Posts Tagged ‘oregano’
March 7, 2010 – Tofu Ravioli with Red Sauce
Once again, www.vegweb.com did not fail! This awesome recipe turned out better than I expected.
Here is the original link: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14069.0
Of course, I tried to make spaghetti a few months ago, and my arms are still sore.
So, this time, I talked my wife into getting the fancy attachment for our Kitchenaid Stand mixer.
Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking trying to do this without a spaghetti roller.
Tofu Ravioli with Red Sauce
3 cups flour
egg substitute equal to 4 eggs
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup or more water
12 oz. package firm tofu
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan
2-3 handfuls vegan mozzarella
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 each 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes and can tomato sauce
oregano, basil, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Make red sauce:
Saute onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in olive oil. Add in garlic and saute a little longer. Add tomato sauce. Drain diced tomatoes into empty sauce can and add tomatoes to vegetables. Add seasonings, use leftover juice to thin sauce as needed. Add some red wine if desired.
Make ravioli dough:
Combine flour and salt in bowl, add egg replacer and mix in. Add water to make a thick dough. Knead and let rest 15 minutes to develop. Meanwhile, mix together tofu, “cheeses” and parsley for filling. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Roll out dough thinly and cut into squares or circles. Put a dollop of filling on each, wet edges and seal tightly. Place on cookie sheet until you have about one dozen. Boil this batch, takes about 5 minutes, they’re done when they float to the top. Remove with slotted spoon to serving bowl. Repeat.
Place five or six ravioli on plates and cover with sauce, sprinkle with additional parmesan if desired.
Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 2 hours
Being a vegan has its GREAT moments, and this was one of them!
Special note, next time I will make the pasta a bit thinner!
March 6, 2010 – Spaghetti Sauce
I wanted to make my own spaghetti sauce tonight. I found a box of wheat pasta that was just asking to be eaten.
There was some basic ingredients in our cupboard that matched this recipe I found on www.boutell.com.
Here is the original link: http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/sauce.html
The Center for Science in the Public Interest calls home-made spaghetti sauce “better than bottled.” I call it “easier than you think.” Contrary to what I’ve found in a lot of overpriced cookbooks, pasta sauce works just fine if you let it cook for just as long as it takes your pasta to boil.
Ingredients:
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* half a small yellow onion, diced
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 6-8 small roma tomatoes or 4-6 large red tomatoes
* 1 small green bell pepper (optional)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Method:
Sauté the onion and garlic in a saucepan. (Place the onions in the pan first, and add the garlic on top of the onion. This procedure will keep the garlic from burning.) Turn the heat to low or medium-low.
While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the tomatoes into cubes. An easy way to chop them is to slice them in half, then julienne the halves, and then chop the julienne slices into small cubes. Some people prefer large chunks while others prefer a very smooth texture close to purée. Either size works fine for this recipe and the cooking time does not need altering for large or small cubes.
Place the tomatoes into the onion and garlic sauté and stir. Add the diced bell pepper (optional) and stir. Add the spices and stir again. Let simmer whilst preparing pasta. Stir occasionally, turning down the flame if it sticks.
When the pasta is done, spoon the sauce onto the individual servings of pasta or mix with the entire batch, following your own custom.
Notes:
Tomatoes have a high acid content, so experts advise that tomato dishes be cooked in pans that do not have a non-stick coating.
Serves three to four. A rule of thumb is to use two or three roma tomatoes per serving. Added bell pepper will increase the yield, of course.
The sauce should be used within three or four days of preparing. It freezes OK but is much better fresh.
When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.
