Pasta with Chickpeas and Garlic Sauce

I got really excited when this recipe appeared in my Inbox. It looked soooo gooood! And sounded even better. I finally got around to actually making it on Valentine's Day. Something about V-day always screams pasta to me. I don't know why.

This dish turned out to be so flavorful! I loved it!! Jeff, however, didn't care for the texture. :(

Pasta with Chickpeas and Garlic Sauce

Yield: 4 cups

Pasta turned Soup

I needed to make something for dinner. I thought pasta with red sauce sounded good, but, of course, I didn't have any red sauce on hand. I did have some veggies and tomato sauce. I could make a sauce from scratch. Without a recipe. Right?

Turns out, nope.

It turned out way too thin, so I improvised. Instead of serving it like a regular pasta, I served it like a soup. It was delicious!

Veggie Pasta Soup

Ingredients

• 1 T olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (8oz) can water
• 1 (15.5oz) can black beans
• seasoned salt
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• crushed red pepper
• 6 oz elbow macaroni

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Add celery, onion, and carrots. Saute until slightly soft. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so.
2. Add tomato sauce, water, black beans and seasonings (to taste).
3. Meanwhile cook macaroni according to package directions.
4. Combine sauce and pasta and simmer for at least an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

Pasta e Fagioli

This one comes with a bit of a funny story. When we left MN, we anticipated being on the road for a long time and space was very limited. We got rid of most everything - including most of our kitchen stuff. We kept one small fry pan and one small pot (2qt). I didn't think much of it when I began making this recipe, but when I still hadn't added the pasta, I was in some trouble. I had to get a little creative. It was humorous (at least to me). I had to try to divide the partially cooked ingredients between a bowl and the pot and hope I got it divided evenly. It was a mess! :-)

The end result was really tasty, though. This comes even Jeff-approved. Don't forget the salt and pepper!

Ingredients:

• 2T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15.5-oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• Salt and black pepper
• 8 oz elbow macaroni or other small pasta
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomatoes. Add the beans, oregano, basil, bay leaf, stock, and salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the macaroni over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain well and add to the bean mixture along with the parsley.

3. Simmer gently to blend flavors and finish cooking the pasta, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary, before serving. Serve hot.

Recipe credit: Pasta e Fagioli. Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson. Pg 64.

Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad

Yesterday, I actually sat down and planned out a week of menu ideas. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to hit the grocery store until today. Still, here is my first vegan dish. I thought it was very tasty! Jeff enjoyed it, too, but I didn't realize that he doesn't care much for pasta salads. Oh well, more for me! :-)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz rotini
• 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1/2 roma tomato, diced
• 2 radishes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Annie's Natural Goddess dressing

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook rotini according to package. Drain well and rinse with cool water. Transfer to a large bowl.

2.  While pasta is cooking, prep vegetables. Add all the vegetables to the cooked pasta. Drizzle with 1/3 to 1/2 bottle of dressing  and toss gently to combine.

*Recipe adapted from Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing. Vegan on the Cheap. pg. 85.

Creamy Bacon Pasta

I had some bacon to use up I think that's first! Whoever has bacon nearly go bad?, but I didn't want boring eggs and bacon for dinner tonight. Using the handy Dinner Spinner on my phone, I found this intriguing recipe. I had to make a few modifications, since I didn't have the exact ingredients.

When Jeff asked what was for dinner, I replied, "Something amazing." I'm pleased to announce that it lived up to my boastful declaration.

Creamy Bacon Pasta

 This recipe is picky husband approved.

Hmmm...perhaps I should create some kind of badge/award for that.

Anyway, onto the recipe!

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz pasta - I used egg noodles
• 3 slices of bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ¼ cup dried, minced onion OR ½ medium onion
• ½ tsp (or 1 clove) garlic, minced
• ½ of a 10-ounce tub of cream cheese
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning I didn't actual measure this, so this is a guesstimate
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper Again, I didn't measure, so use your best judgment

Directions:

Bring water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Rinse with hot water, if desired.

Meanwhile, cook cut up pieces of bacon in medium skillet until crisp. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of bacon grease in pan.

Sautee onion and garlic in bacon grease.

Add cream cheese, milk, vegetables, and spices.

Cook until cheese is melted and vegetables are tender.

Serve over pasta. Top with bacon.

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Pattypan Squash with Pasta and Red Sauce

Here's another squash recipe that I just threw together one evening for dinner. It's very simple, and was very tasty, but I did no measuring. Sorry. I did; however, take a couple process pictures.

Ingredients:

• Pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
• Pattypan squash, cut into bite-sized chunks (I used Yellow Sunburst)
• Dried, minced onion
• Dried, minced garlic
• Red pasta sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried basil
• Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Sautee squash with onion and garlic in a small skillet.

3. When squash is tender, add pasta sauce, salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Pour sauce over drained pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

This was a tasty dinner for one that I would definitely make again.

Sneaky Baked Ziti

I LOVE being sneaky. Ever since my husband came home with a borrowed copy of The Sneaky Chef, I've been hooked. I love how easy it is to sneak in veggies without affecting the taste at all. I've tried quite a few recipes and never been disappointed! I highly recommend this series of books to anyone who has trouble eating veggies or getting their spouse or children to eat their veggies. The recipes are simple and delicious!

I'd been wanting to try this Sneaky Baked Ziti recipe for quite awhile. It has pureed tofu in it, so I bought that and was ready for this dish--except it feeds 8-10, and we are only 2. I waited and waited for the perfect opportunity until the expiration date of the tofu was only a week away! I needed to use it and use it fast...so I invited our home teacher and his wife and son over for dinner. I still thought it might be too much food, so I invited my parents as well. The good thing is that my husband loves that I'm sneaking veggies into his meal. The bad part is that he likes to know what it is. It's never made him not eat what I've prepared, but I'm not sure if our dining guests always appreciate knowing.

Ok, ok...so this introduction has gotten quite lengthy...

Unfortunately, since I love The Sneaky Chef so much, I just don't feel right posting the recipe on my blog, since it's only found in The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals. It's not included in one of their free recipes that can be found online. Even though I'd totally give credit, I just don't feel right posting the entire recipe.

I will tell you to check out the book from the library or buy it on Amazom.com or Barnes & Noble.com or your favorite book retailer. I promise you will not be disappointed.

This recipe is chock full of Orange Puree. Can you guess what's in it?

This is then mixed with pureed tofu and store bought spaghetti sauce. It's all tossed with cooked penne or ziti noodles and mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella and Parmesan are sprinkled on top. Cover with foil, and bake.

Sorry about the poor picture. I wanted to take a picture of it when I took it out of the oven, but it seemed too weird with our guests. With time, my picture taking while prepping meals will get better, I promise.

Delicious! Everyone approved. Well, some wished for meat. I don't think that adding some hamburger or ground turkey would be a bad idea. My parents actually suggested pepperoni and sausage. Sounds good to me! We might be having this for dinner again on Sunday.