Tag: Vegetarian

Guido’s Spaghetti: Spaghetti Marinara with Roasted Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Guido’s Spaghetti: Spaghetti Marinara with Roasted Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

by Stacy ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

What kind of jobs did you have while attending school? Did you sell graphic tees to teenagers at Hot Topic? Or don polo shirts and khakis to sell family plans at the Sprint store? Or pour endless cups of coffee at iHop?

When I was in grad school, I waited tables. I worked for a truly terrible steakhouse chain that I suspect (hope?) is now out of business. We were always running out of clean glasses, our job performance was measured by how many girly fruity drinks we sold to a clientele that just wanted beer, and according to rumor, my general manager went to prison a couple months after I left. For a different job, I donned a blue dirndl, which made me look like Snow White, to serve chicken in Frankenmuth, Michigan. One day after work, I went through a fast food drive through and the lady at the window immediately burst into giggles upon seeing my dirndl and said, “Where do you work??!!” So yes, I had the type of job that made fast food workers grateful they weren’t me.

But my favorite restaurant I worked at was called Guido’s. Sadly, it no longer exists, but they had the best pizzas and pastas in Saginaw. The owner was awesome and every business on the block was friendly and would just walk through each other’s back doors to say hi.

One of my favorite things at Guido’s (I had about half a dozen favorites) was a spaghetti that had sauteed mushrooms and goat cheese. This isn’t The Recipe, as I have no idea what was in the pasta sauce, but it’s inspired by it.

Guido’s Spaghetti


Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 1 celery stalk, chopped

  • 1 carrot, chopped

  • 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 32-oz can of tomatoes

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 10 oz mushrooms, sliced

  • 1 16-oz package of spaghetti

  • 6 oz goat cheese, cut into rounds

  • Optional: shredded basil to top


Directions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper flakes, and salt and saute for approximately 12 minutes.

  2. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, and additional salt. Simmer uncovered over low heat for approximately one hour.

  3. While the marinara is simmering, preheat the oven to 375. Toss mushrooms with remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. Add mushrooms in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes, stirring the mushrooms once after 15 minutes.

  4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve a half cup of cooking water and then drain pasta.

  5. Add the spaghetti and roasted mushrooms to the marinara sauce and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Add reserved cooking water, if needed. Add freshly cracked black pepper.

  6. Serve with rounds of goat cheese and (optional) shredded basil.
Vegan Ceviche Stuffed Avocados

Vegan Ceviche Stuffed Avocados

by Stacy ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Once I decided I would select Albariño as my first wine for recipe pairings, I knew I had to create a ceviche. There was just one problem.

I’m just too Midwestern. Coastal home cooks can just pop off to their local fish market and select the freshest seafood for their ceviche. Here in Metro Detroit, seafood comes from the supermarket and all of it is previously frozen. I never know how fresh my seafood is, so to create a recipe centered around raw seafood is questionable at best.

And then I read that hearts of palm make a great vegan seafood substitute, similar to how jackfruit can be a vegan pulled pork alternative. I was intrigued and knew I had my solution to the ceviche dilemma.

Would I mistake the hearts of palm for scallops or fish in this recipe? Honestly, I don’t think so (although I was expecting the hearts of palm flavor, so it was hardly a blind test), but I will say this vegan ceviche is delicious and that’s what matters. Serving it on an avocado half elevates it to an elegant appetizer.

If you have never had hearts of palm, you’ll look for it in the canned vegetable aisle. It is tender with a mild flavor and tastes a little like artichoke hearts.

Hope you enjoy!

Vegan Ceviche Stuffed Avocados
  • Servings: 4 entrees or 8 appetizers
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  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print



  Wine Pairing: Albariño.



Ingredients
  • 1 can hearts of palm (14 oz), drained and chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • ½ bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cucumber, chopped
  • ⅓ red onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Salt
  • 2 Hass avocados (or 4 small avocados, if serving as an appetizer)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Tortilla chips for serving


Directions
  1. Combine the first nine ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Halve the avocados and scoop out of the peel. Tutorial here.
  3. Place avocado halves on plates and top with the ceviche mix and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips on the side.
Beet Hummus Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta

Beet Hummus Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta

by Stacy ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
hummus pasta with tomatoes, spinach, and feta

I am not gross.

Not that you are 100% reassured and not at all suspicious, I will tell you why you should put hummus (and beet hummus, specifically) in your pasta. Hummus adds creaminess to pasta dishes without full-fat dairy products, and it increases the protein in vegetarian meals. Ever eat something, and think, “There is a tasty and familiar ingredient in here that I just can’t place”? Well, that’s the role of hummus in pasta, to be a delicious mystery. It sounds like it should be heavy, but it’s not, partly due to the addition of reserved pasta water transforming it to the perfect creamy consistency.

I used beet hummus here because I liked the idea of using traditional Greek salad ingredients (tomato, beets, olives, and feta) in a hot meal. If beets aren’t your thing, I get it. Not everyone is a borscht slurping Slavic like me. Just use whatever hummus flavor (original, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper) you do like.

Not convinced by hummus pasta? I have a baby step for you. The next time you make spaghetti marinara, add a scoop of original hummus into the marinara sauce. Once you taste and find it is delicious, you will be ready to make this.

  • 16 oz box pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 6 oz baby spinach
  • 10 oz package beet hummus
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • For topping: dill, feta crumbles, and sliced kalamata olives 
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!
  2. When your pasta has been boiling for a couple minutes, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are softened, stirring as needed.
  3. Add baby spinach a handful at a time, stirring until wilted, then adding the next handful.
  4. Reserve a cup of pasta water. 
  5. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Stir in hummus.
  6. Add reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time until you like the consistency of the pasta sauce. You may not need the full cup.
  7. Add desired toppings and serve.

Variation: For a vegan pasta, instead of adding feta, incorporate nutritional yeast into the sauce in step 6 for a bit of cheesy flavor.