INVISIBLE PASTA!

I just ran this evening for the first time in two months and let me say, damn it feels good! (Though tomorrow is gonna hurt haha) But when I got back I didn't want something heavy like rice or potatoes to hold me down, so opted for as light as possible quick and easy pasta, but instead of drenching it in a heavy sauce why not try something new and try an invisible sauce? It's so quick/easy/good you won't see it coming! (<-haha that last pun is courtesy of my roommate)
Okay let's get down to business, what do you need?
Ingredients

-1 box of Pasta (any kind really but I went with the bow-tie kind, seems fitting cause I've been listening to Fred Astaire all day ;D)
-Olive Oil
-Frozen Veggies (your choice, I went with Peas & Corn simple & easy)
-1 Onion

Optional:

-Garlic (not required but I do love it)
-Fresh Veggies (I used 1 tomato)
-Balsamic Vinegar or Italian Salad Dressing (if you want it a bit of a 'zing' to it
-Mushrooms?

Okay if there's one thing you should know by now if you follow this blog at all it's how to make pasta, cause it's one of my favorite quick n' easy things to make so you might just fly through on autopilot with this one...





Chop one whole ONION and mix in GARLIC & MUSHROOMS(if you're using them) and then put it on med-high heat and simmer in OLIVE OIL until the onions star to look clear or translucent (they're preparing to be invisible!)



In a second pot get the noodles started, bring water to a boil add the pasta some salt and olive oil, stir occasionally...






Okay back at your 'saucy' pot, now that your onions are looking ghostly you can add all the frozen veggies you evil little heart desires...



Probably a good time to add some more olive oil too once all that defrosts a bit, and you can turn down the heat too. The "star" (hehe) of this meal is the olive oil, so treat him with the respect he deserves...




Don't forget to stir your noodles!! ;)



Once the Veggies are looking moist and smelling good you can turn down the heat, and add any fresh veggies you got to the pot... my choice this evening was one big fat TOMATO...




After you add those it's another good time to add some more olive oil (it's the main ingredient!) And if you want a 'zing-yer' pasta you can add some BALSAMIC VINEGAR or try some Italian SALAD DRESSING (it's mostly oil anyways)

.

and then you're pretty much just waiting on your noodles to finish up...



When they're done, drain & rinse those bad-boys then plop them back in your pan...

and add the invisible sauce & veggies all in the same pan...



Might even go for another round or olive oil to slick everything up? (depends on how much has burned away aready...)
Salt & Pepper & SPICE to taste! (maybe some basil, or tyme?)



And serve! Complete with dramatic lighting and everything!!

Happy Eating!

How much 30 bucks can get you in organic vegetables?

I'm finally back, it's been a crazy summer and my new semester started even crazier! But I'm back, and I just made an inspirational deal to keep me posting on here (which I'll tell you about later) but long story short, you can expect some more veggie goodness flowing from this site every week now...

But like I said this summer was kind of unexpected I did a lot of traveling and ended up in places where I couldn't do a lot of cooking... which really bugged me, so by the time school started I was so upset with all the junk (and less healthy) food I had been eating. So I did the best thing possible I went for a sunny, friday morning trip down to the local Farmer's Market and loaded up on enough good veggies and fruit to get my diet back on track!



Look at the colors, Duke!



And don't you know? There's nothing like good wholesome food to get you back on your feet and feeling super again!





For the first week I think I blended smoothies every day!





It may not look super appealing in its final form, but on a hot day your body, your tongue, and your stomach will thank you later!



All this for 29 bucks! and it lasted me two weeks easily. Can not beat the Farmer's Market! So next time you think you've been eating out too much, or haven't had time to eat the way you want to go back to the basics! Eat fresh, eat local!

Stay Hungry guys!

Punk Rock BEANS!

What's more punk rock than beans? NOTHING!

I grafted today's recipe from a rather unusual little cook book I picked up last time I was in Portland, SOY, NOT "OI!" is an awesome little recipe book/punk zine filled with enough awesomely tasty recipes and vegan anarchy that it has become one of my favorite cook books!

AND I just found out you can buy yourself one right here:

It's a couple bucks more than I paid for it, but hey you don't have to drive all the way to Portland, Oregon!

Sure it's easy to buy cans of beans for a dollar or two but save up and buy a BIG bag of dry beans and you will be living! This recipe is way tastier than those canned beans you're used to and not much harder either!

INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups of dry pinto beans
-1 Can of tomato Paste (or half a can of tomato sauce)
-1 Onion
OPTIONAL:
-Mushrooms
-Bell peppers
-Tomatoes
-(Serve with:) 2 cups of rice (cooked)

As with all beans you start with scratch you're going to need to soak them in water and let it sit there for at least 8 hours if not over night (just remember to do it the night before or first thing in the morning) Just fill the pan with water and let it sit. Add some salt and pepper here too so that it can soften the beans a bit. If you can check on it once in a while and just add water if the beans end up above water (they like to absorb quite a bit of water) Easy so far...

flash forward 8 hours and then I drain the nasty bean water and strain the beans under a cold tap!

Next fill the pan up again with fresh water, and bring to a boil! AND add a couple drips of olive oil!

As your waiting for it to boil you can start cutting the onions (and mushrooms if you want them)And then when the beans boil you can take the heat down to a medium temp and throw in the chopped goodies!

Next you're gonna wanna let that boil for like an hour and half!
Keep adding water as needed (but if you keep it covered while its cooking it seems to require less added water)

After the beans are all soft and nice you can drain whatever water's left and then thow them back on the heat and add your tomato paste (and tomatoes if you got um) and here's where you can spice to your taste... salt, pepper, chili, a bit of curry powder and some paprika seems like a nice combo, but see what works for you!

now let it cook like this stirring occasionally until the beans are all globby and beautiful :)

now just throw it over some rice or just have it straight! and ENJOY!

Happy Eating!

Not the healthiest, but a much loved classic...

Who says that vegetarians don't ever feel 'meaty?'

Vegetable Overdose Soup

I've been sick all weekend but somehow I had the foresight to make an awesome vegetable soup the day BEFORE I got sick... talk about jedi abilities. Damn.

Anways it was so good, and SIMPLE that I figured I should share it with you all for your summer sickness you will obtain... this will surely help. Except STDs... that's a different kind of "summer sickness" sorry. =D

Also I must note I am very new to this whole soupmaking business so if I'm not doing something "properly" my order is incorrect you send me a msg about how do it right but I gotta say, it turned out well and very tasty so I feel that's a sign my method worked out fine, yes?

This recipe is also great for the end of the week when your vegetables are looking a little limp and you're about to throw them out... trust me throw them IN the soup and you'll be much more pleased with the result!

OKAY PREPARE TO BE STUNNED WITH HOW SIMPLE THIS IS. It takes a whole ton of ingredients the way I prepared it but you can really substitute whatever you want with it based on what you got in the fridge, what they sell at your market or what you like or dislike or what's in season. As most of my recipes this makes a WHOLE TON of soup so if you're feeding yourself you could easily half (or quarter the recipe) but the way I see it leftovers are awesome so if you don't think you can finish it all *shrugs* freeze half of it and surprise yourself in a month when you're digging through the freezer and starving with nothing in the fridge...



INGREDIENTS:
1 box (quart) of vegetable broth
1 Large Onion
2(?) stems of Broccoli
2-4 stems of Celery
2-3 Carrots

OPTIONAL:
4-6 Mushrooms
1-2 Cans of Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas
1/4 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
2-4 Tomatoes
(ANY OTHER VEGETABLE?)

Okay to begin empty your entire box of Vegetable Broth into a large or deep pan and turn it on high till it boils...



While your waiting chop your onions and mushrooms




and add them into the soup...



(I also Added the frozen vegetables here but I guess it doesn't really matter when you add them...)



Now cut all your fresh vegetables!
BROCCOLI....



Carrots...



Celery...



ALL THREE of these are what I would consider almost super necessary because they make for the best ingredients to add to a vegetable soup... but that's my opinion and if you don't care be my guest go astray and feel free to email me if you tried something weird and it turned out really great!

Now your soup should have boiled so lower to a medium-low heat and then add all the veggies!

Also now you can add the tomatoes(just cause I had some to throw in!), chickpeas or anything else you've got!



Spice to your taste; I like a bit of sea salt, lots of pepper, some basil, and oregano!


(also my pan was looking a little low (cause its a very wide pan) for the amount of veggies in it, if you have this problem you can throw in a cup of water, this will dilute the pure veggie taste a bit but it will work either way)

NOW THROW A LID ON THAT HOT MESS AND GO DO SOMETHING ELSE!
Let the soup cook for a good 1hour and a half to 2 hours! Don't go too far and forget to stir occasionally but really you can kind of let it do its thing for a while let all the ingredients just meld together into this awesome swamp of vegetable goodness!




So yes, you just essentially throw everything into a pan and let it cook for a couple hours and you're good! HOW SIMPLE WAS THAT? SHIZZ.




After you've waited sufficient time (my indicator is usually if the carrots are soft) POUR THAT JAZZ INTO A BOWL AND ENJOY!!



ALSO as the week goes on and you're getting sick of soup you can mix it up a bit and add some rice and rooster sauce (optional) and have yourself a spicy hot rice porridge! (especially good later in the week when I just wanted to smoke out what was left of my cold!)

HAPPY EATING!