Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sunny With a Chance of RECIPE!!!

So I am going to post a little recipe that is good for you & the planet (hello using up all those random items in your fridge/pantry here you come)!

So this is good for you because 1) it's vegan, 2) it's homemade, 3) it's seasonal (& if you're me local & organic), 4) it's cheap cuz it's all left over stuff you already have!

This is good for the planet because 1) you're not wasting (food, gas to go to a grocery store, packaging from fast food, etc.), 2) you're supporting the seasonal foods in your area & your farmers & local economy.

Now on to the yummy stuff-the food!!! I call this my "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Pasta". It started with a puttanesca recipe that I LOVE (and still make all the time) and evolved as I had or did not have ingredients. It's different every time and a great way to use up old food items hanging around in your fridge or pantry.

Here is what I used last night for my dinner:
1 lb. pasta (I used spaghetti), boil in salted water until pasta is soft (or al dente if you prefer).

in skillet or wok make your sauce:
-swirl of olive oil
-1/2 an onion chopped
-3-6 cloves garlic (make it as garlicky as you want it)
-handful shredded carrots
-1 can squished plum tomatoes
-1 can artichoke hearts roughly chopped
-1 handful of olives roughly chopped
-1-3 spoonfuls of capers
-pinch of dried oregano
-pinch of dried basil
-pinch of dried parsley
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-2 spoonfuls of sundried tomatoes in oil
-freshly ground pepper to taste
-pinch of sea salt to taste
-pinch of brown sugar

Heat pan on high, swirl in oil, when oil is heated (it'll smell like olives) toss in onions & carrots. When onions are translucent toss in garlic. Keep it moving with a wooden spoon. Once everything is soft add your tomatoes first followed by all other veggies. Stir a few times. Add your spices & stir to combine. Once all ingredients are combined allow to cook for a few minutes on high then lower heat to alllow sauce to thicken. Keep stirring so as nothing burns. Drain pasta & throw into skillet/wok. Turn off heat & mix pasta & sauce. Serve in bowl with your favorite vegan parmesan or mozzarella cheese topping (we used the recipe from Veganize This! made entirely from nuts!).

Now I use any random items I have hanging around like the pasta & cans of veggies in my pantry. I used onions and garlic from the farmer's market. I used left over carrots from a "cool slaw" recipe we made last week. I usually love to use fresh herbs but I didn't have any & had a plethora of dried spices in my spice cabinet so I went to town. I will even use up the caper brine sometimes instead of salt. Anything that you have laying around left over, anything fresh from the farmer's market, anything really-use it! Make yourself some delicioso pasta & go to town. It'll make you tummy & tongue happy campers (your wallet too)!

Now go eat!! :D

Over 105 Degrees With a Chance of Behind!

I'm behind in posting, I know, I am sorry. This post has so many pictures it will make up for it all! We took a for real mini-break to visit Kari & Crew in Las Vegas!

The trip started out a little pooey in the sense that we got stuck in traffic for a brush fire (so sad) and then an accident (jerks driving on the shoulder) & then Colonel Mustard & Mesa were having issues. Everyone was a bit worried or stressed about the weekend and them not being friendly. We hit the hay and hoped for the best...

Well Saturday morning I slept in with Colonel (by slept in I mean 8:30am) when Big Carl was unleashed on me and licked inside my nose to wake me up. Well needless to say I was up! Mesa didn't want to be left out of the fun so she headbutted the bedroom door open and she & Colonel started a face off. Well Joe & I decided to try to work this thing out with them. We herded everyone downstairs (minus Kari & her hubs who were out at the moment). We figured out the issue was both pups were greeting face on & both pups have issues with being greeted face on due to being super excited. Well we worked it out & had a wrestling filled weekend as Mesa & Colonel became BEST FRIENDS! We also tried to get Colonel to swim-he's a great swimmer, he just HATES water. Poor little man! Big mama Baily kept trying to break up the other 3 pups' fun. Big Carl got loads of "Second Mom" snuggles. We humans watched tons of football & Tanked on Animal Planet, drank a bunch of beer, and ate amazing food. Joe & I met up with our pal Lacey for breakfast & coffee/tea which was tons of fun. And Joe & I got to meet up with my college friends Annie & Pat (as well as meet their ADORABLE daughter & Annie's mom) for lunch. Such fun times!

All in all it was a wonderful break from real life & a great get-away! We miss everyone already!!!

Check out our fun in the sun, pool, and the pups friendship forging!



















































































































Jealous of our great time?! Hope you had lovely Labor Day weekends chickens!