Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata with Crispy Garlic Crumbs

I've always preferred white/cream sauces to red sauces. I like rose sauces (a mix of red and white) but just never found a red sauce that I liked. But then I tried out this recipe and I actually quite like it. It's simple and easy to make, uses basic ingredients and tastes yummy! You don't have to make the crispy garlic crumbs but they are certainly delicious!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Asparagus and Feta Pasta
Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta
Pasta with Creamy Spinach Walnut Sauce
Artichoke Rotini Pasta

Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
Adapted from Rebar

1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3/4 tsp salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp red chile flakes, or more to taste
1 cup red wine
28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes (Ashley note: I use diced.)
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
10 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped (Ashley note: I think I used about 1 tbsp freeze dried basil?)
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
375 g whole wheat spaghetti
Crispy Garlic Crumbs (recipe below)

Heat the saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until a piece of onion sizzles on contact. Saute onion with 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, bay leaves, chile flakes and saute another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with red wine and let it reduce until thick and syrupy. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes, basil, pepper and remaining salt. Simmer gently, partially covered, for up to one hour. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil to cook the pasta.

To serve, cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Toss with half of the arrabbiata sauce and transfer toa serving dish. Serve remaining sauce on the side along with grated Parmesan, chopped fresh basil and crispy garlic breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top.

Crispy Garlic Crumbs
1 cup fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 pieces of bread)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake in a 325F oven until golden and crispy (about 10 minutes).

Pecan Fruit Rye Bread

First off, holy crap is it hot. All I want to do is lie on the couch. While it's a little under 90F (31C), it feels about 10 degrees hotter because of the humidity. I'm so happy it's not like this all summer. I'm finding it hard to just get through a few days of it. I know many of you have to deal with this all summer... Oh and I should mention that I baked this a while ago, when it wasn't nearly as hot. I love baking so it has to be pretty hot for me to not want to run on the oven but there's no way I'm turning it on this week.

A while back I saw that Hélène had found a recipe for Raincoast Crisps and made Cranberry Hazelnut Crisps. She discovered this recipe from Dinner With Julie who made Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps. And this lead to me being reminded of the Pecan + Fruit crisps from Terra Breads, a local bakery. So what does this have to do with my loaf here?? Well. I wanted to make a bread that was like the pecan + fruit crisps from Terra Breads. And soon I will also try making the Raincoast Crisps.

I combined dried cranberries, dried apples, pecans and orange zest into a bread made with rye flour and bread flour. And it was delicious. Really delicious. Exactly what I'd hoped for. The only problem was that the dried apple pieces that were sticking out on the outside of the loaf burned, so I would try to stick them in the middle somehow or push them into the dough. Or maybe freshly chopped apple would be better? I'm not sure why the recipe instructs you to roll the dough out into a rectangle then roll it up into a log. There's nothing to be put in the center (though it would be a good place for the dried apple). So I'd say either do it this way, or just try shaping it into a loaf without rolling it out.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roast Banana Pumpkin Breakfast Bread
Milk Chocolate Cherry Twist
Golden Cinnamon Loaf
Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins

Pecan Fruit Rye Bread
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Makes one delicious 18 inch loaf.

1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110F), plus more if needed
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
10 ounces (about 2 cups) bread flour
5 1/2 ounces (about 1 cup) rye flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup dried apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir yeast into the warm water to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flours, salt, sugar and orange zest, and mix on medium-low speed until dough just comes together. If the dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating. Switch to the dough hook, and beat on medium speed until dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, 4 to 5 minutes. With mixer on low speed, mix in cranberries, pecans and apples. The dough will feel stiff; push in any loose cranberries, apples and pecans with your fingers. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to a rectangle, about 13 by 10 inches and 1/2 inch thick, with a short side facing you. (Ashley note: Instead of adding in the chopped apple with the cranberries and pecans, you could add them here. This way they will all stay on the inside of the loaf and won't get burned. This is what I'll do next time.) Fold 1/2 inch flaps inward on the shorter sides of the rectangle: Starting at the top, roll the dough toward you, gently pressing as you go to form a tight log. Gently roll the log back and forth to seal the seam. (If the seam doesn't stay sealed, brush it with some water, and press down again to seal.) Transfer loaf to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down; cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until dough is puffed and holds an impression from your fingertip, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350F, rotating sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the bread registers 190F, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Bread can be kept, in a sealed container, at room temperature for up to three days. It also freezes well.

Garlic Rolls

Wow this is the fastest that I have ever blogged about something that I've made. And I probably will never do it so quickly again! I signed up to take part in Taste & Create again this month, except the days went by a lot faster than last month when I wasn't working so I ended up making something from my partner, Bombay Foodie, on the last day! Yikes.

Anyway, I found these garlic rolls and what sounds better than bread + garlic?? You're supposed to grease the muffin tins and top the muffins with this garlic oil but I didn't have a garlic press and was scared minced garlic would burn so I opted out of that. Bombay Foodie added oregano as well which sounds awesome but I wanted to see what they would be like with just garlic powder. I love the pull apart style of these rolls! I used to love eating those Pillsbury flakey rolls, partly because it was fun to pull away at the layers. Freshly baked these are really addictive. The rolls have kind of hard/crusty edges but super soft insides. I love that these only need 30 minutes to rise and from start to finish can be ready in a little over an hour.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Oatmeal Bread
Soft Pretzels
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

Garlic Rolls
Adapted from Bombay Foodie & For the Love of Food

Makes 12 rolls.

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour (Ashley note: I used 373 g.)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
scant 3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 200F then turn off.

In a large mixer bowl, stir together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and yeast. Heat up milk until lukewarm. Stir in the sugar and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix together with the flour mixture and knead in your mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes on medium speed. Grease a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Shape the dough into a ball, place in greased bowl and roll the dough around to cover all sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in the warm oven to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grease 12 muffin cups with oil. Roll the dough into small balls (for a total of 36 balls) and place them in sets of 3 into each form.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu

This is my new favourite way to eat tofu. It's extremely easy to put together, I always have all the marinade ingredients, and it has mustard and curry in it (two of my favourite things). It took me some time to find a curry powder I like, but I've now settled on Sharwood's mild curry powder. One of my other favourite tofus is Matthew's Delicious Tofu (from The Garden of Vegan) but that one requires chopping garlic, sauteeing, and paying attention to what's going on in the pan (the horror!). I chose to use Dijon mustard but try it out with whatever mustard you have.

The recipe comes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Deborah Madison) which I had previously boycotted because I made a few things from it and none of them turned out well. But after seeing some bloggers have success with her recipes, I thought I'd give them another try and I'm happy I did because I know I'll be making this tofu recipe for many years. I also found a good recipe for refried beans and enchiladas, which I'll be posting about soon.

Abby in one of her favourite moth watching spots. She lunges at the glass to try and get the moths on the other side.

I find that my days are going by so fast and I'm struggling to find time for everything. So I may be a bit behind in blog land. I want to try and keep updating my blog and read/comment where I can.

Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

The recipe originally called for 1 tbsp molasses but I omitted it. I also reduced the oil.

1 lb package tofu
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp peanut oil (Ashley note: Use whatever oil if you don't have this, you could maybe even omit it.)
1 tsp soy sauce
3 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp curry powder
salt and freshly milled pepper (I didn't add these)

Cut up tofu. Mix all ingredients together and pour over tofu. Let sit
for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake until sizzling and
hot, about 20 minutes.

Energy Cookies

I love cookies so I was happy to discover this healthier version of a cookie. One that's yummy, and that I can eat frequently and still feel like I'm nourishing my body! As the name implies, I think these are great to have on hand for an energy boost. Which is exactly how I used them while studying for my finals (yes I made these a while ago)! I love that they pack so much good stuff in them (sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax, raisins, spelt flour). I thought they would be cakey but they were more soft and dense. And tasted kind of peanut butter-y, even though there's no peanut butter. Maybe from the hemp seeds? And they freeze well.

I looooooooove this picture of Abby. I put the wok under our bed (because our kitchen and pantry are already stuffed!) and Abby discovered it. I found her curled up in there, so then I dragged the wok out to the living room (with her in it) so I could take pictures of her adorableness.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sunny Jungle Bars
Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins
Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins
Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins

Energy Cookies
Adapted from Vive le Vegan!

Makes 10-12 cookies.

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp light spelt flour (90 g)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup hemp seed nuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp flax meal
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp non-dairy milk
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except the flax meal, mixing well. In another bowl, combine the flax meal with the maple syrup and milk, and stir through. Add the molasses, vanilla, and canola oil and stir through. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir through until well combined. Drop spoonfuls of the batter (about 2 tbsp each) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten a little and bake for 13-14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute on sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.