Tuesday for Two: Pasta with Cream Sauce

Pasta with Cream Sauce topped with Coconut Bacon

Who can say no to a big plate of pasta smothered in a rich creamy sauce?  Of course I threw in a few veggies just to be on the safe side...

I was caught up in the moment, and didn't write down the exact measures, but this is a huge plate of linguine noodles with steamed broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and a cream sauce made with:
Earth Balance
Almond Milk
Nutritional Yeast
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
a pinch of Nutmeg
and thickened with all purpose flour.
I sprinkled some of yesterday's Coconut Bacon on top and dinner was served.

On a different note...Today when I got off work, it took me less than 30 minutes to get home.  If any of you know what I've been dealing with over the last 6 months with regards to my daily commute, you'd believe me when I told you I almost cried when I pulled in my driveway! 

Life is good.

Orecchiette Rigate in a Quick Garlic Cream Sauce

Pasta. Me and pasta have been good friends for a very, very long time. Be it an elbow, linguine, lasagne, soba, cous cous, or even plain ol' spaghetti. A bowl of pasta can be as simple as tossed in a little olive oil, or complicated with a slow cooked home made marinara. However it's served up, pasta gives me comfort. Let's me know that whatever the day has challenged me with...well...it's all gonna be okay.



Orecchiette Rigate in a Quick Garlic Cream Sauce

1 pound pasta of choice (in this case Orecchiette Rigate)
1 stick nondairy butter (like Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1-2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
1 tablespoon dried basil (optional)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
sea salt and frersh cracked pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions. In a pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent browning. Add in flour and stir vigorously to form a roux. Continue to stir until mixture is a thick paste and turns a lovely golden color. Add in 1 cup of the milk. Reduce heat to low and stir until thickened. If you like a very thick sauce, that's it. Add in the basil, pine nuts (if using), salt and pepper and you're done. If you prefer a thinner sauce add in additional milk until the desired consistncy is reached. Immediately pour over pasta and enjoy.

VeganMoFo, Amazon and Veganomicon

My apologies for falling behind on the 'mofo! I was doing so well up to Thanksgiving and then...

Anyhow. Back in August, I preordered my copy of Veganomicon from Amazon. As I sat reading blog after blog and post after post on the ppk about how wonderful it was and how many wonderful recipes were awaiting me, I just became more and more frustrated as my copy hadn't arrived yet. And to add insult to injury, I kept getting emails from Amazon "Recommending that I purchase Veganomicon based on other books I have already purchased" (They also sent me an email recommending that I buy Cozy Inside, which made me giggle.)

It finally came last week, on the day before Thanksgiving.

I had already planned my Thanksgiving menu, so I had to set this beautiful baby aside until after the holiday. And then there were the leftovers. So finally, I was able to bust it out and break it in. The first recipe I made from the V was the Mac Daddy.



Let me start by saying that Mac and Cheeze has been a favorite of mine since I was a wee little girl. I can eat it all by itself, or as a side...whatever. I love mac and cheeze. I knew that if anyone could come up with an awesome, satisfying, comforting mac and cheeze it would be Miss Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. After all, they are America's Best Selling Vegan Chefs right?

I have never made a Isa or Terry recipe that I didn't like. So, as you would expect, my hopes were extremely high for this, the first of many, from V'con. The results...just okay. It tasted fine, but I felt like there was something missing. But what? Richness and creaminess. It was tangy and tart, and definitely noochy, and I especially loved the idea of the tofu ricotta type texture in the mix, and it certainly didn't lack in flavor...but the cheeziness left me wanting just a bit more.

I made it as written, without any of the variations. I have read others' posts about the Mac Daddy and they have all said it would be better with greens, like peas or spinach. Well, I don't want any greens in my mac and cheeze. I just want mac and cheeze. So, while it was okay, I probably won't be making the Mac Daddy again any time soon. I will, however, mix crumbled tofu into my Macaroni and Cheeze recipe from now until eternity.

VeganMoFo and Pasta a la Pantry

My love for pasta goes back to when I was a very wee little one and my sister and I would eat spaghetti noodles with melted margarine sprinkled with salt. I think, other than lasagna (because that was Garfield's favorite food), that was my favorite meal. When I first became a vegetarian, I relied heavily on pasta. And still do today, especially when dining out and eating over at friend's and family's homes. I always have a stash of pastas in my pantry. It's easy to make, and easy to make fantastic. Pasta is my go to food on busy days like today. I put the water on to boil, and go get ready for work. After my hair is done, I go put the pasta in. By the time I am dressed, and the make-up is on, I mix in a tasty sauce, then hit the road. And hopefully, I remember to bring it with me. This is a really easy noochy sauce that I use some variation of when I don't feel like going to the trouble of making a full on baked mac and cheese. Very simply, I add to 1 pound of prepared pasta, in this case fettucine: about 1/2 cup soy cream (like Silk) about 1/2 cup nutritional yeast about 1/4 cup ground cashews about 1/4 cup of vegan sour cream (like Tofutti Sour Supreme) about 3 tbsp of margarine (like Earth Balance) about 2 tbsp white miso a touch of garlic powder a touch of paprika a touch of parsley a touch of salt I just throw it all in the pot and stir it up until it gets nice and creamy. It's pretty rich, but it definitely hits the spot. Yum. Edited to add: Today, for breakfast I had coffee with plain silk creamer, lunch was the above pasta, dinner was the above pasta and leftover garlic knots from yesterday. And a few generic oreos to satisfy my sweet tooth.