dumb question, because dinners won!  Although, that was only out of 11 votes.

This is definitely the time of year when healthy dinners go flying out the window, and quick + easy take out sounds so much easier.  And then there are the cookies.  Cookies, cookies, everywhere!  Personally, I have not gotten my fill of cookies yet, so you will definitely be seeing a few gluten free cookie recipes soon!  I’ve really been cookie deprived for the past year, because I’ve been scared to attempt GF cookies.  I figure December is the best month to conquer my fear.

But back to the point of this post.

Dinner.  I ran out to grab a few last minute things at the store, once Chris got home [only have 1 car] and whipped this up in only about 20-25 minutes.

First, I got a huge pot of water boiling and 2 boxes of GF noodles out + ready.  Each box only has 4 servings, as opposed to the typical 8, for non-GF noodles.

Around 5pm, I quickly [seriously this took 5 minutes] added ingredients into the slow cooker, for my homemade red sauce.  I’ve never tried it in the slow cooker, but knew it could be done.  And let me tell you, I will never be making it on the stove again.  I set it on high and let it cook for 3hrs.  You can also set it to low and let it go all day while you’re at work.

I doubled the recipe, obviously.

When it takes no extra effort to double something, I double it.  Especially when it’s freezable!

While the water was coming to a boil, I got started on the creamy pasta sauce.

First, add the garlic + whirl it around.

Next, add the tofu, spices, oil, milk + cheese.

Whirl that around until creamy + smooth.  Taste test x100.

Add the noodles to the pot!

If using GF noodles, do not overcook!!!

If using GF noodles, do not overcook!!!

Yes, I repeated myself.

And always rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and prevent a gummy mess.

While the noodles were cooking, I got started on our veggie side dish.

Green beans, for a change of pace.

Lemonized + garlicized.

After rinsing the noodles, they went back in the pot, along with 6 handfuls of baby spinach + the creamy sauce.

This cooked for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until everything was nice + hot.

Now, I’m kind of stumped on what to call this.

It’s kind of like a ricotta stuffed shells, manicotti, and lasagna filling, but a bit creamier.  I realize you may think tofu as a sauce sounds weird, but let me tell you, it’s delicious.  I fed this layered in lasagna, to my Ohio family, and they loved it.

If you’re new to tofu, this is the first recipe you should start with!  Plus, an added bonus, you don’t have to press the tofu!  Another bonus, you don’t have to fill shells or manicotti noodles or spread it on partially cooked lasagna noodles.  Believe me, it’s quite the mess.  A third bonus!, there is no need to bake this meal in the oven!

Winner, winner, creamy pasta dinner.

Can we just call it, creamy pasta?

Marinara Topped, Creamy Pasta?

Yes, I think that’s what I’ll call it!

Marinara Topped, Creamy Pasta serves 6 [adapted from Dairy-Free Spinach Stuffed Shells]

• 16oz pasta of choice
• marinara sauce
• 16oz block, extra firm tofu
• 6-8c fresh baby spinach
• 2T sunflower oil
• 3T milk
• 1/4c parmesan cheese
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2t oregano
• 1t basil
• 1t parsley
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1/4t red pepper flakes [opt]

1. Boil noodles according to package directions + rinse with cold water when done cooking.
2. While water is boiling, add the peeled garlic clove to your food processor and process for a few seconds.
3. Empty the water from the tofu carton and squeeze excess moisture out with a kitchen towel or paper towels.
4. Add the tofu, milk, oil, cheese, all spices to the food processor and process until smooth. 
5. Taste + add seasoning if desired.
6. Add pasta, spinach and tofu sauce back to the pot over medium heat, stirring frequently until heated through + spinach has wilted. ~5-7min
7. Top with marinara + extra cheese.

tips/substitutions:  The pasta I showed in the first photo is decent for GF pasta.  It wasn’t gummy in this dish at all, but the flavor is slightly earthy.  However, that is masked by the flavor of the dish.  It was on sale + has decent nutrient stats.  If you want to veganize this, add 2T nutritional yeast, instead of parmesan cheese or just leave it out altogether.

slow cooking the sauce:  I added all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and placed on high for 3 hrs.  I uncovered the slow cooker for the last 45min to let some of the moisture cook off.  You can also add all ingredients and place on low for 8hrs.  If it’s too thin, add 1T more tomato paste, until desired consistency is met.  You can use any spices you like.  For this batch, I used garlic, oregano, basil + thyme.  It freezes well, once cooled, in jars or freezer bags and is far superior to store bought sauce.

How about those green beans?

Lemon Garlic Green Beans

• 2 large servings of green beans
• 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2T sunflower oil
• salt + pepper

1. Heat a pan to med/med-high and add the oil.
2. Once hot add the beans + juice from 1 lemon, stirring occasionally until crispy + brown.  ~7-9min
3. In the last minute of cooking, stir in the garlic + serve immediately or the garlic will burn in the pan.
4. Top with salt + pepper.

Couldn’t get easier than that!  Loved these and this whole dinner.

Definitely going to become a staple around here, and i already froze 2 portions for leftovers.

And the iPhone photos?  Well, I got rid of my light box, since it’s so large + our house is so small.  Phone photos actually turn out better than my camera photos, when using kitchen light.  Crazy but true.

Aaand, I was going to post another Photography 101 post today, but tonight’s dinner trumped a photo lesson.

Hope you don’t mind.

Back to the cookies tomorrow.  Mandel bread perfecting continues!

Ashley

And guess what I have for you today? 

2 meals, red sauce, no new recipes + sub-par photos

Excited?

You should be, because these are two must make meals + the sauce is my favorite! 

First.  Gina’s breakfast cookie.  Good lordy, did I love this!  I’m only a few years [...]]]> It’s Friiiiidaaay!! 

And guess what I have for you today? 

2 meals, red sauce, no new recipes + sub-par photos

Excited?

You should be, because these are two must make meals + the sauce is my favorite! 

First.  Gina’s breakfast cookie.  Good lordy, did I love this!  I’m only a few years late in trying this out, but it’s going to become a regular in my breakfast routine!

ingredients I used:

• oats
• peanut butter
• coconut oil
• cinnamon
• Raw Protein 
• almond milk
• mashed banana

Instead of using 1T peanut butter, I used 2t pnut butter + 1t coconut oil.  I wanted it to harden from refrigerating the coconut oil.  The peanut butter I used was extra drippy, so the texture was pretty soft.  But in a completely fantastic way.  Like a raw oatmeal cookie, with super soft oats, from soaking overnight.

I topped it with toasted coconut + mashed blackberries.

If you like oatmeal or overnight oats, you will love this.  The next time I make it [uhh, tomorrow!], I’m going to amp it up a bit. 

1/2c oats, instead of 1/3c : full scoop of protein powder : etc.  I tend to do best when I eat around a 500-550 cal breakfast.

I was too excited to dig in, so I didn’t grab my tripod, hence the sub-par photos. heh

Thanks Gina!!

For dinner tonight, I invited Kelsey over, for vegan lasagna.

Originally, I was going to make lasagna roll-ups.  Where you spread the filling mixture on par-cooked lasagna noodles, then roll them up, cover in sauce + cook.   I’ve done this before, but never with GF lasagna noodles.

I used this brand, which are perfect for lasagna.  Doughy, with a good bite and not slimy at all.

However, par-cooking them, and trying to roll filling inside, did not work so well.  Gluten-free noodles are quite fragile and they broke apart as I took them out of the large pot of water.  I did succeed in not having the noodles all stick together though!  Just use parchment in between each layer of noodles. 

Since I’m on a homemade, money saving plan right now, I made my own sauce.  I really should always make my own sauce.  It takes about 30-45min to finish cooking, but it’s really only about 8min on on-hand time. 

I make the red sauce a little different every time.  Today I used fresh basil, rosemary, + thyme, with dried oregano, garlic, and everything else in the recipe list.  It may have been my favorite batch yet.  I can eat this by the spoonful!

Yes, you can buy an organic pasta sauce for $3-4, but I’ve yet to find one that is thick + nicely flavored.  I hate runny sauce, and I also refuse to spend $8 on a good jar of sauce. 

A few things to know:

• the longer you cook the sauce, the thicker it will become
• if you want a smooth consistency, stick it in your blender or use an immersion blender
• if you want to turn it into pizza sauce, drain all of the tomato liquid, instead of just part of it
• ALWAYS double this recipe…trust me!

This sauce will cost you $2 for a 28oz can of tomatoes + $.99 for tomato paste + then it basically uses common herbs you most likely have on hand.

Chu-ching.

So, for the vegan filling, I used Jenna’s recipe for Stuffed Shells.  The only thing I added was 1/4c fresh parsley and I blended the spinach into the mixture.  I meant to just mix it in, but before I knew it, I dumped the spinach into the food processor + turned it on.

It turned quite green. hehe

The filling was perfect.  The texture was exactly like ricotta!

The flavors were simple, but spot on.  You would never know it was tofu!

Kitchen lit photos…my favorite. 

I just had to show you how it turned out!!

Notice anything?

There is no pool of liquid sitting under the lasagna.  I am not a fan of runny, wet lasagna and this was super thick + creamy.   

I was quite pleased!! Should have doubled it + frozen half for sure.  The gluten free noodles were fabulous.  Definitely couldn’t tell!

The photos might not be the greatest, but the food was fantastic.

So fantastic that you should put both on the menu for this weekend.  And the red sauce.  Don’t forget about the red sauce!!

Ashley

Despite the peanut buttery donutty excitement, we’re going to do a complete 180 and talk about garlic.

This dinner was loaded with garlic.

In the form of garlic scapes!  They’re baaaaaaack!!

I first [...]]]> I’m not sure if I can post a dinner recipe ever again.  The Peanut Butter Fluff Donuts have stolen the show!

Despite the peanut buttery donutty excitement, we’re going to do a complete 180 and talk about garlic.

This dinner was loaded with garlic.

In the form of garlic scapes!  They’re baaaaaaack!!

I first heard about these beauties, from Angela last year.  I was completely intrigued with how to use them and how they would compare with garlic cloves.  Last summer, I made a garlic scape pesto and a garlic scape white bean dip.  I fell in love with this…vegetable?  I’m not sure what you would call it, but it has a slightly milder taste than actual garlic cloves.

So last night, Chris was getting home late from work and thunderstorms were looming, which seems to be a daily occurrence lately.  I didn’t want to risk hopping on my bike for a grocery run, so I had to make do with what I had.

First thought: garlic scapes need to be used

Second thought: broccoli + lettuce are growing old in the fridge

Third thought: Lundberg GF noodles in the pantry

Fourth thought: garlic scape “mac n cheese”

Fifth thought: invite Kelsey over for dinner to recipe test…well and for her amazing company

I originally found this recipe from Angela, for Vegan Mac n’ Cheese and have adapted it a few different times. [Herbed Mac n’ Cheese + Smoky Noodle Casserole]  It’s such a fun recipe to change with what you have on hand.

This time, I adapted a few things from my Herbed version.  Instead of using cauliflower, I used broccoli.  Instead of garlic cloves, I used garlic scapes.  I added more fresh rosemary, because, why not?  Also, the original calls for 1.5c cashews, to make a nice creamy sauce, but I wanted to try something different.

I used 3/4 raw cashews + 1c cooked chickpeas.  I figured the chickpeas would give the sauce a nice, rich, creaminess but also lighten up the fat content a bit.  There are still plenty of cashews in this, to ensure a good dose of healthy fats to the meal as well.

The outcome was just want I was looking for!

Alongside the pasta, I made a large salad with romaine, spinach, carrots, and snap peas.

Also whipped up, was this dressing:

Garden Herb Dressing

• 1/3c olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon, ~1/4c
• 1.5t honey
• 1t mustard
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1 garlic scape, chopped
• ~12 basil leaves
• 1T fresh thyme

1. Throw everything a blender/magic bullet/etc and blend until there are no large pieces of the garlic scape.
2. Taste.  Add more honey if it’s too sour, or more oil if it’s too acidic.  If it’s bland, add a bit more s+p.

While the pasta was baking, I realized there was no protein for this meal!  Sure there is some in the veggies, pasta, and sauce, but not quite enough.

Solution:  pan sauté cubed tempeh with 1-2T olive oil, salt + pepper, over medium heat

Super simple.

Garlic Scape Noodle Casserole [adapted from Angela’s Baked Vegan Mac n’ Cheese] serves 4-6

• 3/4c raw, unsalted cashews
• 1c chickpeas, rinsed + drained
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1.5c broccoli
• 2T nutritional yeast
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, de-stemmed
• 1T earth balance [or butter]
• 1/4c fresh lemon juice
• 1t mustard
• 1 1/4c unsweetened almond milk
• 1t salt
• 6 garlic scapes, chopped – flowery stems discarded
• fresh ground pepper
• ~12-16oz gluten free or whole wheat pasta [depending on how saucy you like it]
• 1 slice of gf or wheat bread [optional, for a topping]

1. Steam or boil chopped carrot, onion and broccoli until just tender.  About 7-12min, depending on method.
2. *optional: Pulse 1 piece of bread in food processor [or blender] until crumbs have formed.  Set aside.
3. While veggies are cooking, combine nutritional yeast, cashews, chickpeas, rosemary, lemon juice, mustard, garlic scapes, almond milk, earth balance, salt, and pepper in your blender. [works better than food processor]
4. Process until smooth.
5. Drain veggies and add to blender.
6. Blend again until smooth.
7. Par-boil pasta for about 6 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 350*.
9. Drain water + rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
10. In a large bowl mix sauce + pasta.  It seems like a LOT of sauce, but it thickens substantially while baking.  If you want a lot of sauce, use 12oz of pasta.  If you want it less saucy use 16oz.
11. In a 1.5-2qt casserole dish, pour in the mixture and bake covered for 25min.
12. *optional: Uncover + top with breadcrumbs.  Broil on low for ~3min until nice and crispy.

*Sub 3 large garlic cloves, if you can’t find garlic scapes.

It seems like a complete sauce overload, but it really bakes in and becomes quite thick.  You could also use less of the sauce, toss with fully cooked pasta and skip the baking.  For this version, I used 12oz of Lundberg Brown Rice Penne [my favorite GF pasta] and used all but about 3/4c of the sauce.  The 3/4c of extra sauce, went on the table with a spoon, so we could all add more per our liking.  We also used it to top the tempeh.

The rosemary + garlic scape flavors were a great combination.  Although this looks like a heavy summer meal, the flavors kept it light + fresh.

The toasted breadcrumb topping is a fabulous addition, but it’s still delicious without!  My favorite part about this meal?  Everything was GREEN!  saucy noodles + dressing + salad

A definite recipe keeper and pulled off in quite the pinch!

Off to do some photography editing, hoping that Lightroom does not EAT anymore of my photo albums!

Ashley

I gave the [...]]]> Don’t you love when unplanned meals turn out to be amazing??  After seeing Angela’s delicious looking olive oil + red pepper pasta dish the other day, I knew I needed to make it.  I made some adjustments, to use ingredients I had on hand, and I was 100% pleased with the outcome!

I gave the dish a bit of a Mexican flare.  The second I threw ground cumin in, it was either going to be delicious, or a disaster.

Luckily, it turned out delicious! 

I used mung beans, instead of lentils.  If you don’t like mung beans or can’t find them, lentils will work great, like in Angela’s recipe.  They are both packed with protein + fiber.  The mung beans have a nice crunchy texture, which I absolutely loved.

There are walnuts mixed into this recipe as well, which I was a little apprehensive about at first, but for some reason it works!

You could definitely cook up some tempeh or tofu to throw in this as well!  I used brown rice pasta and it worked perfectly.  Some brown rice pasta becomes sticky/gummy after cooking, but I’ve had the best success with Lundberg Brown Rice Penne Pasta.  The texture + flavor are great!

Mexican Spiced Veggie Pasta [serves 4-5] inspired by Angela’s pasta recipe

• 4 servings cooked pasta [cook to package directions]
• 1c chopped walnuts, toasted
• 3c broccoli
• 1.5c cooked mung beans [or green lentils]
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1/4c nutritional yeast
• 1.5c marinara sauce
• 3T olive oil + 1T olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1.5t cumin
• 1-2T chipotle/adobo sauce [optional - or sub cayenne for heat]
• 1T mild chili powder
• 1T tomato paste
• 2-4T water/veggie broth

1. In separate pots, cook pasta and mung beans according to package directions. 
2. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.  They should take roughly the same time to cook.
3. In a large pan set to medium heat, toast chopped walnuts, stirring frequently. 
4. Cook until golden brown, about 5-8min, watching closely.
5. As walnuts are browning, sauté broccoli over medium heat with 1T olive oil, covered [in another pan] for about 6-7min, until slightly softened.
6. Add in chopped pepper, and cook another 2-3min, until the pepper is just starting to soften.
7. When walnuts have browned, add minced garlic to the pan and stir for 30sec.
8. Add in marinara, nutritional yeast, olive oil, cumin, adobo sauce [if using], chili powder, tomato paste and 2T water, to the walnut + garlic mixture.
9. Stir and bring to a simmer for 3-5min. 
10. Add in broccoli, peppers, mung beans + pasta and cook until heated through, stirring every minute or so. *If the sauce is too thick add another 2T of water or veggie broth, until it’s to your desired consistency.

Dish up!

The textures in this were awesome!!  Loved the crunch from the mung beans and walnuts, especially.  The nutritional yeast made the sauce creamy + thick.  The bold flavors were delicious and this was such a fun twist on pasta.  I originally planned to just throw marinara over pasta with broccoli for dinner.  Boring!  This took a little longer, but was totally worth it. 

It was up + ready in 30min!  Thanks for the inspiration, Ang!!

The wood floors are now sanded and look AMAZING.  It made such a huge difference!!!  Can’t wait to see what they look like with the color put on.  We went with a fairly light, nutmeg stain, which will really help keep the natural look of the wood.  It will show a lot of the character from the natural grain.  I’m super excited!  Going with a lighter stain will also make the house feel bigger.  We decided to get water based top coats put on because of the toxic fumes off-gassed from the polyurethane finishes.  The VOC [volatile organic compounds] of the water based is sealer is about 100.  For the polyurethane it’s 750!!  For typical paint, the VOC count is around 250-380.  We’re using all non-VOC and low-VOC paint and wanted to do the same for the floors.  It will be so nice working in the house, not breathing in all of those heavy fumes for the next month or so.  It’s also a bit kinder to the environment!

The floors will be done tomorrow!   

Back to IKEA ordering…

Ashley