Curried Macaroni & Edamame Salad

We're getting ready to head out on an epic 4-day camping trip with a large group of friends and friends of friends. The forecast is calling for rain, so I wanted to get a jumpstart on some of the food prep. Cold macaroni salad is always a great option to prepare ahead of time, as it keeps well and just tastes better and better as the flavors are allowed to marinate and combine.

For this trip, I made a variation on my standard curried pasta salad, adding a few things to help keep the flavors nice and perky even after a couple of days in the cooler. This is my "massive huge batch" but you can easily halve or double the recipe depending on the size of the army you're feeding. You'll notice that many of my measurements are approximate or list a range, and I think that's completely acceptable when you're talking about food meant to be eaten in the out-of-doors.


Curried Macaroni & Edamame Salad
1/2-3/4 lb elbow macaroni or any other small shaped pasta, cooked according to package directions
1-12oz bag frozen edamame (shelled)
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or light soy sauce)
4-5 scallions, chopped
1-2 Tbsp sun-dried or regular tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp Indian curry powder
liberal amounts of salt
pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, heat olive oil on low-medium heat and cook garlic for 30-60 second, until you can really smell the garlic. Remove from heat.

Stir in vinegar, Bragg's, scallions, tomato paste and curry powder until you have a big sloppy slurry.

In a large bowl (or the pot you cooked your macaroni in), combine cooked pasta, edamame and your garlicky slurry. Stir carefully (so as not to break the pasta) until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This salad can be served warm, but I prefer to toss it the fridge (in a sealed screwtop container) before transferring it to the cooler for our woodland adventure.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and remember the folks in the labor movement who brought you the weekend and the 40-hour work week!

Vegan Mac-n-Cheeze

Macaroni and cheese is an American staple and it's no wonder that vegan mac-n-cheeze is the most coveted and sought after dish in the veg culture. This recipe is one among thousands, but it's my favorite so far. It even contains nutritional yeast flakes, which I typically do not care for. In this recipe, their flavor blends rather than being overwhelming and helps provide the smooth, creamy texture that makes mac-n-cheeze such a favorite.

This dish is easy to prepare, tastes rather yummy, and even carries the carnivore seal of approval.


Vegan Mac-n-Cheeze

8oz cooked pasta (elbow macaroni, penne, farfalle - your choice)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan margarine (spread or sticks)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup soy milk (plain, unsweetened)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan margarine (spread or sticks)
1/2 c water
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp granulated garlic or 1-2 cloves minced
1/2 tsp salt
Optional additions: oven roasted or sun-dried tomatoes (chopped small), dried herbs, olives, mushrooms
1/3-1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat your oven to 375°F and set aside a 9x7 pan (you could also do this in a pie pan).

In a small sauce pan, melt first 2 Tbsp of EB and then whisk in flour. Whisk 2-3 minutes until it starts to smell a bit nutty.

Add milk, paprika, cayenne and salt. Whisk 2-3 minutes until thoroughly combined, then cook on low heat 3 more minutes.

In a second larger sauce pan, melt 1 Tbsp of EB. Add water, yeast flakes, cornstarch, flour, mustard, garlic, salt and any optional herbs. Whisk til combined, and then add the white sauce to this mix, and whisk thoroughly.

Add cooked pasta and any other optional ingredients to the sauce pan. Stir thoroughly until the sauce coats all of the pasta. Pour into the baking pan, making sure to scrape out all the sauce from the sauce pan. Cover top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and (if you like), drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 30-40 minutes. Let cool before slicing into 4 portions and serving alongside a green salad with a mustard vinaigrette.

Quick meal: Tofu Ricotta Ravioli with Fried Tempeh and Basil

Remember my dried ravioli from the other day? Just home from a long weekend of traveling, I decided to use those same ravioli in a different preparation. Because I had stored my "leftover" prepared ravioli in individual freezer bags, it was easy to toss together a nice meal with no fuss. This is one of my favorite techniques for a quick pasta meal and can be adapted to use with any style of pasta.


Tofu Ricotta Ravioli with Fried Tempeh and Basil
(Amounts listed are for 1 serving)

5-6 pieces frozen ravioli
1/3-1/2 package tempeh (I like Organic Five Grain from Turtle Island Foods)
4-6 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
3-4 large fresh basil leaves

Cut tempeh into uniformly sized pieces of your choosing. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and fry small pieces of tempeh until golden brown on both sides. Remove tempeh pieces to paper towel and salt lightly.

In a medium saucepan, boil 6 cups of water and add salt. Cook ravioli for 3-4 minutes. Strain gently, so as not to break your ravioli!

Serve ravioli steaming hot, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, basil chiffonade and fried tempeh. To finish, splatter with a few drops of lemon juice and some cracked black pepper.

Notes:
No ravioli? Swap it out for any filled or plain pasta you have on hand.
Looking for a little umph? Add a splash of balsamic vinegar after the olive oil when ready to serve.
Out of basil? Substitute other green leafy herbs for a different flavor. Thyme and cilantro are two of my favorite alternatives.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

In my travels over the years, I've met a lot of vegans and asked them what they miss about their former non-veg diets. An overwhelming number of them have told me that alfredo sauce tops the list of coveted taboo dishes. Alfredo is an Italian sauce built on cream, butter and Parmesan cheese and is most often eaten in pasta dishes, accompanied by chicken or seafood. It's easy to see why anyone of vegan persuasion would long for this rich garlicky sauce, but the time for suffering is over! I've devised a super quick and yummy vegan version of this Italian staple.



I like to serve this sauce tossed with farfalle (bowties), spring peas and fresh Italian parsley as shown above. However, you can use any style of pasta and any veggie you choose. This sauce also works great in lasagna or over vegan meats!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

1 pkg (12oz) soft silken tofu (I prefer Mori-Nu brand)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp chopped, minced or ground garlic
2 tsp white miso paste
1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato paste (or regular tomato paste)
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp cold water
Salt to taste (more than you think)
Ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until uber smooth. Warm in a saucepan on low until just heated through. Toss with 1/2 lb cooked pasta of your choice.

Notes & Substitutions:
If you don't have miso paste, nutritional yeast flakes can be substituted. Use the same or slightly smaller quantity.
For a creamier sauce, add 1 Tbsp vegan margarine like Earth Balance when blending and increase cornstarch to 2-1/2 tsp.
For a kick, add a few drops of a chili sauce like Sriracha to the blender.
Always feel free to add veggies, herbs, mushrooms, or whatever you like!