Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

This was another recipe inspired from Deceptively Delicious, which I renamed, veganized, changed ingredients up, the usual.  Still, the idea behind the original recipe was good: pureeing sweet potatoes for the sauce to get the kiddos to each more veggies. This also has chopped up celery and carrots, as well, so it's nice and healthy. This came out tasty, and the fam liked it, so all is good.  I puree my veggies ahead of time, bag and freeze them, and then thaw them out for recipes.  So, my sweet potatoes were already boiled, peeled and pureed for this recipe. This makes a lot of sauce, plenty for leftovers. Give this one a go, and let me know how it works for you.

Pasta with Chorizo and Sweet Potato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (we used penne)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 onions, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 carrots, chopped small
4 stalks celery, chopped small
2 - 10 oz. pkgs. soy chorizo
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4 - 29 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 oz. can Del Monte petite cut tomatoes with chipotle chilies
1 - 32 oz. box Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 Tbs. vegan sugar
2 cups prepared sweet potato puree (boiled first)

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions midway through making the sauce.  For the sauce, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery, and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chorizo and salt and pepper, and cook for another five minutes.  Add the tomatoes, broth and sugar.  Lower heat to medium low and cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the sweet potato puree, and stir well.  Continue to cook until heated through, about ten minutes.  Serve over pasta.  This makes a bunch!  I froze about half the sauce for a later meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans and then some.  Very good.

Pasta with Artichokes and Broccoli

This is a quick, easy and delicious dinner I made the other night.  G usually just gulps down what I make with nary a comment, unless he really doesn't like or really does like something.  This one earned a comment for the latter, so I knew it had to be blog-worthy.  The ingredients are few, and the simple seasonings brought out their wonderful tastes.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy it, too.  What is your favorite thing to toss in a pasta sauce?

Pasta with Artichokes and Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound of thin spaghetti
1 Tbs. of olive oil
2 cups of broccoli florets, coarsely chopped small
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced thin diagonally
2 - 14.5 oz cans of Del Monte diced tomatoes with rosemary and oregano
1 and 1/2 cups of marinated artichoke hearts, sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tbs. sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the broccoli and carrots and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the tomatoes and artichoke hearts and cook for another three minutes, until heated through.  Add the sesame oil and salt and pepper, stir and let simmer on medium low for five minutes.  Top pasta with sauce and enjoy.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

This is a very easy and quick dish to make, if you have pumpkin on hand. I used four of my bags of pumpkin puree and came up with a new twist on pasta sauce. I also put soft silken tofu in to add a creamy texture: I mashed mine this time, but I think blending in a food processor would be a great idea. It warmed our tummies and was fun to try something a little different. I hope you give it a shot.

Also, be sure to swing by Millie's blog to check out my recipe for Pecan Pie Cookie Cups for her Holiday Cookie Extravaganza. She invited me to contribute, and I was more than happy to oblige. My recipe will appear on her blog on December 7th, and I'll post it on mine some time after.



Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
Ingredients:

1 lb. pkg. whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup silken soft tofu, mashed by hand or blended in food processor
4 cups pureed pumpkin
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
Nutritional yeast flakes
Red pepper flakes

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While water for pasta is heating up, combine remaining ingredients, except for the optional ingredients, in a medium pot. Cook over medium heat for ten minutes, then turn down heat to medium low for an additional fifteen minutes. Spoon sauce over pasta and top with nutritional yeast flakes and red pepper flakes, if desired. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Seitan Pasta Sauce Over Angel Hair

Here is a very hearty pasta sauce that goes a long way. I used homemade seitan, but feel free to use your favorite store bought brand. If you've never added fennel seed to one of your pasta sauces, I highly recommend it. The heavy sauce is balanced out by the light angel hair pasta. I served it alongside my Summertime Corn Salad for another light addition.




Seitan Pasta Sauce Over Angel Hair
Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 and 1/2 cups of seitan, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, chopped small
4 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 - 29 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 - 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 - 4.25 oz. can chopped olives
1 - 7 oz can diced mild green chiles
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 lb. pound angel hair pasta

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the seitan, green bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute for several minutes until the bell pepper softens and the mushrooms release their liquid. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the noodles, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook for at least another two hours, stirring occasionally. A few minutes before the sauce is ready, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Serve the sauce over the pasta. I recommend a light pasta and a light side dish to offset the heartiness of the sauce. Makes a big pot of sauce, definitely enough to feed five hungry vegans!

Rigatoni with Fresh and Light Pasta Sauce

This is a great sauce on a hot summer day when you don't want something heavy, but you still want a lot of flavor. As you can see by the picture below, my ratio of sauce to pasta is about 2:1. I could really eat most sauce as a meal by itself, I think. There is proof of a noodle, however, down at the bottom of the bowl under the broccoli. Hope you enjoy this dish!




Rigatoni with Fresh and Light Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:

1 lb. bag of rigatoni
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 pkgs. Morning Star Meal Starters Chik'n Strips, halved
3 cups of veggies - we used:
Broccoli spears
Zucchini cut on the diagonal
1 bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Chik'n Strips and cook for a few minutes until they begin to brown, about five minutes or so. Add the veggies (broccoli and zucchini) and cook until crisp but fork tender, about eight more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through, about five more minutes. Serve over the pasta. Simple but good. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Casarecce Pasta with Tofu Marinara Sauce

Well, today was my birthday, so I thought I'd give you a small snapshot of the day. First of all, my family completely surprised me with a new camera, and these are the very first pictures with it (including some that aren't posted). Anyhow, we went downtown to have a precious photo restored, and while we were there, we went to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant for a birthday lunch. When we came home, we went for a walk, and the family dog joined us as usual. I made a pasta dish for dinner, and my children pitched in to make me a cake. My nine-year old daughter basically made the whole cake with my supervision. She wants you to know that she is the one that wanted a double-layer cake. I picked chocolate with chocolate frosting; I wanted chocolate chips, as well, but we were out. My three-year old son helped big sister by pouring the soy milk into the mixing bowl, and my twelve-year old daughter created a specific design with the candles. I liked the pasta dish, but in the recipe directions I've made some notes as to some possible variations. I hope you like the pictures and the recipe!

Casarecce Pasta with Tofu Marinara Sauce

My birthday Ethiopian lunch (salad is out of frame)

Earl (with the two youngest blessings behind him) on our walk

My birthday cake!

Casarecce Pasta with Tofu Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 pkg. of extra firm tofu, drained
3 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of black olives, 1/2 of the olives chopped fine and 1/2 kept whole
1 4oz. can of diced mild green chiles
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 pkg. of Casarecce pasta (or other medium pasta)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until translucent, about ten minutes. Break up the tofu into large squares in the pot, and mash with a potato masher. Cook for another ten minutes, until tofu begins to really blend in with the onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients. When it comes to a boil, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Ladle the sauce out over individual portions. We served this with a big green salad. My children have an aversion to chunky sauces or salsas, so I blended some sauce for them, and it tasted just fine. That actually gave me an idea for a future sauce recipe. I made this particularly mild, so it would be appealing for my children, but you can spice it up if you wish. Red pepper flakes or more fennel seed or salt would be tasty. Also, you can omit one can of diced tomatoes and add tomato sauce for less chunks or tomato paste to thicken it. Feeds five hungry vegans.