VeggieTalk

Over the years, one of the recipes readers have asked me for most often is a lighter, dairy-free version of pasta with Alfredo sauce, that creamy concoction that in its original form must have a zillion calories. Doing a quick search on Google, I see that there are many recipes for a lighter version of the sauce, but not too many vegan versions.

To get a sense of just how rich this sauce is in its original form, a recipe for “Perfect Alfredo Sauce” contains 3 cups heavy cream, 3/4 cup butter, and more than 1 cup Parmesan cheese. I get chest pains just reading this recipe! Another site gives Olive Garden’s recipe: 1 pint heavy cream, 1 stick butter, 2 T. cream cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan. Not much better, but it does not divulge how many servings this is supposed to yield.

Forgive me, as I ran this recipe on this blog a couple of years ago, but once or twice a year I get the craving for pasta with Alfredo sauce, and this is one of those times. This silken tofu-based pasta Alfredo tastes deceptively rich and creamy. I use whole wheat pasta to boost the protein and fiber content, and for whoever wants some, some wilted spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for topping is passed around. The recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook.

Pasta with Enlightened Alfredo Sauce

6 servings

• 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (preferably Earth Balance)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• One 12.3-ounce container silken tofu
• 1/2 cup rice milk, or as needed
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 12 ounces pasta (see Note)
• Steamed greens (spinach or Swiss chard) for topping, optional
• Sliced sun-dried tomatoes for topping, optional

Cook the pasta in plenty of steadily boiling water until al dente, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the margarine in a small skillet. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Remove from the heat.

Combine the sautéed garlic and margarine with the tofu and rice milk in a food processor. Process until completely smooth and creamy.

Combine the pasta and sauce in a large serving bowl and toss together. Season with pepper and taste to see if you’d like to add more salt. If the mixture needs to be moister, add a small amount of additional rice milk and toss again. Serve at once, passing around greens and/or dried tomaotes for topping, if desired.

I’m so lucky! An Associated Press article on seitan, featuring my recipe for Jerk-Spiced Seitan from Vegan Express, is making its way across the web as well as the wires to newspapers and all kinds of media outlets. An AP photograph accompanies some of these stories, which appear differently depending on the venue. Here’s one that’s on the web site of ABC News. It just spooks me that it looks so meaty!

One of my favorite posts, visually, is the one of Butterscotch Mousse Pie on Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. Ricki Heller is still perfecting her recipe for the coconut cream with which she’s garnished the pie; and I also love her idea for the nut crust. I’m waiting to see if she posts that coconut cream soon, and I would love to try making the pie with it as well as the nut crust. A calorie explosion, to be sure, but a rare and worthy indulgence!

Hope you don’t mind my continuing to share these postings with all of you. It’s really fun for me to see visual representations of my recipes, especially given my own remedial photographic skills.

With Easter coming up this weekend, this nice Jewish girl (me) thought I’d look into some of the dishes I recommended as part of a veg Easter meal in one of my earlier books, Vegetarian Celebrations. The dish that still most appeals to me is the one that follows. There’s nothing about it that’s traditionally “Easter,” but it’s a nice transitional kind of dish, bridging the craving for hearty dishes and lighter, more spring-like flavors. I haven’t made this for years, but it is now officially on this week’s agenda!

Lemony Bulgur with Green Beans and Walnuts

6 to 8 servings

Adapted from Vegetarian Celebrations

• 3/4 cup raw bulgur (presteamed cracked wheat)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup canned navy beans
• 2 cups slender green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths and steamed until tender-crisp (see Note)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, or more, as desired
• 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• Juice of 1 lemon, more or less to taste
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
• reshly ground pepper to taste

Place the bulgur in a heatproof dish. Pour 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over it and cover until the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is lightly browned. Add the mushrooms; cover and “sweat” until they are wilted.

Stir in the bulgur and all remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a covered casserole dish to serve.

Note: If you can’t find fresh, slender green beans, substitute frozen organic whole baby green beans, cut in half.

Since I am too lazy to take photos of the recipes I post, you might enjoy, as I do, browsing the photos that other bloggers have taken of the recipes they’ve made from Vegan Express. Here is a small sampling. Oh, and I might add, I’m really very touched and grateful when bloggers choose my recipes to cook, photograph, and write about. Thank you, thank you!

This list is from the most recent on down. There are lots more out there on the web, but here are some highlights, so I don’t overwhelm you, or myself:

Just today, Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs posted a full review with SEVEN photos of the recipes she tried. Stay tuned to this blog, as she is planning to post her version of my Butterscotch Mousse Pie, including her own recipe for a nut crust and a coconut whipped cream for topping. She sent me the photo for approval and all I could think was, I want some of that, with some strong coffee!

The Peaceable Kingdom posted a photo of Paella Vegetariana, with some unique changes. I never, ever mind when readers change recipes to suit their own tastes. I like it that my recipes don’t have to be followed to the letter to work, and that they are tweakable. That’s what cooking is all about, to take ideas and give things your own personal touches.

One Third Nerd made Polenta with Black Beans and Spinach. I haven’t made that one for a while so I was delighted not only to view it but to read that it took her only 20 minutes total to make.

Culinary (and other) Adventures of a Veggie Girl made Lemony Couscous with Broccoli after a cold bike ride.

A Damzlfly in London (Ontario, that is), AKA Shayna, made Our Favorite Chocolate Cake for her friend’s birthday, and decorated it so festively with fresh raspberries!

The Curly Knitter took inspiration from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen’s post on Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup, which is also a bit further down on this list.

Day to Day Vegan wasn’t too excited about the Tofu Aloo Gobi, saying it was bland for her taste, but also mentioned that she was at the peak of a cold when she couldn’t taste very well. I will admit that my recipes tend to be on the mild side — I’m not a huge spice person — but I’d rather that readers spice things up to their own tastes. I don’t mind constructive criticism, however, and I respect Lindsay’s opinion!

Diann, a regular reader of this blog and the creator of a very nice one of her own, Eat’n Vegan, posted a photo of Gingery Rice with Sweet Potatoes and Peas amid a long post on yummy vegan desserts.

Living on the Vedge posted a photo of Seitan and Mushrooms in Paprika Cream, a recipe that was inspired by one of my trips to my beloved Paris. I love how she wrote that “Dinner met plate within twenty minutes, and it was restaurant qualilty.” Thank you, Kelly!

Vegan Quickies is the title of the post by Dynise at Urban Vegan, where she posts photos of Zucchini and Polenta Marinara as well as Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Chris and Darlene from Eat Air posted two photos: Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Peas and Big Quesadillas with Black Beans, Broccoli, and Portabella Mushrooms.

Susan Voisin of FatFree Vegan Kitchen, who took the photos for the book’s photo insert did a lovely shot of Pink Bean, Quinoa, and Spinach Soup, and also ran the recipe.

Alanna at A Veggie Venture posted what she called Stir-Fried Brown Rice, but which in the book is called Bok Choy, Edamame, Cashew, and Orange Rice. Whatever it’s called, I’d like to make it again soon!

At the VegBlog, Ryan posted a recipe I made again very recently, one of my very simple but so colorful faves, Broccoli Salad with Yellow Peppers, Pine Nuts, and Cranberries.

And last (or actually first) but not least, at Dreena’s Vive le Vegan, you’ll find a photo of Butterscotch Apples

It’s just a couple of short weeks away from spring, but it still seems like an eternity. This winter has been a hard slog all around the U.S., not sure how it has been around the world. In my corner of the world, the Hudson Valley region of NY State, we are truly weary even though we’ve had it much easier than a lot of folks north of us and in the midwest. Right now it is pouring (I suppose that’s better than another snowstorm!), so I took a break from work a bit early to make some soup and cake, always a good antidote to these kind of gloomy, bone-chilling days.

Here’s an offbeat soup from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, with a creamy cornmeal porridge base, enlivened with fresh and dried tomatoes and red beans.

Potage Polenta

6 to 8 servings

Cooked cornmeal makes a delightfully dense soup base. Serve this meal-in-a-bowl with a bountiful salad and crusty bread.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stoneground
• One 16-ounce can small red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium-small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cup diced ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 cup oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes, plus more for topping if desired
• 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
• 6 to 8 ounces Swiss chard or spinach, well washed, stemmed, and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Handful of basil leaves, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella-style nondairy cheese for topping, optional

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until golden.

Add 4 cups of the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Pour the cornmeal into the pot in a thin, steady stream, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly.

Stir in the beans, tomatoes, dried tomatoes, and seasoning. Cover and continue to simmer gently. Uncover to whisk well every 5 minutes or so, for 25 minutes, or until the cornmeal is cooked. Whisk in 1 cup of water with each of the last two stirrings.

Stir in the chard or spinach. Cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes for the chard and 3 to 5 minutes for the spinach, just until tender but still bright green. Adjust the consistency with more water if needed. The soup should be fairly thick, but thinner than a cornmeal porridge.

Season with salt and pepper and serve. Top each serving with a a few strips of basil, and if desired, a sprinkling of cheese, and a few extra strips of dried tomato.

Per serving: Calories: 184; Total fat: 6 g; Protein: 6 g; Fiber: 7 g; Carbohydrate: 29 g; Sodium: 235 mg