Panzanella (Bread and Tomato Salad)

In my last post, I vowed to give quick simple dishes some love. Well, it doesn't really get any faster or easier than panzanella.  I've been meaning to make it about a month now, since I've come across a couple panzanella-esque recipes recently -- at El Comidista and Smitten Kitchen -- and now I'm upset I waited so long.

While other vegetables are sometimes added, the staple ingredients of this Tuscan salad are bread, tomatoes, and good quality olive oil. The preparation is about as minimalist as it gets so it's very important to start with fresh produce. 'Tis the end season for tomatoes and peppers, so hit up your local farmer's markets while you can. The bread also needs to be high quality -- think hearty and crusty -- and preferably a day old, to prevent it from getting too soggy. Once toasted, it soaks up the dressing and tomato juices without falling apart, basically doing the dunking for you. This combination of ingredients is seasonal perfection, but I couldn't resist adding some navy beans for a complete, albeit light, meal.

So the question shouldn't be why to make this salad, but why to wait another minute. After all it's September, and therefore time to start savoring the last of our summer meals.

Panzanella (Bread and Tomato Salad)
Makes 4 generous servings

• 1/2 lb / 225 g good crusty bread, preferably a day old
• 2 pints / 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (you could also use any other tomato variety)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 15 oz / 425 g can navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider, white or sherry vinegar (I like my dressing pretty strong so I added 2 additional tablespoons of vinegar)
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 1/2-2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 freshly ground black pepper

1.  Cut the bread into about 1/2 inch / 1 cm thick slices and toast it until it's golden brown. Cut it into bite-sized cubes and toss into a large salad bowl.

2.  Add the tomatoes, onion and green pepper to the bowl with the toasted bread. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the salad. Give the salad a good toss and let it sit for about 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up some of the veggie juices and dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately or store for up to a day. 

Semi-Homemade Sundried Tomato "Cheese" Ravioli with Arugula Pesto

This meal isn't exactly diet food. Actually, it's the exact opposite. I don't know why I decided to cook such rich food last Friday, the day before we left for an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Oh yeah, I forgot to let you all know I'm on the beach right now. In. The. Caribbean. I'm probably sipping a fancy beverage in paradise right now and will be doing so until Friday the 13th. I made sure you'd barely notice my absence by writing a few posts ahead of time and scheduling to upload automatically this week.

But enough about exotic locations and Blogger's handy features. Let's get back to the food. You may remember that in my vegetable dumplings post I mentioned using wonton wrappers to make ravioli, as recommended in this Saveur article. Well, ever since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about whipping up my own semi-homemade ravioli. I decided to stuff them with a sundried tomato almond "cheese" this time, but I intend to experiment with other, perhaps lighter, fillings. Topped with some peppery arugula pesto, these ravioli were most certainly a delicious stick to your ribs meal.

Sundried Tomato "Cheese" Ravioli
Makes 16 very large ravioli or about 4 servings

• 1 1/4 cup almonds, soaked for 12 to 24 hours (the longer the better) and drained
• 1 teaspoon miso 
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 32 wonton wrappers (make sure you get the kind without eggs)
• 1 batch Arugula Pesto

1.  If you're a little OCD like me and would like a smoother "cheese" you'll want to peel your almonds. This isn't as terrible as it sounds. Once they've been soaked most of the skins just slip off if you apply a bit of pressure. Don't sweat it if some skins won't budge. A little almond skin never hurt anyone.
2.  Place the almonds, miso, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, pepper, basil and oregano in the food processor and whiz until it forms a uniform paste, scrapping down the sides if necessary. Add the water and blend for about another minute. Toss in the sundried tomatoes and start the motor. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in through the feeding tube. Continue to process the "cheese" until the oil and the tomatoes are mixed in uniformly.
3. Place two wonton wrappers on a plate or cutting board. Dip your finger in some water and moisten the outer 1/2 inch or so of each wrapper. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in one wrapper and cover it with the other wrapper so that the moist parts touch. Using your hands, apply pressure to the outside of the raviolo to seal in the filling. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan or plate. Repeat the process for the remaining 15 ravioli. As you can see from the penny comparison in the picture, these ravioli are king and queen sized.

4. Once your ravioli are assembled, you can either freeze them or cook them within a couple days. To freeze them, place them on a plate in the freezer, making sure they don't touch, for about 30 minutes. When they've hardened somewhat you can put them in a bag or container and keep them in the freezer until you'd like to use them. You can place frozen ravioli directly in boiling water without thawing first. If your ravioli are still fresh, cook about 6 of them at a time in a large pot of boiling water for approximately 4 minutes or until al dente. Carefully remove the ravioli from the water with a slotted spoon. Serve topped with some warm arugula pesto or another sauce of your choice.

Arugula Pesto
Makes about 1 1/4 cup

• 3 packed cups arugula
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup canola oil or other light tasting vegetable oil

Toss the arugula, nutritional yeast, pecans, garlic, salt and pepper into the food processor and blend until a uniform paste forms. Scrape down the sides of the food processor, start it up again and slowly drizzle in the oil through the feeding tube. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Spiralized Zucchini with Raw Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara

One of my favorite things about Duke is their weekly summer Farmers Market. It's about a two minute walk from my office and provides the perfect excuse for a walk on sunny Fridays. This week, I was eager to pick up some summer produce, since my CSA seems to still be stuck in the winter greens and root veggies rut (honestly, I'm getting kind of tired of it). Browsing stands, I found some lovely looking zucchini and tomatoes which I thought would make a tasty raw pasta dish.

I understand that raw pasta may not be for everyone, especially if you expect spiralized zucchini to taste exactly like spaghetti. Thinking of this dish as a light and summery way to satisfy a pasta craving, may help the raw pasta love flow. I also like to think of it as fun alternative to a lunch salad. If you really need real pasta in this dish or if you'd just like to bulk it up, fear not, there's an option for you. Just add some cooked pasta and other spiralized veggies to the zucchini for an interesting take on pasta salad. 

Spiralized Zucchini with Raw Sun Dried Tomato Marinara
Makes 2-3 servings
Adapted from Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen

• 3 medium zucchini or summer squash, scrubbed well or peeled 
• 2 1/2 cups nice and ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, either just rehydrated or packed in oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
• Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
• 1 large pitted date or about 1 tablespoon of agave or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional: Almesan for garnish

1.  If you have a spiralizer (I expressed my love for mine in this post) use it to cut the zucchini into thin spaghetti-like strands. If you don't have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler to cut your zucchini into veggie noodles.
2.  Throw the rest of the ingredients, except for the almesan, into a blender and whiz until the marinara is smooth. Taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Pour the sauce over the noodles, garnish with some almesan, and dig in. If you have leftovers, make sure to store the sauce and noodles separately. They should keep for about 3-4 days.

Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

"I'll make you dinner." Who doesn't look forward to hearing those wonderful words when they're sick? I certainly thought it was the best thing Austin could have said to me last night, when I was feeling like I had the plague. When he asked me what he should make, I told him I was craving mushroom spaghetti. He responded he'd be happy to make it if I told him how. So, in between coughs and sneezes, with a tissue in my hand, I walked him through this mushroom pasta from the couch.

It wasn't the easiest process, especially since were weren't exactly on the same mushroom sauce page. "I'm throwing in a whole onion!" "Noooo, use only half *cough* *cough* *cough*, please." "Fiiiine". I don't want you to think I sniffled all of his contributions though. At one point he asked "Should I add some white wine to this?". I answered, "*Aaaaachoooo!* Wine sounds great, but make it red if we have any. It will go better with the mushrooms". And so it went. After about 40 minutes I had a delicious bowl of pasta in front of me. I quickly took a picture and dug in. Full of gratitude, I turned to Austin and said "Thanks, babe. I couldn't have done it better myself".

Pasta with Mushroom Sauce
Makes 3 servings

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 oz / 340 g cremini mushrooms, diced small
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 small onion, diced small
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 15 oz / 425 g can diced fire roasted tomatoes, including their liquid
• 1/2 fresh tomato, seeded and diced small
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• About 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 13.25 oz / 375 g box of spaghetti or the same amount of another pasta
• Optional: 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and almesan to garnish.

1.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Toss in the mushrooms and cook them stirring occasionally until they're brown, about 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic and onion, sauteing them for around 5 minutes or until softened. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook until it has reduced in volume by about half.
2.  Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water for as long as the package indicates. Meanwhile, add the canned tomatoes, fresh tomato, salt, oregano, black and red pepper, if using, to the sauce. Turn up the heat to medium high and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has reached your desired consistency, about 10 minutes in our case. Turn down the heat to low until your pasta is ready.
3.  When the pasta is cooked and drained, toss it into the sauce along with the parsley. Cook over medium heat until the pasta is heated through. Enjoy immediately, with an optional sprinkle of almesan.

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti

As I was cooking tonight I said to myself "how have you not blogged about sun dried tomato and garlic spaghetti yet?". It's my favorite way to eat pasta. Ever. I was first introduced to it when my mom started whipping it up for my parents during a childhood phase when I refused to eat pasta covered in anything that wasn't my mother's red sauce (I would immediately dismiss any other sauce as inferior).  Once that bratty stage was over, I tried and fell in love with this deliciously garlicky pasta. It became one of my staple meals in college, for good reason. It's super quick, spicy and comforting -- three fantastic qualities in almost any dish.

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti
Makes 3 large servings

• 1 13.25 oz / 375 g box spaghetti or other long pasta
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 heaping cup julienned sun dried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
• Optional: A generous sprinkling of almesan 

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Toss in the pasta and cook per the packages directions until al dente.
2.  When the pasta is about 5 minutes from being done, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Toss in the sun dried tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for another 3 minutes.
3.  Drain the pasta well and add it to the saute pan with the rest of the ingredients, stirring to coat each spaghetti strand in the garlicky, tomatoey goodness. After about 5 minutes, or once the pasta is piping hot, transfer to three plates and serve with a sprinkle of almesan.

Almesan
Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terri Hope Romero's Veganomicon
Makes about 3/4 cup

• 2 tablespoons raw or toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1.  If your sesame seeds are toasted, skip this step. If they're raw, as mine were, toast them in a dry pan over medium heat until they're light brown and fragrant, which should only take about 5 minutes.
2.  Combine all the ingredients into a blender (or in my case, a Magic Bullet -- the shaker lids are so perfect for this!) and whiz until completely pulverized. Sprinkle over pasta, pizza, salad or whatever else your little heart desires.

Vegan Eggplant Rollatini with Macadamia "Ricotta"

I'll admit I'd never heard of eggplant rollatini until this weekend (am I alone in this?). I saw it on the menu of a restaurant in Austin's hometown and thought it sounded genius. It's pretty simple really; it's just eggplant wrapped around ricotta with tomato sauce on top or, to put it differently, a lasagna roll made with eggplant instead of pasta. What's there not to love? If you're Austin, the eggplant. He tries to avoid eggplant at all costs (I think he just doesn't like the idea of it) so I knew that the true test of this dish would be whether he would like it. Well, not only did he say it was delicious, he even had seconds.

Austin was initially skeptical about nut "cheese", as I'm sure some of you are. As I've said to him, no, it doesn't taste exactly like dairy cheese but I think it has similar texture and hits the same flavor notes: slightly fatty (but with far less of the saturated stuff), tangy, salty and acidic. Some of you may also think you don't have at least 12 hours to soak nuts. Yes you do, it just takes some planning ahead. Throw them in a big bowl with water the night before you want to make "cheese". The next day all you have to do is drain them, put them in the food processor and voilà, homemade nut "cheese" in minutes!

While your going all homemade, why not try to whip up some tomato sauce? The recipe below is extremely simple and really tasty. Yes, it needs to simmer for one hour but you don't have to tend to it so you can use that time to cook the eggplant, make the "cheese", assemble the rollatini, pay bills, feed your pet or whatever else it is you need to do. Heck, you could even go crazy, make a double batch and freeze it. Yes, your jarred sauces will miss you but I promise they will recover.

Vegan Eggplant Rollatini with Macadamia "Ricotta" 
Loosely Inspired by Giada di Laurentiis' Eggplant Rollatini
Makes 4 to 5 servings

• 3 medium eggplants, washed, peeled if you're skin averse (I'm not) and cut lengthwise into about 1/2 in / 1.5 cm slices
• 1 recipe of Macadamia "Ricotta"
• 4-5 cups of your favorite jarred tomato sauce or Basic Tomato Sauce 
• Olive oil for greasing
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: A couple handfuls of chopped parsley for garnish
• Optional: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 F / 204 C. Generously brush the eggplant slices with olive oil, season them with salt and pepper and arrange them on two baking sheets. Cook them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they start to brown and are slightly soft. If you're baking both sheets of eggplant at the same time, swap their placement on your two oven shelves half way through the cooking process.

2.  Reduce the oven heat to 375 F / 190 C. Grease a 9 by 13 inch (or any other size you have handy really, although the tighter the rollatini fit in the pan the better) casserole dish or baking pan with some olive oil. Place a heaping tablespoon of "ricotta" at one end of each eggplant slice and roll it up tightly. Place the rollatini seam side down on the greased baking pan. Repeat the process until you've filled all the eggplant slices.

3. Pour about 4-5 cups of the tomato sauce, depending how much you love sauciness, over the rollatini. If you'd like, mix any extra "ricotta" with a handful of chopped parsley and crumble it over the top. You can also sprinkle the top of the casserole with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Bake for 20 minutes or until the "ricotta" starts to brown. Garnish with some extra chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Macadamia "Ricotta"
Makes about 3 cups

• 2 1/2 cups macademia nuts (cashews would be great too), soaked in water for at least 12 hours and drained
  
• 2 teaspoons miso 
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup water

Put all the in ingredients except the water into the food processor and whiz the mixture until it a uniform paste is formed. This may take a few minutes and require scrapping down the sides of the bowl a few times. With the processor running, add the water slowly through the feeding tube until the "cheese" has a ricotta-like texture. If you're not using this for the rollatini, you can spread it on sandwiches, crackers, dip veggies into it, put it on veggie burgers... you get the idea.

Basic Tomato Sauce
Makes about 6 1/2 cups

• 2 28 oz / 795 g cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional: 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil)

1.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and the onions and saute until the garlic is fragrant and the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. Toss in the celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the carrots and the sun dried tomatoes and saute for approximately 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, bay leaves and other spices and cook for about a minute.
2.  Pour in the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If you're making the rollatini with this sauce you'll have some leftovers which you can refrigerate or freeze.

Vegan Polenta with Kidney Beans, Peppers and Tomatoes

Being able to hop on a plane and spend the weekend with Austin's family is great. However, there is usually one (rather insignificant) downside: coming home to an empty fridge. It's nights like this one that force me to get creative in the kitchen, making what I can with what we have in the pantry and fridge odds and ends. I call it Sara does Chopped*. Tonight, when I saw the cornmeal staring at me longingly I knew whatever we ate would be served on a bed of polenta... creamy, buttery, savory polenta. If you've never made it don't be intimidated by the myth that you have to whisk it incessantly. As Mark Bittman says, you don't actually have to stir it constantly, just every once in a while. While scavenging for polenta toppings in our fridge, I found some wilting arugula, a lonely green pepper and an almost overripe tomato. Pair that with some of our pantry staples, sun dried tomatoes and olives, and you have yourself a relatively quick, pretty healthy, mighty tasty and comforting meal.

Vegan Polenta with Kidney Beans, Peppers and Tomatoes
Makes 4 servings

• 1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup plain unsweetened almond or other non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated non-dairy butter
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 15 oz / 425 g can / 1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped small
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small (I used the kind packed in oil)
• 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 packed cups arugula
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1.  In a medium pot, whisk together the cornmeal and 1 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it bubbles and then reduce it to a simmer, whisking every few minutes. When most of the liquid is absorbed and the polenta looks ready to eat, add whisk in another cup of broth and stir every few minutes to avoid clumping. Repeat until you use up all of the broth. In the last stage, add the milk, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer until the cornmeal tastes cooked and the polenta is thick and creamy (I like mine to spread when I plate it). Stir in the butter and the nutritional yeast and cook for another couple minutes. The whole process should take about 30-40 minutes.
2.  While the polenta is cooking, cook the toppings. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell peppers and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it's fragrant and starting to brown, about another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding the fresh tomato, sun dried tomatoes, olives, red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and thyme. Cook for about 7 minutes or until the tomato starts to break down. Add the beans and cook for about 5 minutes or until they're heated through. Taste and gradually add as much salt as you think the dish needs (be careful though; the olives will provide quite a bit of salt).
3.  Ladle the polenta onto a plate, top with about 1/2 cup of the arugula (which will wilt beautifully from the heat of the rest of the ingredients) and about 1/4 of the pepper, bean and tomato mixture. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

*For those of you who don't watch Food Network religiously or don't have access to it, Chopped is a TV show in which contestants have to create dishes using all the crazy ingredients they're given in the mystery basket.

Pasta for Hookers

Legend has it that Southern Italian prostitutes would lure in customers with the aroma of pasta puttanesca. After a hard day's work, they would then gather around a table and enjoy the deliciously salty, spicy and comforting dish. Now I'm not suggesting that you quadruple this recipe and start a happening brothel. You could, however, take a page from the prostitutes' book and make someone's hard day better by serving them the culinary equivalent of a warm hug.

Pasta Puttanesca

Makes 2-3 servings

• 8 oz / 230 g of linguine or other pasta
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 12 oz / 340 g of grape or cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes (either packed in oil or just rehydrated), chopped
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of capers 
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth (in a pinch you could use water or white wine)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 fist full of parsley, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Optional: "almesan" (or Parmesan)

1. In a large pot, bring your pasta water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. 

2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the onions and the garlic and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent or about 5 minutes.

3. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, capers, olives, black and red pepper, oregano and basil. Saute for about a minute. 

4. Toss in the tomatoes and the vegetable broth. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down, which should take around 10 minutes. You can help this process along by using a potato masher to break up any larger tomato chunks. Taste the sauce for salt. You may not need any since olives and capers are usually quite salty.

5. By this time your pasta should be cooked. After you drain it, add it to the sauce, stirring to make sure all the pasta is coated. Cook for a couple of minutes. 

6. Add the parsley, stir and serve. I topped my pasta with some "almesan". The original recipe is in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's  Veganomicon. It is basically just ground almonds, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. I modified the ratio of the ingredients a bit, used lime zest instead of lemon and added some nutritional yeast. It tastes surprisingly close to the real thing.