Éireann go Brách

Pasta with White Beans, Zucchini, Broccoli and Tomatoes

Homemade Gnoochi Topped with Homemade Tomato and Garlic Sauce

Potato Gnocchi

• 1 ½ lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 cup (or more) all purpose flour
• the equivalent of 1 egg (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
  
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• Large pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Special Equipment: Food Mill or Potato Ricer

Preheat oven to 400F. Pierce potatoes in several places and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. Working in batches, scoop hot flesh into potato ricer or food mill. Rice potatoes onto rimmed baking sheet; spread out and cool to room temp. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add 1 cup of floor; toss to coat. Form well in center of potato mixture. Add egg replacer, coarse salt, and nutmeg; stir with fork until mixture is evenly moistened (mixture will look shaggy). Turn mixture out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until dough comes together, sprinkling dough with flour very lightly only if dough is very sticky. Form dough into ball; divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece between hand and work surface into 3/4 inch thick rope. Cut each rope in 3/4 inch pieces. Place gnocchi on prepared baking surface. Working in batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of boiling salted water until gnocchi rise to surface of water. Continue to simmer gnocchi until cooked through and tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer gnocchi to bowl. Drizzle gnocchi with olive oil and toss to coat or top with your favorite sauce. Gnocchi can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Tuesday nights are board game nights and after one or two games, I'm typically ready for some fuel. To counter my board game burnout, I made a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread to keep me going tonight. I brought this bread to a prior game night and it was a big hit. I hope everyone enjoys it this time too (partially because I don't want to end up eating it all!) I love combing bananas and chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan and set it aside.
2. In a food processor, combine bananas, Earth Balance, almond milk, sugar, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and a dash of salt. Mix well.
3. Fold chocolate chips into the mixture.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake on the center oven rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 35-45 minutes.
6. Allow the bread to cool in the pan, on a wire rack before removing and slicing it.
   

Julienned Vegetables and Soba Noodles in a Spicy, Peanut Sauce

This dinner was quick, easy and perfect for a rainy Sunday night. It was inspired by a recipe in the cookbook, The Vegan Gourmet.

I thinly sliced carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, and seitan. I made a simple sauce by whisking together creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and fresh ginger. After I steamed the veggies I put them in my wok, added the sauce and cooked soba noodles, and then tossed everything together. It was so delicious!

Vegetable and Apple Sage Sausage Pot Pie

Drew had a difficult week last week so I wanted to make one of his favorite, "comfort" dinners. He loves potpie, and up until a few months ago I had never eaten one let alone made one, but after Vegetarian Times featured some potpie recipes a few issues ago, I decided to give them a try. Another impetus was receiving some cute little oven-safe pots for Christmas.



I typically make this recipe with diced seitan, but wanted to try a batch with some Field Roast Grain Meat apple sage sausages (another one of Drew's favorite foods). I also do not usually have the patience to make my own pie crust, so I buy a frozen, whole wheat one which I simply thaw and cut in half to cover each pot.



To make the filling, I first brown about 3 cloves of garlic in a wok. I then add all of the hard vegetables: 1 peeled, diced yam, 1 peeled, diced potato, and about two carrots, chopped (I like adding color by using purple or yellow carrots). After those cook for about 4-5 minutes, I add 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring it all to a boil. At this point I add about two tablespoons of soymilk and a sprinkle of flour to thicken the sauce. I then add all of the other vegetables: 1 red bell pepper, approximately 6-8 diced baby bella mushrooms, approximately 1 cup of chopped broccoli, 1/2 cup chopped celery, and 8 oz. of sliced seitan (or 2 Field Roast Grain Meat sausages). This recipe is great for substitutions. Sometimes I'll use butternut squash instead of potatoes or I'll add some chopped kale. It is a great recipe to clean out your vegetable drawer.

Sun-dried Tomato Lasagna with Roasted Asparagus

Although I did not have the opportunity to attempt homemade ravioli this week, I did make some vegan ricotta for lasagna roll-ups. The recipe I use is based on Robin Robertson's recipe in her cookbook, Vegan Planet. If I could only have one cookbook, that would be it for certain. I have absolutely loved every recipe I have tried and, since it was my first vegan cookbook, I've tried a lot of them.


I made more lasagna than I typically do. Drew and I had it for dinner two nights in a row, and he has been taking leftovers to school for lunch. It's nice having something to reheat on weeknights since I have been working later. Additionally, lasagna goes well with quick side dishes like salads and roasted vegetables. Despite being a little early in the season, I started buying fresh asparagus again and it has been quite delicious!















Sun-dried Tomato Vegan Ricotta

• 1 package firm tofu (I use sprouted if possible), crumbled
• 1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 1-2 handful of fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• dash of salt

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and chop until the mixture is an even, sticky consistency. Refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.

Chef's note: You can use dry sun-dried tomatoes that have been softened in hot water, but if you do you will want to add a little olive oil in order to prevent the ricotta from being too sticky.