Pasta

Because I watch my caloric intake, I don’t often splurge on pasta.  So I figured that if I was going to do it, do it right and make fresh pasta.  First I will give you the pasta recipe and then the mushroom ravioli recipe we made tonight.  It was delicious!    It may seem like a lot of work, but from start to finish was only 1 ½ hours- this included preparing a vegetable to serve with the pasta, some clean up and going out to the greenhouse for some fresh herbs.

Fresh Pasta

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup semolina flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill)

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup of water

So the recipe I used says to mix the flours and salt together on a counter or board, make a well in the middle, pour in ½ cup water and mix together with your hands.  I poured in the water and as soon as I touched the flour I had water running off the counter on and to floor.   So I am going to change it up here.

Mix the flours and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Make a well in the middle and with your hands mix in the water.  Add a tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture comes together into a stiff dough.

Move the dough to a lightly floured board or counter.  Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until elastic and slightly sticky.

Place a kitchen towel over the dough and let rest for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out (I use a hand crank pasta roller.)  Cut into the desired shape.  Place in a large pot of gently boiling water to cook.  Thin pasta will take 1-3 minutes.  Thicker or filled pasta can take 5-15 minutes.

This makes one pound of pasta.  The total calorie count is 1282.  If you make spaghetti or fettuccini with all of it, it should serve 6 at 213 calories per serving.

The unrolled dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for 3 days.  Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to roll it.  The shaped pasta can be frozen for later use.

Vegan Mushroom Walnut Ravioli

½ recipe pasta dough

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

For the filling:

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

¼ cup non-dairy parmesan cheese (I used SoySations)

¼ cup non-dairy mozzarella (I used Daiya)

Fill a large pot with water and a dash of olive oil and bring to a boil while filling the ravioli.

Coat a skillet with olive oil spray.

Sauté the onions and mushrooms over med-high heat until caramelized.

Remove from heat and cool for about 10 minutes.

Place the onions, mushrooms, breadcrumbs and cheeses in a food processor and pulse until it all ingredients are finely ground and hold together.

Roll the dough in a pasta roller.  It works best if your roll it first on a wide setting and then on a thinner setting.  For my hand crank pasta roller, we rolled first on setting 7 and then again on setting 3.  At this point you can hand cut your ravioli with a round 2 inch biscuit cutter or you can use a ravioli maker.

Place 1 teaspoon on the bottom piece of pasta.  Cover with a second piece of pasta and crimp the edges.

I made 18 two inch ravioli.  I don’t re-roll the scraps as they can be tough.  So we used about 1/3 of the recipe of pasta dough to make 18 ravioli.

Reduce the heat on the pot of water to a gentle boil and carefully drop in the ravioli.  These should take 5-6 minutes to cook.  When done, drain quickly and place in a serving bowl.

Add the fresh herbs, I tablespoon olive oil and the walnuts.  Toss gently and enjoy.

This makes two servings at 382 calories each.  This was great with fresh asparagus.

If you want to try a different sauce option, the ravioli without the olive oil and walnuts is 298 calories.

Here is a link to a company that has every kind of pasta roller and ravioli maker. My pasta roller doesn't have a brand name on it, but I can tell you it is a 6 inch roller and I bought it for $19.99 a few years ago.  It works great.  I have a VillaWare ravioli maker- the kind you have to fill each ravioli and then roll over it with a rolling pin to seal the edges.  It was very inexpensive as well.  I used to have a fancy pasta roller that had a ravioli attachment.  I used it unsucessfully several times and gave it away.  It took two people to use it and then you still needed another hand.
So bottom line, it that the bottom of the line pasta roller and ravioli maker work great. 

 http://www.creativecookware.com/pasta_maker.htm

I  will mention brand names in our recipes.I am not paid for advertising, nor do I endorse any particular brand. I simply mention the brands I like and have used in my recipes.

Recent studies show that dark chocolate may lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease.  I used a dark Dutch processed cocoa powder in this rich, moist cake.  It contains no fat, no dairy and no eggs.  Enjoy!

Non-fat Chocolate Walnut Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan.

Coat the pan with cooking spray, place the parchment in the pan and spray it also.  The parchment paper will make removal from the pan very easy.

Mix together and set aside:

1 1/2 cups flour, unbleached

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup evaporated cane juice (or sugar)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon egg replacer (we use Ener G)

Mix together:

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, coconut, rice, etc)

1/2 cup cold coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a spoon until well mixed. 

Pour into prepared pan.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts over the batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Makes 9 servings. 189 calories per serving.

Vegan Spanish Rice

3 T Olive oil

½ medium bell pepper, diced

½ medium onion, diced

1 ½ Cup long grain brown basmati rice (rinsed and rested)

1 T of Chili Powder or Taco Seasoning (may want to add more to taste)

1 15 oz Can fire roasted tomatoes or jalapeno tomatoes  and enough water to make approx 4 cups of liquid and tomato pieces combined. When I’m cooking 2 cups of rice I add two cans of tomatoes and enough water to make 6 cups of tomato liquid combined.

Pinch of caraway seed equal to about 1/8 teaspoon or so.

Heat olive oil on medium high heat in medium pan, add bell pepper and onion. Cook until onion begins to look transparent.

Add the rice and chili powder or taco seasoning, stirring to allow the rice to warm up and all ingredients to combine. If you prefer spicier taste this is when you will want to add additional seasoning. I usually go for a medium to dark color of my spices surrounding the rice.

Add the water tomato combo to the pan. Stir it well just once. Turn the heat up to where it starts to boil then turn it down to simmer.

Add the caraway seed. Pop a lid to it turned slightly so some air escapes.

It will take it 25 minutes or so to cook.

Musing from the blogger: Mmmmm.... I don't have the calorie count on this yet, but will make it soon and figure it out.

Bananas are rich in vitamin C and potassium.  They are tasty and versitle.  They are easy to take along for a snack at work or school.  They are the basis for most fruit smoothie recipes, adding a natural sweetness.  I buy them sale, freeze and have on hand when I want a smoothie or banana bread.  Try them in these non-fat vegan muffins.  This a quick, easy recipe you will enjoy.

No Fat Vegan Banana Muffins

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

¾ cup evaporated cane juice (or sugar)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

2 medium bananas, sliced

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¾ cup coconut milk  (SoDelicious 50 calorie per cup) or soy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with either cupcake papers or spray oil.  You can also use papers and spray them with oil so that they remove more easily.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 

Place the wet ingredients in a blender and pulse a couple of times until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. 

Stir with a spoon until mixed

Divided evenly to make 12 muffins

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until done.

These have 144 calories each.  And some fesh fruit and you have breakfast or a great snack.

Black beans are also referred to as turtle beans.  They are loaded with good things-protein, fiber, vitamins K, C and A, foliate, thiamin, manganese, potassium, iron, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus and niacin.  That is a whole lot goodness packed into a little bean and they are fat free!

These burgers are fat free, dairy free, wheat free and of course, meat free.  Enjoy!

 South of the Border Black Bean Burgers

2 cups prepared fresh Pico de Gallo

2 cups onions, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 ½ cups carrot, shredded

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups cooked black beans (if you used canned beans check the sodium content) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the Pico de Gallo in a strainer to drain

Sauté the onions, mushrooms and carrots in a non-stick pan that has been coated with spray olive oil.  Cook and stir until soft.

Place the sautéed vegetables into a food processor.  Add the Pico de Gallo oats, garlic and cumin.  Whirl around until the vegetables are small.

Empty into a mixing bowl.

Place the beans in the food processor and pulse a few times just to break up a bit.

Place in the mixing bowl with the vegetable oat mixture and stir until well blended.

Coat two baking sheets with olive oil spray.

Measure ½ cup of the mixture for each burger.  Drop on the baking sheet and flatten with the back of a spoon to form a 3 ½-4 inch circle.

Bake for 20 minutes, the carefully turn over each burger.  Bake for another 20 minutes and remove from oven.

Makes 12 burgers, 145.5 calories each.  These freeze very well.

I take these for my lunch frequently.  I spread my bread with Tofutti cream cheese, add the frozen burger and pack in my lunch bag.  The burger thaws by noon and I have a delicious, homemade lunch.

No Fat Sundried Tomato Salad Dressing

3.2 ounce package of sundried tomatos (no olive oil)

1 6 ounce can low salt tomato paste

2 cups water

3/4 cups apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Place all ingredients in the blender and whirl until almost smooth.

Refrigerate.  Stir before using.  Enjoy on your favorite salad.

Makes 3 1/2 cups.  8.30 calories per tablespoon

If want a smoother mouth feel add some xanthan gum.



A New Find

Check out this sugar-chocolate-coffee grinder from Trader Joe's!  A great way to add a little mocha flavor without fat, sodium or calories.  It does contain wheat and corn.  There is a grinder under the lid.  Just remove the lid, turn upside down and grind over whatever you wish.  The price is right at just $1.99

I just baked our Vegan Chocolate Cake and added some of this over the batter before it baked.  Yum!

We will mention brand names in our recipes. We are not paid for advertising, nor do we endorse any particular brand. We simply mention the brands we like and have used in our recipes.

 Vegan Enchiladas

1 onion, diced

1 sweet red pepper, diced

6 medium mushrooms, diced

1 package Yves Meatless Taco Stuffers (or other vegan taco product)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon caraway seed

2 cups vegan cheese, shredded  (I usedDaiya cheddar)

18 ounces of your favorite enchilada sauce (I  used 1 ½ bottles of Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce)

12 thin corn tortillas (6 inch)

Heat oven to 425 degrees

           Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with spray oil

Set aside ½ cup of cheese

            Sauté the vegetables in a nonstick pan that has been coated with spray oil.

When the vegetables are soft, crumble the meat into the pan.

            Add the thyme and caraway.

Mix well and heat through

           Divide the ‘meat’ mixture and the cheese evenly among the 12 tortillas.

Add a spoonful of sauce over the filling.

            Roll the tortilla around the filling and place seam side down in the baking pan

Spoon the sauce in between the enchiladas, making sure that each is well covered in sauce.

            Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.

Sprinkle the reserved cheese over top.

            Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly

Make 12 servings.  208 calories per enchilada.

I  will mention brand names in our recipes. I am not paid for advertising, nor do I endorse any particular brand. I simply mention the brands we like and have used in my recipes.

Meyer Lemon Lemonade

 

I live in Vancouver, Washington, where we have just
143 days of sunshine per year.  That is 222 days of clouds, rain and snow!  No wonder we all have a vitamin deficiency…..

Well, today my box of sunshine arrived from our good friends Richard and Susan at Birch-Hill Organics Meyer Lemons and Kiwi Fruit.  These little beauties are grown in Atascadero, California where there are 290 days of sunshine per year! 

The Meyer lemon fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon.  It is a cross between a lemon and a tangerine.   Meyer lemon fruits have a sweeter and less acidic than the more common supermarket lemon varieties.

I love fresh lemonade, but as always, we look for ways to cut the calories. 

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice (or sugar)

½ cup water

1 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice

6 ½ cups water

Mix the ½ cup water and evaporated cane juice in a small pan.  Bring to boil and stir until cane juice is dissolved (about 1 minute).  Pour into a 2 quart pitcher.

Add the lemon juice and remaining water to the pitcher and stir well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Pour over ice and enjoy.

Makes 8 servings.  38 calories per 8 ounce serving

A few years ago we took a cooking class at In Tavola cooking school in Florence, Italy.  It was the highlight of the trip.  My favorite recipe from the class is the most simple, Tomato Pasta Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro).  It is a simple red sauce that is so delicious you wouldn’t guess that it was laden with garlic, basil and oregano like our American sauces. 

In the restaurants we found this same sauce on pasta, pizza and gnocchi.  I think the Italians follow the ‘less is better’ philosophy.  We might have something to learn from them.

We have added a link in the left column to In Tavola.  If you are ever in Italy, take a class there.  They are located in an old palace, in the heart of Florence.   The meal is served in the wine cellar- delightful!

Tomato Pasta Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro)

2 cans (800 grams or 28 ounces each) peeled tomatoes

Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium carrot, minced

1 medium stalk celery, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Break up the tomatoes with either hands or a knife

Pour enough olive oil in the sauce pan to cover the bottom (about 1 tablespoon)

Add the vegetables to the oil and cook over high heat until the onion is soft and begins to brown

Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir with a wooden spoon

Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for about 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.  Continue cooking until slightly thickened.

Check flavor after about 5 minutes and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.  About 85 calories per serving (varies depending on the amount of olive oil used)