Vegan Summer Heirloom Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (. . . feeding my "inner fashionista" hand sewing Alabama Chanin and joining Sew-a-longs)

The tomatoes have been piling up here. I had to do something. So I did Italian of course. Not that I needed a recipe to create a perfect fresh tomato sauce with pasta dinner. I didn't. But I believe anything Italian made well can be made even better with little pearls of wisdom from Marcella Hazan. Made with 2 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes, a half stick of vegan butter, an onion (peeled and cut into quarters), five cloves of garlic and cooked this according to Marcella at "a very slow but steady simmer for 45 minutes . . . until the fat floats from from the tomato". Her basic sauce omits the garlic and I can appreciate that option. But as far as I'm concerned, it's not really edible Italian Sauce without the garlic. I tasted the sauce while it was simmering without the garlic, it was "okay". As the sauce simmered, I thought it needed some umph: so I also added a fresh zucchini, a carrot, some celery and a can of garbanzo beans. This was a scrumptious meal. 

And an even better leftover the next night. 

I also added fresh basil and oregano from the garden, too--but toward the end of cooking. 

Finally, I hit it with some balsamic vinegar. Perfecto!

Smoky Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad with Fresh Basil (Plus: It-Took-Me-Two-Nights Crocheted Farmers Market Bag)

If I get to a point where the dish rack has to be relocated to accommodate tomatoes on the kitchen counter, then this happens. I guess I could have made salsa, but that's usually what I want to do come September when the prospect of losing my plants to an early frost (and visions of us starving during a cold winter) sets in. 

Does the world need another pasta salad recipe? I think yes! I have a trick to making a dizzying good pasta salad, I always add a squeeze or two of Dijon mustard and tomato paste to the mix. I love Dijon mustard. Any interpretation of "pasta salad" works--to me, it's all in the dressing. And based upon your own particular preference, adding more acid to the salad or more oil is completely fine. Just taste as you make.

Spinach Artichoke Rigatoni: No Cheese, No Problem (And. . . More Fall Hikes)

We've been having a swell time playing catch up with our outdoor activities. (And I've been playing catch up with blogging--as evidenced by my "oopsie" in somehow hitting the "publish" button prior to adding my verbiage to this post! Hey, it's Monday. . . I'm almost fifty, etc.)

 So we spent the better part of the weekend "outside". It was gorgeous here. When we got home yesterday afternoon, I wanted a really homey, yummy pasta dish. Lucky for me, the Pioneer Woman posted her lovely spinach artichoke pasta dish--complete with gobs of cheese and real milk. It looked divine and I HAD to have some. NOW. 

Diversions And Delusions (There Be Wool: Knitters Unite . . . And Colbert's Feet to Benefit)

It's officially summer. I'm officially ready for winter. So much so that I've begun my "winter knitting"--starting first with a beautiful cowl (the Honey cowl) in Kelly Green--for obvious reasons this color speaks to me. I love, love, love knitting this cowl. The textured pattern is both squishy and fluid--better yet--I can practically manage working it with my eyes closed. It's a simple and brilliant design. Who knew that a mere "wyif" and "p1"  combination could create such a wonderful little experience. It does. It has. 

Vegan Mushroom Lasagna in Velvety Bechamel Sauce (Learning to Knit Lace Again: A Black Shawl State of Mind)

This is one of the many nights I hadn't a clue as to what we'd be having for dinner--with about an hour to spare before Dr. Thyme came home, I was sort of in a pinch. I was in no mood to run to the store either. To be honest I was having one of my "shut-in" periods: times when being amongst the masses of other three o'clock grocery store scavangers sounded about as appealing as having my eyelashes removed one at a time by a trained monkey. No thanks. I had a limited amount of energy in my reserves and figured, whatever it was I made for dinner would most certainly have to last at least two nights. I was in a non-cooking frame of mind. It happens. I'm Almost Fifty. Hormonal. What can I say.

Asparagus Lover's Pasta (How My May Garden Grows, A Good Book And Other Life Stuff Keeping Me from "Here")

I am still recovering from my trip to Home Depot yesterday: twice! For future reference--if I should EVER want to attempt Mother's Day insanity again, I shall recall the following: navigating the parking lot took fifteen minutes, a quarter tank of gas and several near misses of folks wandering aimlessly, weaving in and out of moving and non-moving cars, throngs of people hovering over plants, grown children (all with mothers I'd assumed), wondering aloud or to complete strangers if this or that plant . . . bird feeder . . . plant stand, patio chair or, believe it or not, riding lawn mower--might be something mom would like? (For the record: Yes. To all of the above.) I sort of have issues on Mother's Day. To alleviate any and all pain, I immerse myself in all things "outside". With DH by my side, we dug holes, argued, laughed, put up a fence and finally at the end of it all, spent the evening telling each other how much fun we had--and how it was a miracle neither one of us ended up divorced, needing a tetanus shot, breaking a bone or a fracturing a hand. It was one of those days only a married couple together nearly fifteen years could survive.

I add something to my garden to-do list every day. Going to sleep right now is a real joy. No sooner have I settled in to read (I'm currently reading: Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton and I LOVE it!)--than does some other little nifty "project" creep in. Since I am the "project doer"--I must immediately leap from bed, grab a pen, and up goes yet another Post-it note with said reminder on it. It's all quite maddening right now--these gardening to-do lists.  

Vegan Gnocchi a' la Parisienne: French Fridays with Dorie, Y'all!

I counted down the days to last night's French Fridays with Dorie cooking selection: vegan gnocchi. I'll be honest, this was a nail biter. Did I have the chops to pull it off? I needed to substitute butter, eggs, cheese AND whole milk. Each ingredient a French cooking mainstay. Each ingredient, a vegan cook's worst nightmare--especially when the ingredients ARE the recipe! However, chefs around the world have combined these simple (dare I say "peasant-like") ingredients to make the seemingly mundane into something to behold. Now the question was: Could I? See for yourself. I was so darn proud when this came out of the oven, I nearly cried. I spent the whole day speaking with a French accent and channeling Julia--I had even considered donning a French maid's outfit, feather duster and all--but didn't. My ego got such a boost from this reecipe, I think I'm ready to conquer vegan puff pastry. . . from scratch!

Vegan Baked Mustard, Cabbage and Potato Casserole (For a Very Snowy Day!)

 

The snow day we're having today (nearly five inches) means casserole time. I try really hard to not become a casserole queen in the winter. (Oh, don't think I couldn't.) It's almost too easy--the casserole. Sort of like the slow cooker, there aren't a lot of failures in either. (Well, the mush factor can nip you in the butt if you aren't careful with slow cooking, but pay even a little attention to what you're doing and you will be feasting on some good grub with very little work.)

Vegan Italian Meatballs with Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce (Pasta: The Other Comfort Food)

Before going to bed the other night, I had a vision of spaghetti and meatballs. It was nine at night, a little too late to do anything about it (and not that I would eat a plate of spaghetti before going to bed) but that's what I went to bed thinking about: a nice warm dish of pasta with amazing meatballs. I try not to dream about food too much, but it's difficult to control what happens once my eyes close. So yesterday morning when I woke up, I was FAMISHED (because I am once again trying to stick to my Eat to Live Fuhrman diet for at least two meals a day--trying to shed ten pounds). I have a physical with the doc coming up and nothing sends terror through my bones like having to weigh myself in front of a stranger with a clip board in hand. So, I headed straight for my slow cooker and began the prep for an all-day marinara sauce to accompany my meatball vision. Once the sauce prep was behind me, I knew the rest of the day would be a breeze. Plus the house smelled like a little Italian piece of heaven all day long.  

Fresh Homemade Basil Pasta Tossed with Sundried Tomatoes, Broccoli & Cauliflower in Mustard Cream Sauce (The Basil Chronicles in Summer)

The flavors of sweet basil embedded in the pasta was amazing against the backdrop of the creamy mustard and vinegar sauce paired with the crunchiness of fresh cauliflower and broccoli. Added to this was the tartness of the sundried tomatoes--all tossed together in a large bowl for WOW--probably the best new flavor experiment I've tried in many months!

Enter the season of fresh basil. An herb that happily makes it into nearly all my cooking from here on out--until our first freeze--and sometimes after. Basil is a cook's best Hot Weather friend. It LOVES the heat! It also loves pasta--and luckily, so do we.

I had a hankering for some fresh pasta. I am now proficient enough with my pasta making skills that I simply toss the "oo" flour into a bowl and work it together by "touch" until I think it is ready to be kneaded through several runs through the pasta machine. (The ONLY flour you should ever make fresh pasta from is "oo". Use semolina when you want to store your pasta--or dry it out--but for fresh, only "oo"--this can be found at amazon.com or at your local Italian grocer or at really swanky cooking supply stores). Fresh herb pasta is so simple, it ought to be a sin.

Cuttings from basil is a daily activity now. Just place some in a jar and set it next to your kitchen sink and I guarantee you will be using this magical herb daily--slap it between two slices of whole wheat bread and a swipe of vegan mayo--YUM! This here is your average, every-gardener-should-have basil: Genovese. I also freeze clusters of basil just as you see here. I simply place this entire bouquet of leaves into a freezer bag, make sure the air is out of the bag, and come December when I'm longing for the aroma of fresh basil for a lasagna dish, I crumble the green leaves into my pan and the next thing you know, the summer-basil-feeling is back--almost as if it were June again. Of course there is your vegan pesto you can freeze as well, but I prefer the crunched up frozen leaves. 

Red Rubin basil.

Boxwood basil.

Magical Michael basil.

Mammoth basil.

So yesterday, I longed for a pool to jump into as the heat index crept up to 110! I could slow cook a meal in that temperature for crying out loud! (Though lounging by a pool in a bathing suit did sound nice, the thought of facing a mirror in a two-piece did NOT.) I can't think of anything harder on the psyche than a woman my age trying on bathing suits--no matter how wonderful the More Magazine spread of "Look Good in A Swim Suit At Any Age" might be--(those women are all air brushed)--however, the airbrush is not in the fitting room at Kohl's with Vegan Thyme--and you know exactly what I'm talking about ladies! So, about the basil.

Vegan Artichoke Herb Tofu Ricotta Ravioli (Millet Potato Sesame Seed Ciabatta And Black Garlic Surprise!)

I'm being a realist here. I don't expect many folks to jump up and make this meal. Not everyone has three hours to prep for a meal. But for the record, let me say--this meal was divine. Really divine. (I could have offered you a better picture--I know the white on white doesn't offer much, but it WAS really late when we ate, and I wanted an outside shot!) This was a restaurant quality, savor-every-bite sort of meal. Making your own pasta dough transcends any kitchen experience one can have--plus uses up nearly every inch of counter space available, and as an added bonus, uses nearly every kitchen appliance, too. (I didn't use the toaster or hand blender.) I made a saffron, garlic and shallot cashew cream sauce to accompany this wonderful dish inspired by chef Tal Ronnen and his cookbook: The Conscious Cook. Uber creaminess of the cashews compliments of the Vitamix blender, of course! How to make cashew cream? Easy. Boil 2 cups cashews for about five minutes. Drain. Place in Vitamixer and cover with cold water. Blend until smooth! To flavor sauce, saute any onion, garlic or herb you'd like, then add a bit of cooking wine, allow to reduce, add your cashew cream--make it your own! So easy and simply amazing!

This is the stuffing--or what was left of the stuffing. Very, very simple and could suffice as a sauce for tossing with almost any pasta rather than just used as a stuffed pasta filling. 

1 can artichokes drained, chopped

4 garlic cloves minced

1 small shallot minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/3 cup white cooking wine

1 cup cashew cream

Heat a couple swirls of olive oil in a saute pan. Add artichokes, garlic, shallots and seasonings. Cook for about five minutes over medium heat. Add cooking wine. Allow to reduce for ten minutes. Then add cashew cream. Easy! Delish, too!

 I adapted Tal Ronnen's "Artichoke Ricotta Tortellini with Saffron Cream Sauce" recipe in The Conscious Cook and gave it my own spin, not least of which was using ravioli instead. It is quite amazing in its simplicity, but quite time consuming as well. I longed for a sous chef yesterday.

I like photos of freshly rolled pasta. (Some elbow grease and hard work went into these.) I used "oo" flour in my dough that I bought at an Italian grocery store here in St. Louis. I adapted Chef Tal's recipe for homemade vegan pasta dough this way: He calls for red palm oil to impart the egg yolk color. I opted for a pinch of tumeric. In place of the red palm oil amount, I added another tablespoon of olive oil. The Vancouver Sun ran a piece that included his recipe for the dough. You can use my changes and trust that the dough will still be amazing in both its color and texture. In my opinion, the "oo" flour however, makes a huge difference vs. using semolina.

Millet Potato Sesame Seed Ciabatta Loaf--in the bread machine. (Again with the bread, Kelly! I know, I know.) This bread was a happy accident as I made a change to the recipe from--what else, only one of my favorite cookbooks ever--The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. She called for potato flakes and since I never have any of those hanging around, I used a real russet potato instead. After a bit of an OMG moment when I saw the dough in the machine, things calmed down a bit when I started grabbing handfuls of bread flour and adding it in. Instead of telling you "handfuls of flour"--my recipe adaptation is below. 

This mysterious little package of wonder: black garlic.

As I already stated, I know everyone out there doesn't have three hours to spend in the kitchen. I barely got this meal together myself because of all of the steps involved in prepping and planning. If I were a better planner, perhaps I would have had the bread baked the day before. But that's not how I roll. I am much more of a "I'm-in-the-mood-for-this-NOW" sort of cook. I've said this before, it would be very hard for me to be a chef and have to stick to the menu all the time and not just wing it. It might leave me cranky.