Italian Marinated Tofu

This recipe is adapted from Veganomicon (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X)

Baked tofu, shown served with Potato and Turnip Gratin

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu

1/2 cup vegetable broth*
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
big pinch of basil
big pinch of marjoram
big pinch of thyme
big pinch of oregano

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup white wine, but we did not like the taste so I substituted veggie broth. I used a 1/2 tsp Better than Buillion's no-chicken mixed with 1/2 cup water.

Directions:

Drain and press the tofu (I used the Tofu Xpress: https://tofuxpress.com/ ). I pressed my tofu overnight, and sliced and placed in marinade before going to work. I recommend pressing for at least 30 minutes, and marinating for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake tofu for 40 minutes, flipping after the first 20 and spooning marinade over the top if necessary.
You could also pan-fry the tofu instead of baking.

tofu before baking

Vegetarian (Gardein) Chicken Parm

Recipe from: http://www.gardein.com/recipe_detail.php?r=79

Ingredients:
1 package Gardein Chikn Scallopini (In this recipe you bread/fry it yourself. You can also skip this by getting the Gardein cutlets which are already breaded and come with sauce. But doing it yourself is better)


white all purpose flour
1 whole egg
bread crumbs

2 cups tomato sauce of your choice
~1 cup canola oil for frying
7oz | 200g dried spaghetti noodle of your choice
2oz | 50g olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
to taste: salt, black pepper

Directions:

for the spaghetti, bring to the boil heavily salted water. (follow cooking instructions on the box).

In a large flat bottom bowl (large enough to fit the scallopini) whisk the egg until smooth.
Dust the scallopini in flour, shake off excess flour and roll in whisked egg. gently roll in the bread crumbs and fully coat the scallopini.

Add canola oil (at least 1/4" of oil) and preheat pan to a medium heat. pan fry the scallopini for about 90 secs each side until golden brown.once golden, spoon enough sauce to cover the scallopini and top with the mozzarella and parmesan. keep the rest of the cheeses for the pasta. bake at 375°C until cheese is melted and lightly golden (about 5-10 mins).

once the spaghetti is cooked and drained, return to heat and add sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.neatly arrange the noodles in the center of both plates, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. top with the gardein™ chick´n parmesan and garnish with a sprig of herb.

tip: do not rinse pasta under cold water, this rises off the starch and lowers the quality of the dish.

Fettuccine Pesto Alfredo

from: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/175049/creamy-pesto-fettucine-alfredo

Shown here served with vegetarian chicken (Quorn gruyere cutlet)

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) fettuccine (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup pesto (store bought, or home made recipe here)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 small heads broccoli (optional - or any type of vegetable you want to add)
salt and pepper to taste
italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic to taste (optional)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Cook until just UNDER al dente.
Cut broccoli into bit-sized florets. Steam for 8 minutes and set aside.
While pasta and broccoli are cooking, make the sauce. Pour the heavy cream and veggie broth into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir in pesto and parmesan and simmer until combined and cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus any other spices you wish (I added some italian seasoning and some garlic and onion powder, and a little bit of minced garlic).
Once sauce is to your liking, put drained pasta and sauce in the same pan. Cook pasta in the sauce for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens - the starch in the pasta will thicken the sauce. Then, add the broccoli (or any other steamed veggies you are using) and stir well until combined. Serve with some parmesan cheese on top if you wish. We ate it with some vegetarian Quorn gruyere cutlets with some pesto on top.

Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers with Spaghetti

Ingredients (Peppers)
4-5 medium sized green bell peppers
1 package of vegetarian ground beef (I used boca crumbles)
1-2 small onions
1 large jar of tomato sauce (I used the shaw's organic brand roasted garlic)
~1/2 cup water
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes
shredded mozzarella cheese
parmesan and romano cheese (optional)

Ingredients (Spaghetti)
1 package spaghetti (I used the Barilla? Plus)
olive oil
parmesan/romano cheese
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning

Directions:
preheat over to 400 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and some minced garlic. Chop onions and cook for a few minutes. Add veg meat and desired spices and cook until meat is slightly browned. Add about half the jar of tomato sauce to the mixture plus about 1/4 cup water (eyeball it - don't make it too soupy). Simmer for a few minutes.

While simmering, prepare peppers. For larger peppers, cut out the stem and cut lengthwise. Remove seeds.
For smaller peppers, remove seeds and fill from the top. Add parm/rem cheese to meat mixture and mix (if using). Fill peppers with filling and place in an oiled pan. Bake for about 20 minutes.

While peppers are baking, boil water for the spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. When finished, coat with olive oil. Add minced garlic, spices, and parmesan cheese to taste.

Remove peppers from oven and use remaining sauce to cover the peppers. (sauce can be watered down beforehand with ~1/4 cup or less of water, if necessary). Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and cover peppers with mozzarella. Bake for another 5 minutes then serve with spaghetti.

Vegetarian Chicken Broccoli Tortellini with Pesto Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of tortellini (or a box/bag of any other kind of pasta)
2 small heads of broccoli (plus any other veggies you want)
2 Quorn Naked Chik'n cutlets
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(optional) spices - such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasonings... (you definitely want to add these if you aren't using tortellini because the sauce can be bland)

Directions:

Cut up veggies and place in a frying pan with some olive oil. Add some salt, pepper, garlic powder and italian seasoning and  cook until desired doneness is reached. While veggies are cooking, bring water to a boil for the tortellini. Cook according to package directions (10-11 minutes) then drain. While tortellini is boiling, combine pesto and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes then add parmesan cheese and spices to taste. Stir to combine and turn off heat. Microwave 2 Quorn cutlets for 3-4 minutes and cut into small cubes.
Put pasta back in its pan and add Chik'n and veggies. Pour sauce over the mixture and then mix until it's coated. Serve with garlic bread.

Serves 4.