Overview

Time: 40 minutes
Dishes: large, oven-safe skillet and lid, medium pot

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Ever wondered how to make a meatless, vegetarian, and vegan burger into a pasta dish? I have, too! Wonder no more. This pasta dish does indeed, surprisingly, tastes like a cheeseburger but it is so much easier to prepare and eat than one.

This dish is really versatile, since you can use beans instead of vegan grounds, and it still comes out fabulous. I used Beyond Beaf grounds in this one, but even homemade ground seitan would be great.

It is also very quick to prepare, and clean up is easy too, if you have an oven-safe skillet; if not, then use a 9x9 baking pan. Put your water for the pasta on right away since the rest of the dish comes together quite fast!

This one is complete with pickles and mustard - but, of course, make it your own. Add some ground bacon-type bits or Smart Bacon, Tofu Bacon or Tempeh Bacon for a great twist. If you wind up with leftovers, reheat in the microwave with a splash of water, to offset any dryness.

Serve with a green salad to act as the lettuce on your "burger."

Enjoy! 

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Get all the ingredients out and the pots and pans prepared.
• Put the pasta water on first.
• Remember to reserve the cooking water.
• Remember to reserve the onion for the topping.
• Use a lid while cooking the onion for faster cooking.

 

Mac-n-Cheeseburger Pasta

Makes 4 servings 

Serve with: Green Salad

Preheat oven to 400-F

1. Pasta: Cook the pasta in a medium pot of salted boiling water, 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain but reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water:

12 ounces elbow pasta

2. Grounds: Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions, garlic and grounds. Cook, covered, until golden, about 5 minutes. If using beans, add beans after onions have cooked 3 minutes:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-pound vegan grounds or 2 cans black beans

3. Sauce: Add the Reserved Cooking Water, tomato sauce, pickles, Worcestershire, mustard and salt and pepper. Mix well, bring to boil and add the cooked Pasta.

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup chopped dill pickles

1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon mustard

 4. Bake: Cover the pan with an oven-safe lid (or foil) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cheese, cover again and bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes: 

8 slices vegan yellow cheese

5. Serve: Top with the optional tomatoes and Reserved Chopped Onions:

2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes (optional)

 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pf chang's-style lettuce wrap

Hello, hello, Dear Raders!

There is so much information out in the web-osphere and I am sure each blog holds a special place in your heart, whether it is for the recipes, the photos, the personal annecdotes or the gabbiness of the site, but I wonder what attracts you to this blog? I would love to focus on the content you care about instead of trying to mind read over the internet. If you wouldn't mind slapping a comment to the bottom with your preference, I will try my best to make you happy.

Introduction

To get back into blogging, I am sharing an easy meatless, vegetarian, vegan recipe and I want to start ranking the difficulty and time it should take to cook a recipe. With that in mind, I have come up with this visual, which breaks it down by time, ingredients and dishes needed to prepare and cook ...

Of course, I reserve the right (and probably the need) to update or make changes to this chart as the concept evolves, but these are the expectations I look forward to achieving. 

Overview

Time: 20 minutes
Dishes: skillet, bowl, measuring cup
Side Recommendations: Cooked rice and steamed vegetables

So, dear readers, here is the first recipe. It is a throw-back to the times when eating out was a thing (pre-pandemic era). Here is my version of PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps, but if you serve it with rice it can become a meal. Heat the wok (or cast iron skillet, as in my case) and get to cooking. 

I list this as an easy recipe, without the optional dipping sauce, cuz let's face it, sauces take forever and a day to make. Skip it, use hot mustard or chili oil instead (or Sriracha) and you're still in good shape.

Speedy Cooking Tips

• Pull out all ingredients and dishes before you start.
• Heat the cast iron skillet or wok while you chop the protein.
• Mince the other ingredients while the protein cooks.
• Prepare the sauces while the dish cooks.
• Clean the lettuce while the dish cooks.

Lettuce Wraps

Makes 4 servings 

1. Dipping Sauce (optional): mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside. 

Dipping Sauce (optional):

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 tablespoon tamari

1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

2. Stir Fry Sauce: mix all the ingredients and set aside.

Stir Fry Sauce:

3 tablespoon tamari

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

3. Stir Fry: Heat the oil in a large skillet or work over medium-high heat. Add the protein and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and onions. Cook until the chestnuts are golden, another 5 minutes.

Stir Fry:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 seitan cutlets, 1 package firm tofu or 4 Gardein scallopini, chopped

1 (8-oz) can water chestnuts, minced

1 cup mushrooms, minced (optional)

1/4 small onion, minced

 

5. Add the Stir Fry Sauce, mix and cook until it evaporates about 1 minute.

6. Serve the Stir Fry with the lettuce leaves and optional Dipping Sauce or chili oil or hot mustard and optional rice. 

For Serving:

Lettuce leaves

Fried rice noodles (optional)

Cooked rice (optional)

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.