Easy Mushroom Spaghetti

Spaghetti. The ultimate comfort food. When you have a 3 1/2 month old... comfort food is the only thing on the menu these days. As such, I try to make our meals as healthy (and as quick) as possible while still allowing it to fill the deep, deep void that sleep cannot. It's not a great replacement, I know, but seeing as I've been sleeping on my hour lunch break exercise is not an option here.

To every mother with a newborn who is getting in a daily run in while still working full time and coming home and making dinner/cleaning/breastfeeding; you are SUPERHUMAN. A case study. Sigh, that's not me. Well, everything but the run. Hopefully when (and if) Oliver decides to sleep a little longer during the night and my sleep bank isn't in the red, I'l begin to run on the regular again and maybe feel a little more like myself and less of a puffy zombie! One can dream, right?

This is a quick, delicious, and hearty spaghetti

chock full of meaty mushrooms. The best part is this meal is ready before the pasta is even done cooking; a perfect weekday dish that’s healthy and vegan!

Easy Mushroom Spaghetti

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

This is a quick, delicious, and hearty spaghetti chock full of meaty mushrooms. The best part is this meal is ready before the pasta is even done cooking; a perfect weekday dish that’s healthy and vegan!

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry spaghetti
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ large yellow onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb fresh cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegan brown sugar
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herb seasoning
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• dash of chili flakes, to taste
• ⅓ cup chiffonade fresh basil (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta, cook according to package until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic; saute for about 3 minutes until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms darken and lose their water. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and paprika; saute an additional 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the fresh basil. Bring to a boil over medium-heat then reduce to a simmer; cook for about 5 minutes uncovered.
4. Stir in the fresh basil and remove from heat. Serve hot over cooked pasta or stir in the pasta all at once into the sauce.

This is an absolute staple in our house. I created this recipe over the years of throwing things together for a marinara sauce, tweaking it each time, and decided a while back to finally write it down. I can't believe I haven't shared it yet!

Our little family went on a foraging trek behind our house for fiddlehead ferns again. Still nothing! Last year they were up this very day. We'll just keep checking. Oliver loves being outside.

Of course, I couldn't leave you without a smile from the little man. His shirt reads, I love veggies. #veganbambino 

Vegan Banana Muffins

This is my go-to, super easy, and quick recipe for vegan banana muffins. These are scrumptious enough to be a treat, but healthy enough to snack on. I like to use a combination of flours such a spelt and sorghum, and toss in chocolate chips and dried cranberries; but feel free to add in whatever you like. This recipe is very adaptable. I freeze leftovers for breakfast during the week!

With a wee little two month man in the house, our world pretty much revolves around him. When he eats, when he sleeps, the diaper changes, and his play time, all dictate when I eat, sleep, shower, and have my own play time. With regards to the adults in the house eating, the quicker the better. 

Often, there is no time to make dinner when we are hungry and snacks are definitely in order. Our house went from no snacks around to lots of snacks! I bake muffins and breads when I find the time and refrigerate them or freeze them for when our tummies can't wait until we are able to make a proper meal. They've been a real lifesaver! I imagine they could be in yours too; for any business that delays dinner or when you need a snack and you need it now. You know those moments; these muffins are perfect.

Vegan Banana Muffins

By Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Published 04/04/2017

This is my go-to, super easy, and quick recipe for vegan banana muffins. These are scrumptious enough to be a treat, but healthy enough to snack on. I like to use a combination of flours such a spelt and sorghum, and toss in chocolate chips and dried cranberries; but feel free to add in whatever you like. This recipe is very adaptable. I freeze leftovers for breakfast during the week!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or whatever combination of flours you like)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 3 large, ripe bananas
• ½ cup firm silken tofu
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 ½ tsp egg replacer powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp vegan milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
• ¼ cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a blender, add the remaining ingredients except for the cranberries and chocolate chips. Blend on high until smooth.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, along with the cranberries and chocolate chips, with a wooden spoon until just combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F and coat a muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely, then store any leftovers in a ziplock bag in the fridge or freezer.

Yield: 12

Healthier Avocado Vodka 'Cream' Pasta + Classico Riserva Giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Classico Riserva for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

A healthy and modern twist on traditional vodka cream pasta. Avocado stands in for heavy cream, smokey TVP packs a vegan protein punch, and swiss chard gives itself for a nutritional boost. This pasta is everything; creamy, meaty, cheesy, and so darn delicious. Whips up in the time it takes to boil the noodles!

I just love it when a recipe comes together so, so perfectly. Todd adores vodka cream pasta. Me? Not so much. It's always been way too heavy for me and let's be real, it's obviously not that nutritious; heavy cream, cheese, vodka, and ground meat... it makes my arteries wanna clog up just thinking about it!

It was time something had to be done about this. So, I created my own version! In this healthier take on vodka cream pasta, I use avocado instead of heavy cream, TVP instead of oily ground meat, and added an entire bunch of swiss chard for a boost of nutrition. I couldn't believe what a couple wonderful, creamy avocados could do to kick heavy dairy to the curb. This will definitely be a staple in our house. I'm telling you, wonderful things happen when you have two aging avocados mingling about in your fridge. 

A couple jars of Classico Riserva pasta sauce were eyeing me from the pantry and I knew I wanted to do something fun with them. They Riserva sauce line is free from artificial ingredients and added sugars! I wanted to create a dish that was as sophisticated and delicious as this thick and savory pasta sauce itself and a vodka 'cream' sauce was just the ticket.

Riserva comes in five, slow-simmered flavors: Arrabiata, Roasted Garlic, Marinara, Eggplant Artichoke, and Puttanesca. Perhaps the greatest thing about the new Riserva line (besides everything else I've already listed) is that all the flavors are totally vegan. Yay!! Usually I have to scour the ingredient lists (which is always lengthy for some reason) on the back of pasta sauce jars, but not with Riserva! In addition, these sauces only contains a few ingredients, as they should. 

I'm also hosting a giveaway for three full-price coupons for this new sauce. Tell me in the comments what dish you'd like to make with Classico Riserva to be entered to win. Winners will be drawn at random and will close on 6.6.16 at noon EST. Open to U.S. only. Thank you, Classico Riserva for sponsoring this post! Open up a bottle of the good stuff! *** This giveaway is no CLOSED, thank you!***

Healthier Avocado Vodka 'Cream' Pasta

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 05/20/2016

A healthy and modern twist on traditional vodka cream pasta. Avocado stands in for heavy cream, smokey TVP packs a vegan protein punch, and swiss chard gives itself for a nutritional boost. This pasta is everything; creamy, meaty, cheesy, and so darn delicious. Whips up in the time it takes to boil the noodles!

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta of choice (I like penne ), dry
• ⅓ cup vodka
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 28 oz jar of Classico Riserva pasta sauce
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted
• ½ cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• ½ cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1 bunch of chard, destemmed and chopped

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat for the pasta. Cook according to package until al dente, about 9 minutes; drain and return to pot.
2. While the pasta boils, simmer the vodka in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until it’s reduced by half.
3. Add the pasta sauce, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, and avocados to a blender; blend on high until completely smooth. Transfer to the reduced vodka and stir in the tvp. Cover and simmer an additional 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chard to wilt; cover and continue to simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Over low heat, stir the sauce into the pasta to combine. Stir in the cheese ; serve hot.

Yield: 6

Yum