“BLT” Baked Spaghetti

Vegan “BLT” Baked Spaghetti

Technically speaking, this isn’t actually BLT Baked Spaghetti, it’s more of a TKT Baked Spaghetti – Tempeh bacon, Kale and Tomato, that is. I used Tofurky maple tempeh bacon which I love, sprinkled with a bit of applewood smoked sea salt to get it sooo good and salty, and I just felt like kale would hold up better than actual lettuce.

I made my first spaghetti pie about a year ago and really liked it, although for some reason I just never made it again. Actually, I think that’s pretty common for food bloggers. We need to keep churning out the new content for you ravenous readers

I suppose that I also try to limit the number of pasta dishes I make and post. I know that a lot of omnivores think we eat nothing but pasta and that’s just not true! That said, I do love me some spaghetti.

In my ~~thinner~~ younger days when I was an undergrad and working 3rd shift at a lightbulb factory (that sounds like the setup for a joke, but I swear it’s the truth!) my friend Ellen and I used to eat spaghetti every day during the summer, when we didn’t have classes. We’d get out of work at 6am and as soon as we had procured our Kahlua and skim milk (bad, bad choices but what can I say? Working overnight makes you a very strange person!) we’d head to my mother’s house because a.) that was where I was living after a gnarly breakup, and b.) she had the nicest kitchen we knew of. Well, it was nice until we got there, anyway. See, I was convinced that the only way you could tell when pasta was done cooking was by throwing it against the ceiling. And I couldn’t reach the ceiling, obvs, so how was I supposed to get it back down afterwards?

If you haven’t figured out yet, my mama is a saint. She’d come home and ask “Why can’t you just throw ONE strand? Why do you have to throw HANDFULS!?” She also had some commentary about why we refused to cover the sauce pot to keep it from splattering all over her cabinets, but she never banned me from her kitchen. I guess a mother’s love really is unconditional

In case you’re wondering how the rest of the day would go, it was a whole lotta Kahlua, skim milk, carbs and Clueless on VHS (hey, this was the 90s!) until 2 or 3 in the afternoon when it was time to go to bed again. I don’t miss working third shift or skim milk, but now that I’m thinking about it I’d like nothing more than to go home and put my jammies back on and visit with Cher and Dionne and the gang. There might be some Kahlua and So Delicious mixed in there as well, but I’m not telling.

Ooooh, and look at my pretty dish! $2.98 at a local thrift store, thankyouverymuch! I love the detail of the little flowers inside where you don’t even see them until the food is all gone.

Anyway, file this one away for when you need a simple meal and or some serious comfort food, cause it’s both.

“BLT” Baked Spaghetti (makes 4-5 servings)

I used a 1-qt baking dish which worked out perfectly. If you don’t mind an extra dirty dish, I recommend mixing everything together in a large mixing bowl and then transferring to your baking dish before topping with the extra vegan cheese!

Ingredients:

12 ounces spaghetti
1 cup torn kale, packed
a couple pinches of garlic powder
8 strips Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh
Non-stick spray
Applewood smoked sea salt
1/4 cup Daiya mozzarella shreds, plus more for sprinkling on top
1.5 – 2 cups your favorite red sauce
Oregano, to taste
Herbamere or sea salt, pepper to taste
2 roma tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

Put pasta in boiling water, cook per package instructions, minus 1-2 minutes.
Water saute kale with a couple pinches of garlic powder for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and cook tempeh 2-3 minutes on each side over medium heat, until browned. Sprinkle with applewood smoked sea salt if desired. Remove from pan and chop into medium bite-sized pieces.
Drain the pasta and add to the baking dish along with the sauce, oregano, S&P, 1/4 cup Daiya shreds, chopped tempeh and kale. Mix and check for flavor, then add the tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 6-8 until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

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Smokey Kale and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

Whew, that’s a mouthful to say!

If this sounds familiar, it should: it’s a variation of my Layered Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole from last May. They’re both very similar, only this one has both kale and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so it’s spiiicccyyy. And smoky. And really hearty with all those potatoes and tortillas- kind of perfect for the cold snowy month of March.

Smokey Kale and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole (8 hearty servings)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, washed, destemmed and torn
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2.5 cups smashed)
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce, plus about 1 Tablespoon of the sauce, diced
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz can rotel with green chilies, drained (if you want the dish a little less spicy, get the mild with no chilies)
1 cup sweet corn kernels, thawed or drained
1/2 cup taco sauce (medium or hot, your call) plus a couple of Tablespoons
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Sea salt
12-14 taco or fajita sized flour tortillas, all sliced in half
1.5 cups salsa (again, you pick the heat)
Daiya mozzarella for topping

Directions:

Water sautee the kale with the powdered garlic until tender, then set aside.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes, then boil until tender.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, rotel, corn and taco sauce, mixing well.
When the potatoes are cooked, mash them and add lime juice, sea salt, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce and set aside.
Drizzle the bottom of a 9×13 casserole or baking dish with 2-3 T taco sauce, making sure the entire bottom is covered. Arrange tortilla halves across the bottom.
Cover the tortillas with half of the sweet potato mixture, gently spreading to get maximum coverage. Next, add a layer of the kale followed by a layer of the bean/corn mix (half of what you have), followed by another layer of tortillas.
Repeat once, ending with a layer of tortillas (this makes 3 layers of tortillas, 2 of everything else), then cover with salsa and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 5-8 until the cheese is fully melted.

Enjoy!

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Massaged Kale Salad with Avocado and Carrots

What’s this? A bonus Thursday post? Hooray Just a quick reminder to enter the So Delicious giveaway, and I wanted to share with you the salad I had for dinner last night: Massaged Kale with Avocado and Carrots… so good!

Massaged Kale Salad with Avocado and Carrots

Delicious, easy and HEALTHY! It took about 5 minutes to prep, then I just let it sit for 30 minutes while I did other stuff, to give the kale time to soften. The recipe came from Whole Foods, check it out here.

You also need to check THIS out… Cooper doing his impersonation of a squished frog:

That’s how he likes to spread out on the kitchen floor while I’m cooking- ain’t he the silliest?? Have a great Thursday and I’ll be back tomorrow with a lunch recipe that’s sure to please!

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Spicy Szechuan Kale and Sweet Potato Noodles

Don’t forget to sign up for the So Delicious giveaway!

Spicy Szechuan Kale with Sweet Potato Noodles

This is a follow up to last week’s Szechuan Green Beans recipe, which I hope you all enjoyed! This time around, the star of the show is Kale- and the Szechuan has gotten a little bit hotter… The idea for this came to me last week when I saw that Kale was on sale (rhyme!). I knew I’d want to take advantage and buy as much as possible, but what was I going to do with it all? Well… THIS!

I made this on Saturday and it was a big hit at my house. As I mentioned, quite a bit spicier than the green bean dishes you usually get in restaurants, which paired nicely with the sweet, chewy noodles. If these noodles look or sound familiar to you, it’s because I talked about them a while back when I posted my recipe for Vegan Japchae. Of course, the noodles are totally optional. You can just make the Kale and serve as a side dish. Of course, if you keep the noodles it’s official Asian Fusion (which makes you fancy), and, I have to say, it’s really delicious!

Spicy Szechuan Kale and Sweet Potato Noodles (Serves 5-6)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hoisin sauce (recipe)
2-3 T soy sauce
2 t garlic powder
A couple dashes of powdered ginger
1 t brown sugar
1 t sesame oil
1 T peppercorn chili oil
8 oz Dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles)
2 bunches of Kale, cleaned, de-stemmed and chopped
Pinch of sea salt
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (at least 2-3 t)
sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:

Prepare the hoisin, and mix with soy, garlic, ginger, sugar, oils, and pepper flakes then set aside.
Boil the sweet potato noodles, as directed on package, then rinse with cold water.
While noodles are cooking, water saute the kale for 4-5 minutes in a large pan. When it’s almost done, drain out the remaining water than put back over an “off”-but-still-warm burner to dry out a little.
Pour about half of the sauce into the kale, mixing well. Then add the noodles and remaining sauce. Heat over low/med until everything is warmed through, top with sesame seeds and serve.

Enjoy!

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Mexican Stuffed Shells with Kale, Beans and Corn

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Firstly, thank you everyone for your kind words about Betty. She’s my special girl, and I’m the lucky one that she found me!

I’ve already shared my Red Chile Style Mexican Stuffed Shells and got some great feedback (If you’re a fan of red chile, you should check them out!). When I first blogged them I promised you an alternate (read: less spicy, more traditional) version. It took me a while, but I finally delivered!

And trust me, these were worth the wait. The shells are filled with a delicious combination of kale, black beans and corn seasoned to perfection. You can make these puppies as spicy or as mild as you’d like! Smothered in taco sauce and melty Daiya cheese, these will satisfy any cravings you might be having for Mexican food. I highly recommend you serve with a side of Margarita

Mexican Stuffed Shells (~4-5 servings)

Ingredients:

18-20 jumbo shells
1 bunch kale
1 t minced garlic
heaping 1/2 cup of sweet corn
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies (mild or hot, your choice!)
3 T taco seasoning
1/2 t chili powder (or more to taste)
10 oz jar taco sauce (mild or hot, your choice again!)
Pepper Jack Daiya, for sprinkling

Directions:

Cook shells as directed on package. When they’re done, lay them out of a cutting board to keep them from sticking to each other.
Clean, de-stem and chop the kale, then water saute with the garlic until soft and bright green, about 4-5 minutes.
In a big bowl, combine the kale with the beans, corn, Rotel, chili powder and taco seasoning.
Spread 4-5 T of the taco sauce on the bottom of your baking dish, then fill the shells and place them in the baking dish. (One trick I use when stuffing shells, to make sure they all come out about the same and so I don’t run out of stuffing before shells (or vice versa), is to divide the filling in my pan using the spoon, into halves or quarters, depending on how many shells I have. That way you can easily eyeball it and know how much filling to give each shell!)
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and add the Daiya, then bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is all nice and melty.

Enjoy!

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Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Quinoa

I saw this post the other day, from I Eat Grains, and it piqued my interest. There wasn’t a recipe or anything, Rachel was just sharing a meal she had, specifically mashed potatoes with quinoa mixed in.

It sounded good, but of course I had to make it my own, so I did what any self-respecting vegan would do and I added kale. Tada!

Seriously, this hardly counts as a recipe… it’s so easy!

Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Quinoa (4 Big Side Servings)

This recipe is really more of a suggestion- switch up the measurements to your liking!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, cleaned, destemmed and chopped
1 t diced garlic
pinch of sea salt
3-4 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender
1/3 cup of your favorite non-dairy milk
3 T Earth Balance
1+ t salt (plus more to taste… possibly A LOT more if you’re anything like me!) and pepper
2 cups red quinoa, cooked

Directions:

Water saute the kale with the garlic and pinch of sea salt for 3-5 minutes, until tender.
In the meantime, mash your potatoes in a large bowl, and mix in milk, EB and salt. Taste test, and add more salt if you’d like.
Mix in the quinoa and kale, then check seasoning again.

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti with Kale

Don’t forget: Enter to win tons of yummy Lucini Italia products!

Spaghetti with Kale

Dinner doesn’t always need to be gourmet. Sometimes you want something quick and easy, but it still has to taste good AND be healthy, right?

Last night I threw this together using Lucini Italia Spicy Tuscan Tomato Sauce… Beyond simple, it comes in a microwavable bag that you simple vent and heat. And guess what? No splatters to clean up! Love it. And this sauce was totally saucy- the perfect amount of heat. You can taste it, but it doesn’t sear off your tatsebuds.

I chopped and water sauteed some kale while the pasta was cooking, which I then mixed in with the pasta and sauce. I covered it all with a sprinkle of vegan parm and voila: Dinner is served!

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Chickpea Frittatas and a Lucini Italia Giveaway!

This contest is now closed, and our winner is… Rachael from Passing Daisies! Her favorite Italian dish is Spaghetti, and I can’t say I blame her. Email me your address (thatwasvegan(at)gmail(dot)com) and we’ll get your Lucini Italia products in the mail! Thanks to everyone who entered…And keep your eyes peeled, I’m planning another giveaway in early April!

This Lucini Italia giveaway has been in the works for more than a month and I’m so excited to finally get it started! I had purchased a package of Tuscan Fiery Chili Chickpea Frittata mix (also known by it’s traditional Italian name of Cinque e’ Cinque) from my local grocer and loved it. LOVED IT! So I emailed the company and asked if they’d be willing to provide some free product to share with my readers. They were kind enough to not only say YES!, but also to send me a few freebies as well.

So far I’ve made a Chickpea Frittata with kale and tomatoes (recipe below!), as well as a pasta dish topped with their Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic.

This is my second time using their Frittata mix, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed it so much.

Here’s one of the dishes I made with my freebies:

Vegan Chickpea Frittata with Kale and Tomatoes

"Cinque e' Cinque" Chickpea Frittata with Kale and Tomatoes

When I first tried these I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve had frittatas in my pre-gan days, but couldn’t imagine chickpea flour producing the same consistency. I expected kind of a bread-y consistency, more like cornbread, but that’s not how these are. They’re actually creamy! The top gets a little crunch in the oven, but the center is smooth and creamy. According to the packaging you can also bake them in a larger dish to make it thinner and crunchier, but I just keep going for the creamy version- I can’t help myself! Check out this picture of the thinner version. The only thing I do have to say is that the Fiery Chili is… well, fiery. If you eat a big piece there will likely be some face-fanning going on

You can top these babies with anything, or just eat them plain. The package suggests: sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper and serve on a baguette. That sounds really good too! A quick google search tells me you can also add any vegetables or or other flavors right into the mix and bake them all together. Overall, a really flexible product that you could personalize in a million different ways to suit your own palate.

Here’s a close-up of the Cinque e’ Cinque when it first came out of the oven…

My omni husband was a little suspicious at first, but as soon as I convinced him to give it a try, he really liked it. It took him a few bites to get used to the consistency, but then he kept talking about how tasty it was… And he really liked the spicy flavor of the “Tuscan Fiery Chili”!

Their Marinara was also delicious- I plan to post pictures and a review later this week. But seriously, what could be quicker and easier than sauce you can heat in the microwave without it exploding everywhere!?

Note: not every product that Lucini makes is vegan, but everything they sent me and everything they’ll send the winner is vegan.

And so, without further ado, HERE’S what the winner of this contest will get:

Cinque e’ Cinque, Tuscan Chickpea Frittata Mix
Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic in a BPA-Free Microwavable Pouch
Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fig & Walnut Savory Vinaigrette

To enter, leave one comment for EACH that you do. Don’t combine multiple entries into one comment, that only hurts your chances. You have until Sunday at midnight (mountain time!) to enter, and the winner will be chosen at random and announced Monday morning.

Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite Italian dish is!
Follow TWV? on Twitter and tweet about the contest (tag me so I know!)
Like TWV? on Facebook and share the contest on your wall
Follow Lucini Italia on Twitter
Like Lucini Italia on Facebook

So, a very special thanks to Lucini Italia for providing the prize, and good luck!

Chickpea Frittata with Kale and Tomatoes (6 servings as a main, more as a side or snack)

Ingredients:

1 package Cinque e’ Cinque Tuscan Chickpea Frittata Mix (I used Fiery Chili but any flavor would be yum!)
3+ T Lucini Italia olive oil
2 t sea salt
1 bunch kale
1/2 t minced garlic
15-20 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Directions:

Prepare chickpea frittata mix as directed on package. I had to bake mine for nearly 10 minutes longer than they recommended before it firmed up and got that “golden brown” glow about it, but I live about a gazillion feet above sea level, so that could have something to do with it. Also, I baked mine in a glass pie dish instead of a cast iron skillet.
While it’s in the oven, de-stem and chop your kale, then water sautee with the minced garlic. I left mine a little more firm than I normally do, and it added a nice texture with the frittata.
When you’re ready to serve the frittata, simply top with your kale and tomatoes! Voila!

Enjoy!

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My Tofu Scramble

Spicy Tofu Scramble

First off, sorry for the late post! I’ve been trying really really hard to stick to my Monday-Wednesday-Friday posting schedule, but the slopes were calling my name yesterday… and even though I hadn’t finished this post, I had to go. I missed half the season with my bum foot, so I’m trying to make up for lost time

I’m sure there are a lot of recipes out there for Tofu Scrambz, but I’ve never actually looked. It’s such an intuitive dish, even the first time I made it I just went by memory of the times I had eaten it in restaurants, and added everything I thought would be good. It’s a dish that comes out a little bit different every time I make it, and I love that! I make it spicy with crushed red pepper flakes, and this time I used some leftover Field Roast Italian sausage and pepperjack Daiya. Fresh kale and some chopped green peppers give a healthy crunch. I like making a big ol’ batch on the weekends to enjoy throughout the week. Yesterday I heated some up in a burrito, wrapped it in foil, and took it with me snowboarding. Hearty, satisfying and easy to eat in the car!

On a completely unrelated note, did anyone see Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday? When Russel Simmons was trying to get a vegan sandwich for his $10,000 and Victoria Gotti wanted to just give him a chicken pita with the chicken removed? It made me happy that he got the camera time he did, and that no one made any snide remarks about how “difficult” vegans are, or anything like that. I also thought he was pretty funny when he said “I’m paying that much, I should get a sandwich I like!” Now that I think about it, this wasn’t a *completely* unrelated rant, because I think my tofu scrambz makes an excellent sandwich! You could do a wrap of course, but it’s also yummy on thick, chewy bread! Russel Simmons would approve, no doubt!

Tofu Scrambz (a little on the spicy side) (4-5 servings, depending on appetite)

Ingredients:

1 tub firm tofu, pressed well
1/2 onion, your favorite kind (I like red or sweet)
1 bell pepper, your favorite color (or do half n’ half)
1 T nutritional yeast
1 heaping t sea salt
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 heaping t cumin
a few sprinkles of pepper
Daiya or other vegan cheese, if desired
2 links vegan sausage, roughly chopped, if desired
1/2 bunch kale, sauteed in water
4 chives, diced

Directions:

Water saute the onions and peppers until soft, then add the tofu making sure it’s well crumbled.
Mix in all the seasonings, except the chives. Stir really really well so that all the tofu is evenly coated. If it’s too dry, add a couple teaspoons of water. Stir in the cheese, if using, and let it get all melty.
Add in the sausage and kale, and mix again, then sprinkle the chives on top. Done!

Enjoy!

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Lemon Couscous with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

There’s no big story behind this recipe. Jason and I got home late from work after a particularly painful commute (we have a loooong commute!), and I had no idea what to make for dinner.

A little background: I’m pretty high-maintenance about menu planning. I usually start on Wednesday by checking the weekly ads for my 3 favorite markets. I start my shopping list (by store) with our regular must-haves (coconut yogurt, spinach, salad fixin’s, etc) then I start to play around with new recipe ideas based on what’s on sale. Then on Saturday morning (or Friday, if it’s our flex week) I sit down with my laptop and some cookbooks and just browse. I look at what I’ve pinned on Pinterest that week and I thumb through my favorite books looking for meals to add to my menu. I put together the weekly menu, then I shop. Yes my weekly menu is highly formatted and pretty, but I’m not totally OCD about it… I mean, I don’t assign a day to each meal in advance. I allow some leeway based on what sounds good when we get home from work… So, see? I’m totally normal!

Anyhoo, that one particular night last week, nothing from the menu sounded quick and easy enough. We’ve all had those nights when delivery sounds like the only option- except we had gotten Indian take-out the night before, and I try not to do that very often. So I started rooting around in my cabinets and found some Israeli couscous and sweet potatoes and I knew I had some kale in the fridge that was dying to be used (literally), and this dish just sort of came together on it’s own.

The lemon and cumin are a great combination that I’ll definitely be using again. The earthy, warm taste of the cumin added a depth to the dish, and the lemon and gave it a light and almost perky layer. The sweetness of the potatoes round it out nicely. And of course the Israeli couscous, which is actually a pasta, made it quite filling.

Lemon Couscous with Sweet Potatoes and Kale (~4 servings as a main, 5-6 as a side)

Ingredients:

2 medium-large sweet potatoes, diced
Olive oil
Sea salt
1 large bunch of kale, roughly torn or chopped
2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
2 cups vegetable stock (plus extra for steaming kale, if desired)
1 T cumin
2.5 T lemon juice
1 T dried parsley
S&P

Directions:

Spread the diced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (or until tender and starting to brown), stirring at least once.
Saute the kale in a pan with water or vegetable broth until tender. If you have it covered, it should only take about 2-4 minutes.
Heat a large pot over medium heat, and add 1-2 T olive oil. Once heated, add 2 cups couscous and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Make sure they don’t burn!
Add 2 cups vegetable broth to the couscous, reduce heat to lowish, and cover. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes but DO NOT lift the cover to check on it for at least 8 minutes! Then stir and make sure the liquid is gone and the balls aren’t clumping.
Add the kale and potatoes into the couscous and mix. Then mix in all the spices. Add S&P as your tastes dictate, and that’s it!

Enjoy!