The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (17 page)

8 ounces spaghetti

1½ cups Tomato Killer (see recipe,
page 200
), warmed

12 My Balls (see recipe,
page 26
), fully prepared and kept warm in a low oven

2 tablespoons Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
), for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package, and drain. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with ¾ cup of the tomato killer. In a separate bowl, gently toss my balls with the remaining ¾ cup of the tomato killer. Pile your pasta on a plate and top it with your saucy balls — or my saucy balls, as it were — and garnish with the parmesan and parsley.

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

One 9-ounce box no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups Cashew Ricotta (see recipe,
page 213
)

3 cups Fauxlognese Sauce (see recipe,
page 202
)

1 tablespoon Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
)

½ cup Not-zzarella Sauce (see recipe,
page 214
) or other vegan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lube up an 8-by-6-by-2-inch casserole dish with the olive oil, and layer the ingredients in the following order: 1 layer of noodles, 1 cup of ricotta, 1 cup fauxlognese, 1 layer of noodles, the remaining 1 cup of ricotta, 1 cup of fauxlognese, 1 layer of noodles, the remaining 1 cup of fauxlognese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 40 minutes, or until the top layer of noodles is easily pierced with a fork. Remove the foil and sprinkle the top with the parmesan topping. Then drizzle the not-zzarella sauce in a very artful fashion on top of that. (Using a squeeze bottle and doing a zigzag formation makes for a cool presentation.) Put the lasagna back in the oven for 5 more minutes, to heat the cheeze topping, then remove it from the oven and let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley.

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the casserole dish

½ cup diced yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Pinch of chili flakes

4 cups chopped tomatoes, with juice (ideally fresh, but canned is fine)

½ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (see WTF,
page 12
)

¼ cup chopped pitted green olives

¼ cup chopped pitted black or kalamata olives

2 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped

4 teaspoons fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF,
page 103
)

Salt and pepper

2 packed cups stemmed and coarsely chopped kale leaves

12 jumbo pasta shells

1½ cups Cashew Ricotta (see recipe,
page 213
)

Not-zzarella Sauce (see recipe,
page 214
) or other vegan cheese

Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook gently for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens and the edges of the garlic start to brown. Add the chili flakes and tomatoes, with their juice. Simmer for 6 minutes, then add the Worcestershire, olives, capers, and
2 teaspoons of basil. Toss together, simmer for 4 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the pasta water is boiling and before you cook your shells, drop the kale into the water to cook for 30 seconds. Remove the kale with a slotted spoon and cool it immediately under cold running water. Once the kale has cooled, squeeze as much water from it as you can, chop into smaller pieces, and set aside.

Cook the pasta shells until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the directions on the package recommend. Drain, and cool them immediately under cold running water. Toss the shells with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to prevent them from drying out and sticking together, and place them on a baking sheet or plate. Stir the kale into the cashew ricotta, then, using a spoon, stuff 2 tablespoons of the ricotta-kale mixture into each shell.

Lube up a casserole dish with some oil, and spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Arrange the stuffed shells on top in neat rows, open side up. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells, cover with foil, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the shells are easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the oven and set the broiler on high. Spread the not-zzarella evenly across the top, sprinkle on the parmesan topping, and place the dish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the topping is slightly browned. Garnish with the remaining 2 teaspoons of basil. Serve.

8 cups vegetable stock

Two 2-by-4-inch pieces wakame, (see WTF, next page)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup minced shallot

½ cup diced celery

Salt

4 tablespoons vegan margarine

1 pound oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1½ cups arborio rice

2 cups prosecco

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (tops only), for garnish

In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock and wakame to a simmer. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the shallot, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the shallot is soft and translucent. While your shallot and celery are cooking, heat another medium skillet over medium-high heat and melt the margarine. When it’s melted, drop in the mushrooms. Toss them in the margarine, and let them cook on one side until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, some pepper, and the lemon juice, and give it all a toss. Continue cooking the mushrooms, tossing occasionally, for 6 to 8 more minutes, until they are completely tender. Set aside.

When the shallots in the first skillet are translucent, stir in the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the edges of the rice become slightly translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the prosecco. With a wooden spoon, stir the rice in a clockwise motion (unless you’re left-handed, or in the Southern Hemisphere…actually, it doesn’t really matter, just pick whichever direction feels most natural and stick with it). When the pan is almost completely dry, add ½ cup of the heated vegetable stock (omitting the wakame) and continue stirring. When the pan is almost dry again, add another ½ cup of the stock and continue stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is soft and creamy but not completely mushy…or as we fancy-schmancy chefs like to say, “al dente.” You may not need all the vegetable stock. The total cooking time for the rice will be about 20 minutes.

When the rice is done cooking, turn off the heat and stir in the mushrooms and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, pile high on a serving plate, and garnish with the scallions.

In addition to being a really fun word to say, wakame (pronounced WAH-kuh-may) is an edible seaweed that lends a subtly-sweet-yet-salty-from-the-sea flavor to soups, sauces, and broths. Find it in a Japanese market, in the Asian section of your grocery store, or on the interwebs.