Meatless Monday: “Meatballs” and Penne Pasta Recipe

When you’ve got the blues, do you have a go-to dish that serves as comfort food? For me, it’s usually some sort of pasta dish. Recently, it was Meatless Meatballs and Penne Pasta.

When I was making this dish, I couldn’t help but hum the lyrics to That’s Life. Yes, I was feeling gloomy on this particular day. It was stuck in my head while I was measuring spices, so I decided to look up the song and listen to it (side note: I found this cool video that goes along to the music).

My parents always had Frank Sinatra playing in the background at our house when I was growing up, and I loved listening to his soothing voice. I guess the combination of the song and the Italian meal made me feel comforted like I was back under my parent’s roof, being a child with no worries or care.

In case you need some cheering up, here’s a recipe to try out.

Meatless Meatballs and Penne Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole grain penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 (9 oz) container of Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs
• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
• a dash of crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 heaping cup squash, diced
• 1 heaping cup zucchini, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Parmesan grated cheese (optional)

Steps:

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic until softened, or about 3 minutes.
2. Add all spices until fragrant, or about 1 minute.
3. Add red wine vinegar and stir. Add squash, zucchini and red pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, lower heat to simmer, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms, recover the lid and simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Add meatless meatballs and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes (or longer, if time allows).
8. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta. Follow instructions on pasta box to cook the penne.

Serve with Parmesan grated cheese (I used soy Parmesan cheese if you want the vegan alternative). I also made side salads with this dish. If you really want to top it all off, make some garlic bread to go along with this dish. I hope this meal brings you as much comfort as it did (and does) for me. Cheers!

Meatless Monday: Lime Orzo and Veggies Recipe

If you couldn’t already tell by the other recipes I’ve posted, I love quick dishes with common, everyday ingredients. I searched for vegetarian orzo recipes a few months ago and stumbled across this awesome recipe. I wanted to share my variation with you, which I’ve posted below.

Another thing you can tell by my recipe posts, is that I like to know the health benefits of using certain ingredients. I was curious about limes for this post, and rather than finding out about the lime’s nutritional additives, I learned an interesting lesson on this fruit’s uses around the world. According to Wikipedia:

In India, the lime is used in Tantra for removing evil spirits. It is also combined with Indian chillies to make a protective charm to repel the evil eye.^[6] Furthermore, it was believed that hanging limes over sick people cured them of the illness by repelling evil spirits lurking inside the body.

Whether you use lime to get rid of evil spirits or to cook, definitely put it in this recipe because it gives it that extra zest.

First, I started by chopping up these ingredients (pictured below):

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup each of zucchini and squash, peeled and finely chopped
• 3/4 cup baby carrots, finely chopped
• 1 package of sliced mushrooms (I didn’t quite use the whole container)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley
• 1 lime, cut in half

Other ingredients you’ll need that are not pictured:

• 2 cups orzo
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 16 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese and hot sauce for topping, optional

And these are the steps I followed to create this dish:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the garlic and orzo pasta; squeeze half of the lime in the pan; cook and stir until pasta turns a light, golden color, or about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in zucchini, squash, carrots and mushrooms; cook until vegetables soften, or about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, or about 10 minutes.
6. Add the parsley and squeeze the other half of the lime in the pan; stir.
7. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and hot sauce.

Stacked Eggplant & Tomato Bake

Ever since I started cooking vegetarian meals, eggplant dishes have been the hardest to prepare. Finding an easy and quick meal with eggplant proved to be very difficult for me until my friend sent me this recipe.

It’s a perfect eggplant recipe in my mind because you get all the nutrients and health benefits of the eggplant, without ingesting the many calories that come along with a dish such as Eggplant Parmigiano. Not to mention, it takes about half the time as it does making Eggplant Parmigiano.

Training for the half marathon and running long miles has forced me to look deeper into finding food that is rich in vitamins and minerals. As the Livestrong website states:

Eggplant is loaded with vitamins and minerals, but its health benefits extend beyond just adding vital nutrients to a meal. Eggplant contains other compounds that promote good health as well, even to the point of helping to prevent cancer and lowering cholesterol. Once you realize how beneficial eggplant is to your health, you may want to give more consideration to it becoming a regular part of your diet.

Feel free to try my vegan version below or the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup water, in shallow bowl
• 3/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs, in shallow bowl
• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (keep the skins on for added nutrients)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Italian spices, to taste (Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Dried Parsley)
• Paprika and crushed red pepper, to taste
• 5 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup grated soy Parmesan cheese
• 1 (7 oz.) bag shredded soy mozzarella cheese
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Dip the eggplant slices in the water first, then coat well in the breadcrumbs.  Place eggplant slices on baking sheet and then drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Bake in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes on each side, or until slightly tender.
3. Meanwhile sauté onions and garlic with spices in 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender. Set aside.
4. Spray a 9×13 baking dish (or you can keep the eggplant on the large baking sheet and just do one layer of everything). Layer and repeat until all ingredients have been used: breaded eggplant, cooked onions and garlic, tomato slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes in the oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Rigatoni with Herbed Tofu in Red Sauce

My parents have been married for 33 years this Friday, and I’d like to dedicate this blog to them.  Through their marriage they have taught me how to treat others with kindness and gratitude, among many other things.

Everyone has their own philosophy on love, but I believe my dad summed it up very nicely during his memorable toast at my engagement party last year.

With scotch in his right hand and a smile on his face, my dad told my group of close friends and family that when he met my mom he found not only his true love, but his best friend.  In my dad’s eyes, being one another’s best friend has attributed to their successful marriage.  I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s talking about after 33 years.

My mom told me that when she first married my dad she was a horrible cook.  I don’t believe her for one second because she makes the best food I’ve ever eaten, hands down.  I know several dozen people (maybe even more) who would agree.

How do you live up to one of the greatest chefs in your lifetime?  Well I don’t have the answer to that, nor do I plan on ever knowing it, but in the meantime I’ll continue to learn from my mom and share it in this blog.

A few years ago when I was still eating meat, my mom gave me an amazing chicken recipe.  It was my husband’s favorite dish.  Now that we’re both vegetarians, I substitute the chicken with tofu and add some more ingredients to give it the same robust flavor as my mom’s original recipe.  Rigatoni with Herbed Tofu in Red Sauce is what I came up with…enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb Rigatoni pasta
• 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 14 oz. block of extra firm tofu
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium squash
• 8 oz. whole baby portabella mushrooms
• 2 large pieces of jarred roasted red peppers
• 2 14.5 oz. cans of no salt added diced tomatoes
• Dried herbs to taste: Italian seasoning, basil, parsley
• Spice to taste: paprika and crushed red pepper
• (Soy) Parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps

First you dice the onion and slice the garlic:

Then drain and cut the extra firm tofu in 1 inch strips.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat and place tofu in the pan, stirring occasionally:

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a separate pan and sauté the chopped up onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent:

Meanwhile dice the squash and zucchini:

And add the squash and zucchini to the onion and garlic; sauté until squash and zucchini are slightly tender, around 5 minutes:

Remove stems from mushrooms, dice mushroom caps into four pieces and cut the mushroom stems into pieces (remove tough parts from the stems):

Slice roasted red pepper pieces:

Add mushrooms and roasted peppers to the vegetable mixture and sauté for about 3 minutes:

Meanwhile start boiling the water; cook pasta as instructed on the box:

Add the cans of diced tomatoes, herbs and spices to the veggie mixture and simmer to blend the flavors together:

Continue stirring and flipping the tofu until all sides are slightly golden brown; add 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar and herbs and continue to sauté between 5-10 minutes (depending on the desired firmness of the tofu) and remove from heat:

Add the tofu to the vegetable sauce:

Serve over cooked pasta and top with grated (soy) parmesan cheese:

Serve with side salads and your meal is complete: