St. Patrick's Pasta

I'm not sure how this is St. Patrick's Pasta, except that there's green in it. But, it sure is tasty! I got this recipe through Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
4-oz dry noodles, ie rotini, macaroni, smaller pastas are better 
¼ cup (2-oz) vegetable broth 
oil
½ small onion, diced 
1 garlic clove, minced 
15-oz can white beans
salt
pepper 
garlic powder 
onion powder 
3 cups fresh spinach 
vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast (optional) 
smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta via package instructions. 
2. Drain, reserving ¼-cup cooking water. 
3. Rinse pasta under cool water, set aside. 
4. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add beans (with their liquid), stirring to combine.  
6. Turn off heat and mash the beans partially with a fork, or leave whole. 
7. Season with salt and pepper, plus onion and garlic powder as desired. 
8. Stir in pasta water to thin as needed, then toss with cooked pasta. 
9. Turn heat to low and add fresh spinach.
10. Cook, using tongs to stir around and incorporate, until spinach is soft and combined. 
11. Top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and a dash of smoked paprika.

Notes:

• Serves 2.
• Per serving: 401 calories, 2.9g fat, 75g carbs, 17.8g fiber, .9g sugars, 22.9g protein
• Add pine nuts to the pasta. Omnivores  might enjoy some chicken added in.

Irish Soda Bread in a Mug

For St. Patrick's Day, serve yourself a treat: Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. This bread doesn't get crusty in the microwave, although maybe you could bake it to make it so. I also removed the raisins, which is probably a definitive component of Irish Soda Bread. But, raisins ruin everything. I got this recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp white vinegar 
1 cup oat flour 
2 tbsp raw sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt 
1 cup applesauce 
12-oz yogurt 
¼ cup jam, flavor of your choice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk milk with vinegar so it curdles. Set aside. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and a tiny pinch of salt. 
3. Stir in milk mixture and applesauce.  
4. Spoon batter into 4 microwave-safe mugs and microwave each separately for 90 seconds, or until firm. 
5. Top with a dollop of yogurt and jam. 
6. Eat remaining yogurt on the side.

Notes:
Serves 4
Per serving: 274 calories, 2.7g fat, 54.4g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 33.4g sugars, 8.0g protein

If you want the raisins, you can add 1/4 cup raisins after the applesauce step.