meatless pasta bake

Pasta Bake with Honey Butter Yeast Roll

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked whole grain penne pasta

2 6 oz. tubs Greek Yogurt/Cream Cheese

1-2 c. soy milk

2 T butter

red pepper flakes, salt, paprika,

small onion sliced

2 -3 cups of fresh spinach

browned/fried cubed tofu

sun dried tomato (used my dehydrator but you can use your oven set below 200 for up to 6 hours.

6 oz grated Parmesan cheese

1 c mozzarella, Havarti, or provolone for top

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Boil pasta al dente.  In a skillet with olive oil, sauté onion, garlic, dried tomato, and browned tofu.  In a sauce pot add butter, yogurt/cream cheese blend, soy milk, red pepper flakes, salt, and paprika.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Rinse and dry your pasta.  Oil a large glass or ceramic baking dish.  Pour 1/3 c. of the cream sauce on bottom of baking dish.  Place 1 cup of spinach on top of the sauce.  Next add half of pasta, sprinkle Parmesan cheese, and then tofu/onion mix.  Repeat.  Sprinkle Mozzarella on top.  Bake covered in foil.  Toss pasta to mix cheesy sauce if necessary.  Serve hot.  It serves best when reheated.

multigrain yeast rolls

Ingredients

1/3 c. butter, plus extra for brushing on rolls

1 c. soy milk

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1/3 c. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 ½ c. whole wheat flour

Honey Butter Glaze Mix:

2 T. butter, melted

2 T. honey

1 T. brown sugar

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a half sheet pan or a 9x13-inch rimmed cookie sheet.

2.In a small saucepan, melt butter.

3.When butter is mostly melted, stir in milk, and heat mixture to 100-110 F.

4.Meanwhile, add yeast and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if mixing by hand).

5.When milk mixture is at temperature, add to yeast and honey; stir to combine.

6.Add salt and egg, and stir until combined.

7.Stir in flours in ½ c measurements at a time.

8.Add remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough clings to paddle and cleans the sides of the bowl. Dough will still be pretty sticky.

9. In an oiled bowl, place dough.  Cover with plastic and then a Towel.  Place in microwave or draft free location.

10.With floured hands, shape dough into 12-18  rolls, and place dough on prepared baking sheet or pan.

11. Cover, and let dough rest for 1-2 hours.

12.Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

13.When rolls are done baking, brush with Honey Butter mix. Serve hot. Allow to cool and place into a bread bag with tie. Refrigerate for up to a week. 

ninja mega kitchen system...in, shred emulsifier out

Ninja Mega Kitchen System 

…the Shred died. Thankfully, the warranty will offset the cost of the new beast. Tried and tested brand, Ninja delivers dependability! A current owner of the Ninja Kitchen Prep, I sided with Ninja. Thus far, it has not disappointed. It costs about $100 more the Shred. It does not make soup.

Who cares?

The power and the dependability match it to the Shred. It actually out foxes the Shred because it delivers the consistency of blade action as the Kitchen Prep. That means, no tamper required. The power of the blade action literally washes down the sides of the pitcher.

Here are the specs...

a base that houses a 2HP 1500 watt motor

72 oz pitcher with lid

6 in blade

1 64 oz bowl with lid

4 in blade

4 in dough hook

2 single serve cups with lids

1 single serve blade set

Also included are manuals, prep books, and of course a quick start guide. 

The Shred just could not handle the demand required.  I need 2 smoothies per day. The motor is very likely to live 100 years. Unfortunately, the blade housing just could not match the motor's precision. 

broccoli, mushroom, and rice bake

Ingredients:
½ block extra firm tofu
(release water)
cubed

Tofu seasoning bag: 1 t each: rosemary, 

garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, 

ranch seasoning, salt, old bay season, 

and dried parsley. 

¼ c soy flour

¼ corn starch

½ c shredded Colby cheese

½ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c sliced mushrooms, sauteed

1 ½ c uncooked brown rice

2 c steamed broccoli

1 small diced onion

1 T minced garlic

1 T olive oil

Cream Sauce:

¼ c shredded Colby

1 c non-dairy milk

1 c water

½ stick butter or margarine

¼ c all-purpose flour

1 t salt

Preparation:

Cook rice per instructions. Season, flour, and fry tofu in oil. Drain. Saute mushrooms. Set aside. Saute onion and garlic, then add butter, flour, milk, water, and cheese. Season. Layer rice, tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, and sprinkle cheese. Repeat and finish with shredded cheese on top. Bake in a corning or glass dish, covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. 

northern bean soup

Ingredients:
2 cups of dry northern beans

1 large diced carrot
2 diced celery ribs
1 small white onion diced
1/2 c spinach
2 diced tomatoes
1 c corn
6 cups water
3 T olive oil
1/4 c flour
2 T butter
thyme, sugar, salt, coarse black pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin

Preparation:
Wash, sort, and then soak your beans for 6-8 hours in water, inside a covered bowl or container. Fill your stock pot with 6 cups of water. Pour beans into the pot. Cover with lid. Bring to a fierce boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer for 2-3 hours. In the last half hour add your vegetables and season your beans to taste.

In a skillet, melt butter and whisk in flour. Add a little water to form a thick paste. Add to your beans. Continue to taste until you've reached your desired flavor.