There is always hope

 

I don't know how you say the 3thrd day of Christmas, but here in Switzerland we call it the "Stephansday". Don't ask me who Stephan was - I don't really know.....

 

Yesterday we had a "small" meeting for coffee and snack with the kingship at my uncles house. It was good to see almost everybody. My youngest cousine was also there, she came from a city located in the middle of switzerland ( I live at the border). So we don't really often see eachother.

During the afternoon she played the panflute. It was so great - I love the sound of the panflute (hope I pronounce it right) with the music in the background.

 

Today there is nothing special plannend and so I will stay home.

 

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Cheesy pasta casserole with sausage, greens, and cornbread crumb topping

 

 

Ah, the casserole. What could be better on a chilly evening?

 

Oh, how I love it.I combined finely shredded kale with tofu, cooked the pasta, then poured over the sauce straight from the blender. Leftover cornbread that went stale in the freezer makes the crispy topping, which gets a quick dusting of minced cilantro before serving. This goes into the oven in about 15 minutes.

 

Makes 6-8 servings

230 g gluten-free quinoa-corn radiatore or rotini pasta
100 g finely shredded kale
225 g tofu or any you like
leftover cornbread (90 g)
fresh cilantro

 

Preheat the oven to 180C

 

Cook the pasta according to package directions, usually about 10 minutes. Make sure you use a big pot, a lot of water, and have it really boiling. I add a good spoonful of salt and a small splash of olive oil, which seems to help the gluten-free pasta’s consistency.

 

Finely shred the kale after removing the tough stems. Saute the kale with the tofu in a skillet with a small amount of oil while the pasta is cooking.

 

After taste-testing the pasta to make sure it’s just cooked through but not too soft, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain well.

 

Make the Cashew Cheez Sauce, recipe below.

 

Spray a heatproof casserole dish with cooking spray. Toss the pasta with the kale-chorizo mixture (I use the rinsed-out pasta pan for this), then pour over the cheez sauce. Toss until everything is well-coated. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.

 

Crumble the stale cornbread into crumbs, making an even layer on top.

 

Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Finely chop some fresh cilantro and sprinkle over the top.

 

Cashew Cheez Sauce

130 g cashew butter*
45 ml fresh lemon juice
15 g nutritional yeast flakes
1-1/2 T. light or chickpea miso
1 t.  onion powder
pinch of garlic powder
up to 250 ml water
Sea salt to taste

 

Place all ingredients in the blender except the water and blend until a smooth consistency. Add water until you get a thin pourable sauce. It will thicken as it bakes, so don’t make it too thick.

 

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Roasted red pepper and cherry tomato salad

 

Another super-simple salad at its best.
Beautiful organic peppers and yellow pear-shaped cherry tomatoes combine with fresh basil and just a touch of olive oil and lemon juice. If you have bell peppers that are past their prime, roasting them is an excellent way to use them up!

Roasted red pepper and cherry tomato salad
About 4 servings
2 large red bell peppers
450 g yellow cherry tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh basil
15-30 ml olive oil
1/2 lemon
sea salt
cracked black pepper

If you can’t find yellow tomatoes, use regular cherry tomatoes with orange or yellow bell peppers. Just as pretty!

Roast the peppers, peel and cut into thin slices. Slice the tomatoes in half. Julienne (roll up and cut into fine ribbons) the basil leaves. Toss everything in a serving bowl with the juice from the lemon half, the olive oil, and the salt and pepper.

Tofu Casserole

Today I had again a appointement about a job and maybe getting hired. This time I really hope I will get the job! The last talk ended in a negativ answer - as I expected. Tough the talk was really short, only about 20 min. I never had a that short one, well I have to say it was Lunchtime and they probably wanted to get something in the stomach....

The positiv thing about the job is, that's in the same village I live and I would only have about 10 min to be there. This way I could go home for Lunchtime and don't have to go eating somewhere and won't be late home in the evening.
But lets see, if I get the job. I will now it by the end of the week.

 

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Artichoke and Spicy Tofu Casserole

 

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 spring onions sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1 cup prepared vegan cream sauce*
• 8 ounces artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 package spicy tofu pieces (about 1 & 1/2 cups or 10 ounces)
• 1 & 1/2 cups long grain rice or black and white mixture (white and wild rice)
• 1/2 cup soy cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup soy milk or other no-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• vegan Parmesan, soy cheese or dried bread crumbs as topping

for the vegan cream sauce:

• 1 cup soy cream or soy milk or soy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable bouillon powder
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional but gives a bit of color and flavor)

Directions:

to prepare the rice:

1. Cook the rice in 3 cups lightly salted water.
2. Cook until the water has been almost completely absorbed (10 inures or so).
3. Remove from the heat and put a lid on the rice to allow it to further swell.

to make the vegan cream sauce:

1. Place the soy cream or soy yogurt in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the corn starch and stir well to mix.
3. Add the vegetable bouillon powder and soy sauce if using.
4. Heat the mixture until it becomes a nice thick sauce, stirring so that it does not scorch.
5. Remove from the heat.

to make the casserole:

1. In a large frying pan, melt the vegan margarine and saute the carrot, sweet bell pepper and green onion until the vegetables are al dente.
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Put the cooked rice in a large bowl.
4. Add the sauteed vegetables and then the prepared vegan cream sauce.
5. Add the artichoke, thawed peas, tofu, grated vegan cheese, thyme, and non-dairy milk.
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
7. Gently mix and pour into an oiled baking dish, or individual casserole dishes.
8. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan, grated soy cheese or dried bread crumbs.
9. Bake, covered in a 350 F / 177 C oven for 10 minutes, uncover then bake for about 5 more minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.
10. We dusted the top with a pinch of sweet paprika for color.
11. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

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