Pasta alla Puttanesca or pasta with puttanesca sauce is my all time favorite pasta dish. However, it is not necessarily something you would find on any weight loss plan, so I like experimenting with other pasta alternatives. I have tried gluten free pastas and they all work really well but the calories are still higher …
Vegan Sugo alla Puttanesca
Puttanesca or rather alla puttanesca is my most favorite pasta sauce. It is fragrant, tangy and robust and contains some of my favorite things. Merriam Webster defines it as “served with or being a pungent tomato sauce typically containing olives, garlic, capers, hot pepper, and sometimes anchovies” and the literal translation from Italian is “in …
Zoodles alla Primavera
The name Pasta Primavera or Pasta alla Primavera literally means pasta with Spring vegetables. In this case my pasta IS a vegetable. Zucchini noodles or Zoodles have become all the rage because they are gluten free and low carb which fits in very nicely with many diet regimens today. Our vegan pasta alla prima vera …
Romanesco Crunch Salad
This weeks Local Fare Farm Bag brought me four small heads of Romanesco Cauliflower. This vegetable enigma is called a Romanesco Cauliflower in North America, but in Germany they call it a Romanesco Broccoli or Cabbage. It is called Romanesco because of it’s beautiful ringed, cone-shaped florets. This is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, …
Green Bean Hummus
So I was feeling a little snacky (it’s a word!), but we are on a rather strict vegan diet just now so I decided to be creative and I made up this “hummus” using canned green beans, Tahini, lemon juice garlic and seasonings in my Magic Bullet blender. The first batch was over powered with …
Pear Gorgonzola Salad
Looking for an elegant side salad or light lunch? Look no further than your pantry and a can of sliced pears in juice. With just four main ingredients this salad comes together in just a few minutes complete with a very easy pear vinaigrette dressing! All you need are some mixed Spring Greens, a can …
Vegan Starch-Free Stuffed Peppers
I grew up in a family where stuffed peppers (Green Bell Peppers stuffed with a rice filling with tomato sauce, onions and ground meat) were a regular feature on my mom’s table. I always looked forward to stuffed pepper night too, because well, my mom made the very best stuffed peppers of course. I still …
Ravioli Chicken Lasagna
Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food… all those lush layers of pasta, meat, vegetables and cheese, glorious cheese. But it is a bear to put together, very labor intensive. I wanted the flavors and textures of lasagna, but not the work it requires, so I decided to try a lasagna made with frozen ravioli. I …
Quick Personal Pizza
Decided I wanted pizza for lunch but did not want to wait for delivery and my desire to not wear real pants (I do have jamma pants on) precluded a run to the store for a take and bake deal. So I went to the fridge and the pantry for inspiration. I had a package …
Salmon over Organic Mizuna Greens
Tender flaky, steamed salmon over zesty organic Japanese Mizuna greens is an elegant but relatively easy dish to make and serve. I have frequently cooked fish over greens in a pouch but this was the first time doing it with these sassy Japanese mustard greens. Mizuna Greens, sometimes called Pepper Grass, are a member of …
Polenta with Avocado Pesto
Every creamy bite is ambrosia! I bought a tube of gluten-free San Gennaro Basil-Garlic Polenta at Publix the other day thinking I would serve it with some marinara as usual. But then the day I would prepare it for dinner came and about mid day my mom mentioned she had a hankering, a craving, for …
Stuffed Eggplant
If you have been following this blog, then you already know I am just a touch eggplant mad. This past Summer produced a boon of lovely eggplants too. As I work toward transitioning our diet to a more heavily plant based diet I look for ingredients I can use as a substitute for meat in …