Vegan Linguine with Chipotle Pumpkin Cream Sauce + Giveaway!

If you have ever purchased a can of chipotles in adobo for a recipe only to use one or two peppers and leave the remainder sitting in the can in the back of your fridge indefinitely, you're not alone- I'm right there with you. The smoked, dried jalapeño peppers pack such a flavorful punch that you'll rarely ever need an entire can for one dish, so the rest sadly often goes to waste. But this conundrum is now solved with an ingenious product I recently discovered called Olo's Chipotle Paste.

Similar to the tubes of tomato paste you may already be familiar with- because who ever uses a whole can of tomato paste in one fell swoop, really- all natural pureed chipotle is packed in a resealable aluminum tube for a practically everlasting shelf life. And the fine paste consistency conveniently allows you to skip the step of seeding and mincing your chipotles, a worthwhile advantage in my opinion. 

I was eager to play around with my new find, so when I came across this recipe from fellow food blogger Stefanie at Sarcastic Cooking I knew I had to recreate it. Her Fall-inspired chipotle pumpkin linguine is unique and and comforting, and you would never know that it's a vegan dish from the looks of it, or the taste! I adapted it only slightly by adding a touch of agave syrup at the end; I think the hint of sweetness is the perfect thing to balance the smoky spice of the chipotle. 

Definitely give this recipe a try- it would be brilliant as a vegetarian main course with fresh sautéed veggies added to it (think zucchini, tomatoes corn or peppers), or wonderful as a side dish alongside pan seared chicken or a roasted pork tenderloin.

Olo Foods was kind enough to send me a tube of their All Natural Chipotle Paste to give away so that you can make this and many other chipotle recipes of your own at home! To enter this giveaway, complete the following steps:

1. Leave a comment below telling me what you would make with Olo's Chipotle Paste!

2. Follow me on Twitter.

3. Add me on Facebook. 

I'll announce a winner via Facebook on November 1st. Good luck!

adapted from Sarcastic Cooking
serves 2
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp-1tbsp chipotle paste (or canned chipotle in adobo)
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp agave syrup
4  oz dried linguine pasta
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
Salt, to taste

Instructions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add linguine. Cook until pasta is al dente, then drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chipotle paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Gradually whisk in almond milk until well incorporated and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few more minutes until sauce is thickened and remove from heat. Add agave and season with salt.
4. Toss pasta with sauce and top with pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

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Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli

 It's not very often that I get a hankering to make homemade pasta. Don't get me wrong, I could eat pasta every day of the week and twice on Sunday (I don't, of course...but I could). It is easily my favorite type of food, and nothing compares to pasta that is painstakingly made from scratch. Not even the most expensive, high-quality, imported dried pasta comes remotely close. The texture and flavor of fresh pasta is simply out of this world, but it's such a commitment. Make the dough, roll it out, shape it, cook it...ain't nobody got time for that! It truly is a labor of love. So the shortcut variety almost always wins out, but when I woke up one cloudy morning with a rare clear agenda I thought to myself, today is a perfect day to make some pasta.

But not just any pasta. Ravioli. And not just any ravioli. Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli! The filling is light, fluffy and tangy; a wonderful contrast to the dense, chewy pasta that envelops it. And I'm crazy about the intense fuchsia hue- who cuts into a ravioli and expects to see that?! I marvel at the fact that a color so bright can be found in nature, so that last thing I wanted to do was to disguise it with a heavy, opaque sauce. To keep it simple I made a quick sauce from a bit of starchy pasta water, fresh chives and butter. Less is more!

serves 2

Ingredients

Fresh pasta dough

1 large beet

1/4 cup goat cheese

2 tbsp grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp fresh chives, minced

salt & freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beet tightly in aluminum foil (drizzle with olive oil first if desired) and roast for approximately 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then coarsely chop.

2. Add beet, goat cheese, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Transfer mixture to refrigerator to chill while rolling out the pasta dough.

3. Roll out two sections of dough into thin sheets using a pasta machine. Test the thickness of the sheets by placing your hand behind it (if you can make out the shadow of your hand behind the pasta it is ready to be filled).

4. Place rounded teaspoons of the chilled filling onto one pasta sheet about 3 inches apart. Cover with the second sheet of pasta, pressing lightly on the filling to remove any air bubbles. Cut ravioli using a round cookie cutter and press around the edges using the tines of a fork to seal.

5. Add raviolis to salted boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes until pasta is cooked. The raviolis will begin to float to the surface when the pasta is done cooking. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to serving plates.
6. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add chives and cook until water begins to evaporate. Gradually add butter 1 cube at a time, allowing each cube to melt before adding the next.
7. Spoon butter sauce over ravioli and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with grated parmesan if desired.

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Vegan Tomato Tart

As many of you may know I have been having all sorts of fun lately creating recipes that utilize healthy ingredients as an alternative to the conventional components of a dish. For all my testing and tasting I have had pleasantly successful results. Healthy food can be so delicious if you commit to using fresh, vibrant ingredients! But this tart...wow. This tart is my swan song- it is vegan, no-carb, almost raw (I cooked the crust at 250 degrees rather than in a dehydrator for hours upon hours) and full of unbelievably rich flavor. And it's so pretty to look at, which basically makes you want to devour it immediately. Credit there is fully due to the gorgeous rainbow of cherry tomatoes I picked up at the farmers market, gotta enjoy them while we still can!

Who doesn't love to nibble on a dainty slice of tart alongside a simple green salad...it just makes one feel so fancy, doesn't it? The magic of this tart is walnuts, which stand in for a traditional buttery crust as well as a creamy, cheesy filling. You definitely get your daily dose of omega-3s with this tart, and none of the guilt!

Ingredients

for the crust:
3 cups walnuts
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp. salt

for the filling:
3 cups walnuts, soaked overnight
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 handful basil leaves

Instructions
1. To make the crust, place the walnuts in a food processor and blend for about 10 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.
2. Press the crust into a tart pan and bake at 250 degrees for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool completely.
3. To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time if needed to reach desired consistency. 4. Transfer tomatoes to a baking sheet and warm in the oven for about 30 minutes at 250 degrees, until just softened.
5. To assemble, pour filling into cooled crust and arrange tomatoes on top. Garnish with basil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow tart to set.

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Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Apple Streusel Topping

I am utterly and completely in a Fall state of mind- I know, technically I'm a few days early, but as soon as I picked up my Pumpkin Cupcake candles from Bath & Body Works I promptly bid adieu to Summer and started daydreaming about breaking out my chunky riding boots and cozy sweaters...now if only the sunny Santa Barbara weather would cooperate with my wardrobe preferences.

As we transition into this cooler season I find myself looking forward to infusing my dishes with all of the wonderful flavors of Fall. Warm, comforting and full of spices, Autumn recipes are among my all-time favorites to make.

So I'm officially kicking off the season with an irresistible recipe for an apple, caramel and streusel topped cheesecake! But this is not just any cheesecake, people. This one is no-bake (which I love- just set it and forget it!) and features a tangy, fluffy hint of greek yogurt. It's just the thing to lighten up this otherwise decadent dessert.

I came across this recipe in a winter issue of Bon Appetit last year and have made it many times for clients in its original incantation featuring pomegranate syrup. This time, however, I wanted to give it an autumnal makeover, and with the addition of caramelized apples, notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, crunchy baked streusel topping and an indulgent drizzle of caramel sauce, well...let's just say I may or may not be bundled up in a thick knit sweater, snacking on a slice of this cheesecake with a pumpkin candle burning as I type this! Enjoy!

adapted from Bon Appetit
Ingredients

for the crust:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

for the filling:

2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

for the apple streusel: 

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup homemade or store bought caramel sauce

Instructions
1. Coat bottom and sides of pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with a parchment-paper round. Using your fingertips, mix crust ingredients in a medium bowl until mixture holds together when pinched. Pack onto bottom of pan in an even layer. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
2. Place gelatin and 1 1/2 tablespoon cold water in a heatproof bowl. Let stand until softened, 5-10 minutes.
3. Pulse cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt in a food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until completely smooth.
4. Pour water to a depth of 1/2-inch into a small skillet over medium heat. Place bowl with gelatin in skillet; stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from skillet. With processor running, drizzle gelatin into cream cheese mixture; mix until well blended.
5. Pour into prepared crust. Tap pan firmly on the counter to break up any big air bubbles. Smooth top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
6. In a small bowl, stir together apples, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon butter to a skillet and melt over medium heat. Add apples and sugar and stir to coat. Sauté until apples begin to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl with fingers until coarse lumps form. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then crumble mixture.
8. To serve, gently remove cheesecake from springform pan and top with apples, streusel and caramel sauce.

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Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Blackberry Jam Swirl

 I'm anxious to transition to the Fall season with all of its deliciously comforting recipes, but I wanted to share one more fun recipe to celebrate the end of Summer...a last hurrah of sorts.

This ice cream highlights two of the season's peak ingredients- corn and blackberries- and although the pairing is a bit unexpected, the end result is simply fabulous. The essence of ripe, sweet corn in this silky ice cream is punctuated by bright berry accents from the jam. What grows together goes together, as I like to say!

For the blackberry jam swirl I reached out to Arian and Chris Blanco, proprietors of Sweet Lady Cook. They produce small, artisanal batches of seasonal jams and share a passion for good food made from quality ingredients. The produce that goes into their products is all locally sourced from farms in Santa Barbara County, allowing them to create preservative-free jams from premium organic fruits. Current seasonal flavors include Lane Late Navel Marmalade, Orange Lavender Jelly and Strawberry Habanero Jam- I'm dying to try them all! Arian was kind enough to make me a custom batch of this blackberry jam especially for this recipe, and I was so impressed by the intense fruit flavor that I have yet to taste in any other jam. Most other jams and jellies are overpowered by a cloying sweetness, but these have an unmistakably fresh quality that is just wonderful.

Sweet Lady Cook jams are available for sale on their website (as well as locally at Isabella Gourmet Foods, Rori's Artisanal Creamery and Crazy Good Bread Co.) and they are just as delicious spread on a slice of buttered toast as they are swirled into your last homemade ice cream of the season!

makes 1 quart
Ingredients
3 ears yellow corn, kernels removed from cobs and cobs reserved
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar, divided
6 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 jar blackberry jam

Instructions
1. Place corn kernels, corn cobs, cream, milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 1 hour.
2. Remove cobs and puree mixture in a blender. Strain through a mesh strainer, pressing on solids with a wooden spoon, and return to saucepan. Bring to a boil, taking care not to scald mixture, and remove from heat.
3. Combine egg yolks, salt and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl and whisk until mixture is thick and pale yellow.
4. Slowly add 1 cup of hot cream mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly, then add egg mixture to saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until mixture reaches 160-170 degrees. Add vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.
5. Chill custard in refrigerator or an ice bath, then freeze in an ice cream mixture. When frozen, transfer ice cream to a quart container, adding dollops of blackberry jam intermittently throughout and stirring gently to create swirls.

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Egg White Fritatta

Fritattas are basically a healthier version of quiche, and although sadly they don't include that wonderfully indulgent buttery crust they can still be just as satisfying. I love making fritattas at the beginning of the week to have on hand for a quick breakfast, light lunch or even a simple dinner- you gotta love that! This time I thought I would try an uberhealthy fritatta using only egg whites, and the result was delightful.

I love the versatility of this baked egg dish, you can include just about any type of veggie or meat your heart desires. And adding a bit of cooked orzo pasta or cheese is a wonderful way to impart heartiness and richness. Try baking them in muffin tins for cute little individual portions! Lots of options here...for this particular fritatta I just used a hodgepodge of vegetables in my kitchen that needed to be used up quickly- zucchini, bell pepper and jalapeño- and sprinkled a touch of fresh parsley over the top for a pop of color. And I couldn't resist adding avocado, because, let's face it, I can hardly ever resist adding avocado to anything...it's kind of my little secret weapon. So now you know. Secret's out.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
8 egg whites
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 avocado, sliced

 Instructions 
1. Preheat broiler. Warm the olive oil in a medium sized oven-safe pan. Add the jalapeño, zucchini, red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.
2. Whisk together the egg whites, pepper and salt and pour over the vegetables and cook gently until the egg whites are set.
3. Transfer pan to broiler and broil until the top is nicely browned. Sprinkle with parsley and top with avocado before serving.

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Spicy Mango Chili Wraps

In preparation for some cooking lessons I'll be teaching soon, I have been experimenting with some new recipes lately that fit into the raw food, vegan and/or gluten free categories. Although I personally tend not to limit my diet in any particular way (let's put it this way, if I'm craving a croissant or a burger or gelato, I'm having it), I strongly believe in the philosophy of "everything in moderation". So I get a great sense of satisfaction from cooking and eating for health and vitality in order to balance out those times when I do choose to indulge. I often incorporate clean eating habits into my day to day meals, and it's quite a fun challenge coming up with new ways to make a healthy meal appealing and interesting.

 Wraps using lettuce, collard or beautiful red cabbage leaves are a clever way to omit gluten and carbs, and are every bit as satisfying as sandwiches, tacos or burritos. So when I came across the recipe for these Spicy Mango Chili Wraps on YouTube channel Tastemade, I absolutely flipped for the raw nut filling and knew I had to try it. This is the epitome of a raw food dish that doesn't leave you feeling deprived. The wraps are so vibrant and flavorful, you'll probably forget that it's a raw food altogether! The spicy, nutty filling is slightly reminiscent of a Thai peanut sauce but with a chunkier texture. And you can go crazy with the toppings- try it with jicama, carrots and sprouts, or just use what you already have on hand in your kitchen!

adapted from Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. 

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients 

Shell Assembly:
1/2 head of red cabbage

1 bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

1 mango, thinly sliced

1 handful microgreens
4-6 chives (optional)

Filling:
1 tbsp sesame oil

¼ cup maple syrup

½ tsp salt

¼ cup almond butter

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger, diced

¼ cup lemon juice 

½ cup walnuts

1 cup cashews 

1 tbsp chili flakes


1 tsp cayenne

 Instructions 
1. In a high-speed blender or food processor, puree all the filling ingredients, except the cashews. 

2. Add cashews and pulse it a few times, making sure to keep a chunky texture.
3. Now assemble: Lay out a cabbage leaf, placing a few tablespoons of the filling vertically down the center of the leaf. Arrange the bell pepper, mango and micro greens on top and secure with a chive, if desired.



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