Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce

I know I know, this doesn't look like the most exciting dish ever but it really was! Well the part that was really special was the wine mustard sauce - yum yum. I love mustard and I love wine in sauces so this was the perfect combination. I would use the sauce again and try out different vegetables.

This post is quick & brief because things have been really busy this week. We found an apartment! Hopefully. We have a week to check things out and then make our final decision. I'm impressed with myself that I had already prepared the photo and typed up the recipe for this days ago!

Other pasta dishes I've made:
Audrey's Deluxe Mac & Cheese
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese
Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce
Adapted from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook

2 1/2 cups small dried pasta shapes
2 tsp oil
8 oz portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 2 mushrooms)
1/2 tsp salt*
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and set aside.

Set the wok (or frying pan) over high heat, and add 1 tsp of oil. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 tsp of salt, and stir-fry until tender, for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Return the wok to high heat, and add the remaining 1 tsp of oil. Add the garlic and onion, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt and crushed red pepper, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the wok. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the wine and mustard, and stir with a wire whisk to blend. Bring to a boil, add the reserved pasta and mushroom mixture and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (or everything is heated through). Toss in the pine nuts and serve.

*I always reduce the amount of salt so you may want to add more.

Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup

I've missed a couple of months for the No Croutons Required event, but I'm back with a delicious soup! The theme this month is soups or salads featuring legumes. When I make soup, I like having a good variety of vegetables, a grain (like barley), and protein (beans usually). I was very anti-bean before but since I started to try and eat healthier and take better care of myself, I've been slowly accepting them and trying to incorporate them into my diet frequently. Soups are a great way to do that! And what bean is more accessible than the black bean (in my mind anyway).

Well since I love beets, and this soup is a meal in itself, you can guess that I loved it. I've never used tarragon in my cooking at home, and have only had it a few times when out. I like it but it's something different to get used to. I think this soup could benefit from a variety of herbs, and it actually calls for 1/2 cup of fresh dill. Which is a lot of dill, even though I love dill - so I put that as optional in the recipe.

I thought I'd have more time to update my blog now that school is finished but it turns out I've found many other things (including work) to fill up all my time! Currently I'm looking for an apartment and obsessing over places. I hope the place we find has a relatively decent size kitchen with some counter space! I can't wait to try out my grandma's convection oven for baking (which is currently in storage but will be taken out when I move).

Other soups I've made:
Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup
Baked Bean Soup
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Beet, Barley & Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried tarragon
Black pepper
8 cups water
4 medium-size beets, cut in half & half again, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup pot barley
2 tbsp soy sauce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Dill (optional)

In a stockpot over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, and pepper; saute until fragrant (about a minute). Add 8 cups of water, the beets, barley, and soy sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the barley from sticking together, or unitl the barley is tender. Add the balsamic vinegar. Add dill if desired.

Pomegranate Smoothie

This is the first beverage I've ever posted about, and possibly the last. I like trying out different drinks but I don't really care that much about making them at home. Except for smoothies, which I make with yogurt, frozen fruit and fruit juice. Not that I've been making many recently due to the cold weather. (Where are you summer? And who ever thought I'd be wanting summer to come and not relishing the cold weather?)

Anyway, so I subscribe to Everyday Food magazine but haven't been looking through the issues recently. I came across this pomegranate smoothie recipe and was both sad that I had missed it in the issue, but also happy that I had stumbled across it on the internet. It's really quite a perfect, delicious and healthy smoothie. The silken tofu gives it this really nice mouthfeel (a term I've gleaned from my food technology program) - as though there's heavy cream in there or something and it doesn't taste like tofu at all. And it's full of antioxidants, especially if you use frozen berries.

Pomegranate Smoothie
Adapted from March 08 Everyday Food magazine (found on Husband Tested Recipes From Alice's Kitchen)

1/3 cup silken tofu (about 3 oz.)
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon honey (add more if you like it sweeter)
2 ice cubes (or just omit because the frozen berries make them kind of pointless)

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately. (If the smoothie seems too thick, just add a bit more pomegranate juice.)

Mini Pear Loaves

This recipe is originally for pear ginger "bread" (not sure why it's called bread though as it's really more muffin/loaf-y). Anyway I thought - pear and ginger? That sounds good. Well I was wrong! The recipe calls for 3 tbsp fresh ginger which is a lot of ginger, too much for me and I love ginger. But I think I prefer it in savoury things like beet and tofu salad. Or at least in the dried form for baked goods, though I've never tried crystallized ginger.

Anyway, the great thing about these little loaves is that they're so deliciously soft and the pear in them is just perfect and doesn't make them mushy, as I've found apples can in muffin recipes. I tried a pear, cardamom and pumpkin seed muffin version of this recipe and while I liked the sound of it, I didn't really like the cardamom in there. I plan to try out other variations on this recipe adding different spices, nuts and fruit (and of course I'd like to try out a version that involves chocolate!) I modified the recipe to be healthier, as with most other muffin recipes I make (unless I just want to go all out).

If this sounds good, you might like:
Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Almond Coconut Muffins
Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

Mini Pear Loaves
adapted from The Garden of Vegan

Makes 8 mini loaves or 12 muffins.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup applesauce
1 banana, mashed
1 large pear, cored and cubed
1/2 cup nuts or seeds (pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in sugar, apple juice, applesauce, banana, pear, and nuts/seeds. Stir together gently until "just mixed." Pour batter into a lightly oiled mini loaf pan or muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

A Neb at Nut Roast Event: Walnut and Mushroom Nut Roast

The lovely Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe is hosting an event called A Neb at Nut Roast. She loves nut roasts (a savoury vegetarian loaf made of nuts and other things that is kind of like meatloaf) and is wanting other people to share the love. I jumped on the chance to be a part of this, intrigued by the mysterious loaf. My adopted blogger, Holler, made a nut roast a couple of months ago and I was really interested to try my own.

Unfortunately I did not find a new and exciting recipe. I wanted to try out a recipe from Johanna's blog. A funny thing happened - I was telling my mom how I was going to make a nut roast and this was a great new adventure and exciting thing. Then she told me, didn't you make one of those years ago and how it was pretty good. I vaguely remember this nut loaf and couldn't remember where I possibly got the recipe from. Nut roast/loaf recipes are not something I've often come across in vegetarian cooking. Anyway I think I found it in 365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian.

So as my second nut roast experience, I know I'll definitely be making it again. I love one dish meals and this is perfect for that - with a salad or some random vegetable like broccoli on the side it's the perfect satisfying healthy meal. For me, I don't think it needs gravy or a sauce but I'm sure it would be yummy. I'll be making a nut roast for future Thanksgiving dinners and anytime meals. As for this particular nut roast, it was very tasty. Though I only remembered to add the soy milk halfway through the baking time, so that could account for it not sticking together at all. I loved the sunflower seeds, and I wasn't sure that I'd like the sun dried tomatoes because I sometimes find them too tangy, but they were a great addition.

Thanks Johanna for hosting this event and pushing me to try out a nut roast again! For those who want to participate, you have until Friday the 18th to make and post about your delicious nut roast.

Walnut and Mushroom Nut Roast
slightly adapted from Green Gourmet Giraffe who adapted it from Leah Leneman

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup soy milk
1 cup dried whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 cup basil, freeze dried*
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp A1 steak sauce**
sea salt to taste

Heat oil in large frypan. Sauté onion over medium heat until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté an additional 5 minutes until mushrooms are cooked. (The recipe says tenderized but this just reminds me of meat too much. I also followed the recipe and just sautéed the onions and mushrooms together but I felt the onions needed more time than the mushrooms – although they were fine in the loaf.)

While the vegetables are sautéing you could dry fry walnuts until they smell roasted. Then process walnuts and sunflower seeds in food processor until coarsely ground.

Mix mushroom mixture, walnut mixture and remaining ingredients. Spoon into lined (with parchment paper or aluminum foil) loaf pan. Press the mixture into the tin with the back of a spoon. Bake in moderate oven for about 45 minutes. Stand 5 minutes.

*Fresh is of course better
**Original recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce but that has anchovies in it.

My 100th Post! And Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

This is my 100th post! I don't have anything exciting to celebrate it with but this banana bread was pretty delicious. I rarely make banana bread because when I was growing up my mom always made it. It was yummy but I guess lost its magical appeal. She never put walnuts or chocolate chips in it though, and this was actually my first time putting chocolate chips in banana bread. I like to maintain this image in my mind of banana bread being healthy and if I put chocolate chips in it, well it just makes it a little more difficult to believe! But I thought if I cut down the sugar a lot (to 2 tablespoons) and only put a small amount of chocolate chips, it wouldn't be a terribly unhealthy snack. And thus begins my love of this chocolate walnut banana bread.

I haven't used my mini loaf pans for a while and forgot how great little loaves are. In the recipe I wrote that you can use either oat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. The oat flour makes it much denser, but I loved it that way. If that's not quite for you, try the whole wheat pastry flour. It will still be a dense muffin but lightens it up a bit.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Earl Grey White Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Healthy Banana Bran Muffins
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins

Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread
Adapted from How It All Vegan!

Makes 1 loaf, 6 mini loaves, or 12 small-ish muffins

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR oat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chocolate chips, optional*

Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until very mushy, then add the applesauce, sugar, and walnuts and stir together.

In a separate large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour), salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and mix together gently until "just mixed". Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan (or muffin pan) and bake for 40-50 minutes**. Test with a toothpick or a knife to see if done.

*Use nondairy chocolate chips or omit them to make this vegan.
**The first time I made these, I used mini loaf pans and I can't remember how long it took. I would check them around 25 minutes and see how they are. Maybe even 20 minutes.

Corn Chowder

I'm a day late for the No Croutons Required event but hopefully the lovely Holler & Lisa will still accept my entry! This month it's spicy soups, and I have to admit that I don't love eating a lot of spicy food. I'd rather be able to taste my food with only a bit of spiciness, and not have my nose start running! (Though occasionally I do love eating sushi with tons of wasabi, but that's a different kind of spicy.) The soup I made was corn chowder, and the original recipe calls for 2 jalapeño peppers but I am wimpy so I only put in one.

When I was growing up, I loved that my birthday was in August because it meant I got to eat corn on the cob for my birthday. Now I often forget about corn, so it was great to come across a recipe for corn chowder. I'm really on a soup kick right now, which has not yet been evidenced in my blog but trust me when I say there are many soups to come! I'm loving soups because they're something that are relatively easy to make, you always get leftovers, and they can often be quite healthy.

I loved how thick and filling the soup was. I'd like to try and create my perfect corn chowder so to make this soup again, I'd try swapping out the potatoes for sweet potatoes, use less rosemary (as I'm not a big fan), use more onion, and maybe try adding another herb. I just realized that I photographed this soup in the exact same way, in the exact same bowl as I did for the last No Croutons Required Soup! How unimaginative. Or maybe it should be a tradition or maybe I need to get more soup bowls!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Parmesan Corn Risotto Cakes

Corn Chowder
adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Serves 4 as a meal.

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice (approximately 3 carrots)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
A few dashes black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups frozen corn kernels
2 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bay leaf
Pinch cayenne
1/4 cup plain soy milk
2 tsp maple syrup

In stockpot sauté the onions, bell peppers, carrots and jalapeño in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt; sauté 1 minute more. Add the broth, corn, potatoes, bay leaf and cayenne. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender. Uncover and simmer 120 minutes more to let the liquid reduce a bit.

Remove the bay leaf and puree half the chowder either using a hand held blender or by transferring half the chowder to a blender, pureeing till smooth, and adding back to soup. Add the soy milk and maple syrup, and simmer 5 more minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Alright time for something a little healthier than apple pie-cake, chocolate oatmeal coconut cookies and earl grey white chocolate muffins (though I promise there are many more baked goods to come). The cookbook How It All Vegan! never fails to disappoint me. The recipes are always simple, made with ingredients you probably already have at home, often healthy, and of course so delicious. That goes for their other cookbook The Garden of Vegan too, and I'm sure for La Dolce Vegan but I don't have that one yet.

A while ago I saw these beautiful roasted goat cheese-stuffed squash on use real butter. (Go check out her blog - the photos are amazing!) I had stuffed squash on the brain and I was happy to come across this recipe for stuffed spaghetti squash in How It All Vegan.

The filling was incredibly tasty, even though I added 1 cup of onion instead of 1 whole onion (not sure what was going on there). Next time I'd add more lentils to make it more of a substantial and filling meal, instead of just a side dish. And perhaps just make a bit more stuffing to balance out all the squash.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Squash & Aged White Cheddar Tart with Sage and Roasted Garlic Custard
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Sweet Potato Badi
Pasta with Tofu Red Pepper Sauce

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
slightly adapted from How It All Vegan!

1 medium or large spaghetti squash, halved and cored
1 medium onion, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 cup cooked or canned lentils*
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the seeds, but leave the meat. Lay squash face up on cookie sheet. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, saute the onions and mushrooms in oil on medium-high heat until onions are translucent. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, lentils and bread crumbs and cook for 3 minutes more. Spoon the stuffing into each half of the squash and bake in oven for 30 minutes** or until squash can be pierced easily with a fork. Note: If your squash won't lay flat on your cookie sheet, you can cut a bit off the bottom.

*I used red split lentils. 3/4 cup of dry red split lentils made 1 cup of cooked lentils.
**Mine took 50-60 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

This is my entry for Holler and Lisa's new food blog event, No Croutons Required. The theme this month is vegetarian soups - though I'm not sure if chili would be considered a soup? This is more stew-ish anyway so let's call it a very chunky and delicious soup!

I'm not usually a fan of chili, probably due to all the ground meat (or in my case it would be fake ground round/meat). But as I said, this isn't your regular chili. I'm kind of obsessed with sweet potatoes - or maybe not obsessed but if anything has sweet potatoes in it, I want to eat it. So the fact that this "chili" is full of sweet potatoes definitely helps, and combined with the onions makes it slightly sweet. I cut back on how spicy it was so feel free to add cayenne, extra chili powder or some jalapeno peppers to this.

This chili is simple, very easy to make, filling, healthy and yummy! What more can you ask for? It was a great discovery for me for something quick and healthy to make on a weeknight.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa
Sweet Potato Badi
Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian

Serves 3-4 as a meal.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 28-oz (796mL) cans diced tomatoes
2 19-oz (540mL) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp crumbled dried oregano

Heat the oil in a large saucepan* or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the onions are soft - about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and the cumin and cook for another minute or so. Add the vgetable broth and the cubed sweet potatoes, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender - about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with all the juice from the can, the beans, salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then let simmer until the potatoes are completely tender - about 20 minutes.

*Go for the Dutch oven if you can, unless your saucepan is really very large.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I'm now balancing out my last post about gooey caramel cookies with this one about healthy muffins! It's actually quite possible that modifying muffin recipes to make them healthier has helped me become a more adventurous cook and baker. If it's a new recipe, sometimes I'll only modify a few things or if I'm feeling crazy I might modify a lot. I remember when there was no way I could possibly deviate from a recipe - vanilla extract instead of almond? White wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar? Inconceivable!

Anyway, I'm incredibly happy with this muffin recipe. It's 100% whole wheat, uses no butter or oil, and is full of blueberries and nuts. I've been making these muffins every week, slowly tweaking the recipe. These muffins are a bit dense but in a perfect healthy muffin way. I, of course, still love my fluffy, soft, sweet, cake-y muffins, but for something I can eat everyday and feel good about, these muffins are perfect.

Tips for making healthier muffins:
-replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour, or replace half with whole wheat flour and the other half with whole wheat pastry flour (the idea is to figure out a good balance of flours that are healthier but still produce a yummy soft baked good)
-try different types of flour (ex. spelt, amaranth)- an easy one is grinding oatmeal in a food processor or blender until it's fine like flour
-replace the oil with applesauce
-use "flax eggs" instead of eggs, or add ground flax to your muffin batter
-try reducing the sugar by 1/4 of the amount or more
-add fruits, nuts and/or seeds
-add cinnamon or your favourite spice to give it more flavour
-use muffin liners instead of oiling your muffin tin (this one I don't like because it involves using paper that's not really needed)

Other healthy muffins:
Banana Bran
Pumpkin Banana
Almond Coconut

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Inspired by The Garden of Vegan

Makes 8 good size muffins. This recipe is easily doubled.

1/2 cup 1% milk
1 cup oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon flax seeds
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts (I usually use almonds, pecans or walnuts)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare muffin tins with muffin cup liners.

2. Prepare the "flax eggs" by first grinding the flax seeds. Add the water to the ground flax seeds and blend together until it starts to thicken up a bit.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the "flax eggs", milk, applesauce, vanilla and sugar. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and gently fold together. Gently stir in the blueberries and nuts. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Suggested modifications: Make these muffins with your favourite dried chopped fruit instead of the blueberries, and use 3/4 cup or 1 cup of milk instead. Replace the milk with soy milk to make these vegan. I like my muffins a bit drier so you might prefer to add up to 1 cup of milk.

Note: I put a vegan tag on these muffins because they can easily be veganized by using soy milk instead of cow's milk (since they contain no eggs or butter). I am not intending to imply that cow's milk is vegan.

Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini

I love trying out different variations of pesto and since fresh basil is only available for a limited time every year (which makes me very sad), I try to find decent substitutions. This pesto surprised me with how well it turned out. The bit of freeze dried basil that I added gave the pesto enough basil taste for a person to not be able to tell that it wasn't made with basil. I was happy that it tasted like regular pesto even thought it's made with spinach instead of basil, walnuts instead of pine nuts, and no Parmesan cheese. I added some ground flax seeds (I was adding them to everything for a while) and smoked tofu (which was a bit overpowering when eating the leftovers). The raw garlic made the pesto a bit spicy, so next time I'd either use half as much or maybe roast it. Overall a great discovery and a recipe I will make again. And full of healthy spinach!

Oh and if you have yet to try smoked tofu, you must make every effort to find it! The taste and texture are similar to smoked gouda, at least to me. My mom who isn't a big fan of tofu really likes it, so it could be a good way to get non-tofu lovers to eat tofu and/or as a "gateway" tofu product.

Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini
modified from Quick-Fix Vegetarian

makes about 1 1/2 cups, serves 2-3 when with pasta

3 cups fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 tbsp freeze dried basil
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil

1 block of smoked tofu (about 8 oz)

Cook your favourite whole wheat pasta (I'm sorry I can't remember how much I cooked, but if you have leftover you can make pasta salad?).

Meanwhile, steam the spinach over boiling water for 1 minute, or wilt it in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Mince the garlic with the salt in a food processor. Squeeze any moisture from the spinach and add to the food processor along with the parsley, basil, flax seeds and walnuts. Puree until smooth. Add the olive oil gradually and process to a smooth paste.

Cut up smoked tofu into squares or small strips. In the pot that you cooked the pasta in, add the pesto and the tofu. Heat over low until tofu is hot.

Panko-Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Lemon-Caper Sauce

I know that this picture does not look so awesome and it's possible you're thinking the food itself doesn't look so great either, but I'm telling you it is! This is another recipe I tried out from one of my quick vegetarian meal cookbooks, Quick Fix Vegetarian, though unfortunately this was not a quick meal. It was actually kind of aggravating to make when I just wanted something fast.

Nevertheless, it turned out very tasty. You're supposed to coat slices of tofu in panko (Japanese bread crumbs that I've wanted to try out forever) and then pan fry them (and this was supposed to be a healthy cookbook?) Well the panko didn't want to stick to the tofu in the way the recipe suggested it would, so that part of the recipe was not so successful. Part of that could be due to my weak frying skills. The incredibly delicious and successful part was the sauce though! Oh what a wonderful wonderful sauce. I really wasn't expecting much from it but it far surpassed any expectations and made the longer preparation time worth it.

There was something so tasty about the combination of flavours - wine, onions, lemon. Next time I would chop the capers though as getting a bite of one is a bit too much for me, but I do like what they add to the sauce. And I know I could more finely chop my onions but I don't have a lot of patience to finely chop vegetables, especially when the knives we have aren't that sharp (ie. if I'm chopping leeks, I have to saw through them). I wouldn't make this exact recipe again but I will definitely make the sauce again. Maybe I'll use it on baked tofu, or over mashed potatoes, or sweet potatoes mmm. Let me know if you have a good idea for what I can do with this sauce!

Panko-Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Lemon-Caper Sauce
slightly modified from Quick Fix Vegetarian (Robin Robertson)

serves 2 as main or 4 as part

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup water
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional as needed
1 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup onions, minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons margarine/butter
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus additional for garnish

Combine the tahini and water in a shallow bowl until blended. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Place the panko in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the tofu slices with salt and pepper to taste, then dip them into the tahini mixture and then into the panko crumbs. Fry the tofu on hot oil, turning once, lightly browned, working in batches as necessary. Remove the tofu from the skillet and keep warm.

In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the capers, white wine, and vegetable broth and reduce by one-quarter. Stir in the margarine, lemon juice, and the 2 tablespoons parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the tofu and garnish with parsley.

My notes: I didn't end up using all of the panko, or even half of them so I would just pour out a bit to start and add more as needed. I also didn't use up all of the water/tahini paste, so you could try halving that as well. The paste was very watery so perhaps add more tahini than the recipe calls for, which will hopefully help the panko stick to the tofu.

Pasta with Tofu Red Pepper Sauce

Since I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time to cook when I went back to school, I got a couple of cookbooks to help me prepare quick and healthy meals (The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet & Quick Fix Vegetarian). I don't like agonizing over what recipes to make each week so I'm not too picky when choosing my meals (though recently I haven't been using any recipes because I've had so many exams.) I've found some pretty good recipes for the most part, though some (particular in The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet) were too bland as is so they need to be modified a bit for next time, and some recipes were certainly not quick.

This recipe for pasta with red pepper sauce was one of the recipes that is an interesting idea but needs some additions to make it delicious. It's definitely not your ordinary pasta sauce as it uses silken tofu for its base. Two great things about this sauce are that it's super easy having only 2 ingredients (roasted red peppers and silken tofu, though in the future I will modify it to add more) and that it uses something I need to eat more of (tofu!) I had never thought of using tofu in a pasta sauce before so I was really intrigued. It turned out alright but wasn't super flavourful. I've already started composing a list of things I would add to it next time to make it better, such as: garlic, herbs, more mixed veggies (particularly green onions or sauteed red onions), nuts, parmesan cheese, and pureeing in wilted spinach. The recipe definitely has possibilities and I'm glad I tried it!

Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce
from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet

12 ounces whole wheat pasta, any short chunky shape
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
12.3 ounce package firm silken tofu
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the peas in for the last minute or two to heat them. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in butter to melt.

2. Meanwhile, combine the peppers and tofu in a food processor and process until smoothly pureed.

3. Combine the sauce with the pasta and peas in the pot and stir together. Cook just until the sauce is heated through. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Optional add in ideas: garlic, herbs, more mixed veggies (particularly green onions or sauteed red onions), nuts, parmesan cheese, and pureeing in wilted spinach

Hummus

I want to like hummus because it's a really healthy dip and I know I need to eat more beans. I've never really liked it though. I was flipping through How It All Vegan for bean recipes and saw that they had Holy Moly Hummus. This series of vegan cookbooks has never let me down and I'm always pleasantly surprised with how things turn out so I figured I had to try it.

It turned out really well and will now be my go to hummus recipe. I'd like to try adding roasted garlic next time. This post is pretty unexciting but trust me, the delicious hummus recipe makes up for it! You must try it, whether you are a hummus lover or disliker (as I was).

Holy Moly Hummus
adapted from How It All Vegan

Makes approximately 2 cups.

1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
splash of olive oil
2 1/2 cups cooked OR canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3/4 cup tahini (about 200 grams)
1 1/2 tbsp Braggs OR soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice OR 1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, saute onions and garlic in a splash of oil on medium heat until onions are translucent. In a blender or food processor, blend the sauteed onions, chickpeas, tahini, Braggs/soy sauce, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne and salt until you reach desired consistency.

Bulghur Grape Salad

Another salad from a cookbook that's becoming one of my favourites, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. The recipe for bulghur grape salad caught my eye a few times but bulghur is not something I just happen to have around the house so I couldn't make it without a trip to Galloways. I've never had bulghur before and I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, but I want to try out all the different kinds of grains (amaranth, quinoa, millet, barley, etc) and incorporate them more into my diet. Some I'm more familiar with like barley and somewhat quinoa, but I've yet to make anything with millet and amaranth (though they're both waiting patiently in my cupboard!)

I was surprised at how delicious this salad was. I've never had a salad like this before, not only with bulghur but also combining grapes with other veggies. And oh those grapes were so good and crisp. I wish all grapes were crisp like that. I loved the surprising crunch and sweetness that they added to the salad - it definitely wouldn't have been the same without them. I thought the dressing smelled a bit strong at first with the cumin and coriander. Once I mixed everything together and served it with greens, I discovered that the dressing was mild and perfectly accentuated the ingredients in the salad. One reason, among many, to love this salad is how healthy it is: a mixture of fresh veggies, omega-3 filled walnuts, and too many health benefits to list whole grain bulghur.

Bulghur Grape Salad
from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

2 cups raw bulghur
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 cup minced red onions
2 cups (8 ounces) walnut halves
2 cups (12 ounces) rinsed and stemmed seedless red grapes

Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

mixed greens

Place the bulghur in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over it, cover and set aside to soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

While the bulghur soaks, cut the cucumber lengthwise into halves, then again in half lengthwise. Slice all 4 long strips crosswise into thin bite-sized pieces.* Stem, seed, and chop the bell pepper. Place the cucumbers, peppers, and minced red onions into a serving bowl and set aside.

Toast the walnuts in a single layer on an unoiled baking tray in a toaster oven at 350F for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Let them cool slightly and coarsely chop. Cut each grape into halves. Add the walnuts and grapes to the serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lal of the dressing ingredients.

When the bulghur has softened, fluff it with a for and refrigerate it, uncovered, until cooled to at least room temperature. Add the cooled bulghur to the serving bowl, pour on the dressing, and toss well.

Serve with mixed greens, sharp-tasting sprouts or whatever you like.

*The recipe suggests you peel and seed the cucumber, but why waste a good cucumber?! Unless the skin is really tough.

Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad

I'm currently loving the interesting and different salads in Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special, and their Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad is no exception. I wasn't sure what the marinade would taste like and I was a bit wary of the fennel seeds, but wow I cannot believe how good it smelled as the vegetables were roasting with the marinade. What a wonderful combination of flavours!

The original recipe called for double the amount of vegetables (which is why there's 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a cucumber in my version), but I halved it because I wanted to add barley to make it a more substantial meal. Feel free to double the veggies and omit the barley if that's what you'd prefer. I also added the walnuts and sunflower seeds for some delicious nutrition. I ate the salad at room temperature the first time and it was good, but when I had it the next day after it had time to sit in the fridge and the flavours had mingled, it was so much more delicious. I really loved the combination of roasted veggies with raw cucumber and tomato, plus the marinade was so good.

Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad
(adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special)

1/2 cup raw barley (pearl or pot)
2 cups water

Marinade
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil*
1 to 1/2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Vegetables
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, trimmed and halved (quartered or cut into 8 if large)
1 tomato
1/2 a cucumber

1/2 cup grated feta
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 500F.

Place the barley and water in a saucepan, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat until most of the water has been absorbed and the barley is soft, about 40 minutes. When the barley is tender, drain it in a colander.

While the barley is cooking, combine the marinade ingredients by whirling briefly in a blender or food processor, or by whisking them in a bowl. Set aside. On a large baking pan with raised sides, spread out the sweet potato, red pepper, onions, and mushrooms and drizzle with about 1/2 of the marinade. Right on the baking tray, toss the vegetables with the marinade until evenly coated. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until tender and slightly browned.

While the vegetables roast, dice the tomatoes and cucumber.** Place them in a serving bowl. Add the drained barley. Drizzle with the remaining marinade and toss well. With a slotted spatula, transfer the roasted vegetables to the bowl and toss well.

Serve immediately, or at room temperature, or chilled. Top each portion with feta.

*I used freeze dried basil and I can't remember how much I put.
**The recipe suggests you peel and seed the cucumber, but I like eating the whole cucumber plus I don't want to throw good cucumber away! It's up to you what you want to do though.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I really needed to make the effort to incorporate beans into my diet. Not only are they good for you but as a vegetarian, I think they should be included in at least a meal or two every week. Unfortunately up until this point, I have been a very bad bean fearing vegetarian. Because you see, I don't really love beans. The first bean dish that I liked was seven layer dip, but then the beans are covered by other delicious things like guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes and green onions. Then I discovered that I liked refried beans. But I haven't really explored the world of beans too much aside from that.

I've made a few dishes with chickpeas, though I don't really like chickpeas (aside from in hummus, delicious! - I still remember the time when I was on an airplane and my vegetarian meal was a bun with a few chickpeas in it...) I thought that if I made the beans from scratch (buy dried beans instead of canned), that might make the whole thing more exciting for me so I'd be looking forward to eating beans. I haven't done that yet, but I am becoming more accepting of beans. I think I need to find one or two kinds that I like and then find dishes that use them.

My issue with beans reminds me of Jeffrey Steingarten's book The Man Who Ate Everything. Great book by the way, highly recommend it. Anyway, he talks about how there were foods that he didn't like (I can't remember them now but I think one of them was Greek salad and possibly organ meats?). So what he did was he decided to expose himself to those foods enough, which resulted in him shedding his picky eater ways. Now in my head when I think of something I don't like but I know I should eat (ie. beans), I think of him and it makes it easier to know that one day I will like something I previously didn't.

Once I decided I needed to eat more beans, I started looking through my cookbooks' indexes to find something tasty. One of the first things I saw caught my eye: sweet potato and black bean salsa. Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite veggies (or technically tubers?) and one of my favourite things in general to eat, so how could I go wrong? And then I read the description above the recipe, which said "great for Halloween!" (since black beans = black, sweet potato = orange) and I was totally sold. (Halloween and the month leading up to it, the time of year, all the decorations, the spooky stories, and all of that wonderful stuff are all my favourite things.)

I had read through the entire recipe before going out to buy ingredients, but when I started making it, I completely forgot that I was going to half it (since it makes I think it was 7 cups of salsa!) That is an absolute ton of salsa for one person to eat. Luckily other people liked it so I constantly told them to eat it. I'm actually amazed that we got through the whole thing. Mostly I used the salsa to make quesadillas (just with the salsa and some cheese). So delicious. Other people wished it was spicier, and I would've been okay with that but I didn't have a problem with it the way it was. I was scared that the sweet potato would be too mushy once it was cooked and chopped but it held up just fine. The addition of pumpkin seeds was also festive, and nutritious! I've only made salsa a couple of times before and I haven't yet made a more traditional salsa. I think I'm scared of messing it up since I love salsa so much. I would definitely make this salsa again though, and surprisingly I wished that there were more beans in the salsa!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa
(adapted from Entertaining for A Veggie Planet)

Makes 7 cups

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2), peeled & quartered
2 1/4 cups finely chopped tomatoes
1 13-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup fresh lime juice*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool.

2. While waiting for the sweet potatoes to cool, put together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Once the sweet potatoes are cool, finely chop them and add them to everything else. Mix well.

*For some reason the recipe says this is 6 limes but for me it was 2.

French Barley Salad

I was flipping through Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special and came across this recipe for French barley salad. It had lemon and dill (I really should use dill more often) in the dressing so I thought alright that sounds like it could be good. And oh man was it good. This has fast become one of my favourite recipes that I've come across in any cookbook. Actually this cookbook could possibly be one of my new favourites, but I haven't made enough from it yet to be sure. The tofu and beet salad was a good start as my first recipe tried from Daily Special though so I think this cookbook has great potential!

I love this salad because it has so much good stuff in it and is so very tasty. The next time I make it, I'd like to try and cut back a bit on the oil though. I love that it uses barley, which I haven't had in so long but now that I'm reminded of its delicious existence, will be eating more often. There's a good vairety of veggies in here too with green beans, red peppers, carrots and mushrooms. The mushrooms are marinated in the dressing and turn out so yummy. And there are walnuts (rich in omega-3s! And they have other wonderful health benefits that I can't remember right now because I'm tired and would have to go find the magazine I read it in - alright fine I'm going to find the magazine now. Omega-3s help protect against depression, heart disease and Alzheimer's. They also have something in them that helps "inhibit the absorption of cholesterol".) The only downside to this salad is that it's best eaten the day it's made, unless you keep the green beans and walnuts separate. But then the marinated mushrooms start to become incredibly mushy as the days go on.

In conclusion, this is a wonderful salad that I highly suggest you all try. I know I'll be making it many times in the future. It's substantial enough to eat for a meal by itself, but it also makes a great side dish salad.

French Barley Salad
(from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special)

1/2 cup raw barley*
2 cups water

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 1/2 tsp dried or 2 tsp freeze dried)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup halved or quartered mushrooms***
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup cut green beans, trimmed and halved
1 cup thinly sliced red or yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons butter
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Using a strainer, rinse the barley and drain. In a small heavy skillet on low heat, roast the barley until fragrant and beginning to brown. Place the barley and water in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat until most of the water has been absorbed and the barley is soft, about 40 minutes.

While the barley cooks, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. In a separated bowl, pour half of the dressing over th emushrooms and set aside. Blanch the carrots in boiling water for baout 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large serving bowl. Blanch the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Stir the bell peppers and parsley and marinated mushrooms into the bowl of carrots.

In a skillet, heat the butter. When it sizzles, saute the walnuts until they are coated and the butter begins to brown. Remove from the heat.

When the barley is tender, drain it in a colander. Add the drained barley and the remaining dressing to the serving bowl and mix well. Allow the sald to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, gently toss the green beans and walnuts into the salad.

*The recipe calls for pearl barley but I used pot and it was fine. I would also try using a different grain/seed, such as amaranth, quinoa, millet, etc.
**I plan to add more mustard next time since I love Dijon mustard, and the taste isn't even noticeable in the dressing in this amount.
***The mushrooms I used were big, about 1 oz each, so I cut them into 8.

Notes: To make the recipe healthier, try using less oil. Also, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet or oven instead of in a skillet with butter. This recipe doubles very well.

Jerk Tofu

In my continued quest for tofu marinades, I tried out jerk tofu. If you're looking for a tofu marinade that's different and possibly something you haven't tasted before, definitely try out Isa's recipe. I've never tried anything with jerk seasonings so I had no idea what to expect, and nothing to compare it against. Which isn't very useful to those of you wondering how accurate it is, sorry. But for those of you who are feeling adventurous, it's still good right? (The few times I've seen places serving jerk marinated things, they've been meat. What's with that.) Anyway, the marinade combines all sorts of crazy things together like cinnamon, cayenne, thyme, maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger, onion and lime (among many other things). I have this idea in my head that things seasoned with jerk spices/marinades are supposed to be burnt. I don't know why or where that came from, but the burnt looking parts of the tofu didn't taste burnt. (Here's a picture of someone else's jerk tofu that may have been from the same recipe I used, only baked instead of pan fried.)

My apologies for this lackluster post. I'm not feeling very inspired right now. My fridge seems to be broken and I fear for the lives of all the food living in it. Well I think it's past that point now, so I'm just avoiding eating any of it until the fridge is fixed tomorrow (and new food is bought). I did use a melon baller for the first time today on a watermelon. That was insanely fun. I need my own melon baller now, and a giant watermelon so I can scoop and scoop large bowlfuls of perfect little watermelon balls.

Jerk Tofu
(from theppk by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

Ingredients
1lb extra firm tofu, pressed for at least an hour*

For the marinade:
1/2 large white onion, roughly choppped
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
juice of 2 limes
zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (or one if you don't want it too spicy)

1. Puree all ingredients for the marinade.

2. Slice the pressed tofu into long triangles like this:
Slice into eigths width-wise
Slice each eigth in half into a long triangle

3. Marinade tofu in a bowl for an hour covered adjusting slices once.

4. Prepare the skillet with a thin coat of olive oil and turn heat to medium high. When pan is hot, lay tofu in a sigle layer. Cook for 8 minutes on each side.

*To press tofu, wrap in paper towels or a clean dish towel and press under the weight of a heavy object, such as a skillet with a heavy book in it. Turn over after 1/2 hour. This will get the water out and allow the tofu to soak up more of the marinade.

Easy, Yummy, Tasty, Healthy!

This meal is easy, delicious, and healthy. You really don't need a recipe to make it, though of course I used one. I did however modify the recipe a bit, because you know I'm so daring. The original recipe is from the Rebar cookbook, that I love. I love the balsamic vinegar used to glaze the vegetables after roasting them. And I think that the roasted garlic cloves really add something wonderful to this dish. I know it's such a simple dish, but I had to post about it because it's so good and so easy. A perfect meal during the week when you don't want to think about what to make, or a great way to use up all the random vegetables, nuts and cheese you have at the end of the week.

Linguine with Balsamic-Glazed Roasted Vegetables
(adapted from the Rebar cookbook)

Serves 2 (but easily doubled or quadrupled or whatever you want)

1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
1 red onion
1 garlic bulb
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 tsp red chile flakes (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp freeze dried basil OR 1/2 cup chopped basil OR 2 tsp dried basil*
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
1/2 lb (225g) whole wheat linguine
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese**

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Heat a large pot of water on the stove to boil the pasta.

2. Slice zucchini into 1/8" thick half-moon slices. Halve, seed and cut pepper into 3/4" dice. Slice thick strips of red onion. Separate, peel and slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise.*** Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and chile flakes. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet or a big casserole dish and roast in the oven until golden and tender (30-40 minutes, or not as long if you like). Stir the vegetables halfway through.

3. When the vegetables are just about cooked, start to cook the pasta. Salt he pasta water and cook the linguine until al dente. Strain and toss with a light coat of olive oil (optional, unless the pasta is done way before the vegetables, then you'd want to add the oil so the noodles become a big clump).

4. When the vegetables are ready, remove them from the oven and add the basil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with more salt, cracked pepper, or balsamic. Toss vegetables with the pasta and serve with freshly grated cheese and pine nuts.

*I love basil and this is what the recipe calls for, but you can of course use whatever herbs you like (rosemary, parsley, thyme, etc).
**Or whatever other kind of cheese you like. A hard cheese would probably be best. Omit the cheese for a vegan meal.
***These are just suggestions from the cookbook about how to cut the vegetables but you can just go crazy and cut them however you like.