Vegan Pasta Carbonara

Pasta carbonara's staple ingredient is bacon. It my be accompanied with other vegetables, eggs, and cheese. Sans egg and cheese, and add roasted tempeh bacon tossed in oil can be a segue into the vegan world. Throw in some green peas for color. And for the richness that's typically found in eggs and cheese, accomplish this using a herbed cashew cream, a blend of toasted garlic, soaked raw cashews, fresh Italian parsley and marjarom, veggie stock, miso, tahini, Dijon mustard, and a touch of lemon juice. When tossing the pasta, drizzle some extra-virgin oil for a finishing taste.

Nouveau rouladen

Rouladen is a German dish made of a spiced stuffing, typically with ground meat, and stuffed into cabbage leaf. Applying similar concepts, a vegan makeover was in order. The stuffing was made of sauteed onions, carrots, toasted ground caraway and fennel seeds, savoy cabbage, green peas, parsley, ground tempeh, and risotto style rice all rolled into brick dough and baked. Served atop a pool of crimini mushroom lager sauce (crimini mushrooms, Köstritzer Schwarzbier, porcini stock, and a cornstarch slurry) and simply roasted white and green asparagus, the once-bland looking rouladen got a major upgrade. For better or worse, that is for you to judge.

A little truffley for depth

Truffle oil is a very potent and flavourful oil that is to be used in moderation. I say moderation is key. So what goes well with truffle oil? How about a salad medley of spicy mizuna, roasted golden beets, roasted chef mixed mushrooms, whole leaf Italian parsley, French green lentils, and a vinaigrette made of Dijon mustard, white balsamic vinegar, honey, orange juice, extra-virgin olive oil, with just a touch of truffle oil. It's a very deep salad.

Forbidden rice bowl

Forbidden rice is a black rice, usually heirloom, and has a chewy and nutty texture and taste. When cooked, it releases purple colors. The rice was paired with sesame studded steamed bok choy, sauteed shiitake mushrooms with garlic and tamari, Hodo curry tofu nuggets, and orange sesame sauce (orange juice, ginger, garlic, tahini, Asian sesame paste, rice vinegar, organic honey, and grape seed oil).

Vodka sauce sans cream

Vodka pasta sauce, the sauce with the pinkish hue, is creamy, tomato-ey, and absolutely delicious. In the vegan rendition, the good-old cashew "cream" comes to the rescue. It's important to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours so that it blends smoother. Add a bit of lemon juice and salt to create the slightly sour taste that cream has. The sauce started with a saute of garlic, shallots, and vodka-soaked red chili flakes. I added a bit of sherry wine to impart a sweetness and cooked until the wine reduced. Tomato paste and canned tomatoes with basil were then stirred into the pot and simmered, after which the sauce was removed from heat and blended until smooth. Meanwhile, saute asparagus and allow the water to cook out a bit. Stir in the blended sauce and allow to simmer so that the subtle tones of the asparagus infuses the sauce. Lastly, stir in the cashew cream. toss with your favorite pasta and garnish with chopped roasted cashews and parsley.

A piece of the bowl

One of the items featured in the raw Buddha bowl was a marinated shiitake mushrooms. It was marinated raw, with raw garlic, nama shoyu, and a touch of sesame oil. As it sat overnight, the flavors really penetrated into the mushrooms. Fold in some scallions on the day of serving.


The whole bowl encompassed raw baby spinach, cauliflower and macadamia nut rice with whole mint, whole cilantro, julienne basil, sea salt, lemon-infused olive oil, and extra-virgin olive oil, shredded carrots, sugar snap peas, mangoes, and a coconut-peanut sauce. The sauce was a blend of raw peanuts, ginger, garlic, curry powder, toasted coconut, coconut water, red chili flakes, apple cider vinegar, kaffir lime leaves, maple syrup, and a touch of sesame oil.

A trip to Persia

Back in the carnivore days, I loved to go to Moby Dick. They had the best chicken joojeh sandwich wrapped in fresh bread and all the fixings, including the yogurt sauce. Since then, it's not really been the same when I visit a Persian restaurant, as their menu items are filled with meat items. Khoresht e Baamieh is a Persian style okra stew typically made with some sort of ground meat, either beef or lamb. In the vegan rendition, ground tempeh was used.

Persian style okra and tempeh stew
Saffron rice
Persian cucumber yogurt

The stew started with browning of garlic and yellow onions in grapeseed oil. Add in the turmeric, tomato paste, ground tempeh, vegetable stock, okra, and diced tomatoes, cooking each item for a bit before adding in the next item. Sereved on a bed of basmati rice steamed with saffron broth and folded with extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. And of course, a dollop of the Maast-o Khiar (soy yogurt, garlic, diced shallots, dill, seeded and diced English cucumbers, and a touch of lemon juice and salt) was added.

Nature makes me question...

With things like globe artichokes, nature really makes me question whether or not these perennial thistles are meant to be eaten. They have prickly leaves which give the skin a nice bite and at its heart is a fuzzy center, that when ingested, seems to "choke" you. To prep, you must trim the stalk, trim the prickly ends of the leaves, and after steaming, open up it's center to remove the choke. After all this work, it is fun to eat and to stuff with any filling your heart desires.

Quinoa pilaf stuffed globe artichoke

Crostini toast with fava leaf pesto

The pilaf was duo of steamed white and red quinoa along with kalamata olives, minced red onions, raw chopped garlic, golden raisins, fresh oregano, fresh Italian parsley, fresh lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. After the initial steaming the artichokes (about 20 minutes) and removing the choke, stuff them with the pilaf and steam for an additional 15 minutes so that the leaves are tender and edible. The fava leaf pesto made of soaked and toasted walnuts, raw garlic, fresh fava leaves, lemon juice, and lots of extra-virgin olive oil adorned crostini toasts.

Fettuccine in fava bean sauce

Fava beans definitely have a unique flavor. There are people who like it and those who could do without it. I am of the latter population. When mature, the beans must be removed from the inedible rough pod, as well as the thick outer sheath that envelopes each bean. There is a lot of prep for something I am not too fond of. However, thank goodness for frozen prepped fava beans. That is how I was able to make a fava bean sauce for the pasta.

Fettuccine in fava bean sauce with roasted white asparagus and French green lentils

The sauce was made by browning chopped garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Adding the fava beans and red chili flakes and saute until nicely browned. Stir in the Italian parsley and fresh basil leaves along with vegetable stock. Allow to simmer. Puree in a blender until smooth. Finish with lemon juice, s&p, and some extra extra-virgin olive oil. Roast a set of fava beans and fold into sauce and toss with pasta, simply roasted asparagus, and cooked French green lentils. Enjoy with abandon.