easy « Vegan Eats

Posts Tagged 'easy'

Spaghetti alla Marinara

Published August 15, 2010 Uncategorized 4 Comments
Tags: easy, Italian, noodle, pasta, tomato

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I haven’t been able to post much in the last few weeks since I’ve been keeping quite busy. I was in British Columbia for a week visiting some wonderful family members that hadn’t seen in too long and since I’ve been back, I’ve picked up a couple extra shifts at work. Furthermore, the Vegan Eats family has been experiencing some tough times over the past couple weeks. About two weeks ago we lost a family member to old age and a couple of bum kidneys, as we said goodbye to our little dog, Chester, with whom we had the blessing of living with for 14 years. Chester lived nothing short of a great life; his mother spoiled him much more than she ever spoiled me, which says something because I grew up as an only child! When Chester wasn’t incessantly barking at anyone who dared to walk by our house, he enjoyed relaxing in the sun, rolling in the grass, and eating spaghetti. Spaghetti was seriously his favourite food. I had always known when he had been eating it, because his grayish white beard would be nearly completely stained red by the tomato-based sauce. Needless to say, this recipe is for him. It makes enough sauce to serve about two or three people, depending on how hungry they are, but you can easily double or triple the recipe for leftovers. Tomatoes are relatively acidic, so tomato-based sauces should stay good in the fridge for at least a week before they turn.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti, enough for 2 or 3 people
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup onion, diced
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup canned tomato sauce (look for one without any salt added)
1 scant teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Handful fresh basil, chopped

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Sauté the garlic and onions for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add the tomato sauce and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil and turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped basil and season to taste with more salt and pepper. Pour sauce over spaghetti and serve.
Serves: 2 to 3

Asparagus Linguine

Published June 1, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: asparagus, easy, pasta

It seems like summer is coming up pretty fast in Toronto this year. It’s already the first of June and the tail end of May was scorching. Aside from the increased shorts wearing and patio beer drinking, I’m mostly looking forward to the season’s first wave of fresh berries. In fact, I’ve already seen some raspberries and strawberries popping up at the local markets this past week. With peak season of asparagus coming to an end soon, I figured I should have at least one more recipe up here. I was seriously craving some comfort food last night, so I predictably went right for the pasta. Nothing too elaborate about this dish, just a bunch of linguine tossed in garlicky olive oil and fresh sautéd asparagus. The lemon adds a bit of tang and the tarragon gives it a nice anise flavour. If you’re not into the licorice-like flavour of anise and tarragon, you could substitute some fresh basil or parsley. Even thyme would be good too!

Ingredients:
Linguine pasta, enough for two or three people
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup onion, diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
10 to 12 stalks asparagus, woody stems removed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 heaping tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced

Instructions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until al denté, according to package instructions.
2. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until fragrant and the onion is beginning to soften.
3. Add the asparagus and sauté for another 4 minutes, until it begins to turn bright green. Add the tomatoes along with a good pinch of salt and pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the cooked pasta, lemon juice and fresh tarragon. Stir it all together and serve.
Serves: 2 to 3

Holy Hummus!

Published January 23, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: chickpea, easy, gluten-free

Alright, kids. Vegan living 101: mastering the art of hummus. Every vegan should know how, and love, to make a standard chickpea hummus. Chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans, are tasty, cheap, and healthful. High in both protein and calcium, this legume is a staple of many plant-based diets. I have yet to meet a vegan who doesn’t love hummus. This recipe is just a basic lemon-garlic hummus. I like mine super lemony, so if you want, start with less lemon juice and add more to taste. I served it with some pita chips. So easy: take some pitas, split them apart into disks, cut them into triangles, put them on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake them at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through, until they’re crispy. Voilà!

One important thing about this recipe: use it as a blueprint. Make it as is, or mess around with it. There’s a million different kinds of hummus you can make, all equally as delicious. Try adding things like fresh herbs (basil, mint, cilantro, parsley), toasted walnuts, roasted vegetables (red peppers, eggplants), kalamata olives, avocados, roasted garlic, etc.

Not only is making hummus quick and easy with the help of a blender or food processor, one batch is plentiful and will last about 5 to 7 days in the fridge. I suggest using a blender, because you’ll get a much smoother consistency. If you don’t have either, I’d first say invest in one, but if you’re too broke for even that, you could probably just mash it all up in a big mixing bowl. It might take some elbow grease, and the final product will surely be quite chunky, but the taste should still be there. Also, I used canned beans for this recipe, because they’re easy, but if you’ve got the time, I really suggest using dried beans and cooking them yourself. While they might take a lot longer than opening up a can, depending on how long you soak your dried beans before cooking them, they’re a lot easier to digest and they’re much cheaper than the canned stuff.

So, take this recipe, build on it, and stop wasting your money on grocery store hummus!

Ingredients:
1 19oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced or finely grated
1/4 cup tahini
3 or 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In an upright blender or a food processor, add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Blend until the chickpeas are broken up and everything is starting to come together. In the blender, if it all gets ‘stuck’ and won’t mix together, scrape the sides down and give it a stir a few times before continuing to blend.
2. With the blender or food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth. If needed, season to taste with tiny bit more salt.
Makes: Enough!

Simple Pasta Primavera

Published January 8, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: easy, Italian, pasta, potato

Some of the first dishes I learned to cook with any amount of efficiency were simple stir frys (or is it stir fries? Whatever). I still stir fry a lot, and this pasta primavera is a sort of a reflection of that habit. While it’s not exactly a stir fry in the traditional sense (ie. not in a wok, and doesn’t involve as much stirring), it’s similar. A primavera is an Italian pasta dish that focuses on fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs. I used fresh thyme for this one, which is fairly predictable, seeming as a I put fresh thyme in nearly everything. Note to self: grow thyme this spring.

I like this dish, because it’s tasty and simple. And because noodles are one of my big comfort foods. The photo looks a little blah (I probably should have used red bell peppers for some more colour), but the flavours are good!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked, enough for 1 or 2
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, sliced (or 1/4 cup diced onion)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup green, yellow, and/or red bell pepper, diced
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and diced (I used a Yukon Gold)
1/2 tomato, diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (alternatively use 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 tablespoons white wine
Water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set cooked pasta aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the bell peppers and potato, cover skillet with a lid and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes. Lift the lid to stir every minute or so.
4. Add the tomato, a good pinch of salt and pepper, fresh thyme, white wine, and a tablespoon of water. Cover again and let cook for another minute or so, until the diced potatoes are fork tender and cooked through.
5. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Toss in the pasta and optional parsley and mix well before serving. Garnish with a little more fresh parsley.
Serves: 1 or 2.

Mimmi’s Mash!

Published January 2, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: easy, gluten-free, potato

My friend, Mimmi, once told me that she’s a terrible cook and can barely make toast without starting a kitchen fire. My first impulse was to help a fellow vegan out, so I asked what her favourite meal was. “Mashed potatoes.” I promised I’d make a roasted garlic mash for her someday. That was maybe about eight months ago… so I’m a bit late with this recipe, but here it is, Mimmi!:

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 whole head garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped (about 5 or 6, medium-sized)
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
1/3 cup reserved cooking water
1 heaping tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced*

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Peel some the outer layers off the head of garlic and cut off just the very top, so all inside of all the cloves are exposed (see pic below). Drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Wrap the entire head in aluminum foil and place into the oven for about 1 hour. Once finished, the cloves should be soft and golden brown.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the chopped potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are fork tender and cooked through.
3. Turn heat off and drain the potatoes, making sure to reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
4. Return the cooked potatoes to the pot, add the Earth Balance, reserved cooking water, and fresh thyme. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the head and add to the pan. Mash everything together well with a potato masher until smooth.
5. Season to taste with a nice, big pinch of salt and a few turns from your pepper mill. Add more margarine if it’s not creamy enough. Stir through and serve.
Serves: 4 to 6

*I highly recommend using the fresh herbs for this particular recipe, but in a pinch, you can sub 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.

Nada’s Easy Chickpeasy Salad!

Published December 27, 2009 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Tags: beans, chickpea, easy, gluten-free, salad

My dear friend, Nada Alic, who co-writes an awesome music blog called ‘Friends With Both Arms,’ is heading south for an indefinite period of time to live and work in The City of Angels. She will be missed. With whom will I listen to Coast to Coast on late night drives? Or argue with about the ethics of pornography? Or laugh with about the absurdity of mismatching socks?! It’s going to be tough. But hey, now I’ve got a pretty good reason to visit Southern California; a place I haven’t yet been. Imagine? Some pasty-white Canadian hoser trying to steady himself on a surfboard, but spending more time choking on salt water instead?! What a wonderfully hilarious sight that will be!

I knew Nada would like this super simple, easy-to-make bean salad, which is why this lil’ recipe is dedicated to her. Also, if you want to up the nutritional value to this dish, add a heaping tablespoon of flax seeds.

Ingredients:
19 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (or about a cup of diced tomatoes)
1/3 cup red onion, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of ground cumin
Juice of half a big lemon
Big handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used a combination of cilantro and basil, but parsley or mint would be great too)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Intsructions:
1. Combine all the ingredients into a big bowl. Season to taste with a nice, big pinch of the salt and a few turns from your pepper mill.
2. Mix it all up real good and enjoy!

Serves: 3-5

Vegan Eats

Posts Tagged 'easy'

Spaghetti alla Marinara

Asparagus Linguine

Holy Hummus!

Simple Pasta Primavera

Mimmi’s Mash!

Nada’s Easy Chickpeasy Salad!

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