Veggie Spaghetti

This dish is one that I have enjoyed weekly most of my life. According to my mother, as I child, if she would have allowed it, I would have eaten spaghetti for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Apparently when I was too young to even pronounce my words correctly I would beg her for “basgetti.” Even as an adult, when I return home for visits, she teases me playfully, indicating her sarcastic surprise when I voice my desire to make spaghetti.

This dish is one of the many spaghetti recipe variations I have explored over the years. This has become my favorite way to make the dish, combining my love for veggies, red sauce and stringy noodles.

Serving Size: 3-4 bellies.

16 oz package spaghetti or angel hair noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini squash, diced
2 14.5oz. cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons dried basil or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2.25 oz can black olives, undrained

• Begin preparing the noodles as directed.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and sauté the onion and garlic 3-4 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
• Add zucchini to the onions and garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes.
• Turn the heat up slightly to medium high and add the stewed tomatoes. Cook approximately 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
• In a bowl combine the tomato paste, oregano, basil and sugar, stir with a spoon until smooth. Carefully add the mix to the skillet.
• Add the undrained olives and stir, simmer an additional 4 minutes.
• Spoon generous helpings of the prepared sauce over the finished noodles.
• For added yum factor, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the hot sauce and serve with garlic bread and fresh salad.
• Voila, FEED!

Veggie Curry With Red Quinoa (Pronounced Keen-Wah)

This is one of my recent food experiments and is an attempt at cultivating my tumultuous love affair with Indian cuisine. In 2003 I attended a research conference in Los Angeles with a cohort of my colleagues. The first evening of our stay, members of my cohort decided we should eat at this little Indian restaurant near the beach in Santa Monica. I was cautious as I had never eaten Indian food and I sheepishly believed there couldn’t be a single item on the menu that I would enjoy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I instantly fell in love with the rich spicy flavors and delectable aromas Indian food offers. Since that time I have invested a bit of time into re-creating Indian dishes at home, some with tremendous success, others were tossed into the trash with utter disappointment.

This dish combines my love for veggies and creamy sauce with my exploration with the South American grain, quinoa. As a vegetarian, I am constantly looking for food with high protein content and quinoa is one of the most complete proteins and is superior to most other common grains. Quinoa is an excellent source of calcium and iron and contains a near perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids required for human survival. Additionally, it is gluten-free. The texture is not grainy and eating quinoa is like eating tiny little beads that pop a little in your mouth as you chew. Here is my first of many experiments with this grain. I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did.

Serving Size: 3-4 bellies.

1 cup Red Quinoa (and a rice cooker)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 white or yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. bag frozen cauliflower/broccoli mix, defrosted
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3 tablespoons curry powder or paste
2 cups vegetable broth
14 oz can coconut milk

• Prepare the quinoa, either as directed on the package, or by putting 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a rice cooker for 45 minutes.
• While the quinoa is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium low heat and sauté the onion and garlic 3-4 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
• Turn the heat up slightly to medium high and add the defrosted cauliflower/broccoli mix. Cook approximately 3 minutes.
• Gently stir in the chopped spinach and cook until wilted.
• In a bowl, mix the vegetable broth with the curry powder. Pour mixture over the veggies and simmer to a low boil.
• Stir in the coconut milk, cover and cook on medium for 5 minutes.
• Serve the curried vegetables over the hot quinoa.
• Voila, FEED!