Making dinner healthier, one slow cooker at a time.
In my pre-vegan days eggs were often my go to ingredient for a quick dinner. Now that I’m vegan, I still make some of the same convenience foods only I use the magic of tofu instead of eggs.
Scrambling tofu is surprisingly similar to scrambling eggs in that the excitement comes from the add-ins. (And be honest, the picture above looks pretty close to regular scrambled eggs.) to recipes→
Sometimes I leave the house without dinner in the slow cooker. For days like that this pasta sauce is easy to put together and tastes like you really put a ton of effort into it. In fact, it’s good enough to serve at your next dinner party!
Tip: Hate trying to carve a giant winter squash? Worry about cutting yourself? Some winter squash are huge and cutting them can be intimidating. Next time try softening it up in the oven first. Poke holes in your squash, place on a cookie sheet, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Take it out and let it cool enough that you can touch it. You should be able to slice through it much easier. You can also use pre-cooked purée from your slow cooker!
Quick and Easy Vegan Winter Squash Pasta Sauce
Serves 4
In a saucepan with a lid, add the prepared squash, bouillon, and add enough water to completely cover the squash. The amount of water needed will vary on the size of pan you choose to use.
Cook with lid on over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until you can pierce the squash easily with a fork.
Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium high. Add the sage and mash the squash with a wooden spoon as you stir. Cook down until the extra water has evaporated and it is a thick sauce. (If it was almost cooked dry in step 2, add ½ to 1 cup extra water, then mash.)
Add the liquid smoke, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or sage if it doesn’t make you happy yet.
Serve over cooked pasta.
You may (or may not) wonder what I’m eating when there is a lull here at the blog. Sometimes it means a recipe is being developed and isn’t quite ready to show the world and other times I’m rushing around catching up on housework, bills, and writing.
As much as I want to cook every meal we eat, it’s not always possible. I keep Tasty Bite on hand for a last-minute meal. In my house we call this cheater food since it looks (and tastes) like you actually worked to get the meal on the table. They even have pre-cooked brown rice. They are also great to bring with you when you go camping.
They have 28 vegan dishes that are clearly labeled vegan, as well as some that are kosher and/or gluten-free too. You can see their list on-line. The entrees are usually between 150 to 200 calories a serving and each pack contains 2 servings. At my local stores they run around $3.00 each, which makes them much cheaper than takeout.
If you can’t bear to eat a ready-made dinner they have some wonderful cooking sauces, that can help you get dinner on the table fast. Their Korma, Pad Thai, Rogan Josh, Satay, and Tikka Masala sauces are all vegan. It’s a great way to use up the last of your CSA or just to elevate frozen veggies.
Tasty Bite also has a line they call Meal Inspirations. I keep a few of the Zany Multigrain and Barley Medley in my desk if I can’t get out to my favorite Indian restaurant, Curry Leaves, for lunch.
The best part about Tasty Bite is that they really are tasty. But I also love the fact that they contain all natural ingredients and no preservatives.
I haven’t tried one of their dishes that I haven’t liked, but Bombay Potatoes, Mushroom Takatak, Bengal Lentils, and Channa Masala are the favorites at my house.
Follow Tasty Bite on Facebook and /or Twitter to find out about new dishes and recipes.
Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully yours is less weird than mine. 3 days last week the temperature got into the 80s. This morning it’s in the 30s and was sleeting. It’s just too surreal for a Monday…
Since I just don’t have enough to do I thought I’d start a new blog. (Ok, maybe I had some things to do that I decided to avoid for the weekend like taxes…)
Busy Vegan is going to be a place for me to post non-slow cooker recipes. Don’t get me wrong, Healthy Slow Cooking will keep going strong. But I don’t cook in my slow cooker for every meal, and sometimes I’m running too behind in the morning to even think about dinner. I also want to get back into a meal planning frame of mind.
So if you have a minute check out the Penne with Fresh Peas Topped with a Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Sauce recipe I posted over there. It was very easy to make and my picky eater loves peas – the one vegetable I’m not over the moon about. You can also sign up for updates on the new site and get then via email or rss.
Giveaway ends May 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
