Asian Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Peaches

Cool: Listening to the Inception soundtrack.

Super cool: Listening to the Inception soundtrack at your office. It will make your life seem epic, promise.

Cool: Watching the sun rise.

Super cool: Watching the sun rise while running along your favorite trail and listening to the Inception soundtrack. Even more epic.

Cool: Eating soba noodles.

Super cool: Eating soba noodles topped with edamame, sesame seeds, fresh veggies, and sliced peaches. Incredible.

Soba noodles are one of my favorite things at the moment.  They are made from buckwheat flour and can be found at your local Asian or natural foods market.  One cup of cooked noodles only contains 113 calories, but has 6 grams of protein!  They don't have any fiber (unlike whole wheat pasta), but when paired with fresh vegetables and beans they make the perfect hearty meal.

One of the perks of soba noodles is that they don't go mushy overnight.  I made a batch of this salad and have been pleasantly surprised to find that it still retains its texture over a couple of days.  I love using fresh, sliced peaches while they're in season, but you could substitute mango or mandarin oranges, or leave it out altogether.  This is the perfect weekday lunch and the only thing that could possibly make it better (yep, you guessed it) is eating it while listening to the Inception soundtrack.  Totally cool.

Asian Soba Noodle Salad with Fresh Peaches
Serves 4

1/2 pound soba noodles
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup  cilantro, chopped
1/2 cucumber, shredded
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 cup purple cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

3 scallions, chopped

1 cup edamame
1/4 cup peanuts
1 peach, pitted and sliced
sprinkle of sesame seeds

In a medium pot, fill with water and bring to a boil.  Add noodles and cook about 7 - 9 minutes, until they are fully cooked but not mushy. Once cooked, cool noodles down quickly in an ice bath (or run under cold water).  Drain.

Mix sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil, soy sauce, and sea salt.

Add olive oil to a small pan over low heat.  Sauce garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add garlic and ginger to oil mixture and toss with noodles.  Mix in cilantro, cucumber, spinach, cabbage, carrot, and scallions.

Top with edamame, peanuts, peach slices, and sesame seeds.  Refrigerate until serving.

Quinoa Pasta with Golden Beets and Greens

Have you ever had a conversation with your significant other that went something like this:

Sunday, 4 pm, apartment is filled with beautiful sunlight.

Ashley: I'm going to go somewhere dark for awhile.

Me: Um, okay. Is something wrong?

Ashley: No, everything's fine. I'm just going in the bedroom and closing the curtains.

Me: ...Why?

Ashley: I feel like there is too much sunlight today. Exits room.

Does anyone else think that is strange behavior?  Should I be questioning if I am dating a vampire?  I guess I better wait it out in the kitchen until I am sure.  And since I'm in the kitchen, I might as well create something for dinner.  (Maybe with extra garlic? Just in case...?)

On a non-vampire related note, have you been composting your beet greens?  'Cause if so, we might need to have a chat right now.  Beet greens are the most nutritious part of the beet plant, even more so than the beet root.  Pretty cool, huh?  I usually juice mine or blend them in green smoothies, but I've been adding them to stir fries and pastas lately.

This pasta is a hearty, one dish meal that takes a little cooking time, but minimal prep time.  I love using quinoa pasta and golden beets in this recipe, but you could easily use any type of pasta and beets that you like.  Just don't forget the garlic.  

Quinoa Pasta with Golden Beets and Greens
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
2 bunches of beets and greens
1 cup french lentils, uncooked (optional)
1 pound of dry quinoa pasta
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions:
Wash the beets thoroughly.  Chop the beet greens and put them aside.  Place the beets in a medium pot, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil.  Cook on medium heat for 45 - 60 minutes, or until the skins can be rubbed off with your fingers.  (To test one, fish it out of the pot with a pair of tongs and run it under cold water until it's cool enough to handle.)  When the beets are ready, give them a few minutes to cool, then peel the beets using your fingers and cut them into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils (if using).  Add two cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer.  Add the lentils and cook until they are done (but not mushy), about 25 minutes.  Drain if necessary.  

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium-low heat and sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and beet greens and sauté for an additional 3 -5 minutes, until the greens are tender.  Remove the pan from the heat and toss contents with the olive oil, pasta, and beets.  Top with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and a little nutritional yeast if desired.  

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Tomato Sauce

How was your Thanksgiving?  Who did you spend it with?  Any family drama I should hear about?  Like, which family member had a little too much wine or who you will never talk with about politics again?

Family dynamics always intrigue me - whether it's my family or someone else's.  Part of the reason I was drawn to a degree in psychology and then organizational development is because of my curiosity about human behavior and relationships.  I'm sure Freud would say it has more to do with my own relationship with my family.  But, I guess I'll leave it to him to be the final judge on that one.

My family was never one for "traditional" holiday food.  There was definitely more than one occasion where we had spaghetti instead of turkey on Thanksgiving.  I personally think it gives our family history a little character.  And I have to say that no one ever minded because my mom's spaghetti was fabulous.

I've been playing around with spaghetti squash this season and this is my favorite recipe that I've come up with so far.  The sauce is creamy and rich and brings out the flavors in the squash beautifully.  The spaghetti squash is also wonderful mixed with angel hair pasta or some gluten-free pasta of your choice.  I don't expect you to be serving this up at your next holiday meal, but I won't tell anyone if you do.

Serves 4-6.

4 spaghetti squash
1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 4 hours (then drained)
1/2 cups water
6 oz tomato paste
1 medium tomato
2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium), chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings

Spaghetti Squash:
Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds. Bake rind-side-up in a 375 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Separate the strands by running a fork through the inside of the squash from the top to the bottom. The strands should easily come apart.

Creamy Tomato Sauce:
Add your olive oil and onions to a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions become transparent. Add your garlic and saute for an additional two minutes.

Blend your cashews, water, tomato paste, and tomato.  As long as you soaked your cashews for about 4 hours or longer, you should need about 1/2 cup of water.  If you did not soak them or soaked them for less time, start with 1/2 cup of water, adding a little more water as necessary for blending. (I tried a batch with unsoaked cashews and ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of water.)  You want the consistency to be thick, but it should be able to easily run through a blender.

Add this sauce mixture into the pan with your onions and garlic. Add your seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together.

Pour over your spaghetti squash and serve.

Pasta for One

Ok, I'll admit it. Sometimes it's hard to be a vegan. There, I finally said it. You happy now?

It's especially challenging on the nights that Ashley gets pizza delivered. I get to sit and watch as she devours all that garlicky, cheesy goodness. Followed by baked cinnamon sticks dipped in frosting. Yum. Vegan pizza from Pizza Pi is always a great option to calm my jealousy, but sometimes you just don't want to leave the house. And so, you make this.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. There is no marinara, no white sauce, just olive oil - and lots of it. It can be ready in under 20 minutes, is super easy to make, and I always seem to have the ingredients handy. Perfect.

The olive oil, garlic, and blend of Italian seasonings are what make this dish amazing. The other ingredients are optional - so you can add or change whatever you like.  Mushrooms, other greens, and/or cannellini beans also go well in this.  This is a perfect pasta to customize to your own tastes.

Serves 1 (and sometimes, that's all you need)

Olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of kalamata olives, sliced
1 roma tomato, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
handful of artichoke hearts
handful of arugula
1/2 cup uncooked pasta (I used brown rice pasta)
salt and pepper to taste

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Wait about a minute then add the onion slices and turn the heat to low-medium. Make sure that all the onions are covered in oil and add more if needed. Turn the onions every 5 minutes or so. If they start to stick to the pan, add more oil. Add your Italian seasoning after about 15 minutes. The onions should caramelize in about 20-25 minutes. Just before they are done, add your minced garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions. When it is finished, run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Once the onions and garlic are ready, add your pasta into the pan. Add a good glug of olive oil (that's what makes this so good) and throw in any extras - like artichoke hearts and black olives. Let the pasta heat up and mix with the other ingredients. At the last second add in your tomatoes and arugula. Throw on a plate and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Pesto

I received two pounds of basil in my CSA box last week. Logically, there was only one thing to do with it: make pesto. It took forever to de-stem that much basil, but the prepwork is one of those repetitive kitchen tasks that I don't mind doing. And I always love the end result... that sweet basil smell that lingers in the kitchen for a few hours afterward. It smells like home.

Maybe your home doesn't smell like basil at the moment, but it could. Regardless of whether you actually make pesto or not, you can look forward to a lot more pesto on this blog in the coming months. And if you're not a big pesto fan? Ironically, I'm not either. Don't worry, we're in this together. We'll figure something out.

Zucchini pasta is such an easy raw dish that there's no reason to be intimidated by it. If you don't have a spiralizer to make the long pasta noodles from the zucchini, throw it in the food processor for shorter strips - similar to a raw penne. Then, just toss with the sauce and go. Once you prep the sauce and the noodles, the assembly is minimal, making it a great dish for a dinner party or easy leftovers for packing a lunch.

If the tomatoes don't do it for you, you can easily throw in any other summer fruit or vegetable - fresh peas, carrots, sliced beets, avocado, or fresh peaches are all delicious with this. I love fresh tomatoes so I've been looking for any excuse to use 'em, but feel free to mix and match to suit your tastes!

Serves 4

4 zucchini (another summer squash may be substituted as well)
1 pound cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Pesto:
2 cups de-stemmed basil
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine the basil, nuts, and garlic in a food processor and process until it forms a course paste. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady drizzle and continue to process until it becomes a smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This makes roughly 1 cup of pesto.

Make the zucchini pasta with a spiralizer or process into julienne strips using your food processor. Mix with about a half cup of the pesto - you can add more or less to suit your tastes. Top with the cherry tomatoes and finish off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Carrot-Cashew Creme Sauce

I thought it might be fun to make a raw Italian-inspired dish this weekend to celebrate the opening of Eat Pray Love. Of course, I know this is nothing like what Elizabeth Gilbert ate during her stay in Rome, but it is a delicious, creamy dish with all the comfort-food feeling of a bowl of pasta. I have to say (as a true Eat Pray Love fan) that the movie is worth seeing, but the book is way better. What I love most about Liz's story is how much she has inspired others to dream big, take risks, and follow their own path of what is right. I think sometimes we get so caught up in everything we think we should do that we forget what we want to do and are too afraid to try.

One of my friends is moving to Tokyo for the next year. Wow. I can't imagine moving to a country where I don't speak the language and have no experience with the culture. April, you are such an inspiration to us all. May you always keep your adventurous spirit and remind the rest of us that we can do whatever we set out to.

So, whether you are traveling around the world this year or choosing to stay home and cherish time with friends and family, I hope you always take the time to enjoy some delicious food and hopefully this dish as well. Zucchini noodles are an easy place to start if you are new to raw foods or still learning. A spiralizer is great for making long strands of zucchini pasta, but you can easily use a food processor to slice the zucchini into julienne ("matchstick") strips.

If you don't like zucchini, feel free to use this sauce over other items -- raw kelp noodles, whole-wheat or brown rice pasta, quinoa, or rice. You can even lightly heat the sauce in a pan for a few minutes and serve warm. Either way, the cashews make it a very creamy, non-dairy alternative to typical "cream" sauces.


Serves 2.

Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh carrot juice
1 cup raw cashews
1 garlic clove
1 Tablespoon white or yellow miso
2 sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
1 fresh roma tomato (optional)

4 medium zucchini
1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
2 green onions, chopped
fresh basil

Make the zucchini pasta (if using) with a spiralizer or cut into julienne strips.

Juice your carrots to make 1/2 cup of fresh carrot juice. Add carrot juice, cashews, garlic, miso, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh tomato to a blender or food processor. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Plate the zucchini and top with the peas. Pour the sauce over and garnish with green onions and fresh basil.

Chunky Marinara Sauce

I've been on this gluten-free adventure lately and came across Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Spaghetti Pasta. I have tried other gluten-free pastas before, but this one is now my top favorite. First of all, it tastes amazing (you would never think this is rice!) and second, the ingredients are simple: Brown rice and water. That's it! Over the weekend I cooked up a super quick and simple chunky tomato sauce to go with it. I also added in some Brussels sprouts and Lima beans. This would also go well with some broccoli or bell peppers, or any of your favorite veggies.


1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbs Italian herbs
1 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the olive oil in a pan and place on low-medium heat. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes (with juice), herbs, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes. If you are adding other vegetables or beans, I would recommend cooking them separately first, then adding them in when you add in your tomatoes.

Gluten-free, Soy-free

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite foods, but it's rare to find a vegan lasagna and I've always been a little intimidated to try and make my own. Well, today was my first attempt. I added some extra sauce so it turned out to be a little gooey, but it was still pretty good. Even though it took some time and energy to make, it was well worth the wait.


Adapted from the 1,000 Vegan Recipes Cookbook.
Serves 9.

4 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion
4 large kale leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 package lasagna noodles
1 package firm tofu, drained and crumbled
3 1/2 cups marinara sauce
parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the zucchini, onions, and bell pepper on a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Drizzle with the oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast the vegetables until soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop the kale into small pieces and then blend for 10 seconds on low with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Mix this with the crumbled tofu.
2. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the noodles over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until just al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. To assemble, spread a layer of tomato sauce in a bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top the sauce with a layer of noodles. Top the noodles with half of the roasted vegetables, then spread half of the tofu mixture over the vegetables. Repeat with another layer of noodles and top with more sauce. Repeat layering process with remaining vegetables and tofu, ending with a layer of noodles and sauce.
4. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.