Veggie Punk Kitchen

Vegetarian cooking to a punk soundtrack.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine

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Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is exactly like it sounds. Cinnamon & sugar & a sweet indulgence of the taste buds. Perfect noms for Netflix & chill.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is exactly like it sounds. Cinnamon & sugar & a sweet indulgence of the taste buds. Perfect noms for Netflix & chill.Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is exactly like it sounds. Cinnamon & sugar & a splash of raspberry vinaigrette with some toasted macadamia nuts on top make this dish sinfully delightful.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is a great dish to serve at a romantic dinner for two. Go full out and cook it together naked! Lol, just watch out for the boiling water. Pop open the champagne and cut up some strawberries to go on the side. Whipped cream can also be utilised. (wink wink nudge nudge say no more).

I used Pappardelles Dark Chocolate Linguine & Alessi Vinegar Balsamic Raspberry. Trader Joe’s has the Alessi in a 3 pack that includes a chocolate and a ginger. Either one of those could be used for this recipe.

If you are put off by vinegar, I suggest giving the Alessi another try. This rich aged balsamic vinegar is bursting with the natural flavor of fresh, ripe raspberries. A perfect mixture of sweet and tart. Quite frankly, this vinegar is so good I want to drink it right out of the bottle! The aroma alone is enough to make me want to guzzle it down. I use it on all kinds of salads, for marinades, & for adding to roasted root vegetables.

I’ve seen recipes that use skim milk, but for the love of all that is holy, use a whole unhomogenized milk.  Milk may do a body good, but homogenized tastes icky (to me at least). When you buy homogenized milk, you’re buying a whole food that isn’t whole — it’s had it’s fat removed, evened out, and injected back into it in an amount less than what appears in nature. For the most part I use unsweetened coconut soy milk. I’ve tried almond and cashew milk which I find a bit odd.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is exactly like it sounds. Cinnamon & sugar & a sweet indulgence of the taste buds. Perfect noms for Netflix & chill.

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is pretty fast and simple to put together. There is plenty of room to get creative with it. I paint when I can and the creative force that drives art can be applied to culinary endeavors.

In the realm of philosophy there is much debate as to the importance of food as an art form. Questions arise in defining art, the nature of an artwork and whether or not food can be considered art. The answers to these questions are complex and relate to human emotion. Food is an important part of everyday life and the emotional role that it plays in informing our reactions to what we eat makes it essential to consider food art just as we would art that is evaluated with any of the other senses.

There are two necessary components to art. The first is human emotion; it is in fact the basis of why art exists. Food ties closely into art because of the close cultural connections that we make with what we eat. The feelings of nostalgia, security, closeness, and comfort brought about by a meal are sufficient to make food art so long as it meets the second criterion which is intent. There must be some attention to detail in the preparation. This ties into the definition of art, if the preparation is not an expression by the preparer but is simply incidental the basic criteria for art is not met. So can food be considered art? If it meets these criteria, yes.

 

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Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine
Author: 
Recipe type: pasta
Cuisine: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 8 Oz. chocolate linguine
  • 1½ cups light coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ Tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. cinnamon agave nectar
  • ½ cup macadamia nuts - chopped
  • Drizzle generously raspberry balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, bring water to boil, add pasta, cook 10 - 12 minutes or until done
  2. Combine ½ cup of coconut milk & arrowroot powder in saucepan
  3. Stir until smooth
  4. Add cocoa, nectar, sugar, cinnamon, and .remaining milk
  5. Cook one minute or until sauce has thickened
  6. In a dry pan toast macadamia nuts - about 3 minutes - turn often
  7. Add butter to pasta then stir in the sauce
  8. Top with nuts and vinaigrette

Decadent Dark Chocolate Linguine is exactly like it sounds. Cinnamon & sugar & a sweet indulgence of the taste buds. Perfect noms for Netflix & chill.

Cooking tunes – Redd Cross : Born Innocent.  CH3: Fear of Life.  Rodney on the ROQ: Volume 1. Rodney on the ROQ: Volume 2.

 Writing tunes – Melvins : Ozma. Melt-Banana: Fetch

 

Pine Nut Pesto Pasta

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Pine Nut Pesto Pasta is a fresh & flavorful dinner choice for those in a hurry. Toasting the pine nuts made my kitchen smell wonderful.

BasilPinenut1Pine Nut Pesto Pasta has just a few ingredients and is a cinch to whip up any weeknight. It is bursting with flavor and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Serve some garlic bread on the side, add a bottle of wine and you’re all set.

Food & wine pairing can be tricky. I had to research the subject, being more of a beer snob. I found some useful info on the Undiscovered Italy homepage.

Pairing pesto with wine can be difficult. (For clarity, we are talking about a traditional pesto of basil, garlic, pine nuts, EVOO and Parmesan.) The sauce is both pungent, with assertive flavors from the garlic and cheese, and delicate, as basil has quite a bit of nuance. Generally, whether looking for white or red wine, young, fruity, aromatic wines are far better than anything aged, overripe, oaky, or flabby. Good pesto is bright and fresh, so you want to find a wine that exhibits similar traits. Of course, another key consideration is what you are serving with the dish. A simple pasta dish dressed with pesto, for example, will probably work better with a white wine, but the addition of heartier ingredients such as sausage or tomatoes make red a viable option.

argiolas-costamolinoAs is the case for most Italian food, the safest bet with any pairing is to follow the rule “if it grows together, it goes together”. Genoa, pesto’s homeland, is in Liguria, a small region on the Mediterranean coast just northwest of Tuscany. The indigenous white grape here is Vermentino, which makes lovely wines that offer rich flavors of tropical fruit but also bring great acidity, matching the dual personality of its sister sauce. Ligurian Vermentino is not exactly easy to come by in our area, but Sardinia’s Argiolas makes an excellent option –Costamolino ($14.99) – which is widely available and delicious for the price. Of course, other aromatic northern Italian whites can also work well, including Ligurian Pigato and Bianchetto Genovese, plus Arneis, Gavi and Soave.

 

Pine Nut Pesto Pasta is a fresh & flavorful dinner choice for those in a hurry. Toasting the pine nuts made my kitchen smell wonderful.Pine Nut Pesto Pasta was so simple to make. I’m always coming up with exotic dishes that take hours to prepare. So this was a respite from hot stove duty. I had plenty of leftovers too, that will be okay in the fridge for a few days. You could freeze it & pull it out when you just have no time to prepare a full meal.

You can use almonds, walnuts, or pistachios to replace the pine nuts if you fear the pine mouth. I had not heard of that syndrome until today, nor of anyone experiencing it. I should probably not even bring this up, but I find it a fascinating phenomenon. I’m a culinary adventurer, so I have no fear of puny nuts & seeds.

Pine nuts can cause taste disturbance. It’s known as pine nut mouth or pine nut syndrome. It causes everything you eat to have a bitter, metallic taste. Luckily it’s not permanent — it only lasts a couple of days. It’s hypothesized that the particular species of pine responsible for this is the Pinus armandii in China.

There are pine nuts you can buy from Italy, but they are hella expensive. Be brave. So what do you say? Let’s adventure boldly on to the Pine Nut Pesto Pasta recipe.

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Pine Nut Pesto Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10 - 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound spaghetti noodles
  • 4 oz. prepared basil pesto
  • 1 tbsp. fresh chopped basil
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup roasted pine nuts
  • black pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese - for topping
Instructions
  1. Bring salted water to a boil in a large stockpot
  2. Add spaghetti to pot - cook per package directions
  3. In a small skillet toast pine nuts over medium flame
  4. Shake pan frequently so all sides are golden and release aroma - about 3 minutes
  5. Toss noodles with olive oil and pesto
  6. Sprinkle with pepper, pine nuts, fresh basil, and cheese

Pine Nut Pesto Pasta is a fresh & flavorful dinner choice for those in a hurry. Toasting the pine nuts made my kitchen smell wonderful.

Cooking tunes – Fugazi: Steady Diet of Nothing / UK Subs: Endangered Species / Peter and the Test Tube Babies: Pissed & Proud

Writing tunes – Wipers: Youth of America / Television: Adventure / Nurse With Wound: Salt

Five Ingredient Pasta

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Five Ingredient Pasta is a quick weekday meal or a great dish to bring to a dinner party or potluck.

Five Ingredient Pasta is a quick weekday meal or a great dish to bring to a dinner party or potluck.Five Ingredient Pasta has been done in so many delicious ways. This is my contribution to that milieu. I have made this recipe twice in the last week and it was a hit both times. It is so quick to put together, you’ll have more time for enjoying dinner with friends and family.

I have tried to take a traditional Italian pasta recipe and give it a south of the border taste.  You have to mix it up a little, yeah? The spicy bite of the soyrizo gives this dish a flair that is just as flavorful  as the meat based counterpart.

Soyrizo, a fresh, healthier take on the traditional chorizo, has 65% fewer calories and 80% less fat than its animal-based counterpart. Made from Non-GMO soy and flavored with spices and expeller-pressed soy oil, Soyrizo has both the texture and flavor of traditional chorizo without the cholesterol. And while it is filled with the important omega 9 fatty acid, it has almost zero saturated fat (0.5g per serving).

Prepare Soyrizo the same way you would prepare traditional chorizo in a recipe. Keep in mind that, since Soyrizo is not meat-based, it does not need to be cooked as long as the traditional chorizo does.

Vegan soyrizo must be refrigerated, but it can be frozen and then thawed when you’re ready to make it. Soyrizo turns out the best when it is cooked quickly over very high heat. Preheat a frying pan without oil and place the soyrizo into the pan, stirring and mashing constantly to avoid sticking. Once the soyrizo is heated, it is ready to eat.

SERVING SOYRIZO

  • Heat soyrizo as described above. Stir in soft silken tofu, and cook until the tofu has coagulated. Serve mixture alone, in hard or soft tortillas, or over rice or cooked grains.
  • For a baked meal, heat soyrizo as above. Grease a baking pan, add soyrizo, pour soft silken tofu on top, and bake until bubbly.
  • For a skillet dinner, chop leftover cooked potatoes. Heat soyrizo as described above. Then, add in the potatoes or cooked rice, cooked beans, cooked veggies, chopped tomatoes, and chopped onions.
  • Use soyrizo crumbles as a topping for baked potatoes, with some vegan sour cream, chopped scallions, and bell peppers or onions.
  • Make soyrizo crumbles into a topping for homemade pizzas.
  • Combine soyrizo crumbles with onions and either fresh bread crumbs or stuffing mix. Stuff into bell peppers or tomatoes and bake.
  • Blend soyrizo crumbles with cooked grains and cooked mixed veggies for a one-pot meal.
  • Use a small amount of soyrizo to season white, black, kidney beans or garbanzos. It’s also a great addition to bean soups, such as split pea or minestrone.

Five Ingredient Pasta comes together so quickly, you’ll be happy with all the free time you have left to engage with your company. I have made recipes that take me over an hour and a half to prepare and while the end result is super tasty, it cuts into the time I have to use to bring you new and exciting recipes (and planting more peppers, let’s not forget about our kitchen gardens).

Some freshly grated parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top is delicious. If you love olives as much as I do, throw in a liberal amount. I found a new bread at Trader Joe’s that goes very well with this dish; Trader Giotto’s Garlic & Cheese Bread Sticks. Just bake them for 5 to 7 minutes while pasta is simmering. Pour yourself some red wine, kick up your feet, and relax.

Five Ingredient Pasta is a quick weekday meal or a great dish to bring to a dinner party or potluck.

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Five Ingredient Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 17.6 Oz. penne pasta
  • 28 Oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 12 Oz. pkg. soyrizo
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 Tsp. olive oil
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions, or until tender.
  2. Drain well and set aside.
  3. Heat oil in an extra large skillet and add garlic
  4. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes
  5. Add tomatoes and soyrizo
  6. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
  7. Stir in pasta
  8. cook for 2 to 3 more minutes

Five Ingredient Pasta is a quick weekday meal or a great dish to bring to a dinner party or potluck.

Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta

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Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta with fresh spinach, tomatoes, lemon, and crushed almonds is a great weekday meal that is ready in 35 minutes.

Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta with fresh spinach, tomatoes, lemon, and crushed almonds is a great weekday meal that is ready in 35 minutes.                                          Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta with fresh spinach, tomatoes, lemon, and crushed almonds is a great weekday meal that is ready in 35 minutes. Each bite is full of zesty spices that bring back some fond memories.

I remember going to Italian restaurants as a kid. I was impressed by the atmosphere. A dimly lit room with widely spaced candle-lit tables made it seem as if clandestine meetings were being held by the patrons. The soft murmur of their voices blending with the croons of Frank Sinatra.

8 by 10 framed photos of famous Italian movie and music stars in the background giving the place an old-timey feel.  or like I was on a movie set. These and the heady aroma of baked bread, roasted garlic, and sausage-laden pasta always made my mouth water.

This nostalgia prompted me to try and create a vegetarian version for my friends and family to enjoy.  I bet the carnivores among them won’t even be able to tell the difference. When all the flavors come together so well it is sometimes hard to remember I’m not eating meat.

The addition of Tofurkey Italian Sausages with sun dried tomatoes and basil kick it up another notch. You can use the sausage in so many recipes too. What recipes do you use it in?

  • Crumble and use as a topping for pizza
  • Slice and sear with a bit of olive oil, add to any pasta dish
  • Cook to package directions and serve with sauteed greens and some garlic
  • Slice thinly and use as a layer in lasagna
  • Crumbled they would make a great filling for a taco or burrito
  • Crumble and use in a stuffed bell pepper or tomato
  • Cut into bite size pieces and put it in a stew or gumbo with your favorite veggies

After taste testing several store bought brands, I settled on Tofurkey as the best in its approximation and consistency to the meat sausage I remember.

I sometimes make my own sausage substitute with white beans (great northern or navy). Pretty easy to whip up and use in a bunch of ways. Roll them up, wrap them in foil and steam them for about 45 minutes. I add lots of spices along with vegetable broth, Bragg Liquid Aminos, vital wheat gluten, and nutritional yeast:

  • granulated garlic
  • ground fennel seed
  • red pepper flakes
  • sweet paprika
  • oregano
  • thyme
  • pepper

I rarely go for seconds, but I did with the Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta. So many layers of flavor here. The hint of spice from the sausage and herbs, sweetness from the almond, and the tartness from the tomatoes made this too good not to have twice. My taste tester, my brother the omnivore, gave this recipe a thumbs up.

While I write this blog post, I’m listening to some obscure Italian punk: Guglielmo – Un’avventura (1982). Music sets the mood and pace when I cook and when I write. You can check it out on Youtube. Do you guys listen to music while you cook too? I try to find upbeat, poppy sort of punk for cooking like Social Distortion, Agent Orange, or the Vandals.

Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta with fresh spinach, tomatoes, lemon, and crushed almonds is a great weekday meal that is ready in 35 minutes.

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Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Vegan
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 servings
 
Vegan Italian Sausage Almond Pasta with fresh spinach, tomatoes and crushed almonds that's ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb penne pasta
  • 1 package (13 oz) Tofurkey Italian Sausages - crumbled or cubed
  • ½ cup almonds - soak in water for 30 minutes then blend to paste.
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes - canned or fresh
  • 1½ cups spinach
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon - juice & zest.
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Cook penne to package directions
  2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan
  3. Add sausage at medium heat, stir frequently for 5 mins.
  4. Add salt, tomatoes, and spinach
  5. Stir until greens are tender, about 4 mins
  6. Add mustard, lemon juice & zest, stir
  7. Add the cooked pasta, stir
  8. Add salt (if needed), black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

 

cropped-VeggiePunkKitchen-2-1.jpg

 

Punk Rawk Pasta

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PunkRawkPasta2 (2) - Copy

I used an Oaxaca & pepper-jack blend shredded cheese in this delectable vegetarian pasta dish. (Vegans can substitute Daiya brand vegan cheese blends like pepper-jack, mozzarella, or a shredded block of their smoked Gouda.) For a spicier flavor I used 1 plain and 1 El Pato brand Salsa de Chile fresca. I added about 6 ounces from each package of pasta, finished cooking the remainder and used it in other dishes. I also used Field Roast brand Italian style sausage. Feel free to add your own favorite veggies. Cremini mushrooms, eggplant and butternut squash go well with this dish.

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Punk Rawk Pasta
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10-12 servings
 
A quick pasta recipe that you can modify fairly easily.
Ingredients
  • 2 8 oz. pkg. pasta. I used rotini & mostaciolli.
  • 2 7 oz. pkgs. cheese shredded.
  • 5 oz. fresh spinach
  • 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
  • 2 7 oz. cans tomato sauce.
  • 1 large onion cut into half moons
  • 2 cloves garlic minced..
  • 2 veggie sausages
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1½ tsp. sea salt, plus a pinch or two for water.
  • 2 tsp.fresh basil (from windowsill garden). minced.
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes (if desired)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Preheat LARGE skillet and add olive oil then the onions.
  3. Let onions caramelize for about 20 minutes over low heat.
  4. While onions do their thang, squish those whole tomatoes with your hands (fun!).
  5. Put a big pot of water on to boil, adding a pinch or 2 of salt..
  6. Cook pasta in boiling water until partially cooked.
  7. They should be soft on the outside & still firm on the inside.
  8. They will continue to cook in the oven.
  9. Cook sausages per directions & cut into bite sized pieces.
  10. Once onion is browned, add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce & all dry ingredients.
  11. Simmer until sauce thickens.
  12. Add pasta, sausage, spinach & ⅓ rd of the cheese to sauce blend.
  13. Transfer half of the skillet to large baking dish, add a layer of cheese,
  14. add the rest and top with remaining cheese.
  15. Bake covered with foil for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese bubbles and slightly browns.
  16. Remove foil for last 10 minutes.

Punk Rawk Pasta