Pasta Night!

Since we went vegan, we pretty much switched to whole grain everything with few exceptions.  We only use brown rice, we buy 21 grain bread (it is soooooo delicious!), whole wheat naan, whole wheat pizza crust, whole wheat pasta.  When I was in college, I was vegetarian for a few years when I lived with a group of other vegetarians.  Back then, whole wheat flour and pastas were rather course and almost gritty.  The pasta often seemed a bit tougher than al dente.  Today, however, they really grind whole wheat super fine.  My favorite flour is King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour.  It is made from whole wheat but has a much finer texture.  Whole wheat pastas must be made with this same finely ground flour as well because they achieve the same texture as regular pasta when prepared.  We usually have pasta once a week, and, of course that means a few meals that week because I make a lot.  I love marinara sauce, and it's easy to make vegan, but the rest of my family prefers white sauce or olive oil and garlic only.  I try to keep pasta sauces lower in fat, so I do what I can to accommodate everyone and keep the fat content fairly low.

Easy One Pot Pasta

• 1 12-16 oz box whole wheat pasta (I often use spirals)
• 2 cups dry TVP chunks re hydrated with 1 cup white wine and 1 cup No Chicken Broth
• 1 16 oz package frozen cut spinach
• 1 15 oz can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
• 1 15 oz can no sodium diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 4 oz can green chilies
• 1 7 oz can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Vegan Parmesan

I use my Dutch oven for pasta as well.  While the water is coming to a boil for the pasta, I microwave the wine and broth for the TVP.  Once that is boiling, I add the TVP chunks to re hydrate and add pasta to the pot of boiling water.  I usually set whole wheat pasta for about 12 minutes, but it will depend on what shape of pasta you use.  Five minutes prior to the pasta being done, I add the frozen spinach to the same water.  One minute before done I add the artichoke hearts and olives.  Drain all of that (you may not want to use a Dutch oven because they are very heavy to drain, but I have strong arms!  LOL), then add the tomatoes, chilies, re hydrated TVP and any liquid with it, garlic, and the 1/4 cup olive oil.  A lot of people would use up to a full cup of olive oil for a pound of pasta.  There is still a lot of liquid in the tomatoes and the broth from re hydrating the TVP, so just a quarter cup will add the right amount of additional moisture and only about an additional 50 calories per serving.  Serve with Vegan Parmesan (from January 21, 2012 Eat Your Greens blog).  Bon appetit!


Colorful and loaded with protein, fiber and veggies!