Grecian Kalamata Pasta

February 7, 2014 Kathleen Henry

TGIF, yes? Gahhh, I am officially "poo-pooing" this entire week, Madeline style. Unfortunately, there won't be any playing outside this weekend. We have absolutely zero snow, 80 mph winds, and an air-quality advisory. Poo poo! Looks like it will be a weekend filled with homemade bagel baking, yogilates, Game of Thrones reading, and Modern Family watching. That actually doesn't sound too bad. You know what else doesn't sound bad? This Grecian Kalamata Pasta. It's a filling pasta dish with Greek flair, including Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, and spinach. Lentils give it a hefty protein boost.

Also, I really like this Greek proverb so I thought I would share with you.

Isn't that nice?

Grecian Kalamata Pasta

Serves 8

Notes: Be sure to save 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Avoid red lentils for this dish, as they wouldn't hold up as well as brown or green.

Sustenance:
1/2 cup brown or green lentils, dry
1 cup water
16 oz. pasta (penne or similar), dry
Sauce:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Goodies:
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (save innards and seeds)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. fresh spinach (3 large handfuls), rough chopped
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a small saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 25 minutes, or until the tender. Drain and set aside.

Bring a large saucepan full of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package for al dente pasta. You will want it slightly undercooked for this recipe. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor add the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.

Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the innards with a spoon. Add only the innards to the processor and blend until well incorporated.

In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add in the goodie ingredients except for the olives and walnuts. Saute until the onions are browned. Cover with a lid for a minute or two during, to wilt the spinach.

Add the lentils, sauce, goodies, olives, walnuts, and reserved pasta water to the cooked and drained pasta. Stir well to coat.

Serve hot!

I like this calming song:

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[yumprint-recipe id='75']

Vegan Spanakopita

December 27, 2013 Kathleen Henry

Hello! How have your Holidays been so far this year? Mine have been terribly busy. And also quite frankly, a smidgen frustrating...I'm looking at you, UPS, Shutterfly, and West Elm! However, there were times of relaxation that included walks in the snow and watching Dracula on Hulu. You know, the one on NBC with Jonathan Rhys Meyers? How they are allowed to show that on normal television is waaaay beyond me, but after watching The Tudors, I'm down for anything with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Even if it is watching scary Dracula...around Christmastime. Oh well. If you haven't seen either of these shows, first, shame on you. And second, what are you waiting for?! For Christmas morning brunch at my Grandparents' house, I made this. Sooooo amazing. And for Christmas dinner I brought along my favorite drink ever and this Spanakopita! Spank-eee-o-pita. I was informed this is not the correct pronunciation of this dish. It's spa-na-ko-pi-ta, which, now that I look at it...makes a lot more sense. I have no idea where I got my pronunciation of it.

My family never made this dish, growing up. Honestly, I think I've only had it a couple times. My BFF used to make it a lot and I remember liking it, though I obviously never learned how to properly pronounce it. I had some leftover phyllo dough in the fridge, which of course, I couldn't bear to waste and I thought might be a sign that it was time to take on the spank-eee-o-pita.

Traditionally, I believe it involves feta. But don't freta (hah hah hah), feta doesn't make an appearance in this spanakopita! The flavor and texture of feta, however, is mimicked by a combination of chickpeas, nutritional yeast, tahini, vinegar, and lemon juice. Yes, this dish has all the wonderful flavors of the traditional, but with a little more benevolence. It's friendlier to the earth, to the cows, the chickens and to your body! I should've called it Friendly Spanakopita!

Vegan Spanakopita

Serves 8

Filling:
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 green onion stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach packages, thawed
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and mashed
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/3 cup kalamata olives, de-pitted and chopped
1/3 cup tahini
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced (divided into 1/4 cup and remainder)
12 phyllo dough sheets
Glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add in the chopped onion and green onions and saute for a few minutes, until the onions have started to soften. Now, add in the garlic and continue to saute a few more minutes, until the onions have become translucent.

Add the spinach to the onion mixture and turn the heat up to medium. Allow the spinach to cook until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. This will take some time, about 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, mash up the chickpeas.

Once all the water is gone, add in the rest of the filling ingredients, including the remainder of the lemon juice once 1/4 cup has been set aside, but excluding the phyllo dough. Combine well and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes, until thoroughly heated while stirring occasionally.

See my reindeer dish towel?? Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F and whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray and place one sheet of the phyllo dough on the bottom of the pan. Lightly brush with the glaze to coat, then place another sheet on top of that and glaze. Repeat with an additional four sheets. There should now be six sheets stacked, total.

Now, spoon the filling into the dish and smooth over so it's even, ensuring to fill the corners. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on top of the filling and continue the glazing process with the other half of the phyllo dough sheets. There should now be six on the bottom of the dish, followed by the filling, followed by six more phyllo dough sheets. Be sure to brush the very top sheet and even spray it with some nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes.

Then, slice into eight rectangles and serve hot! Scrumptious!

Wiggling to George Ezra – Budapest

[yumprint-recipe id='56']Adapted from Virtually Vegan Mama

Kale and Spinach Saute with Delicata Squash

November 8, 2013 Kathleen Henry

Sorry I haven't been super chatty lately. I just haven't had a lot to say! Plus, we still have no snow...so...I guess I'm feeling a little blue. Better do my snow dance. Yesterday, Todd and I visited my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle and I needed something to bring for dinner. Something quick and healthy, as I didn't have a lot of time after work. This Kale and Spinach Saute with Delicata Squash was the perfect dish!

Do you need something quick and healthy to bring to a gathering? Never fear. I've got your covered. This saute is quick, easy, versatile and sure to please all your friends and family. I intended this to be more of a warm salad, but I let it saute a little too long and it turned into more of a sauteed side dish. That's okay though because it was still excellent. I even had it for lunch the next day over quinoa. It's very adaptable.

Sauteed kale and spinach peppered with roasted delicata squash and dressed with an apple cider, sesame miso sauce. This stuff is good...and good for you!

Kale and Spinach Saute with Delicata Squash

Inspired by The Naked Kitchen

Serves 2 or 4 as a side

--Sustenance--
1 medium delicata squash, diced
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly
1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
--Sauce--
1/4 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. red miso paste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
dash of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and dice the squash and then scatter on a baking sheet. Coat the squash lightly with a nonstick cooking spray or oil. Roast at 400 F for about 30 minutes, or until the squash has just barely browned. Ensure that it doesn't burn.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a very large saute pan or soup pot. Add the red onion and saute a few minutes, until just softened. Now, add the kale and saute for another few minutes, until it's bright green and softened a bit.

Add in the spinach and saute for another couple minutes until it's just wilted. Careful this entire time not to let the kale or the spinach wilt too much. You still want it to have some strength, with a little chew. It shouldn't be completely limp. Remove from heat.