Mediterranean Hummus Pasta

This is a nice, light spring dish. This got an approval from the family omnivores. You may not think the flavors will go together, but it's amazing.

Ingredients:
12-oz linguine
1 zucchini, half-moons
10-oz cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 cup plain hummus
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
dash dried oregano
¾ cup olives

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions, adding zucchini, tomatoes, and bell pepper to soften and cook a few minutes before noodles are done cooking. 
2. Drain, reserving ½-cup cooking water. 
3. Return noodles and vegetables to pot. Set aside. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk hummus, basil, and oregano with hot cooking water. 
5. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables. 
6. Stir to coat.
7. Serve with a side of 1/4 cup olives.

Notes:
Serves 4

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.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These cookies are so easy to make. Throw in the wet stuff, mix, throw in the dry stuff, mix, put on cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes, cookies! Also, I made two different types. I made the original recipe and these. The omnivore family went by and couldn't tell the difference between the two. 

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 Ener-G egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Pasta Alfredo

This is a great winter to not-quite-spring all-in-one meal. There's a little prep, but it's worth it. You can use any pasta shape you like. Bow-ties (farfalle) is a fun and pretty choice.

Ingredients:
Alfredo Sauce 
1 head cauliflower florets 
2 garlic cloves 
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Main Dish
16-oz asparagus 
10-oz dry pasta 
10-oz cherry or grape tomatoes 
1 cup green peas (frozen works well)


Directions:
Alfredo Sauce:

1. In a pot, cover cauliflower with water. 
2. Boil until very tender, about 15 minutes. 
3. Drain off water (reserving ½-cup). 
4. Meanwhile, mince garlic in a blender.
5. Scrape sides and add cooked florets, working in batches if necessary. 
6. Add milk, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning, plus salt and pepper. 

Blend until very smooth, adding reserved cooking water as needed for consistency.

Pasta:

1. Cut the bottom ⅓ off the asparagus and discard. Chop remaining pieces. 
2. Cook pasta via package instructions 
3. Add asparagus, cherry tomatoes and peas a few minutes before pasta is done to soften and cook. 
4. Drain and return everything to the pot. 
5. Add Alfredo Sauce and stir to coat.

Notes:

• Per serving: 399 calories, 3.9g fat, 76.2g carbs, 16.4g fiber, 12.2g sugars, 19.8g protein
• Serves 4

WW Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were in the digital but offline codex, so I made them again for my omnivore family. The only complaint I got was that there were too many chocolate chips. You can use the entire bag, or add them slowly, stopping when you get to a point you prefer.

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:  

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff).  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake 8-10 min or until light brown (centers will be soft.) 
7. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min
• Makes 3 dozen.  
• 150 Cal. 

Shells n'Cheeze

Feeling like some comfort food, I found a recipe that was a fancy vegan Mac n'Cheeze. I didn't want all the fancy stuff, and some of their ratios were off. But my adapted version is really tasty. I've made it several time.

Ingredients:
8-oz shells or other pasta, cooked via package directions
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp miso paste**

Optional:
1 can (15-oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together cold milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and turmeric. 
2. Cover and bring to a near boil, then reduce heat to low. 
3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. 
4. Turn off heat and stir in miso. 
5. Fold cooked pasta into sauce, stirring to coat completely. 
6. If using, fold in beans and garnish with green onions.

Notes:

• Serves 4

ISP

Lentils, polenta, and yummy spices, what more could you ask for? The weather is not as cold as in the dead of winter, but this is a great meal for those chilly days that linger. 

Ingredients:
1 cup dry polenta 
½ cup (4-oz) almond milk 
1 diced onion 
4 minced garlic cloves 
1 seeded and diced green bell pepper 
2 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 
3/4 cups lentils 
2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cook lentils by covering with 3 cups of water and bringing to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. 
3. Reduce to low. 
4. Slowly whisk in 1 cup polenta. 
5. Keep stirring to break down clumps. 
6. Add milk (about ½-cup) to thin out. 
7. Add salt to taste. Set aside. 
8. In a skillet sauté onion, garlic, and bell peppers until onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened. 
9. Stir in spices to coat and cook 1 minute. 
10. Add cooked lentils and marinara sauce, stirring to combine. 
11. Continue to cook over low, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly warm and reduced slightly. 
12. Spoon lentil mixture into 4 bowls. Top with prepared polenta. Or, put the polenta in first and top with lentil mixture.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 412 calories, 5.2g fat, 75.7g carbs, 17.1g fiber, 14.8g sugars, 15.5g protein