broccoli and sun-dried tomato pasta

Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe

Most conventional cookbooks will have a recipe for a Chicken and Broccoli Pasta. This recipe, Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta, takes the place of those drab pasta dishes and replaces the lackluster broccoli and chicken with bright crisp-tender broccoli and flavorful seitan in a sun-dried tomato sauce. 

The broccoli cooks quickly in the same water that will cook the pasta. The broccoli is then spread out on a plate to cool and retain its bright color and texture, thereby avoiding the limp broccoli syndrome. The seitan is my Simple Chicken Seitan. The sauce is made with sun-dried tomatoes and vegan sour cream, which takes the place of the traditional dairy cream.

This dish doesn't take too long to make as long as you have seitan on hand. However, there is nothing wrong with doubling up the broccoli and skipping the seitan all together; the dish suffers none.

This was a great addition to our weekday meal round-up; not terribly difficult and relatively fast.

Cost Breakdown

seitan: $2

pasta: $3

sun-tomatoes, onion, garlic: $2

broccoli: $3

vegan sour cream, broth: $1.50

Total to make 4 servings:

$11.50

cheese fries

It's time to get your junk food on. Above is loaded cheese fries. It uses the same cheese sauce (minus the chilies and tomatoes) that I use for Nachos, except poured over fries. And these fries are not fried, but baked.  

According to research, however, if you want really good fries from your oven, you are still needing to use about a quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of oil per two pounds of wedges. Not all of the oil winds up on your fries, though, since you drain the wedges on paper towels before serving them. 

Here is the procedure:

(1) Soak your 2 pounds of wedges (sliced into about one-inch thickness) in HOT water for 10 minutes. 

This removes excess starch that impedes crispy fries.

Drain and dry them VERY well. Toss with one tablespoon of oil.

(2) Pour 4 tablespoons of oil on a heavy-duty pan (otherwise your pan will warp and your potatoes won't brown evenly). Add salt and pepper to the pan. Add your potatoes in a single layer. This elevates your potatoes just a wee bit to prevent sticking even more.

(3) Cover your potatoes with foil and bake them in a preheated 475 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

(4) Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.

(5) Flip the fries and continue to bake until they are crispy.

(6) Drain on paper towels.

You can always use commercial fries instead.

Top your fries with cheese sauce, chili, olives, lettuce, vegan sour cream, guacamole, barbecue sauce, beans --- the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!