Cheesy Vegan Marinara Whole Wheat Pasta

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Ingredients
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups kale, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
35 oz crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 T raw sugar
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 T dried oregano (or handful of fresh, chopped)
3 T olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Process

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Put olive oil in large saucepan and heat at medium high. Add onions, red peppers, celery, and garlic and sauté until they begin to soften. Add kale, diced tomato, basil, oregano, and nutritional yeast and stir, allowing mixture to begin to warm.

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Gradually stir in the crushed tomato, stopping when you reach the level of “cheesiness” that you prefer. Mix in sugar, salt, and pepper and heat through. Once heated, turn to low until ready to serve.

Serve over whole grain pasta. We prefer spaghetti or linguini with this sauce, but you could use any type.

 

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Vegan Orzo Salad

On yet another super toasty day in July, I was left pondering this afternoon what to make for dinner. Remembering that there was orzo in the pantry, I surfed the web looking for recipes. I came across many recipes for orzo salads, but most were not vegan friendly, and many had ingredients that I didn’t have in the house. So, after I got home from work, I gathered things that seemed like they would go well and put together this dish. It was a hit with the people in the house who aren’t completely pasta picky (i.e. only like spaghetti and mac n cheese). I loved it and am looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!

Easy Vegan Orzo Salad

1 lb orzo
1 can cannellini (white kidney) beans
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 bunch basil chopped
4-5 scallions chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 large tomato diced (or 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions, al dente, and then rinse with cold water. I add some olive oil to the pasta water, but that’s optional. While the pasta is cooking, juice your lemons, chop the basil, scallions, and tomatoes, and prep your beans. Combine lemon juice and olive oil and wisk. Place pine nuts in a skillet and toast gently. Mix all ingredients and serve at room temp or chill.

Yum!

Vegan Stuffed Green Peppers

This one is going to be a little loosey goosey, because I didn’t measure at all, but here goes!

8 green bell peppers
4 stalks celery, thin sliced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup minced basil
3 cups garbanzo beans, cooked
5 cups cooked brown rice
3 cups tomato puree
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut tops from peppers and remove insides and seeds.  Place in baking pan.  Mash garbanzo beans until most beans are no larger than 1/2 remaining.  Mix in rice, basil, onion, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Fill each pepper with mix to top.  Spoon 2-3 tsp of tomato puree over each  and then replace tops.  Add remaining tomato puree to bottom of dish + 1.5 cups water.  Cover with foil and bake at 375* until pepper can be easily pierced with a fork.  Serve with faux parmesan cheese.