Avocado Pesto and Tomato Pasta

In case today's 71-degree weather wasn't unseasonable enough for you, here's a summery dish that will bring a little warmth and brightness to your day.  This recipe for Avocado Pesto and Tomato pasta comes (slightly altered) from Chef Chloe.

A fresh-tasting, creamy pasta dish.

Given that tomatoes come at a high price during the winter, you might try making this dish with jarred, sun-dried tomatoes instead of raw, store-bought tomatoes.

Recipe:
Avocado Pesto and Tomato Pasta

• 1 pound whole wheat linguine
• 1 package frozen broccoli
• 1 small bunch (approximately .75 ounces) fresh basil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes, for garnish

First, bring a large pot of water to boil and begin preparing the linguine according to the package directions. When approximately five minutes of cooking time remain, add the broccoli to the pot.  Once the broccoli and pasta are tender, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the avocado pesto.  Combine the basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper in a food processor, and process until smooth. 

Toss the prepared pasta with the pesto, top with tomatoes, and serve warm.

Yields 6 servings. 

Comments:

Taste:           

This is not your average, basil-heavy pesto dish.  Although basil does make an appearance in the recipe, its flavor is subtle.  Instead, the avocados and tomatoes take center stage, giving the dish a creamy, mild, fresh taste.  While this is one of the most naturally creamy pasta dishes I've enjoyed as a vegan, it is worth noting that the creaminess faded a bit once we reheated the dish as leftovers.  Next time I make this, I might try adding some crushed red pepper flakes to spice things up.

Accessibility:            

Unfortunately, this is a pretty pricey pasta dish.  The pine nuts and tomatoes--either cherry or sun-dried--are particularly costly.  To bring down the price, you could try using a different nut, such as walnuts (still expensive, but perhaps less so).

 Ease of Preparation:        

This is a quick and easy dish, as long as you have a food processor.  If you don't have a food processor or blender, try chopping up the ingredients and using a potato masher or spoon to combine.

Non-vegan friendliness:            

This rich pasta dish isn't missing anything.  Even though traditional pesto recipes often include Parmesan cheese, the avocado more than makes up for the lack of cheese. 

Quinoa and Black Bean Sloppy Joes

I love to make TVP Sloppy Joes.  There's something about eating one that brings me back to my childhood (more like Mary Kate and/or Ashley Olsen's childhood: It Takes Two, anyone?). 

We tried out Quinoa and Black Bean Sloppy Joes a few nights ago, and they were just as sloppy as any ground beef-based equivalent.  Actually, I had intended for them to be burgers, not Joes; but, the addition of a bit too much water put us on a new path. 

An extra-sloppy sloppy Joe.

Recipe:     

Quinoa and Black Bean Sloppy Joes

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
• 1 - 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons steak seasoning
• 6 buns

First, place the quinoa, salt, and 1.5 cups water in a small saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the water is absorbed.  

 Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for five or six minutes (the oil left on the tomatoes should be sufficient, but add more oil if they stick to the pan).  Then stir in half of the black beans, plus the garlic, steak seasoning, and 1.5 cups water.  Allow the mixture to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated. 

Next, using a food processor, blend the cooked bean mixture and half of the cooked quinoa until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining quinoa and black beans.*  Then place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow to cool while preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.    

Once the oven is heated and the mixture is mostly cool, it's time to bake the the Joes.  Generously coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and use a 1/2-cup measuring cup to drop six, evenly spaced Joes on the baking sheet.  Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top.

Serve on buns.  Yields 6 sloppy Joes. 

Comments:
Taste:            

Once I came to think of these as Joes rather than burgers, I was satisfied with the results.  They have a sloppy, yet firm consistency and a fairly smooth texture.  The sun-dried tomatoes add a bit of depth to the flavor, while the steak seasoning adds a bit of spiciness.  Simon gives them his seal of approval, saying, "They're good." 

Accessibility:          

As I've mentioned before, quinoa is easier than you might think to find.  If you don't have steak seasoning (as is the case for many vegans, I'm sure), you can always make your own using a recipe like this one.

  Ease of Preparation:      

* I went through the process of baking the sloppy Joes with the original aim of making burgers.  Given that this recipe is now for sloppy Joes, I think you could skip the baking stage and still end up with an equally tasty (although perhaps less firm) sloppy Joe.  It's your call.    

Non-vegan friendliness:           

These aren't your average Joes, so to speak: their taste and mouthfeel are quite different than hamburger-based sloppy Joes.  That said, we all enjoyed them as a veganized version of the dish. 

Avocado, Spinach, and Sun-dried Tomato Panini

Every once in a while I browse Vegetarian Times' website for recipes.  They have a pretty decent selection of vegan recipes, though, as I've said before, most recipes contain dairy products.  The other day I found an intriguing panini recipe: what I like most about it is that it doesn't assume I have a panini maker (I don't).  Plus, anything with sun-dried tomatoes and avocado catches my eye.     

The perfect summer sandwich--even in October.

Here's the Vegetarian Times recipe with a few of my own adjustments.

Recipe:     
Avocado, Spinach, and Sun-dried Tomato Paninis

• 1 - 8.5 ounce jar julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 3 avocados, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach
• 6 ciabatta rolls, cut in half

First, use a fork to remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the oil; set aside.  Next, layer each roll with  avocado, sun-dried tomato, onion, and 1/2  cup spinach.  Then lightly spray the exterior of each roll with cooking spray.  

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Place one or two paninis in the pan and weight them down with a smaller-diameter saucepan weighted with one or two cans.  Cook for about two minutes, remove the weight, carefully flip the paninis using a spatula, replace the weight, and cook for another two minutes.

(If you do have a panini maker, cook for four minutes using the panini maker.)

Cut in half and serve.  Yields 6 paninis.

Comments:
Taste:          

Our paninis struggled a bit because our rolls were pretty small (they were square-shaped and maybe four inches wide).  It was difficult to keep all of the ingredients in the panini, let alone get all of the ingredients together in one bite.  As a result, I recommend using medium or large ciabatta rolls to ensure the structural soundness of each panini. 

When all of the ingredients did come together, it was a delicious bite.  The firm, toasty bread contrasted nicely with the smooth avocado, and the sun-dried tomatoes added a smoky, sweet flavor.  

Accessibility:        

We had trouble finding appropriately-sized ciabatta rolls at our regular grocery store (it doesn't have the greatest bakery section).  Everything else was easy to find, though the ingredients are a bit expensive as far as sandwiches go. 

 Ease of Preparation:         

While assembling the sandwich is quick and easy, it was a little difficult to flip the paninis in the pan without spilling some ingredients.  Again, I think larger rolls would help solve this problem. 

Non-vegan friendliness:         

I could see this panini on the menu of any café or sandwich shop.     

White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Medley

Rachel took the lead on dinner tonight, and I must say she did a fine job.  She now arrives home a little early on Wednesdays, allowing her to get a head start on dinner.  While I always enjoy cooking, it was wonderful to open the apartment door and smell the sweet scent of already-prepared dinner!  

It's almost like this dish knows it's Italian...

Recipe:
White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Medley

• 1 - 8.5 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (or a 1.5 ounce package dry sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 small bag frozen peas
• 2 cans cannellini beans (or another white bean), drained and rinsed
• 1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

First, remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar (save the oil if you like--it'll have picked up great flavor) and chop coarsely.  Next, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes tender (about 5 minutes).  Then add the remaining ingredients--including the sun-dried tomatoes--and stir to combine.  Cook for another 10 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the flavors have combined.

Serve over whole wheat pasta as a main dish or alone as a side dish.  Yields 4-6 servings.

 Comments:
Taste:      

The word "medley" describes this dish quite well.  There's a lot going on.  This turned out to be a good thing, as the dish was very good and the variety of textures and flavors came together into one tasty combination.  The sage, as one of the more prominent flavors, works especially well with the beans.  However, I think there's a bit too much starchiness in the dish as we served it: over pasta.  I might make this again as a side dish and leave out the pasta.      

Accessibility:     

We didn't have any trouble finding the ingredients listed above.  On the other hand, we wanted to add fresh basil to the recipe but the grocery store was out of it.  If you can find it, I'd try stirring in 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil right after cooking and just before serving. 

 Ease of Preparation:   

While I wasn't actually involved in the making of this dish, I can say that the recipe is pretty simple.  Everything goes into one pot.  If you serve this over pasta, I recommend you start the pasta water and bring that to a boil as you begin to cook the rest of the dish.      

Non-vegan friendliness:  

This is a filling, flavorful dish that anyone would enjoy.  If you're feeling adventurous and you're in the mood for pasta, you could try adding tomato sauce to the medley to make it more of a pasta sauce. 

Sun-Dried Tomato and Toasted Walnut Pesto

Several winters ago, my family held an Iron Chef competition at home.  We all made dishes using the secret ingredient--walnuts, if I remember correctly--and judged each dish in a couple categories.  It was a great time.  I made pesto with walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes and did quite well.  So, if you're looking for a winning recipe (pun intended...), read on.

Pesto on Pasta

Recipe:
Sun-Dried Tomato and Toasted Walnut Pesto

• 1 - 8.5 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (or a 1.5 ounce package dry sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted)
• 1.5 loosely packed cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (extra-virgin is best)
• 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• a few sprinkles of black pepper, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

First, remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar (save the oil if you like--it'll have picked up great flavor) and chop coarsely.  Then, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and well-incorporated.  That's it! 

Serve over pasta or as a spread/dip on bread.  Yields about 2 cups.  

Comments:

Taste:      

I love that this pesto is distinctly different than standard basil pesto.  The sun-dried tomatoes and basil come together to create a fresh, almost sweet taste that's balanced out by the nutty, toasty walnuts. 

Accessibility:       

This recipe replaces pine nuts--an ingredient often found in basil pesto--with walnuts, and is, as a result, less expensive to make.  Unfortunately, sun-dried tomatoes can be pricey and difficult to find in some grocery stores. 

Ease of Preparation:   

The food processor does all of the work in this recipe.         

Non-vegan friendliness:   

Vegans and non-vegans alike will love this recipe.  Just ask the judges of Iron Chef: My Family Edition.