After much cajoling, helpful nudging and threats, I am finally posting our Pasta Pie recipe. I appreciate all the interest after my wife’s set up post. Thanks for the requests and reminders from our social network of friends.

But truly, how can I say no to her?

Hey Abba, how [...]]]>

After much cajoling, helpful nudging and threats, I am finally posting our Pasta Pie recipe. I appreciate all the interest after my wife’s set up post. Thanks for the requests and reminders from our social network of friends.

But truly, how can I say no to her?

Hey Abba, how about using that green box of pasta? Pleeaassee!

The recipe is super simple, so I should be smacked in the head for taking 3,000 months to post this. Like my daughter suggests, cook a pound of Rigatoni per instructions. Also, preheat your oven to 350.

You will also need:

Marinara sauce: I prefer our recipe, of course
And, 1 batch of our creamy soy cheese

Next up, add 1/2 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive oil to a 9″ spring form pan and coat the bottom and sides.

When the pasta is cooked, strain and cool down with cold water.
The pasta doesn’t have to be cooled all the way through, only if you have soft and sensitive baby hands like me.

Start stacking. In the spring form pan, stack each noodle upright. This is probably the most time consuming part…but, patience, young grasshopper. The effort will be worth it.

There you go, wasn’t that fun?

Next, ladle on your marinara sauce. Spread the sauce around carefully, and try your best to fill all the individual rigatoni tubes with sauce.

That looks pretty good. You may not be able to fill all the holes, but that’s alright. We have the creamy soy cheese to help fill in the blanks.

Pour on the soy cheese and spread evenly over the top.

Sprinkle a little parsley and for an extra (un-pictured) bonus add some sliced tomatoes on top.

Time to bake. I suggest placing the spring form pan on top of a sheet pan or in my case a flat cast iron skillet. This will catch any saucy drips that may try to escape. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

You’ll know it’s done when the cheese just begins to brown.

Unlatch and remove the side of the spring form pan.

Slice and serve.

And your results:

Happy children! It could be the joy of eating pasta with chopsticks, but I think it’s my cooking.

What do you think, my love?

Uhhh, Naptime!

Who doesn’t love lasagna? Who doesn’t love Mac-n-Cheese? Put the two together….can you say Vegan Heaven? Or as the famous food connoisseur, Homer Simpson, puts it “Aaaarrrrrrhhhh!”

I made this special for my oldest daughter, the diva extraordinaire. She lives with her mother in Cleveland and she’s always complaining about the extravagant [...]]]>

Who doesn’t love lasagna? Who doesn’t love Mac-n-Cheese? Put the two together….can you say Vegan Heaven? Or as the famous food connoisseur, Homer Simpson, puts it “Aaaarrrrrrhhhh!”

I made this special for my oldest daughter, the diva extraordinaire. She lives with her mother in Cleveland and she’s always complaining about the extravagant meals we make and she doesn’t get to share. Then she proceeds to complain I don’t put any pictures of her on our website. So, now I’m making food and trying to take pictures of her.

And, as any typical teenager…she complains about no pictures, but doesn’t want to take pictures. Never satisfied. True Diva! But you know what, this recipe made her and it’ll make you very happy!

The assembly of this is a cinch, but you’ll need to do some prep work first. You’ll need the following recipes:

Creamy Soy Cheese – 1 and 1/2 times the recipe. Add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of Sea Salt. You want the cheese salty because it will be flavoring the bland pasta.
Tofu Ricotta – 1 recipe
Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce – 1/2 recipe

Our Veggies:

1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 bulb garlic, diced
12 oz sundried tomatoes (the kind packed in olive oil), diced
1/2 lb fresh spinach, washed

You’ll also need one package of Tofurky Italian Sausage links. Slice them up and put to the side.

All prep work is done, time to start cookin! Cook 1 pound of elbow macaroni until just before al dente. You want it a little firmer because it will finish cooking while in the oven. Other than that, it’ll get all mushy. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot saute your veggies (all but spinach) on medium high with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

After 5 minutes, add your Tofurky slices and saute and additional 5 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to your saute veggies and mix.

Add Creamy Soy Cheese to the mix until everything is real creamy and moist. At this point you have Sundried Tomato Mac-n-Cheese. You can cook this by itself for 30 minutes at 350 degrees for a great tasting Mac-n-Cheese dish. But we’re taking this a few steps further.

Time to turn up the yumminess!

Ladle some Ste Martaen Marinara sauce in the bottom of a 11″ x 15″ casserole dish. Cover the bottom of the dish completely.

Add a layer of the Sundried Tomato Mac-n-cheese.

Add a layer of fresh spinach.

Next, add a layer of the Tofu Ricotta.

Top with some more Marinara sauce.

And, another layer of the Sundried Tomato Mac-n-Cheese.

Finish it up by covering the top with the rest of the Creamy Soy Cheese.

Put in your 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Wow, that looks awesome! Let the Lasagna glory sit for about 7 minutes then dig in!

Layers of comforty goodness!

Our parting shot. Time to eat. My taste buds are happy…very happy .

Nothing like a dish that incorporates the goodness of faux meat, pasta, vegan cheese and tomatoes. Complete happiness in every bite. We are starting our 6 Weeks, 6 Lasagna’s with a bang. This lasagna is power packed with taste and body. There will be 3 types of faux meat and two types of [...]]]>

Nothing like a dish that incorporates the goodness of faux meat, pasta, vegan cheese and tomatoes. Complete happiness in every bite. We are starting our 6 Weeks, 6 Lasagna’s with a bang. This lasagna is power packed with taste and body. There will be 3 types of faux meat and two types of vegan cheese; and who can resist our own special marinara sauce.

You’ll need to prepare the following basics:
2 recipes Creamy Soy Cheese – *add 1/4 cup Dried Parsley to each recipe
1 recipe Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce

Our 3 faux meats are:
1 package Upton’s Naturals Ground Beef Style Seitan
1 package Upton’s Naturals Italian Sausage Style Seitan
1 package Tofurky Italian Sausage

Most of you have most likely heard of Tofurky. In Chicago, there’s a great vegan owned company Upton’s Naturals. They are not national yet, but as good as their products are, look for them soon. Check out their website and order you some faux meat excellence. The seitan products we are using are already pre-crumbled and taste outstanding. They are better than any of the national brands I have tried.

For the Upton’s Naturals “meats” you’ll need to sauté each one separately in 1 ½ tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil until evenly browned. It should only take about 5 minutes for each. Once browned, remove from heat and empty into a small bowls.

For the Tofurky Italian Sausage, slice in ¼ inch pieces and also sauté until browned in 1 ½ tablespoons EVOO. Remove once browned a put aside in separate bowl.

There we have it, all 3 browned and ready for duty.

While browning your faux meats, boil your lasagna noodles according to directions. You want to cook them to just before al dente. You want the noodles to be pliable, but not thoroughly cooked. They will finish cooking with the sauce once baked.

Assembly time!!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13 cassorole dish, cover the bottom with the Ste Martaen Marinara sauce.

Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Lay your strips side by side lengthwise overlapping each row.

Add your sauteed Upton’s Naturals Ground Beef-Style seitan.

Cover with marinara sauce.

Pour on a layer of Creamy Soy Cheese.

With a spatula, spread out the Creamy Soy Cheese in an even layer.

Add another layer of lasagna noodles.

Add the Upton’s Naturals Italian Sausage-Style seitan.

Cover with marinara sauce.

Pour on some more Creamy Soy Cheese and spread out.

Now add your Tofurky Italian Sausage pieces.

Shred 1/4 pound of Ste Martaen Vegan Muenster Style Cheese evenly over the top.

Ready to bake. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Oh. My. God. That looks good.

I know this will be hard, but let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes, then go ahead and cut a piece. As Kevin from Delicious Cafe said: “The combination of the creaminess of the cheese and the faux meats is mouth watering. I ate a piece and I couldn’t resist going back for more.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! Enjoy!

Alright, enough with the fake hype. As you may know, I hate store bought tomato sauce. For years I have tried every brand under [...]]]>

The base of all things good. The sauce that took weeks to perfect. The base that flavors the whole. Yes, The One. Yes, it’s here…The Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce.

Alright, enough with the fake hype. As you may know, I hate store bought tomato sauce. For years I have tried every brand under the sun and still couldn’t hep but to add a little of this or that to any sauce I purchased. So, after finding the glory and wide uses of canned tomatoes. Bam!!! I figured out what was missing…my flavors. I’m picky, but I believe great food can be made easily. Why waste your money buying half made products, when you can create your own masterpieces at home with a quarter of the budget?

A good marinara sauce can take you a real long way. Marinara is the essential flavor you taste in so many dishes…pizza, pasta, lasagna, etc., etc., etc. So, here’s our foundational glory…The Ste Martaen Marinara.

The Veggies:
1 medium sized red pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 cubanelle pepper
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 bulb garlic

Dice all your veggies. Heat 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a medium stock pot. Make sure you use a good grade of Olive Oil. Remember, the better the quality, the better your meal will be.

Add your diced veggies and a pinch of Kosher salt to the pot and saute for approx. 10 min on medium high heat or until your onions become translucent. I love onions, they’re like little timers that tell you when to start the next step.

The onions have dinged!!

Add 1/2 cup of a sweet to slightly sweet white wine. For example a sweet would be a Reisling and a slightly sweet would be a Sauvignon Blanc. Let the wine reduce for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Next add two 2 cans (roughly 56 ounces total) of whole peeled tomatoes. It is important to find a brand you like.

For us, it’s Trader Joe’s again. I prefer an unsalted variety and this one with the added fresh basil gives a good flavor punch. Reduce your heat to medium and simmer the sauce while you get your spices together.

Our spice mixture includes:
2 Tablespoons Mexican Oregano
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

Dump your spices in and get ready to blend.

Using my favorite tool, the hand-blender, blend all of your ingredients until the tomatoes are completely pureed. Reduce the heat to low and begin to simmer.

Lastly, add 1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup (No Aunt Jemima please). The maple and the sweetness of the reduce wine help balance the bitterness of the tomatoes.

That’s all folks. Continue simmering for at least 20 minutes to as long as you want. Use in as many dishes as you like. Next up for us, 6 Lasagna’s in 6 weeks.

Salute!!!

OK, now let’s make some outstanding tomato sauce. I definitely prefer to make sauce than to buy pre-made. I always end up adding something to the pre-made stuff because it is never quite right and making from scratch is easy and cheaper.

Let’ check out the [...]]]>

3 PEPPER & VEGGIE SAUSAGE TOMATO SAUCE

OK, now let’s make some outstanding tomato sauce. I definitely prefer to make sauce than to buy pre-made. I always end up adding something to the pre-made stuff because it is never quite right and making from scratch is easy and cheaper.

Let’ check out the veggie line up:

We have:

• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cubanelle pepper
• 1/2 red chili pepper
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/4 red onion

Dice up the peppers and red onion and put to the side. On medium-high heat, warm up a small stock pot (a 2 quart size is good) with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the veggies to the pot and saute. As the veggies are getting warm and flavorful, rough dice the garlic and dice 2 links of Tofurky Italian Style Sausages (an added vegan bonus).

Tofurky Italian Sausage

Add them to the pot:

Saute all the ingredients for about 5 min on medium heat. Once the onions begin looking translucent, it’s time for the tomatoes to join the party.

Perfect! Bring on the tomatoes!

What you’ll need:

• 28 oz can of tomatoes, preferably diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

I purchased a can of whole peeled tomatoes from Trader Joe’s.

I prefer diced tomatoes, because I like a few tomato chunks in my sauces. However, TJ’s was sold out of diced, so I got these. Now, I have to take a couple extra steps…if you have diced tomatoes, skip the next procedure.

Open the can and take out two whole peeled tomatoes, dice and add to the pot. For the rest in the can, use your immersion blender and puree. (No immersion blender…that’s okay, just dump into your blender…it will work just as well)

Now that your whole tomatoes are pureed, add to your pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

There you have it. A great sauce with not a lot of effort. This sauce is great for pizza, lasagna, parmesan or simply over your favorite pasta.

Vegan pizza w/ creamy soy cheese and 3 pepper tomato sauce

You heard right…PIZZA!  I became Vegan about 16 years ago and I can still remember my last non-vegan meal…delicious, heavenly, there-is-nothing-quite like-it pizza!  At the time I was basically vegetarian and ate a little bit of fish.  I had [...]]]>

Vegan pizza w/ creamy soy cheese and 3 pepper tomato sauce

You heard right…PIZZA!  I became Vegan about 16 years ago and I can still remember my last non-vegan meal…delicious, heavenly, there-is-nothing-quite like-it pizza!  At the time I was basically vegetarian and ate a little bit of fish.  I had spent the better part of the year before waning myself off of meat…first pork and beef, then chicken, then fish.  I came to the conclusion that veganism was the next step for me.  Mind you, I was still in college and like most college students, living off of pocket change.  Pocket change was good when your diet consisted of beer and ’25 cent hamburger thursdays’ at a local McDonald’s.  Yes, 25 cent hamburgers…with $5, I could eat for the week.

It wasn’t a difficult decision for me to quit meat, but I the realization that eating only veggies was more expensive than eating meat was (and still is) shocking.  So, as a financially challenged college student, trying to eat healthier was going to be difficult at best.  However, I have never been scared of a challenge and jumping in creek without a paddle (as many of my friends know) seems to be my forte.

Decision made…time for my last meal.  Beef, pork, chicken, fish…all easy for me to give up.  Cheese, oooh, that gooey, salty, so deliciously diverse wonder dairy product.  Now that is a lot to ask for.  But to be vegan…no dairy products…no cheese…sadness… sweet, sweet sadness.  I planned my last meal.  It was a Thursday night, I ordered a veggie pizza on whole wheat crust from Gumby’s Pizza.  Let me tell you, I can still recall sitting on my couch, pizza on the coffee table, and slowly, lovingly eating a whole pie.  Cheese was the bomb.

OK, back to the present.  Over the years, I have tried several recipes for pizza.  There is no vegan cheese that will replace the meltability of dairy cheese (Did I just say ‘meltability’ – Merriam Webster, you can add that, no charge).  Many have tried…Follow Your Heart, Teese and new kid on the block Daiya…but it will never be the same.  Plus, in order to replicate the high fat content of dairy cheese the vegan knock offs tend to be very oily once heated/melted.  The closest you can get is taste and texture, where I feel our Ste Martaen line has excelled.

With that being said, I’ll get to the point and share this recipe with you.  In this recipe we’ll use a creamy soy cheese and a 3 pepper & vegan sausage tomato sauce. This homemade soy cheese is a blended/whipped cheese that I feel works best for vegan pizza because it stays moist and packs flavor.  So first or second, follow the Creamy Soy Cheese link and get that together (make one recipe).

Now (or first), put your sauce together. You can buy pre-made sauce from the store, I guess but you’ll be much happier if you make our 3 Pepper & Vegan Sausage tomato sauce. Follow the link, you won’t be disappointed (make one recipe). Let’s get started…

Cheese is done & the sauce is simmering: pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees…Let’s assemble this Pizza!

VEGAN PIZZA  w/ Creamy Soy Cheese & 3 Pepper Sausage Tomato Sauce

For the crust, I use the god-send of all pre-made crusts.

I get this 20″ flatbread from Al Khayyam grocery and bakery on the North side of Chicago (They don’t have a website, so I linked their Yelp profile).  I call it flatbread, but it is really like a hybrid between Middle Eastern pita and Greek flatbread.  All I know, they bake it fresh daily and it makes the perfect pizza crust.  I think it is was better than the pre-made crusts you can get anywhere and way easier than trying to make dough yourself (although I am determined to master it one day).  If you are not in the Chicago area, it’s worth the trip to get some.  But, I would suggest researching your local Middle Eastern bakeries to see if they produce something similar…you will not be disappointed.  Now, if push comes to shove and you can’t find something similar, buy some pre-made dough…the pizza will still be dynamic!

To the crust, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with granulated garlic powder.  Rub the entire crust to thoroughly cover with oil and garlic.

Next, add about 3 ladles of sauce (that’s about 12 ounces) to coat generously.  Remember, this is your pizza, you can always add more or less.  I divide the 3 Pepper sauce recipe evenly between two 20″ crusts.

That’s looking good.  Now heavily dollop the Soy Cheese all over the pizza.

A lot of dollop’ll do ya!!  Now, use a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to spread the cheese evenly around the pizza.

Your show now.  Top with whatever your heart contents.  Today, I’m going simple…some diced plum tomatoes and pickled jalapeno slices.

Now, place on a pizza stone (for you pizza aficionados) or on a large baking sheet (like me).  Bake as follows:

• 5 min – soft crust
• 7 min – soft inner crust, crispy outer crust (my favorite)
• 10 min – crispy crust

Remove from oven and place on your hard stone or ceramic counter top or on a large baking board.

Now slice 4 times into 8 slices and EAT!!!  By now, everyone is hovering around so feed your family and enjoy!

Get started, enjoy!

Vegan dreams do come true!

Your first bite will be a welcome reward for all you work.  And the family will love you that much more…

We love you!! More pizza?

Buon Appetito!!!  Enjoy your Vegan Pizza!!!

Mmmmmm, now that's good pizza!

Nahum St. Martin