Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce on Penne

Though I don't love tomato sauce, this one is full of roasted vegetables (including 2 whole bulbs of garlic!) so I wanted to try it. I love all the vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, artichokes) and olives and red wine. But I think the tomato sauce I used as the base (Hunts in a can) was not great, it was too sour? Next time I might try using crushed tomatoes instead. And I used regular canned artichokes, but next time will use marinated ones. Much more delicious!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Asparagus and Feta Pasta
Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
Asparagus and Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Tarragon
Red and White Tortellini

Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce on Pasta
Adapted from ExtraVeganZa

Serves 6-8

1 eggplant, chopped (bite size pieces)
1 each red, yellow and orange peppers, chopped (bite size pieces)
1 small zucchini, chopped (bite size pieces)
2 bulbs garlic, separated and peeled
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp sea salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper
10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
14 oz can or jar artichoke hearts, quartered
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup red wine
56 oz (1600 mL) tomato sauce
Enough pasta for 6 servings

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt. Place the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir at least once during cooking to prevent sticking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the herbs, black pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives and roasted vegetables. Stir int he wine. Add the tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Serve the sauce on top of the hot pasta.

Baked BBQ Beer Tofu made with Rebarbecue Sauce

Tofu marinated in BBQ and beer sounded delicious to me so you can understand why I had it stuck in my head for months. Why for months? Well I wanted to make the barbecue sauce from my favourite cookbook, and while the sauce is easy to make it just took me some time to get around to doing it. Sometimes I buy bottled sauces but I use them once or twice then forget about them (except ketchup and mustard mmm). So homemade BBQ sauce it was!

There's a step in the barbecue sauce making process where you boil spices in vinegar, and that was the most amazing step because it made my apartment smell like A&W, minus the grease, if that makes any sense. Okay maybe that sounds gross but it wasn't. The barbecue sauce was really good but too spicy for me to be able to fully taste everything. I've adjusted the chipotle puree in the recipe to reflect how I'll make it next time.

As for the tofu, I was sadly disappointed. It didn't taste strongly of beer or bbq sauce. Admittedly I did not press my tofu first (I never do). I love the idea of this tofu so I will have to try it again.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Apple-Miso Tofu
Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu
Salt & Pepper Tofu
Cumin Lime Tofu

Baked BBQ Beer Tofu
Adapted from The Edible Perspective

1/2 bottle beer
1/3 cup Rebarbecue Sauce (see below)
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes

Whisk together the beer and rebarbecue sauce. Marinate the tofu for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400F. Drain the sauce from the tofu, and place tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra barbecue sauce.

Rebarbecue Sauce
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

Makes about 2 cups

Add more chipotle puree if you like it spicy.

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
4 allspice berries
4 cardamom pods
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp chipotle puree (from a pureed can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce)
5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 bottle dark beer

1. In a small pot, bring vinegar and whole spices to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, which will take about 15 minutes. Strain out the solids and cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet to medium and saute the onion until golden, adding garlic halfway through. Sprinkle sugar into the pan and when it melts, add all of the remaining ingredients including the vinegar. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and glossy.

3. Puree the sauce until smooth, cool and refrigerate.

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl

I recently discovered this really awesome website called goodreads. I've been obsessed with reading recently and with this website you can organize all the books you've read (and rate them), get recommendations for books to read, and have a list of books you plan to read. So much better than my method of randomly writing emails and notes to try and remember. And such a great resource to help me decide on what books I must read next! Very exciting. Let me know if you're on there and we can be book buddies. :)

I don't think I've ever bought tamarind. Not that I don't like it, I just never know what to do with it. And now I have an open package of it in the fridge with no ideas for its use in the future. Well aside from making this tamarind tofu cabbage bowl again, which I should do. Because it was really good. I love sauteed cabbage and really enjoyed it paired with a sweet tangy tamarind sauce in this dish. The tofu and brown rice make it a complete meal.

My only complaint, and really a very small one, is that there wasn't enough sauce. But you'll have leftover tamarind chutney to make extra sauce. I think we ended up using the whole amount of chutney actually, but not with the full amount of soy sauce.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Spicy Indian Chickpeas/Chana Masala
Sunflower Rice Bowl
Sweet Potato Badi

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 3-4 servings

12 ounce block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups cooked brown rice (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
1 carrot, grated
7 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Tamarind Chutney (recipe follows)
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1. Fry the tofu in 1/2 tbsp of oil in a wok until browned on at least 2 sides. Set aside.

2. Combine the rice and carrots in a large bowl and toss well.

3. In a wok, saute the cabbage over high heat in 1/2 tbsp oil until slightly softened and browned in some places. Add the cabbage to the rice and carrots.

4. Make a sauce by mixing the tamarind chutney and soy sauce. Add the sauce and the tofu to the cabbage mixture and gently toss. Top with almonds and serve warm.

Tamarind Chutney

Makes 1/2 cup

2 cups water
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin

In a small saucepan, bring the water, tamarind paste and sugar to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 30 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add the salt, red chili flakes, garam masala, and cumin. Cook for 1 minute more, thenr emove from heat and let cool completely.

Perfection Pound Cake with Lemon Curd

For my brother's birthday (way back in May, wow I'm behind) he requested pound cake with lemon curd and whipped creme fraiche. I've made this Cream Cheese Pound Cake before and while I loved it, I wanted to try a regular pound cake. When we were in Mykonos, they offered pound cake at breakfast every morning and I always had a slice. It's not something I usually think to make (or eat) but I really love it. So soft but dense, and not overflavoured. Just delicious.

Anyway, so this pound cake was good though I would recommend making it the day before you intend to serve it as the edges were crisp on day 1 (which I love actually). Leaving it overnight would allow everything to soften. The lemon curd I made to go with it was really good too. As for the whipped creme fraiche, I didn't really know what I was doing. I tried to whip it like whipped cream and added a touch of sugar. It didn't hold very well though - maybe it needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream? Anyway overall the combination was nice, though the pictures are a bit of a mess as they were kind of an afterthought taken at my mom's house. I think it was my sister in law who had a brilliant idea for how to serve it. A slice of cake on it's side, with whipped creme fraiche in an oval shape, and a circular dollop/ball of lemon curd in the middle, so it looks like an egg.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberry Sauce
Tres Leches Cake
Plum Sour Cream Kuchen
Sweetened Condensed Milk Cake

Perfection Pound Cake
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8"x4" loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you’re working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you’re using a 9×5 pan, you’ll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes. The cake is done when a thin knife inserted deep in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.

Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and transfer the cake to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Lemon Curd
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Makes 2 cups

8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160F on an instant read thermometer. (My stove seems to run a bit hot, so you might need to increase the temperature to medium.)

Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl and cover tightly (ex. with a fitted lid or plastic wrap). Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Thai Chick-Un Pizza

Have I mentioned that one of my new favourite cookbooks is Eat, Drink & Be Vegan? There's a photo of this Thai Chick-Un Pizza on the back cover of the book and it's been tempting me for quite a while. I love when pizzas have sauces other than tomato sauce - this one has peanut sauce. And for toppings, lots of yummy things! Chickpeas, red pepper, pineapple, green onions, and snow peas. Next time I'd add the recommended cilantro and peanuts as well.

I know I've mentioned before how much I love peanut sauce, and how I found "the" peanut sauce but I think I've found a second "the" peanut sauce. This one is seriously amazing. I've never had a peanut sauce with ketchup in it. I think there's enough sauce and toppings to make 2 pizzas, as I found that this one was quite overflowing with stuff so next time I'll split it up. Oh and I almost forgot to mention the whole wheat pizza crust I used here! You can split the dough into 2 to make 2 thin crust pizzas, or make one thicker one (which is what I did). I've made whole wheat pizza crust before, but never had such a soft dough. I really liked this recipe and will try it again, and try it thin crust style next time.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pad Thai
Tofu and Broccolini in Peanut Sauce
Szechuan Tofu Triangles in Triple Pepper Sauce
Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta

Thai Chick-Un Pizza
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Peanut Sauce
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 large cloves garlic, quartered
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp honey (I didn't have agave but use agave to make it vegan)

1 10-12 inch whole wheat pizza shell (see recipe below)

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, chopped (I used drained canned pineapple chunks)
3/4 cup snow peas, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
peanuts, chopped (garnish)
fresh cilantro leaves (garnish)

To prepare peanut sauce:
In a food processor, add peanut butter, ketchup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and honey, and puree until smooth (add 1-2 tbsp water to thin is desired - sauce should be thick enough to spread on pizza and not runny).

Preheat the oven to 500F. Line a pizza pan with parchment or oil the pizza pan. Roll or stretch the ball of dough to fit your pizza pan. Bake just the crust for 5 minutes. Take crust out of the oven. (Note: If you're not using this crust, then omit this step of prebaking the crust, and just bake the pizza for 17-20 minutes.)

Spread peanut sauce evenly on pizza shell. In a bowl, lightly flatten chickpeas with a large spoon (or in palm of your hand), and distribute evenly over sauce. Distribute bell pepper, pineapple and snow peas evenly. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on crust thickness), sprinkling on green onions for last minute of cooking, until the crust is golden and toppings have heated through. Serve sprinkled with chopped peanuts and cilantro if desired.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Adapted from Marla on AllRecipes.com

1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in 3 cups of whole wheat flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a floured surface and add the other 1/2 cup whole wheat flour as needed. Knead until the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake + Strawberry Sauce

One weekend I got it in my head that I wanted to make trifle. I think because the weekend before, my dad had been talking about what an amazing trifle my grandma makes and how people are always sad when she doesn't make it. So I called her to get her recipe but as it turns out there isn't really a recipe. She told me to just use whatever cake you want to get rid of or pick up from the grocery store. She usually uses canned fruit, and mixes the juice from the can with a bit of alcohol (again she said whatever you want to get rid of - are we seeing a theme here?) and pours it over the cake. And then she said she uses pudding mix. And puts whipped cream on top. Oh and she also mixes jello in with the fruit and cake once it's been layered. The details are a bit fuzzy now, but basically there was no exact recipe. So I just decided to pick a cream cheese pound cake, a white chocolate custard, and the strawberry sauce I've made a few times that my fiance (who I will refer to from now on as E) really likes.

Individually, all the components were really good. The pound cake was so perfectly pound cake-y - really dense and wonderful and you can taste the cream cheese. And it was so soft. The white chocolate custard was adapted from a bittersweet chocolate custard and I didn't adjust the sugar enough so it was way too sweet - especially when combined with the strawberry sauce. The strawberry sauce was perfect though and is good for everything. So I'll share with you the recipe for the cream cheese pound cake and the strawberry sauce and will save the white chocolate custard for when I try again and it turns out better.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Tres Leches Cake
Sour Cream Doughnuts
Strawberry Cream Cake
Orange Cream Cheese Muffins

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted liberally from Staff Meals from Chanterelle

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 package (4 ounces) Philadelphia brand cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter an 8"x4" pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 1 1/4 hours.

4. Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

Strawberry Sauce
Adapted from All Recipes (Heislord5)

1 pint (454 g) strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut about strawberries in 1/2-1 inch size pieces. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, sugar and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Store in refrigerator.

Tofu and Broccolini in Peanut Sauce

It's really hard for me to decide what my favourite kind of sauce is - freshly made pesto, peanut sauce, or a good (emphasis on the good, because most restaurant ones are not) alfredo sauce. I have a feeling I might have to pick peanut sauce though. Or pesto. But today I have a peanut sauce recipe to share with you so we'll focus on that.

I have my current favourite peanut sauce which I've made many times and love, but I'm still open to trying different variations. This one has hoisin sauce in it. I thought I hated hoisin sauce but it turns out I really love it. And peanut butter + hoisin sauce is really yummy. This makes a great weeknight meal paired with some brown rice. I used broccolini and red peppers, but use whatever you have. Carrots, snowpeas, broccoli, zucchini - anything is delicious covered in peanut sauce. The only thing about this recipe is that we didn't find there was quite enough sauce so next time I'd 1.5x the sauce. But then I love saucy things.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Pear and Curry Pasta
Indian Stir Fried Cabbage
Szechuan Tofu Triangles in Triple Pepper Sauce

Tofu and Broccoli in Peanut Sauce
Adapted from Canadian Living

1 pkg (425 g) firm tofu
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1 tsp oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups broccolini, chopped
2 sweet red peppers, diced
2 green onions, chopped

Pat tofu dry with paper towel; cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Set aside.

In small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup water, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and vinegar; set sauce aside.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; stir-fry tofu and garlic until tofu is golden, 3 minutes.

Add broccolini and red pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp (25 mL) water; cover and steam until broccolini is tender-crisp, 1 minute. Add peanut sauce; cook, stirring, to heat through, 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions.

Beet Raita

I always love eating raita when I go out for Indian food, and am scared of making it at home because I so badly want it to taste good so I don't want to screw up. But then I came across this beet raita and thought it sounded interesting and different, plus I love beets. (Beets are actually one of my favourite foods. I don't post about them often because I love eating them just roasted and plain.) Thus my first adventure with raita began! It's interesting because it's so full of chunky stuff - beets, potatoes and green onions. I'm used to raita being more like a dip/sauce and quite smooth. Anyway it was yummy and I'd make it again to eat with Indian food - it's always nice to have something cooling. If you have a good plain raita recipe, I'd love for you to share it with me!

My fiancé couldn't find Abby one morning, then finally found her hiding on his dresser behind clothes. So cute!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sesame Beets
Beet, Barley and Black Bean Soup
Indian Stir Fried Cabbage
Pink Beans with a Cardamom-Yogurt Sauce

Beet Raita
Adapted from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook

Makes about 3 cups

2 medium beets
1 medium waxy potato, peeled, such as Yukon Gold (I would omit this next time)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I used 2%)
2 green onions, minced
1/2 clove garlic, grated
2 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 425F.

Wrap the unpeeled beets in foil. Bake the beets until tender, about 50 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap and slip off the peel.

Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan with enough water to cover the potato. Bring to a boil over high heat, add the potato, cover, and lower the heat to medium. Boil the potato until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, green onions, garlic, dill, cilantro, lemon juice, beets and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled through, about 1 hour. Serve cold.

"The" Peanut Sauce

This is basically the best peanut sauce ever and I'm so incredibly happy that I came across it. I'm done trying out other recipes - this is the one! It's full of flavour, perfectly peanut-y, and it has a nice consistency that's not too thick so it evenly distributes over everything. And you make it in a blender or magic bullet. So easy, so good. You must make it. That's pretty much it! Check out Julie's original recipe to see the different options you can choose for each ingredient. She makes peanut sauce so simple and approachable! Oh by the way, of course you can do whatever you want with the sauce but I just stir fried up a ton of vegetables and tofu and ate it with noodles or rice with the sauce on top. Healthy and so tasty.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons
Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu
Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta

Peanut Sauce
Adapted from Dinner With Julie

1/4 cup coconut milk (or I've used water if I didn't have it)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or jar and whiz or shake until smooth. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it. Makes about a cup.

Chayote and Corn Enchiladas

Can you tell that this is a picture of cold enchiladas? I tried taking a picture the night I made it but the colours were all weird so just took some photos the next day. I looove enchiladas but have never attempted making them at home. Not only did I make enchiladas, but I made the corn tortillas! I was very proud of myself. Mind you I didn't have a tortilla press and pushing down on them with a frying pan to flatten them out didn't seem to get them thin enough. Plus I opted not to fry them first which is supposed to make them softer. So rather than rolling the filling in the tortillas I just layered some tortillas on the top and bottom, sandwiching the filling. It worked!

This is one of my favourite Abby pictures! Look at her little tummy! This was when she was younger (and smaller). The white fluffy stuff on the bottom is my mom's dog's head.

The filling was yummy with chayotes, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, corn, jalapeno, cilantro, and cheese. And it was topped with an oven roasted tomato sauce, which on its own I thought was okay but with the enchiladas was perfect. I tried to keep it healthier by not adding much cheese but enchiladas are definitely more delicious when there's lots of nice melty cheese! If you just add the recommended 1/2 cup you may not even notice it there. And this is easily made vegan by omitting the cheese altogether.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Refried Beans (which I ate with the enchiladas!)
Roasted Taco Chickpeas
Black Bean Chilaquile
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Chayote and Corn Enchiladas
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

I don't think I added the cilantro when I made it. The recipe calls for Monterey Jack cheese but I just used cheddar. And it recommends 1/2 cup of cheese - but I say either omit the cheese (and make it vegan!) or add way more than that because I couldn't taste it. Remember to start on the sauce before the enchiladas!

2 small chayote
2 zucchini
1 large red or orange bell pepper
1 white onion
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, from 2 ears if fresh
Salt
1 or 2 jalapeno chiles to taste, seeded and diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas
2 cups Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce (Recipe Follows)

Dice all the vegetables about 1/4 inch across. Keep them separate. Heat the oil in a wide skillet, add the onion and chayote, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned in places, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, corn, and zucchini, cook for 2 minutes more, then remove from the heat and season with salt. Let cool a little, then add the chiles, cilantro and cheese.

Lay half of the corn tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, to cover the bottom. Put all the filling on top. Layer the rest of the tortillas on top. Spoon the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

2 1/2 pounds Roma Tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. Put the tomatoes in a single layer in a baking pan with the onion and thyme, drizzle the oil over all, and season with salt and pepper. bake unitl they're soft, shriveled, and falling apart, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Puree in a food processor. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan

I've made baked seitan before, which was really delicious. But have never tried "regular" seitan. I've never seen it for sale in grocery stores here (except for maybe this really spongey slightly scary looking thing at an Asian grocery store). So I finally made it myself! And it was most exciting. And easy to make. I think I still prefer the baked seitan but this simple boiled seitan is more versatile because it's not really flavoured. While I enjoyed it, I don't think it's something I'd make all the time because I'm just as happy with tofu. I used the seitan in a dish from Vegan with a Vengeance - cold udon noodles with peanut sauce and seitan. Can't go wrong with noodles, peanut sauce and vegetables!

Random Abby photo! I love how her back legs are just splayed open.

I think this recipe is infinitely adaptable. Use tofu or tempeh or some other meat alternative instead of seitan. Use spaghetti, fettucine, or rice noodles instead of udon noodles. I used some kamut udon noodles which were good and I loved that they were made with kamut but they're expensive so I won't get them often. And use whatever your favourite vegetables are or whatever you have in the fridge.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons
Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu
Sunflower Rice Bowl
Lemon Miso Tofu & Eggplant

Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Next time I think I'd put less maple syrup in the peanut sauce. Isa thinks the temperature of the ingredients is really important (warm seitan, cold noodles & vegetables, room temperature sauce) but personally I'd just eat the whole thing either hot or cold. Either way it'll be good. I chopped the vegetables and put together the plate as suggested but next time I'll chop all the vegetables up rather than into strips, and just mix everything together in a pot (so this is how I've written the recipe). I much prefer a plate of food that's easy to eat! And mixed together so I can get a bite of everything rather than one long piece of red pepper or something.

For the peanut sauce:
2 tsp peanut oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground coriander
2/3 cup smooth all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp Asian chile sauce or hot sauce

For the seitan:
1 pound seitan (2 cups) sliced into thin (1/4 inch) strips (Recipe below)
2 tsp peanut oil
1 clove garlic
2 tsp soy sauce

To serve:
10 ounces udon noodles
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 long english cucumber, diced
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup green onions, chopped

Make the peanut sauce:
In a small saucepan, saute the garlic and ginger in peanut oil over low-medium heat. Add the water, soy sauce, and coriander and bring to a boil. Add the peanut butter and turn the heat to low. Whisk well until the peanut butter and oil are combined. Mix in the maple syrup, vinegar and chile sauce. Remove from heat. If you want to eat the noodles cold then let the sauce cool, otherwise you can warm the sauce back up later.

For the noodles:
Meanwhile, prepare your udon noodles according to the package directions. Drain them and if you want to eat this dish cold, rinse them with cold water. Let them rest in the colander and prepare the seitan.

Saute the seitan slices in the peanut oil for 5 minutes on each side or until the seitan is browned and yummy. Then saute with the garlic for a minute, sprinkle with the soy sauce, and saute again for 30 seconds or so.

To serve:
Mix the vegetables, noodles, sauce, sesame seeds and seitan together.

Simple Seitan
Adapted from Veganomicon

Makes 1 pound

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup cold vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated on a microplane grater

Broth
8 cups cold water plus 3 vegetable bouillon cubes, or 4 cups broth plus 4 cups water

Mix together the gluten flour and yeast in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the veggie broth, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has been absorbed and the wet ingredients are partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands to knead the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the dough is elastic. Divide with a knife into 3 equal pieces and then knead those pieces in your hand just to stretch them out a bit.

Prepare the broth
Fill a stockpot with the water and broth (or bouillon cubes), and add the wheat gluten pieces. Cover and bring to a boil but watch carefully; you don't want it to boil for very long or the outside of the seitan will be spongy. Try to catch it as soon as it boils and then lower the heat as low as it will go so that it's at a low simmer.

Partially cover the pot so that the steam can escape and let simmer for an hour, turning the seitan occasionally. Turn off the heat and take the lid off; let sit for 15 minutes.

Remove from the broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle. It is now ready to be sliced up and used. If you have extra seitan, store in the cooking liquid in a tightly covered container.

Chickpea Cutlets with Mustard Sauce

I'd heard about these chickpea cutlets for quite some time and I really wish I hadn't waited so long so make them! They're really tasty and chewy. I made mustard sauce to go with it (which had a very strong mustard flavour that I loved) and that was delicious but you could eat them on their own too, or in a sandwich. Mmm. I'll be making these again for sure, and maybe I'll try out different beans. And double the recipe, so I can freeze some.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sunflower Rice Bowl
Middle Eastern Chickpea Soup
Artichoke Rotini Pasta
Hummus

Chickpea Cutlets
Adapted from Veganomicon

Makes 4 cutlets.

My modifications were to use 1 tbsp oil instead of 2, whole wheat bread crumbs, and 1/2 tsp sage instead of 1/4 tsp. And I also used regular paprika instead of Hungarian - not sure what the flavour difference is. You can either bake or panfry these - I chose the baked option, and she recommends you brush both sides of the patty with oil, which I didn't do.

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable broth (she says you can also use water)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a microplane grater
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried sage

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no whole chickpeas are left. (Ashley note: Really try to mash this well.) Add the remaining ingredients and knead for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.

Divide the cutlet dough into four equal pieces. To form the cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6x4 inch rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to first form a rectangular shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 8-10 minutes until firm and golden-brown.

Mustard Sauce
Veganomicon

Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.

This is more than enough sauce for this amount of chickpea cutlets so you could easily halve the recipe for mustard sauce, unless you want to have extra.

2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp capers (with brine)

Mix the cornstarch with the vegetable broth in a measuring cup and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic and thyme in the olive iol for about a minute.

Add the wine and soy sauce, and raise the heat to high. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to medium and simmer, to reduce for about 4 minutes. Add the vgetable broth mixture, mustard, lemon juice, and capers. Stir often, using a whisk. Once the sauce is bubbling, lower the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes. The sauce should be on the thick side.

Peanut Butter Pasta

I am happy to spend hours in the kitchen doing anything involving baking, but when it comes to cooking an actual meal, most of the time I prefer something fast, simple and healthy. I do love trying out new cooking recipes but there's only so much time and I find baking so much more rewarding and exciting. So this is an example of one of those easy and healthy meals. The peanuts in the sauce are protein and you can always add some beans, tofu or more nuts to the dish for more protein (though this dish was really filling just with the sauce). You can add as many veggies as you want, and this is a great place to use a mix of frozen vegetables. The Garden of Vegan suggests using this as a pasta sauce, as I did, but I'm sure it would be equally delicious (and easy) with your choice of grain (brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc). You could also try this recipe with your favourite nut butter.

Other easy and healthy meals:
Pasta with Tofu Red Pepper Sauce
Spinach Walnut Pesto
Artichoke Rotini Pasta
Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce

Peanut Butter Pasta
Adapted from The Garden of Vegan

Makes 2-3 servings.

Dry pasta (enough for 2 people)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup soy milk or coconut milk (or more water)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp steak sauce or vegan worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne (more if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 cups veggies (broccoli, bell peppers, edamame, carrots, peas, corn, etc), cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the peanut butter, hot water, and milk (soy, coconut, rice - if using) until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, steak sauce/worcestershire, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. When pasta is almost done, add vegetables and cook for another couple of minutes. Drain and return to pot. Pour in the peanut sauce and toss well. Garnish with chopped nuts, if using.

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce

I know I know, this doesn't look like the most exciting dish ever but it really was! Well the part that was really special was the wine mustard sauce - yum yum. I love mustard and I love wine in sauces so this was the perfect combination. I would use the sauce again and try out different vegetables.

This post is quick & brief because things have been really busy this week. We found an apartment! Hopefully. We have a week to check things out and then make our final decision. I'm impressed with myself that I had already prepared the photo and typed up the recipe for this days ago!

Other pasta dishes I've made:
Audrey's Deluxe Mac & Cheese
Santa Fe Pasta Salad
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese
Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini

Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in Mustard Wine Sauce
Adapted from Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook

2 1/2 cups small dried pasta shapes
2 tsp oil
8 oz portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (about 2 mushrooms)
1/2 tsp salt*
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and set aside.

Set the wok (or frying pan) over high heat, and add 1 tsp of oil. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 tsp of salt, and stir-fry until tender, for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Return the wok to high heat, and add the remaining 1 tsp of oil. Add the garlic and onion, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt and crushed red pepper, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the wok. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the wine and mustard, and stir with a wire whisk to blend. Bring to a boil, add the reserved pasta and mushroom mixture and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (or everything is heated through). Toss in the pine nuts and serve.

*I always reduce the amount of salt so you may want to add more.

Mushroom Stroganoff

I know the colours of this dish look kind of blah but it was really tasty! My mom always made beef stroganoff when I was growing up and while I'm sure it was really good beef stroganoff, I hated it. Now I wouldn't eat it because I don't eat meat, but the idea still never appealed to me. Then one day for some reason it did when I flipped by it in The Clueless Vegetarian.

The mushroom stroganoff saucy part was so so very yummy. The bad part about the sauce is that the flavour is very subtle. Actually I think it's the white wine in the sauce that I really like and I don't think there's a way to really make that stronger (well I could replace some of the vegetable stock with wine). The recipe suggests you add seitan but I have still not seen seitan anywhere, so I added tofu (more tofu than the sauce could handle). Which I don't think I'd do again because the tofu was just plain and took away from the dish. This was quite different from my mom's very creamy and saucy stroganoff. I will definitely be making it again.

You might also like:
Panko Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Lemon Caper Sauce
Balkan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Roasted Vegetable Pasticcio

Mushroom Stroganoff
adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian

Makes 2-3 servings.

2 tsp oil
8 oz seitan or tofu, sliced (optional)
1 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the seitan (or tofu) slices, and fry over medium heat, turning the slices over as they become slightly crispy and golden. Remove from the pan, leaving as much of the oil behind as possible, and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tsp of oil to the frying pa. Dump in the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and it has evaporated. Add the wine and cook until it is slightly reduced - about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, stir, then pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Return the seitan/tofu slices to the pan, lower the heat and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the sour cream and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat through and serve with buttered egg noodles, plain cooked rice or pasta.

Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini

I love trying out different variations of pesto and since fresh basil is only available for a limited time every year (which makes me very sad), I try to find decent substitutions. This pesto surprised me with how well it turned out. The bit of freeze dried basil that I added gave the pesto enough basil taste for a person to not be able to tell that it wasn't made with basil. I was happy that it tasted like regular pesto even thought it's made with spinach instead of basil, walnuts instead of pine nuts, and no Parmesan cheese. I added some ground flax seeds (I was adding them to everything for a while) and smoked tofu (which was a bit overpowering when eating the leftovers). The raw garlic made the pesto a bit spicy, so next time I'd either use half as much or maybe roast it. Overall a great discovery and a recipe I will make again. And full of healthy spinach!

Oh and if you have yet to try smoked tofu, you must make every effort to find it! The taste and texture are similar to smoked gouda, at least to me. My mom who isn't a big fan of tofu really likes it, so it could be a good way to get non-tofu lovers to eat tofu and/or as a "gateway" tofu product.

Spinach Walnut Pesto with Smoked Tofu & Whole Wheat Rotini
modified from Quick-Fix Vegetarian

makes about 1 1/2 cups, serves 2-3 when with pasta

3 cups fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 tbsp freeze dried basil
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or walnut oil

1 block of smoked tofu (about 8 oz)

Cook your favourite whole wheat pasta (I'm sorry I can't remember how much I cooked, but if you have leftover you can make pasta salad?).

Meanwhile, steam the spinach over boiling water for 1 minute, or wilt it in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Mince the garlic with the salt in a food processor. Squeeze any moisture from the spinach and add to the food processor along with the parsley, basil, flax seeds and walnuts. Puree until smooth. Add the olive oil gradually and process to a smooth paste.

Cut up smoked tofu into squares or small strips. In the pot that you cooked the pasta in, add the pesto and the tofu. Heat over low until tofu is hot.

My Search for a Delicious Red Sauce Begins

I've always always preferred white sauce to red sauce. Probably because red sauce usually has a bit of a tang or sourness to me, and white sauce is creamy and delicious. I do really like rose sauces though, which mix the two together for the best of both sauces. (Maybe I could add a touch of healthy buttermilk to the red sauce to give it a bit of creaminess, instead of heavy cream.) Anyway, I was recently reading in an Everyday Food magazine about how cooked tomatoes are especially good for you (I love them raw, but cooked in any way not so much). Cooked tomatoes have the antioxidant lycopene, which helps to protect against cancers among other things. Apparently you can also get this health benefit through ketchup (though I don't really recommend it being your primary source)!

I thought about how white sauces from a jar compared to homemade ones taste. They're really not even comparable actually. So I figured that the same might be true for red sauces. I tried out Giada de Laurentiis's basic marinara sauce, with a few slight modifications. The sauce tasted fine (and better with the addition of Parmesan and pine nuts), but I definitely don't love it yet. I think the key for me to enjoying red sauces is to put lots of other finely chopped vegetables in the sauce. Next time I'm going to try roasting the vegetables before adding them to the sauce, and perhaps adding lots of garlic. I also need to figure out which herb mix I like best - this time I used thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary.

Knowing that red sauce is healthy for me (and certainly a lot healthier than a white sauce) actually helps me to enjoy red sauces more. In that sense it's all in my head but in a good way. I will try making red sauce again (in smaller batches) to see if I can find something I truly love. I will keep using Giada's recipe as my guide, modifying things as I figure out what tastes best to me.

Marinara Sauce
(Adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis)

Makes about 2 quarts (8 cups);
1 quart will serve 4 over pasta as a first course

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

General note: I added thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary. Can't remember how much of each. Fresh herbs would be amazing I'm sure, but I used dried.

Peculiar Peanut Pasta

I'm always up for trying new pasta recipes and I love peanut sauce, so the recipe in The Clueless Vegetarian for "peculiar peanut pasta" was something I had to try. So far I've tried the tzatziki and crepes recipes from this cookbook and both turned out well. Most of the recipes in The Clueless Vegetarian seem, well, aimed at the clueless vegetarian. It seems like a great beginner cookbook, covering all the bases of vegetarian cooking.

This dish was easy enough to make and turned out well. The sauce is thicker than other peanut sauces I've made, and uses buttermilk (which I had no idea was good for you). I definitely recommend adding vegetables or other nuts to the pasta to make it something more special, and more balanced. I only added snow peas and cashews, but other things I'd like to add are carrots, broccoli, chopped peanuts, almonds, bell peppers, zucchini, and water chestnuts. Mmm I love the crunch of water chestnuts.

Peculiar Peanut Pasta
(Adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian by Evelyn Raab)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp finely chopped onion*
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp finely grated ginger root
2 green onions, sliced
1 tsp Chinese chili paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 lb (250 g) fettuccine

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring until the onion is softened - 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, chili paste, soy sauce, coriander and cumin, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, stir until smooth,t hen add the buttermilk or vegetable broth. Heat through. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more buttermilk or broth to thin it until it is pourable.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until tender but not mushy. Drain well. Toss the sauce with hot cooked pasta.

*I'd use more onion next time.

My general note: I recommend steaming or parboiling the vegetables you're going to use, which you could do in the water you use to boil the pasta in before cooking the pasta.

Macaroni & Cheese = Happiness

Macaroni and cheese is hands down one of my favourite things to eat. Actually I'm going to go all out here and say it is my single favourite main course. Usually I make it the way my mom taught me (which oddly seems to be different than how she makes it now, so I guess something got lost along the way for one of us) but in any case it's delicious and easy. However that is not the mac and cheese I am posting about right now! Though I should definitely post about that one too at some point. I read awhile ago about a macaroni and cheese showdown and was extremely jealous. I want to have a macaroni and cheese party. Or cellentani and cheese party (cellentani is a straight tube of pasta that has been twisted into a little spiral - I've also seen it called scoobydoo pasta).

Anyway, this mac and cheese recipe comes from my beloved Rebar cookbook, and is one of the best I've had. It's the use of aged white cheddar (drool), lots of herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley), onions, and an awesomely delicious topping (fresh bread crumbs, pine nuts, more herbs, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese) that makes this macaroni and cheese so great. It's certainly more time consuming and complicated to make than regular macaroni and cheese, but so very worth it. The first time I made it, I thought fresh bread crumbs were the same as the dried fine breadcrumbs you can buy at the store. The fine breadcrumbs soaked up all the tasty sauce, so don't make my mistake! I just rip up pieces of bread for the fresh breadcrumbs now and it works really well. This recipe makes a huge amount of mac and cheese, so unless you're wanting to feed at least 6+ people and have leftovers, try halving it. And no I did not actually use macaroni this time because I didn't have any, so I used whole wheat penne (one of my least favourite pasta shapes to use for mac and cheese).

Audrey's Deluxe Mac & Cheese (with Crispy Pine Nut-Herb Crust)
(Adapted from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook)

Serves 10.

5 cups dry pasta shapes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped oregano**
2 tbsp chopped thyme**
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup unbleached flour
4 cups (about 330 g) grated aged white cheddar
4 cups slices of whole grain bread, torn into small pieces
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts

**Fresh herbs are best of course but dried works fine too.

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until just done. strain and toss with a light coating of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet and sauté onion for 5 minutes. add half of the minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and sauté until the garlic turns golden. transfer to a small bowl and stir in half of the chopped herbs. Set aside.

3. Next, make a roux for the cheese sauce. Gently heat the milk and keep it warm. Set a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly as the flour and butter turn golden. Gradually add the warm milk and 1 tsp salt and whisk thoroughly. heat until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes). Add the sautéed onion/herb mix, grated cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Season to taste.

4. Finally, make the topping. Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining garlic, herbs, Parmesan, pine nuts, 1/2 tsp salt, lots of cracked pepper and the remaining 3 tbsp (45ml) olive oil. Mix together thoroughly.

5. Preheat the oven to 350F. to assemble, combine the noodles and cheese sauce in a large bowl and mix well. pour into an 8" x 12" dish. Scatter the topping over the entire surface, working some of it into the noodles. Bake uncovered until golden and bubbly (about 45 minutes). Serve piping hot.