Cheesy Thermos Pasta - Vegan

This is the most sought after lunch choice in our home lately.   Who doesn't love a little homemade mac n cheese? Except this recipe doesn't have any cheese...  So you can please the vegans, the lactose intolerant, and the kids all at once!   One step closer to world peace.

So you all want to know how cheesy no-cheese pasta can be right?  Well, not exactly like mac n cheese.  A taste hybrid between cheese and alfredo sauce.  Really creamy alfredo sauce.  It's all about the sauce.  My friend makes it but replaces the pasta with rice which has her kids clamoring for "cheesy rice".

The original recipe I found over at VegNews.  I've made just a few alterations to make it more straightforward and I've doubled it.   The recipe is versatle.  I've added less cashews, more potatoes, or forgotten the oil and it still works great.

 

Cheesy Thermos Pasta
Adapted from VegNews
Serves 10

Ingredients

2 shallots
2 large or 3 medium red or yellow potatoes (not russet)
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
2 cups water

1/2 cup raw cashews, preferably pre-soaked and drained*
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TB extra virgin olive oil**
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 16 oz package small shell pasta

* The cashews do not have to be soaked but it does aid in digestion and nutrient absorption.  Simply soak the cashews in room temperature water for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

** Non-vegans can replace the oil with butter for a richer taste if desired.  I like it both ways.

Directions

Peel and chop shallots, potatoes, carrots, and onion.  Place in a covered saucepan with the 2 cups water and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Set aside to cool slightly.

While vegetables cool cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth adding some of the liquid from the cooked vegetables as needed.  Finally, add in the vegetables with the remaining water and blend until smooth.  Pay close attention not to burn yourself if the vegetables are still hot.  Depending on the size of you blender you may need to process the sauce in batches.

Pour sauce over cooked pasta.  Stir and serve.

Serving suggestions:  This recipe fills a 9X13 pan.  If you are having company over put it in a pan and bake it at 350 until bubbly.    If it's just you and a couple kids, put half in an 8X8 pan to bake that night for dinner and save the other half for tomorrow's lunch thermoses.  The pasta does not have to be baked.  It's just more casserole like that way.   I don't bake it for the thermoses.  I just heat and pack.  Furthermore, if you are ultra picky about leftovers you could make the sauce ahead of time and cook the pasta fresh in the morning.  I think it tastes great leftover though.

Lentil Salad with Roasted Carrots

Here is my beef with salads. I can't handle mass amounts of raw veggies.  It just makes me feel like a gross bloated cow.  Except cows have like 7 stomachs to deal with the digestion part.  I prefer my veggies roasted.  Smooth, sweet and rich.  Something that feels like a meal and less like a starving person feasting on grass and bark.

Yesterday I packed a few of these lentil salads for Fly Guy.  The lentils give it some 'meat' the carrots add depth, the dressing is sweet and the arugula fresh and peppery.  For a more savory version cut down on the honey and add in some onion.

Lentil Salad With Roasted Carrots
Fills two pint jars when layered as directed

2/3 cups brown lentils picked through and rinsed
3 large peeled carrots
2 tsp honey
3 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  plus extra for drizzling carrots
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper
a few handfuls of fresh aruguala

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Cut carrots in thin sticks or rounds of fairly even size.  Toss with a few teaspoons olive oil and a little salt.  Spread carrots evenly on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 8-15 minutes or until they start to caramelize a bit.

Meanwhile add the lentils to rapidly boiling pot of salted water or broth.  Cook 18-20 minutes or until soft yet still holding their shape.  Drain.

Whisk the honey, mustard, oil, and vinegar together and pour over cooked and drained lentils.Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If transporting for a lunch or picnic layer the lentils, then carrots followed by arugula on top in a pint size mason jar.  Serve room temperature or cold.

Three Bean Kale Salad

 

I've always been a fan of three bean salad but wanted to make it more of a... salad.  Unlike traditional salad greens, kale holds up very well to the moisture of dressing.  In fact, raw kale is tastier once it's been marinated in dressing and softens up a bit.  I had this in my fridge for three days and there was no slime factor going on.   This makes it a prime pick for travel.  Just toss together and transport it in a mason jar.

I've used baby kale for this recipe.  I suspect that regular dinosaur kale (aka Lainato or Tuscan) would work well also but I recommend destemming slicing it in thin ribbons first.


 

Three Bean Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
1-2 cups green beans steamed tender crisp and cut in bite size pieces*
2.5 oz torn baby kale greens**
3 TB Dijon mustard
3 TB red wine vinegar
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

* I used frozen green beans from Trader Joes and steamed just enough to thaw but not make soggy. 
** 2.5 ounces doesn't sound like much but it was half of the pictured kale package.  I'd say about 3 large handfuls.

Directions

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl.  Drain and rinse the canned beans then add all the remaining ingredients.  Toss together and refrigerate giving the flavors time to mingle.

Potato Soup

This is one easy and economical make ahead soup. I know it's August, but make it now and pop it in the freezer for your thermos this Fall.  Chop, Boil, Simmer.  That's it.  One pot.  30 minutes.




Potato Soup
Fills 4 Pint Jars or 8 Half Pints

Ingredients 

2 yellow onions, diced
6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
4-6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 tsp salt (depending how salty your broth is)
1/2 tsp fresh ground peppercorn
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TB extra virgin olive oil

Garnish options include fresh chives, fresh herbs, additional olive oil or hot pepper flakes.  For a richer soup add in 3 or four tablespoons butter to the pot at towards end of cooking and stir until melted.

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a large pot saving the broth for last.  Pour in the broth until almost covering the diced veggies but not quite.  Usually about 5 cups does it for me.
Bring to a boil then cover and simmer on medium low for 20-25 minutes or until veggies are soft.
With a large spoon or potato masher, mash up a bit of the soup to create a creamier texture is desired.

If freezing for later cool completely then freeze in wide mouth mason jars leaving a little head space on top.

Lunchbox Gazpacho

 
This year I'm making an effort to eat in season.  I took one look at my local Aldi ad and knew what cold soup was in store for this week's lunches!  There are many variations but I'm sticking with a basic recipe that is to be enjoyed cold or room temperature.  Maybe with an egg salad sandwich on the side?

Make sure your ingredients are ripe and tasty as there will be no cooking to mask undesirable quality.



Lunchbox Gazpacho
Fills approximately five Half Pint Jars

Ingredients 

1.5 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped*
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TB red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 slice bread, crust removed
salt and pepper to taste

*The easiest way to peel the tomatoes is to cut a small X in the skin about an inch wide.  Place them in boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water.  The skin will slip right off!  Cut them in half width wise and gently squeeze out the seeds.

Directions 

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  If your vegetables don't release enough moisture you can add a few tablespoons water. Garnish with cucumber, mint, cilantro, parsley, basil, or croutons.

Hot or Cold Mujaddara with Sumac

Mujaddara!  I can hardly pronounce it.  Also known as mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, or megadarra.  "Hey Fly Guy you want me to make some (insert silly babble)?"  He always knows what I mean and mocks me accordingly.  For the record it's pronounced moo-jah-d'rah.

Mujaddara is known to appear in cookbooks as far back as 1226.  Though legend places it back much further.  Possibly the dish Jacob used to buy Esau's birthright.  It's that good.  Oh come on Esau, it's like 3 ingredients.  Your birthright?    Really?

We serve this hot, room temp, or cold making it a perfect pack along meal.  I've caught Fly Guy hiding behind the fridge door piling it cold on tortilla chips more than once.  "Tortilla chips, your are desecrating my food!"  I recommend Naan.


 
 

Mujaddara with Sumac

Ingredients

3 TB coconut or olive oil and 1 TB butter*
2-3 large yellow onions thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown or white jasmine rice (I've also used plain long grain brown or white)
1 cup brown or green lentils
salt and pepper to taste
serve with condiment bowls of sumac**, plain yogurt,  and possibly mint.  If you don't have sumac try lemon wedges and paprika.  Fresh chopped parsley also works if your fresh out of everything else.

*Vegan's can leave the butter out.  It just adds a slight richness to the dish.

**I found a bag of sumac in the middle eastern section of my grocery store for less than $3.  It's leaves a nice lemony vinegar taste on your tongue and is a nice alternative to a salt shaker on the table.  I think I will fill an old tic tac container with it next time I send this dish in Fly Guy's lunch.

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.

While rice is cooking warm oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Toss in the sliced onions and a tsp salt.  While it looks like a lot of onion it cooks way down and gets quite sweet.

Cook onions for 20-30 minutes until they start to turn golden and sweet.  If they begin to burn turn down the heat.  My stove doesn't get very hot...

Meanwhile cook lentils in a separate pan according to package directions.

When onions are finished add the drained cooked lentils and cooked rice to the pan.  Salt, pepper, and incorporate.

Keep your birthright, you earned it.

Leftover Vegan Meatloaf Sandwiches

Fly Guy came home last night so we celebrated with a real meal. Vegan meatloaf and hasselback potatoes! Something that did't have to be brown bagged the next day. It didn't stop me from playing with my food though.

If you read this post for nothing else you need to read it for the bread.  The crazy rise in a bucket of cold water even you kids could make it bread.

The Bread:  I'm reading the most fantastic cookbook right now entitled Ancient Grains for Modern Meals .    I took her Floating Sesame Loaf recipe and swapped out the seeds for Italian seasonings.  You knead the dough for just 2 minutes then set it in a pan of cold water until it floats to the top about 10 minutes later.  Set it on the counter for a few minutes more then bake it.   So so so so easy.  Get the recipe in her book or online here.

The Meat:  Vegan meatloaf sound so gross.  I know!  This one doesn't contain tofu if that helps.  It's actually really tasty and meaty.  I left out the nutritional yeast, swapped brown sugar for molasses and didn't have a bay leaf.  It didn't matter.  The first time I made it I even put PB in place of Tahini Paste. Bulgar can be found at Winco in the bulk bins if you have one nearby.  In St. Louis I found a bag of it at an International Market for just over a dollar a pound.   I doubled the recipe.  One for a loaf and the other made 3 1/2 dozen meatballs for the kids lunches.  You can find the recipe in the book Let Them Eat Vegan or online here.



The Vegan Mayo:  Another 'wha? eww!" the first time I heard of it.  Which quickly turned to "quit eating out of the vegan sauce jar or I'll make sure you will never fly again!"  I knew it was karma when I dropped  it on the floor during photographs.   To make up I told him I wouldn't judge if he wanted to lick it off the carpet.

There are so many variations of this sauce but I settled with the following:

Cashew Vegan Mayo

1 cup raw cashews soaked in water several hours or overnight
1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/3-2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
optional: minced garlic clove or additional spices

Directions:

Discard the soaking liquid then add cashews along with the other ingredients with the exception of 1/3 cup of the fresh water.  Blend on high in a blender until creamy.  Slowly add the other 1/3 cup water until desired consistency.  Store in refrigerator.
  
The result is meaty and filling!  This would make a great picnic with a side of slaw.

Happy Peanut Rice Bowls

I still don't own a cheese grater or a handmixer but I did acquire a wok and mandoline slicer from Goodwill Outlet recently. So I was getting ready to make Gweneth Paltrow's Fried Kale Rice and my mandolin is just hanging out and a spare piece of ginger is on the counter. I'm awful at chopping ginger. I own a boning knife and a bread knife. Not really ginger compatible. But a mandoline, oh yes! Yes, yes, yes! Some ginger, a carrot, a broccoli stem later... Mandoline's are amazing!

My kids shoveled rice in their faces while I made promises to put some in their lunch thermoses.  I then made the mistake of leaving the dinner table for a moment only to hear the ensuing giggles  "I made Vincent swallow peanuts whole like pills and it really improved his attitude! Would you like to try one mom?"   Oh boys!

About the ingredients:

Rice: Brown or white rice will do.  I went with brown rice for it's wholesomeness.   My family was never a big fan the brown rice taste until I switched over to Jasmine Brown Rice (easy to find at Trader Joe's).  They now look forward to it as soon as the scent fills the air.  I also use a rice cooker and love not having to watch for boil overs.

Ginger:  Did you know you can just scrub ginger root and leave the skin on?  Our friends from China sometimes would, sometimes wouldn't.  And their food was always phenomenal either way.

Kale:  I only had pre-chopped kale on hand.  This dish is much easier if have whole kale so you can control the chopping.  I chop it small for the kids, but it tastes just as great with larger pieces.

Garnish:  We do peanuts and Sriracha sauce.  Another option might be sesame seeds.  My friend swears by sesame oil. Her recipe.

Ingredients

2 TB coconut or canola oil
2 inch piece of ginger, julienne cut
1 large carrot, julienne cut
2 inch stalk of peeled broccoli (without the floret) julienne cut.  Or just add another carrot.
2 green onions, white and green parts sliced thin
2 garlic cloves chopped
4 cups thinly sliced fresh kale
1 TB soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 eggs slightly beaten
2.5 cups Jasmine Brown Rice cooked and slightly cooled

Directions

In a large pan or wok heat the oil over medium high heat.  Toss in the carrot, broccoli,  onion, and garlic.  Stir for just a few minutes until the vegetables are tender crisp being careful not to burn the garlic.  Throw the chopped kale, soy sauce, and rice vinegar over the vegetables, turn heat down to medium and put on a lid to catch the steam.  Cook just a couple more minutes, stirring periodically, until the kale has wilted down a bit.

Push the vegetables to the side of the pan making a well in the middle.  Pour beaten eggs in the center and let cook until slightly set., 1 or 2 minutes.  Throw prepared rice on top of everything and stir gently to incorporate.  Adjust soy sauce and oil to taste.

Garnish and serve.

When we picnic:  I really did picnic with this and brought it along in a thermos with the garnishes already on.  For Fly Guy I will put cold in a jar and let him warm it up at his hotel.

By the way, has anyone read either of Gweneth Paltrow's books ?   I just reserved one at my library!

Mason Jar Salad with Moonshine Dressing

Fly guy is way better about eating raw veggies than I am.  For his first few flight trips he packed bags and jars of cut up raw veggies.  I got a stomach ache just looking at them.  After eating carrot sticks and loads of bells peppers for four days his stomach joined me.  What a love story right?  Two stomachs become one....

Well you have to add some protein silly!  Maybe some jazzy dressing, peppery arugula, and cheese if you must.

Fast forward to a week later and he's sitting in the pilot lounge scarfing his jazzy salad thinking jazzy thoughts about his jazzy wife.  Jazzy:  Bright, colorful, showy.  Ok, maybe I'm a little showy. Another pilot (probably enviously) laid eyes on his salad.

"Whatcha eatin there boy?  Mighty colorful"

'Uhh... salad'

"And that some moonshine dressing to go with it?"

Thank you Mr. Smart Aleck Pilot.  The name has stuck and now my children will be telling strangers that their mama makes moonshine for their daddy to fly with.



Moonshine Dressing aka Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TB red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove minced or finely grated
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small jar with lid tightly screwed on and give it a good shake.

Mason Jar Salad

These are straight forward but there is a method that will keep everything fresh longer.  These jars should last refrigerated for several days.

• Dressing goes on bottom. We use 2 TB.
• Then choose some firm veggies you don't mind soaking in dressing.  This is a great place to tame your raw onions.
• Then a layer of grains or protein.  Beans, meat, eggs, quinoa, ect.
• Last comes the greens.  It is important these are dry or your salad will break down quickly.

Store upright and then give a few good shakes before digging in.

White Bean Tuna Salad

I was getting the kids off to school this morning when Fly Guy got a call for a day trip to Chicago. I had just torn out a recipe from Better Homes and Garden magazine the day before. In part because it was easy but mostly because we rarely eat meat so I expect my kids to throw a party in my honor once they find tuna in the fridge.

Here is the original White Bean Tuna Salad recipe.  But I will have you know I cut the tuna down to one can then added some grape tomatoes to protect the arugula from the vinaigrette soaked beans.