Peach and Tomato Pasta

Ok, before you freak out at the weird combination...just trust me. Trust me. I have to tell you I thought it was weird too, but I am always willing to take a gamble and try out new flavor combinations. That and the fact that I still have a zillion peaches from the case I ordered a week ago...

But really, trust me. The acidity of the tomatoes cuts the sweetness of the peaches. The sweetness of the peaches cuts the acidity of the tomatoes. It is seriously a match made in heaven. And something that should only be enjoyed in summer...because peaches are a summer fruit, and you shouldn't be eating peaches that have been trucked to you from another country during the dead of your local winter...

Peach and Tomato Pasta

• 1 pkg of spaghetti (16 oz)
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 7 peaches, pitted and chopped
• 4 oz sliced olives
• 2 tbsp dried basil (or a handful of fresh if you have it--I didn't)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
2. In a large skillet, cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Add peaches and cook until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Add mixture to cook spaghetti along with pasta water. Toss to combine.Serve warm or room temp. Yum!

Peach and Corn Salad + Bonus: Roasted Peaches

This uses produce from my Bountiful Basket, although the corn is from a couple of weeks ago. I got some in my basket, but at the same time, it was on sale at the grocery store, so I had a LOT. I cut it off the cobs, blanched it, and froze it in quart sized bags. And it's white corn--YUM!  Anyway, in this week's basket I had peaches and limes, and I had green onions on hand, so I didn't have to go to the store for anything (always a plus!).

Peach and Corn Salad

• kernels from 2 cobs of corn (or about 2 cups), cooked
• 2 peaches, pitted and chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• juice from 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

Mix together corn, peaches,  and green onions. In a small seperate bowl, whisk together lime juice and olive oil. Drizzle over salad. Devour. Yum!

Roasted peaches are so easy and so yummy. And since I have an abundance of peaches, there will probably be a fair amount of peach recipes. :)

Roasted Peaches

• 1 peach per person, halved and pitted
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt OR ricotta
• honey to taste
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place peach halves, skin side down, in an oiled baking pan. Roast in oven 20 minutes, or until peaches are cooked through but still retain their shape.

Mix yogurt or ricotta with almond extract and honey to taste. Serve with roasted peaches.

Variation: serve with a scoop of your favorite flavor ice cream (vanilla is yummy, and it starts to melt over the peaches. Sooooo yummy!)

I'm a slacker - Pineapple Black Bean Salad

I know, I know. I've been MIA for a while. I attribute it to a new-veg funk. Being veg and trying to figure out what to eat got very overwhelming. So I was cooking normal for my family and eating very blah for me. It's not easy. :)

I've been trying to change that though. Lots more searching on the internet. I spent a week with my daughter in Cedar City, where she did the cooking for a change (she's veg too).

I also joined a fruit and veggie co-op called Bountiful Baskets. The basic premise is this: At the beginning of the week (Monday - Tuesday OR Tuesday - Wednesday depending on what state you are in) you go to the website to make a contribution. On Saturday you drive to your pick-up site and pick up your produce. The produce is sorted into two laundry baskets--one for fruit and one for veggies. You need to bring your own container to bring the produce home in, as the baskets stay at the site.

When we first started this, the closest site was a 45 minute drive away, and that site was every other week. The next closest site was Las Vegas, which is a 60+ minute drive. I was hooked after the first time, though, and decided that this was something that needed to be in my neighborhood, so I contacted BB to figure out how to get a site started closer.

The fruits and veggies have pretty much saved me this summer. As a veg with almost no inspiration on veggie meals, it's no big deal to roast up some veggies or throw together a salad. And that funk is starting to pass, and I'm starting to get inspired by the produce I'm getting--some of which I don't normally buy because of expense (example: pineapple), and some which I've never even had the opportunity to buy (example: white asparagus).

Anyway, we've had pineapple enough in our baskets that I decided to buy a pineapple slicer. This recipe is on the back of the package (although, you know me--I've made some change-ups!).

Pineapple Black Bean Salad

Dressing

• Juice from 1 lime (at least 3 tbsp--4 is better though)
• 3 tbsp no sugar added apricot preserves
• reserved pineapple juice (from below)

 Salad

• 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium pineapple, sliced and chunked (tidbit size is good), juice reserved or 1 large can of pineapple tidbits plus juice
• 2 medium ears of corn, cooked and kernels cut from cob (or about 2 cups of frozen corn, thawed)
• 3/4 cup diced roasted red peppers (about 3 small)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

For dressing, mix together lime juice, pineapple juice, and apricot preserves.

In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Add dressing and toss well. Chill 2-3 hours before serving to blend flavors.

Sorry about the pic--my good camera is floating around somewhere 

between here and New Orleans and I haven't tracked it down yet.

Day 70 - Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

Have I mentioned that I am always changing up recipes? Well, it's true. This time I changed up my own recipe...the one for Black Bean Enchiladas. It was yummy, though.

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 of a (16 oz) bag of frozen sweet corn
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry
• 2 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
• 24 corn tortillas

1. Spray 2-11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cumin; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in corn, salsa, beans, and spinach. Remove from heat.
2. On microwaveable plate, stack tortillas and cover with paper towel. Microwave on high 1 minute to soften. Place 1/4 cup bean mixture along center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in baking dish; spoon remaining bean mixture on top. Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas, spreading to coat all tortillas.
3. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 25 to 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly around edges. Garnish with toppings of your choice (olives, avocado, tomato). OR Freeze now. Do not thaw and then cook. Cover with foil and freeze. Bake from frozen in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook until sauce is bubbly around edges, 10-15 minutes.

*This actually makes enough for 2 pans of enchiladas. Cook one now and freeze the other one for later. You will be thankful when life is crazy and you need something for dinner ASAP.

Day 60 - Asparagus Pepper Pasta Revisited

Sunday was another one of those days. We were all lazing around the house, and we discovered kinda late that the Awards Ceremony we were attending was refreshments only, not dinner like I thought. I was being lazy and I didn't want to go to the store, which leads me to that platitude "necessity is the mother of invention". The Asparagus Pepper Pasta was a hit earlier in the week and I still had asparagus and peppers left, so I revisited the recipe (with a few changes--again, that seems to be how I cook).

Asparagus Pepper Pasta Revisited

• 1 lb asparagues spears
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large mushrooms, chopped
• 1 largish medium zucchini, cut in quarters
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb penne pasta

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until transparent. Add asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper and saute until asparagus is crisp-tender and mushrooms have released their juices. Add salt and pepper.
3. Serve over penne pasta. 

Sorry! No pics--I had to get ready for the awards ceremony and time was tight around dinner time. 

Day 58 - Asparagus Pepper Pasta

Thursday was kind of a "its almost the end of the week and we are out of money until tomorrow so shopping is limited to the fridge, pantry, and freezer" day. But I'd purchased asparagus and a 3-pack of colored bell peppers earlier in the week, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to put this dinner together.

Asparagus Pepper Pasta

• 1 lb asparagus spears
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 6 (yes 6!) cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb penne pasta

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until slightly golden. Add asparagus, broccoli, and bell pepper and saute until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add salt and pepper.
3. Serve over penne pasta.

This is so, so easy! And quick. Oh, and yummy!

Day 56 - Veggie Sloppy Joes

This is actually from Tuesday, which was a really busy day. Not only did we have school, but I had my weekly newspaper meeting and a story to cover at the ball fields that evening. I was supposed to drop Steven off at baseball practice, and I had Bunko. So a crockpot meal was in order. While I was waiting to pick Steven up from Jazz Band, I bookmarked a couple of recipes in 2 of my crockpot cookbooks (Lazy Day Cooking and Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes). I figured I could vegetize some of them, although there were a lot there were pretty much already veggie. When Steven got out of band, I let him choose which one before we headed to the store, and of course he chose Sloppy Joes.

I plan on looking for a completely veggie sloppy joe recipe, but this works in a pinch. It might even be better if you rehydrate your own TVP--at the very least it would be cheaper. But I have to travel to Vegas for that, so I am stuck with the veggie crumbles at my local store (and as a side note, the veggie crumbles in the produce section are $1 cheaper than the frozen ones!).

Veggie Sloppy Joes (1)

• 3 (12 oz) pkgs veggie crumbles
• 1(12 oz) pkg leftover veggie breakfast sausage (hey--it was about 8 oz worth, and I knew it wouldn't get used for anything else!)
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp veggie Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• hamburger buns

1. Spray large (12") pan with cooking spray. Crumble in veggie sausage and cook til brown. Add veggie crumbles and cook until brown.
2. In crockpot, combine ketchup, bell pepper, onion, worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, vinegar, and chili powder. Stir in veggie crumble mixture. Cover and cook on low (ummmm...my crockpot cooks really hot on low, so for 3-4 hours, but crockpots really differ. The original recipe calls for 6-8 hours).
3. Serve on hamburger buns.

This really makes a lot, so don't be afraid to freeze the leftovers. It is really handy to have frozen meals available, especially since veggie frozen meals (convenience type, I mean) are so darned expensive!

Day 33 - Italian Chickpea Pasta

I have so much food from last week because all the recipes I made were huge (I am so used to doubling recipes!). I didn't really make a plan for this week's dinners--I've just been using what's in the fridge. Today Steven requested pasta. Well, actually spaghetti, but I'm out of spaghetti noodles. I've always made my own pasta sauce, but in the past it has had ground meat in it. This time I threw a bunch of whatever was in the fridge and came out with this--which was really tasty.


Italian Chickpea Pasta

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 lb sliced or chopped assorted mushrooms
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• most of a 10 oz bag of spinach
• 1 (16 oz) pkg penne pasta

1. Cook pasta according to directions on package.
2. Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; cook until translucent. 
3. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices.
4. Add all tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and chickpeas. Cook until heated through. Add spinach; cook until wilted. Serve over penne pasta.

Yum!

Day 32 - Vegan Jambalaya

My friend Vicki is having a bunch of people over for Super Bowl Sunday. Her husband wants to serve Jambalaya, which sounds quite yummy, but which is also loaded with meat. :)

I decided to experiment last night with a vegan version after my trip to Whole Foods. Which worked out perfectly, because my boys came home from a very cold snow campout. What better to warm them up then the spicy goodness of Jambalaya?

I started with Paula Deen's recipe, making a few adjustments to account for what I had on hand and, of course, veggie substitutes.

Whitney's Version of Paula's Jambalaya

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 6 tbsp dried onions
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 oz) Field's Apple Sage Sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1 (10.5 oz) box vegan shrimp

1. In a large pot, combine rice, onion, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, salt, bay leaf, veggie broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. In a medium saucepan, brown sausage. Add to rice mixture in pot.
3. When rice mixture is boiling, cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is cooked through.
4. Add shrimp and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

This was really good. No one was able to tell that the sausage and shrimp weren't "real", and it was very nicely spicy. In fact a little too spicy for Steven, who added a dollop of sour cream* to cut the heat. I would say that it was a successful experiment!

*Steven's sour cream was not vegan, so if you want to keep it vegan and still cut the heat, either cut down the amount of red pepper, or use a vegan sour cream. :)

Sorry, no pictures...the camera was still packed from the campout...

Day 27 - Mostly Green Curry Veggies with Tofu (and chicken on the side if you are a meat eater)

Tofu on the left, chicken on the right

What you may gather from that very long title is that not everyone in my household is a vegetarian. I was reminded by my mom the other day that she didn't choose to become a vegetarian, and she lives here too. And to be honest, I do try to keep lunch meat and such in the house for her, but I don't really want to make a separate meal for her every time I cook. And I learned that from her--growing up it was always "eat what's on your plate or don't eat at all, but I'm not cooking anything else."

But I did cook chicken after I cooked the tofu. It wasn't hard, especially since I was already cutting up chicken for the dogs (yeah, I feed my dogs real food--none of that preformed kibble for my sweeties). This recipe is mostly Rachael Ray, but I've added some important (to me) tips and changes...Oh, and the rice is from my friend Rachel. Her version of coconut rice is THE BOMB, and you should try it. Trust me...

Mostly Green Curry Veggies with Tofu over Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice (first)

• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• salt and pepper to tast

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large, ovenproof saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until just transparent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add veggie stock and coconut milk, bring to a simmer, and add salt and pepper.
3. Cover the pan tightly. Place in oven and bake for about 18 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed and the rice cooked thoroughly but not mushy.

Mostly Green Curry Veggies with Tofu

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 (14 oz) container firm tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces and patted dry
  
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (break out that Pampered Chef food chopper!)
  
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets. Don't forget to add the stem.
• zest and juice of 1 lime*
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 (16 oz) bag frozen peas

1. While the coconut rice is cooking, preheat a large, non-stick skillet over high heat with 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil. Add the tofu and brown thoroughly. Remove to a plate. 
2. Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the pan. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, and broccoli to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-6 minutes, or until broccoli starts to turn bright green.
3. Add coconut milk to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Return tofu to pan and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, parsley, and peas. Stir to combine and simmer until peas are heated through. Remove from heat and add green onions. 
5. Serve over yummy Coconut Rice. Die from sheer veggie pleasure.

My tofu stuck to my non-stick pan, but it was still surprisingly tasty.

*Using a citrus press will give you lots of lovely lime juice. This is a tool that is totally worth the moola$$ you spend on it. A microplane makes quick work of zesting said lime.

This is the exact citrus press I have. You can purchase it from

Pampered Chef. If you click on the picture it will take you to

Pampered Chef's online catalog.

Day 26 - Awesome Mushroom Pasta

Have I mentioned yet how much I love mushrooms? I could eat them every day. I love them as much as I love steak, which is good since I've given up eating meat. Ü


This week I'm cooking my way through a bunch of Rachael Ray recipes. A lot of them are easy to adapt to vegetarian cooking, and this recipe is no exception. This is based on Rachael's Creamed Mushroom Sauté with Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, and Penne from 365: No Repeats.

Of course, I put my own spin on things, but the basic recipe is so easy and soooooo good!


Whitney's Pesto Mushroom, Artichoke Heart, Spinach Pasta

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs assorted mushrooms, thinly sliced (we used white button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (soy would probably be fine, too)
• 1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, well-drained
  
• 1 (10 oz) box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 tbsp prepared pesto
  

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add garlic and shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and yummy.
3. Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over mushrooms and stir. Stir in vegetable broth and cook for a minute or two (until thickened). Stir in almond milk and simmer for five minutes.
4. Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, and pesto. Heat through (1-3 minutes). Mix into well drained penne pasta.

The finished pasta is soooooooo good!

Day 20 - Garbanzo Bean Soup

This is totally my go to soup when we need comfort food. The original recipe calls for chicken broth, but I substituted vegetable broth this time and there was no discernible difference in taste. Wahoo!

Garbanzo Bean Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 (15 oz) can italian seasoned diced tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 8 oz small shaped pasta (macaroni, shells, etc)
• 3 (16 oz) cans vegetable stock + 1 can water

1. In a large pan over medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil until golden. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock, and water.
2. Bring to boiling. Add pasta, cook til al dente (about 8 minutes).
3. Add garbanzo beans. Heat through (about 3 minutes). Serve.

Yummy! This is so easy and so yummy!

Day 11 - Green and White Pasta

Yummmm...

It's kind of feeling like spring here. Sorry, rest of the country - I know you are dealing with major below normal temperatures, but, hey...I live in the desert, so it's only fair that my temps (which are always way off from the rest of the country) are spring like. Upper 60's springlike. Very nice.

Which means that I want peas. The penultimate of spring veggies. Of course, peas aren't available yet. Except in the freezer section. Which is where I bought mine.

But anyway...

I adapted this recipe from somewhere...Sadly, this is how many of my recipes come about. I have a recipe, generally handwritten, and then I change it. I can't just make a recipe as written. Except if I'm baking, and even that's debatable.

So, this is my version of a Green and White Pasta recipe I got somewhere...

• 1 (12 oz) pkg of angel hair pasta (preferable multi-grain, if you can find it)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 12-ish oz of mushrooms, sliced
• 4 oz prepared pesto (or you can make your own)
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen baby peas 
• 1 (10 oz) pkg of baby spinach

1. Prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions. Drain. Stir pesto into pasta.
2. In a large saucepan, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until juices are released and mushrooms are softened.
3. Add  baby peas and cook until heated through. Add spinach and cover pan. Cook until spinach is wilted, 3-5 minutes.
4. Spoon over pasta and serve.

Easy, easy, easy! And tasty, too. Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste. You can also grate parmesan cheese over the top if you feel the need, but it really isn't necessary...

This makes a lot. Like 8+ servings. But it is totally worth it...