What Dinner Looks Like

This is fairly typical of what I eat every day. I operate under the assumption that this is a balanced meal. Truthfully, I usually split this up into two different meals . . . salad for lunch and the pasta for dinner. Eating both dishes in one sitting tonight made me SO FULL!

In the foreground here, we have a recreation of a childhood favorite . . . which I'm going to call Chef Soyardee's Pene with "beefy" sauce. And behind it, there's one of my famous bowl-o'-greens salads. Which is one of the simplest concoctions I make. I feel stupid posting it . . . but it's so friggin' tasty!

Here we have about 3 cups of pre-washed, bagged spinach that I've very roughly chopped. (I just ran a chef's knife through the pile of spinach once to make it easier to eat.) On top is 1/3 of a cup of walnuts that I dry toasted in a skillet for a couple of minutes. And on the side, there we have a carrot that I've turned into sticks . . . I like eating raw vegetables with my hands when I can. It's not in the photo, but I dressed it with some balsamic vinaigrette, kosher salt and pepper. There's just something delicious about the taste of toasted walnuts and spinach together. When the nuts are still hot on top of the salad, the contrast between the cool, crispy spinach and the fragrant, warm walnuts is unbelievable.

As for the pasta, it's one of those brainless, one-pot, weeknight meals. I usually make this later at night, toss it into a bowl, and zonk out in front of the Colbert Report.

Here's the Recipe:

Chef Soyardee's Pene with "Beefy" Sauce
Ingredients:
•3/4 cup dry whole wheat pene
•1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
•1 clove garlic, minced
•1/2 cup frozen veggie burger crumbles (or rehydrated TVP, if you prefer)
•1 tsp. dried oregano
•1/4 tsp. dried basil
•1/4 tsp dried rosemary
•1/2 to 3/4 cup of your favorite bottled tomato sauce
•salt
•pepper
•cooking spray
•water (for steam sauteing)

In a medium sauce pan, boil the pene according to the directions on the package. (Mine said 7-9 minutes . . . yours may differ.) When the pene is done, drain it in a colander and leave the colander and pasta in the sink.

Give the pan a quick rinse and return it to the stove on medium heat. Make sure the sauce pan is dry and spray it with some canola oil cooking spray (or whatever kind you buy). Saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. (See note about steam-sauteing)

Add the veggie crumbles (or TVP) and the spices. Saute this until good and hot, about five minutes. You may need to add some water (you know how vegan meat-things like to absorb liquid, after all, especially if you're using TVP). Then, add the tomato sauce and cooked pene (you know, the stuff I made you leave in the sink). Heat this up until it boils and sputters at you. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Believe me . . . it needs salt. A good three-fingered pinch of kosher does it for me.)

Throw it into a bowl, grab a fork, and watch some Comedy Central, you deserve it.
Serves 1.

NOTE about steam sauteing: At any point when you're sauteing the onion, garlic, and/or veggie crumbles, if the pan looks like it's getting too dry, or things start sticking, or the bottom of the pan is getting brown stuff on it . . . drizzle in a little water, like a teaspoon or two. This is a technique called steam sauteing or steam frying, if you're not familiar with it. I've been trying to find a how-to sort of guide for it, but I can't seem to be able to. I'll keep looking, and let you know if I come up with anything.

ANOTHER NOTE about using TVP: When you rehydrate the TVP, make sure you do it in something delicious and flavorful --not just water-- when you use it in this recipe. I used a mixture of water, Bragg Liquid Aminos, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and a couple drops of liquid smoke. To get 1/2 cup rehydrated, it takes a scant 1/4 cup TVP and 1/4 cup boiling liquid. (But I suppose you knew that already, you vegan fox, you.) And you may need to add some extra water and tomato sauce to the end product, as the TVP really likes to absorb the tomato sauce in this recipe.