Vegan Sausage and Pepper Pasta

I'm always looking for ways to make meals healthier, and sausages are one of the things that I like but that really need an update.  I usually cut one up into smaller pieces so that it flavours the entire dish without adding a ton of calories or unhealthy fat.  However, this vegan gluten-free sausage is a great way to get the flavour in a much healthier way.  It is based on a recipe by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl and is a bit like a falafel.  If you don't want a vegan sausage or don't have the time to make them, you can still make the pasta dish with a bit of regular Italian sausage.

After going to three stores to find basil, I struck out and opted for fresh oregano, but I would definitely use basil, if possible.

You will need cheese cloth and kitchen string to make the sausages.

Makes 5 sausages.  Pasta serves two as a main course (uses two of the sausages).

Sausage Ingredients:

1/2 cup ready-to-eat sundried tomatoes
3/4 cup toasted cashews
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 small red chili, seeded and chopped
6 unsulphured dried apricots
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp shiro miso (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano

1 cup brown rice flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds or ground chia seeds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water

4 1//2 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbsp olive oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the first 11 ingredients.

2. Add the next three ingredients and pulse until completely combined.

3. Add the olive oil and the water and pulse until mixture forms a dough ball.

4. Separate into five equal portions and roll into sausage shapes.  Wrap in cheese cloth and tie each end with kitchen string.

5. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a large frying pan and simmer the sausages for 45 minutes, turning half-way through.

6. Remove the cheese cloth by cutting off the ends.  Then, fry the sausages in olive oil until they are brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

7. If you are making the pasta, do so while the sausages are frying.  If you have leftovers, cool and freeze them.

Pasta Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
8 cocktail tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped or torn
salt, pepper
fresh parmesan (optional)

1/2 lb short pasta

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta.  Start the rest of the recipe while the water comes to a boil.  When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and red pepper flakes.

3. Add the onion, peppers and a bit of salt to the oil and sauté until the peppers are just tender.

4. When there is about 3 minutes left in the cooking time of the pasta, add the garlic and tomatoes.

5. Add the cooked pasta to the peppers and toss to coat.  Add black pepper as desired.  Add slices sausage.  Serve topped with basil and parmesan (optional). Enjoy!

** If you would like a saucier pasta, you can use a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes.

Shopping Tips:

1. Rice flour and xanthan gum (pronounced zanthan) can be purchased at an organic or health food store.

2. So can unsulphured dried apricots.  If you can't find them, though, just use regular ones.

3. When they are in season, you can find many different colours of peppers at the Farmers Market or Italian Store.  Try different combinations.

Spring Pasta

Easter is over and it seems that spring has finally arrived - or at least it is definitely on its way.  I realized that I have posted a summer pasta and a winter pasta, but there was no spring pasta.  Well, here it is.  With bright green flavours including spring fresh vegetables like asparagus and leeks, this is sure to be another meal that you will make again and again.

It makes two large portions or four sides.

Ingredients

170 g short pasta like bow ties

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 large or 2 small leeks, cleaned

8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen sweetlet peas

1 cup cottage cheese

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Put pasta water on to boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

2. Cut leeks into half-moon slices and sauté in a large pan with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

3. When leeks start to soften, about 4 - 5 minutes, add the asparagus spears.

4. When there is about three minutes left on the cooking time for the pasta, add the garlic and the peas.

5. When the pasta is drained, remove the pan of vegetables from the stove, add the cottage cheese and pasta and toss. Adjust seasoning.

6. Serve in pasta bowls and top with basil.  Add freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.  Enjoy!

Winter Pasta

I've previously posted my favourite Summer Fresh Pasta, so you are all familiar with one of the most popular dishes on our dinner table.  However, even favourites run their course and eventually everyone gets sick of them - cue the new winter fresh pasta.  One of the things I like most about the summer pasta is that it is quick and easy to make and includes lots of vegetables.  So, I took the same idea a just tweaked it a bit.

This recipe does include bacon instead of cheese, but it's only one slice for two people, so it's definitely in moderation.  Just enough to give the bacon flavour without overpowering everything.  This dish serves two people as a meal or four as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 slice bacon, diced
1/8 tsp crushed red chile flakes
1 medium zucchini, cut in quarter moons
3 canned artichoke hearts, cut in twelfths (3 hearts out of one can, NOT 3 cans...)
6 cocktail tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
Fresh parmesan cheese, grated
salt, pepper
fresh basil, chopped (optional)

dried linguine or short pasta

Directions:

1. Put salted water on to boil in a large pot for the pasta.

2. Fry the bacon over medium high heat for about 4 minutes.  Do not add any extra oil to the pan, the bacon will release a lot of fat momentarily.

3. Add the chile flakes and the zucchini as well as a bit of salt and pepper.  Sauté for about 8 minutes.  Once the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to directions.

4. When there are about three minutes left in the cooking time for the pasta, add the artichoke hearts, garlic, and tomatoes to the zucchini.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté until the tomatoes have released their juices and created a sauce.

5. Drain the pasta and add it to the veggies.  Portion into bowls and top with parmesan cheese and fresh basil if available and desired.  Basil is really more of a summer herb, but sometimes you can find it in the winter.  Enjoy!

Shopping Tips:

1. It is really important to buy cocktail tomatoes.  First of all, in the winter, the other ones are disgusting and have no taste, and second of all, they have a lot of juice, which is what creates the sauce.  Other tomatoes, especially Roma tomatoes, have less juice and will leave you with a dry pasta.

2. Do yourself a favour and buy your bacon from the Farmers Market.  The taste difference is incredible, and once you've tried it, you will never go back.  I rarely use bacon, so I splurge on the good stuff, wrap it up in small quantities and freeze it.  For this recipe, you can cook it right from frozen, so there is no need to worry about defrosting it.

Options:

1. You could add kalamata olives to this is you wanted to take it even further into the Mediterranean.


If you've tried out any of these recipes, I'd love to hear what you think.  Please drop me a line in the comments section and let me know.  Thanks!

Summer Fresh Pasta

This is my go-to meal for numerous reasons: it is quick, it is vegetarian, and it is chock full of fresh summer produce.  When your garden (or farmers market or grocery store) is brimming with juicy tomatoes, shiny zucchini, and fragrant basil, this dish will definitely make a regular appearance on your table.

One serving of pasta is only half a cup, but just like eating a sandwich with two pieces of bread, we often eat two servings of grains at one time.  One way to make pasta a more healthful dish is to make it a side instead of a main.  You can also pump it up with vegetables so that it is filling, nutritious, and has more volume - that's what this recipe does.  This will generously serve two as a main course or four as a side.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
10 spears of asparagus
2 cloves garlic
6-7 cocktail tomatoes (I like Campari)
4 balls of bocconcini cheese
2 Tbsp fresh basil
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cups of short pasta (like penne)
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put a pot of water with salt on to boil.  Chefs say that there should be enough salt in the pot so that it tastes like the sea.  If you are restricting your salt intake, use less.  Pot manufacturers say not to put the salt in the pot until it comes to a boil so that it does not pit the bottom of the pot, but I always forget if I don't put it in right away.  If you can remember to put the salt in after the water boils, power to you!

2. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters and then slice each quarter into crescents.  Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and then cut the spears into half-inch pieces.

3. Add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, zucchini, salt, and pepper to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat.

4. When the water boils, add the pasta to the pot and stir once.  At this point, add the asparagus to the skillet and continue to sauté.

5. Cut the tomatoes into eighths, mince the garlic, cut the bocconcini balls into eighths and chop the basil into thin strips (called chiffonade).  To chiffonade the basil, roll it up lengthwise like you are rolling a cigar (because everyone knows how to do that!) and then slice with your knife while you hold it tight with your other hand.

6. When there are two minutes left in the pasta cooking time, add the garlic and tomatoes to the skillet.  The tomatoes will lose their juices to create a sauce, but you don't want them to cook too much.  They should still hold their shape.

7. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it in a colander. Take the skillet off the heat and sprinkle the bocconcini over top.  Be sure to spread it out so that it doesn't clump too much when it melts.

8. Add the cooked pasta on top and stir. You will probably have to add a bit more salt and pepper at this point.

9. Spoon each serving onto a plate.  Top with some of the fresh basil and shave some fresh parmesan over top.  Enjoy!

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Options:

1. Instead of asparagus, green beans would also work well.  Although not as healthy, this dish is also good without asparagus or green beans.

2. Whole wheat pasta is obviously more healthy, but many people cannot stand the cardboard taste it has at first.  If that is the case, you can use half whole wheat and half white pasta.  If one has a longer cooking time, put it in the pot first, and then add the one with the shorter cooking time after.  Over time, you can increase the amount of whole wheat and decrease the amount of white pasta.  Also, whole wheat pasta made with brown rice is usually more palatable than the pasta made with wheat.

3. It would also be very easy to make this dish vegan by leaving out the cheese.

Leftovers:

1. Served cold the next day, this makes a great pasta salad.  One of my friends actually prefers his as a salad and waits until the next day to eat it at all.

2. What do you do with the leftover bocconcini cheese?  Make a lettuce salad.  For the salad use mixed greens (not iceberg), tomatoes, bocconcini, avocado and basil.  Sprinkle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar over top.  Finish with a bit of salt and pepper to bring out the flavours of the produce. You can also add toasted pumpkin seeds, if you want.

Shopping Tips:

1. When buying bocconcini, do not buy the mini or pearl size - they are very rubbery.  Even better, fresh mozzarella is a superior product to bocconcini balls.

Even though there are a few steps to this recipe, it really is as simple as throwing a bunch of fresh seasonal produce into a pan and adding some pasta.  This is a great basic recipe to freestyle with, and after you become comfortable with the procedure, your imagination is the limit.  Just be sure to always include the tomatoes, or you will be left with a sauceless sauce!