Confetti Spaghetti

If you're exhausted from Christmas preparations, and have hours of cooking ahead of you in the next few days -this might be the perfect recipe for tonight!

As you can see, this recipe is mistitled. When I first started making this dish, I used spaghetti and it looked like confetti - lots of pretty colors. I eventually switched to bite-sized pasta because it held onto the veggies better (usually shells, but sometimes ziti or bowties or whatever) but I couldn't bear to get rid of the rhyming name.

This is a super-simple dinner, one of my favorites to make on nights when I don't feel like making anything. It takes the time the pasta takes to cook - with time for surfing the net included!


This is also a great clean-out-the-fridge and frugal recipe.


Confetti Spaghetti
Boil water, and prepare your favorite shape pasta (whole grain or not) according to package directions
While Water boils & pasta cooks, prepare veggies - you want about an equal volume of veggies & cooked pasta when you're done. Use a HUGE bowl.
Use what you have - these are some of our favorites you might want to choose from:
Chopped Fresh Tomato
Chopped Carrot
Chopped Celery
Chopped Bell Peppers
Black Olives
Green Olives
Capers
Frozen Green Peas, Thawed in sieve under hot running water
Frozen Corn, Thawed in sieve under hot running water
Chickpeas
Drained Marinated Artichokes
Broccoli Trees
Those cooked veggies you had for dinner the other night, and never finished.

When Pasta finishes, Drain it and toss it with veggies.
Add Generous
Garlic Salt
Italian Herbs OR Basil
Toss.
Add more
Garlic Salt
Italian Herbs OR Basil.
Taste.
Add more seasoning if needed, till just right.

Serve & Enjoy!

Tips for dining with Omnivores - you could throw some bits of summer sausage, pepperoni, salami, shrimp or chicken into the omnivore's portion. Or, you can serve this as a side-dish for a meat meal (although, personally, I like to think of the meat as the side dish, and the vegan dish as the entree : )

Homemade, Whole Wheat Naan without Dairy or added Oil

This is one of my favorite everyday breads. I like a few things about it: I can make it without using the oven, so in the summer it doesn't heat up the house. I can make it without letting the dough rise, and without preheating the oven. And, it is one of the most appealing ways I know to eat whole wheat bread!

I like to split it open like a pita pocket for sandwiches, and I like to eat it with soup. It's great with peanut butter. As you might suspect, it's great with Indian food. Or just plain. It's an all-round good bread.

I start with a recipe similar to this one (I use the 100% Whole Wheat from the same authors- if you have their book. But, if you don't, this is close enough until you decide to get your own copy ;  ) Easy Artisan Whole Wheat Bread Dough

Then, I follow these directions, with a few tweaks: How to make Naan

My tweaks are: I use a non-stick skillet with NO OIL! And, I use a glass lid so I can watch the Naan Bubble & Brown. It's not an absolute necessity, but it's so much more fun!

AND - my good friend from India tells me that authentic Naan is rolled out pretty thinly - more thinly than I make and and than these pictures depict. If you're going for authentic here, make it thin : )

Of course, if you prefer, you can use the white bread dough by the same authors, and add a little vegan buttery spread to the skillet. It's super-tasty too. And I won't tell ; )

This is being shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays

Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins from Your Own Mix

For a Saturday Morning Treat, try making your own Banana Walnut Muffins.

If you made the mix for Mini Pumpkin Muffins, you're ready to go.

Here's all you need to do:

Banana Muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Oil muffin tin (if desired, sprinkle each cup with cinnamon sugar)
Combine all in one bowl
1 ripe banana, mashed with fork
2 Cups Vegan Muffin Mix
1 Cup water
Chopped Walnuts (a nice handful)
Stir, and fill muffin tins to 3/4 full (if desired, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar)
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, till golden brown, and they spring back to the touch
This recipe made 9 muffins in my muffin tin - using about 1/3 cup batter per muffin.

Enjoy!

The "perfect" baking banana is like this one- spotty brown, but not
mush when you pick them up. Very mushy ones tend to have a bitter edge.
 

 

Variation: If you prefer not to eat nuts, you may omit them, or use another add-in such as raisins or chopped dates.