Do Over! Rigatoni with Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas

Today I stumbled upon what sounded like the most delicious recipe: Rigatoni with Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas. What could be healthier than whole wheat pasta tossed with a beautiful green, vitamin packed, cancer-fighting vegetable like broccoli and delightful, protein rich beans? Imagine my disappointment as I skimmed the recipe only to discover it calls for anchovies, chicken bouillon and Romano cheese. First of all, this is definitely not vegan so I won't even go there. Secondly, this dish, although it sounds very healthy, is loaded with sodium. A definite no-go as far as I am concerned.

I was still interested, however. I am always looking for alternatives to the traditional pasta with sauce I often serve. My son is a big pasta lover and he would eat it every night if he could. And thankfully, he likes broccoli, so he would be willing to try this. So what do I do?

I could just omit the bouillon, anchovies and the cheese but those particular ingredients provide most of the flavor. I can substitute vegetable bouillon for a little added flavor but I have a feeling it would still be less than spectacular. Porcini mushrooms would lend some richness but my son hates mushrooms so that's not an option. I could add tons of garlic to the dish but still, I don't think it will be memorable. So I went into the kitchen and began to experiment.

First, here's the original recipe. You can make it this way if you want and I am sure it will be delicious. Go ahead. However, if you want to cut back on fat, calories, sodium and animal products, you might want to try it my way.

Rigatoni with Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas

Here's my variation:

I substituted the anchovies with brown miso paste. Miso paste will provide a bit of that salty richness that makes the original dish so tasty. I just don't want little fishies in my food or all that oil. You can buy miso paste in the refrigerated section of  most health food stores. If you are concerned about sodium, low-sodium varieties are available. That's what I use. I love miso paste and I always have it on hand. A little bit of miso is great for seasoning salad dressings and other dishes. I also use it to make home made miso soup.

Instead of using the chicken bouillon cubes (loaded with salt and fat), I used Vogue Cuisine Vegetarian Chicken Soup and Seasoning Base.  This product is vegan, non-GMO, low in sodium and does not contain any chicken. It's perfect for recipes that call for chicken broth or when plain vegetable broth just won't do.

Here's what I did. I sauteed the garlic in oil as the recipe dictates, but completely omitted the anchovies. I added the reserved chickpea liquid to the pan with the browned garlic and tossed in 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the Vegetarian Chicken Soup and Seasoning Base and stirred until dissolved over the heat. I removed the pan from the stove and stirred in 1 tablespoon of the miso paste, stirring well until completely dissolved. I poured the mixture into a roasting pan, added the broccoli and the chickpeas and mixed it well to coat.

I followed the remaining directions of the original recipe. A generous sprinkling of grated vegan Parmesan cheese added the finishing touch right before serving.

This was delicious.

Quick and Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce



It's Sunday! Most people become Italian on Sunday and eat pasta.  I do.

I remember my mom starting her sauce (some call it gravy) early on Sunday mornings. Into her big sauce pot she would toss lots and lots of minced garlic,  onions, oregano, parsley, basil, a few cans of whole tomatoes, tomato puree and some lamb shanks for flavor. She would fry up homemade balls (made from a mixture of beef, pork, eggs and breadcrumbs) and add those to sauce about halfway through cooking. Her sauce was an all day affair. The house smelled amazing.

Honestly, who has time for all that now? I know, I don't. My mom doesn't even do it that way anymore. Most of the time, she opens a few jars of sauce and just pours it over ziti.  My Italian grandmother is certainly rolling over in her grave over it.  When mom does make a homemade sauce, it's usually marinara sauce. Without meat. On special occasions, she might make meatballs to go along with it. And she always sets aside a cup or two of plain sauce before she tosses the meatballs into the pot. For me. The only vegetarian in the family.

If you come to my house for Sunday dinner, don't expect meat in my sauce. Or real meatballs. Sometimes, I will toss in veggie meatballs. Once they're covered in sauce, you can't really tell they are not made from meat. What you will get is a hearty marinara sauce laced with lots of garlic (cut with a razor blade) and plenty of fresh herbs and spices. Never, ever sauce from a jar. 

It's more ecomonical to make your own sauce. For the cost of one or two jars, you can make a huge pot of homemade tomato sauce. Freeze the rest to use through the week. Or for the following Sunday pasta dinner. You never have to worry about running out to the store to buy sauce. Just reach into the freezer. Gotta love that.

My usual homemade tomato sauce takes awhile to cook. I let it simmer on the stove for hours. I realize most people just don't have time for that. So I would like to share with you a very quick, very easy, homemade tomato sauce. It's delicious.

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic- mashed, minced or sliced very thin.
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 14-oz cans of Muir Glenn Fire Roasted tomatoes
 sea salt to taste (about a teaspoon)
freshly ground pepper
a small handful of raisins- optional. I usually toss a few raisins in my sauce for natural sweetness and to balance the acidity of the tomatoes- especially if I am using tomatoes from a can.

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. In it, stir-fry the garlic and oregano until the garlic is turning golden. Stir constantly so it doesn't stick.

2.  Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan and mash them up with a wooden spoon to mix them with the garlic and oil, and to break them up a bit. Don't mash them too much, since lumps of tomatoes are good in this sauce.

3.  Grind in lots of fresh black pepper and mix in the salt. You can add the raisins, if desired.

4.  Heat the sauce, stirring constantly until it's hot.  This will only take about 5 minutes.  If it's too juicy, cook a bit longer to evaporate some of the sauce.  Never put a lid on this sauce.

Pour over pasta and enjoy! Freeze the rest for another day!

:)