Stir-frys are my go-to weeknight meal. Easy to throw together, packed with vegetables & protein, they make for a nutrient-dense, filling dinner.

I like the green beans to still have some crunch to them. You can stir-fry them longer if you enjoy them more tender.

Spicy Green Bean Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut in 1/2
8 oz. tempeh, finely chopped
2 tsp. Asian chili paste (Sambal Oelek)
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. corn starch

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice, stir, cover and boil until tender about 20 minutes. Drain well.

Preheat your broiler. Toss the green beans, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil,  and sugar together. Place onto baking sheet and boiled until beans are slightly charred, about 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining tbsp. of oil into a skillet. Add the tempeh and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, chili paste and cook 5 minutes more.

Whisk the vegetable broth, cornstarch soy sauce & rice vinegar together. Add the charred beans to the skillet and the broth. Cook, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Growing up, we were allowed to pick any dish we wanted for our birthday. Being the good Italian child that I am, I usually rotated between ravioli and pasta figoli. As I got older though, this became my favorite birthday dish. Rich, creamy, decedent, penne a la vodka is still one of my favorite meals.

While it’s no where near my birthday, I decided to recreate this dish for a special night in. While this used to be a special once-a-year meal, recreating this without the excess cream, butter, and cheese allows me to enjoy it whenever I get a craving.

Whole-wheat fusilli, savory cashew cream, vodka tomato sauce. The teenager in me gets a little homesick whenever I make this dish. Since I am 3,000 miles away from most of my family, recreating it this week, being just a few days short of Thanksgiving, seemed appropriate. Food is so powerful,  it’s funny how a simple meal can recreate so many wonderful memories.

Penne a la Vodka

Sauce Ingredients:
1 large can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 tbsp. Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup cashews, soaked in 1 cup water for at least 30 minutes. Soaking allows them to blend easier.
1/2 cup water
12 oz. penne pasta

In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onions, and garlic; cook down until soft and onions are translucent. Stir in red pepper flakes and salt. Add crushed tomatoes, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Add vodka to the sauce and cook an additional 5 minutes until alcohol is cooked off.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Add the soaked and drained cashews to a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup of water and blend until a smooth sauce forms, about 2 minutes depending on the power of your blender. Pour the cream into the tomato sauce, stir to mix and reduce heat to low.

Add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, sauce, and reserved pasta water.

Put a big fork into the pasta and eat!

What are your favorite childhood meals?

I know, Lentil-Walnut loaf sounds like the ultimate hippie housewife food. I admit, I usually shy away from lentil loafs, nut-loafs, meat-less loafs for the reason most people shy away from traditional meat loaf: why? What’s the point? I never cared for meat loaf in the past, why try to recreate it.

But then Pinterest happened. And along with my free time, I was left pondering the lentil-loaf puzzle. There were so many wonderful looking recipes out there, not to mention heaps of praise for various plant-based loafs.

So, I did it. And I’m so glad I did. I think I like this recipe so much because it doesn’t take anything like meat. Super flavorful, with a hearty bite- I enjoyed this even more as leftovers the next day. Which, is pretty much the best compliment you can give to  a meatloaf.

I’m assuming you don’t own that ‘meatloaf pan’ I saw on a late-night informercial once. To remove the loaf easily from the pan, line the loaf with parchment paper for easy removal.

If the list of ingredients seems really long, well- it is. But most of these items are probably staples in your house anyway. Read through before any intimidation strikes.  For my GF peeps- no problem. Sub Tamari for soy sauce and GF breadcrumbs. Everyones a winner!

Lentil-Walnut Loaf

Adapted from VegNews 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups cooked lentils
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb. button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs

4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. honey or other liquid sweetener
1/2 tsp. liquid sweetener
1 tbsp. vegetarian worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. spicy dijon mustard
salt/pepper

Directions:
Whisk together the tomato paste, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, honey, liquid smoke, and 1 garlic clove, crushed. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. EB butter, 1/2 of the chopped onions and mushrooms. Let cook until browned and softened  about 5 minutes.  Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and add celery, carrots, minced garlic cloves, and pinch of salt/pepper. Stir, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large food processor, pulse the rice, walnuts and lentils together. You don’t want them mushy, but they should be combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the cooked vegetables, worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, parsley and 1/3 cup of the leftover tomato mixture. Pulse together and transfer to the rice-lentil bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs and remainder chopped onions and fold together.

Press half of the mixture into a loaf pan. Top with half of the remaining tomato mixture. Press the rest of the mixture into the pan and top with the rest of the tomato mixture.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350°F. Uncover and bake for 15 additional minutes until top is browned. Remove from oven and let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Leftovers taste great on a sandwich! Ketchup, crusty bread, lentil loaf…. it’s pretty amazing.

I love the idea of stuffed peppers, pumpkins, squash, ect. There is something so classic and fall-friendly about stuffing produce and then baking it! I was at the farmers market this past week and saw these gorgeous peppers. I thought they would be perfect stuffed with the rage I made the previous evening.

I’m usually not that concerned with calories (thank you plant-based diet!), but the other nice thing about stuffed peppers is that they are very filling without adding extra calories. I added couscous to these, but you can do quinoa to make it gluten-free or double the ragu to stuff with instead.

Mmmm. Flavorful, colorful, these peppers are also BL approved. Quite the stamp in my opinion. Healthy, ‘man food’ doesn’t get much better than this.

Ragu Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
4 large peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup couscous
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or vegetable parmesan cheese)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Ragu, recipe below

To prepare: Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly soft. Drain peppers and set aside.

Whisk together 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. vinegar, the tomato paste and 3/4 cup water. Pour into the bottom of a glass baking dish.

In a large saute pan, add the couscous and 1/2 cup water. Stir and let cook for 3 minutes until al dente. Add the ragu, parsley, basil, remaining red wine vinegar & cheese.

Place the peppers into a baking dish, cut side up. Stuff the couscous mixture into the bell peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Drizzle with remaining cooking liquid.

Ragu:
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrot
28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 package beef-less crumbles (like the kind from Trader Joe’s or Tempeh)

In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and rosemary. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring, until softened about 5 minutes. Add the crumbles, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes & 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.