Spinach Pasta

Spinach Pasta

like always, I'm going to try to promise to get back on track with my recipes! I've been a little short on dough lately so I haven't been creating the most unique meals, but this is something I just whipped up.
I was watching "Everyday Italian" with Giada De Laurentiis (whom I normally CANNOT STAND) and she made a dish similar to this. I like watching her show, since a lot of italian foods can easily be made vegan. she used goat cheese and cream cheese for her sauce, and I obviously omitted the goat cheese. also, she used a few cloves of fresh garlic. I, being the terrible chef, did not have any on hand but I did have some freshly made garlic hummus. because I was omitting the goat cheese, I felt that this would also add more substance to the sauce.

what you need:

• fresh organic baby spinach (I used about 1/2 of a family size bag!)


• 1/2 c soy cream cheese (I used the non-hydrogenated tofutti kind)


• 1/4 c garlic hummus


• 2 c organic whole wheat penne pasta (or whatever shape you have on hand)

cook your pasta according to its directions. in the meantime, divide your spinach into two piles. throw one pile into the food processor along with the hummus and cream cheese. roughly chop the other and set aside until the pasta is done.
once the pasta is done, drain and add it back to your pot. pour the sauce mixture (it should be relatively thick... about the consistency of ranch dressing), and mix in the roughly chopped spinach. enjoy!


I'm starting classes again next week, so my goal this weekend is to make a few meals that I can freeze to have throughout the week. so far on the menu is stuffed shells, pierogies (I made some yesterday and have a ton of filling left!), and an asian tofu stir-fry!

Mrs. T's Lasagna

Mrs. T's lasagna

I was staying at my friend lauryn's house when her mom made this vegan lasagna to accomodate my diet. I watched her make is so I could recreate it at home, but I've slightly changed it. Anyway, I named the recipe "Mrs. T's lasagna" after lauryn's mom, Mrs. T!
Another bit of info: I recently took this lasagna to a dinner party and got rave reviews from those who tried it, none of whom were vegans!
what you need:

• 1 box lasagna pasta
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1 package firm tofu (the refrigerated kind)
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach
• 3 large bell peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)
• 1/2 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp basil

* at least an hour before you make this dish you need to drain your tofu. I do this by opening the container, placing the tofu block in a collander in my sink, and placing a bread plate with a heavy book or can on top of the tofu. this presses the water out of the tofu. flip the tofu over and press each side for 30 minutes.

1. bring a large pot of water to a boil. in the meantime, wash and cut bell peppers into thin strips. once water is boiling, add lasagna.
2. in a microwave safe bowl, microwave the spinach to defrost it. drain liquid.
3. in a blender or food processor, blend the tofu, chickpeas and spinach together. mix in the spices.
4. drain the pasta. take a large baking dish and pour a thin coat of sauce into it. on top of that, lay the pasta, covering the entire bottom of the pan. then, spoon the tofu/spinach/chickpea mixture onto the noodles, and spread with a spatula. layer sliced bell peppers on top of the mixture, top with sauce, and another layer of noodles. repeat this process until your pan is full, and cover the last layer of noodles with sauce.
5. bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.