Uncle Pete's Kicked Up Pasta--Vegan Style

Me (age 3) and Uncle Pete-1981

My uncle, Peter Brindisi, was a wonderful, charismatic, caring man. He loved his family and friends! He also loved to play golf, make wine, and enjoyed really good food. He didn't cook often, but when he did it was always a pasta dish of some sort. He loved to dice up onions, peppers, and garlic and make a sauce with some olive oil and red pepper flakes. We would all sit down to a family pasta night, glasses filled with homemade red wine, crusty Italian bread, and talk about our day, or the news, or whatever was going on at that time. 


It is always seems the simplest things become the most cherished memories. 


This summer, we lost my uncle after he battled many years with Alzheimer's Disease. He was only 69. This Sunday, I will be walking in Team Brindisi, in honor of my uncle and others in our family who have suffered and lost the war with this disease. 


Alzheimer's affects millions worldwide. Although much research has been done, we still have a long way to go before we can put an end to this awful epidemic that is spreading rapidly. You can help to find a cure for this disease. The link below is for my personal page if you would like to donate. But you can also join a walk and raise money in your area OR elect to start your own walk. 

Link To Donate For Alzheimer's Association Walk October 23rd

In honor of my uncle, I made a dish tonight that reminded me of those family pasta nights. Sitting around a table with loved ones and sharing a meal is so special and creates wonderful, lasting memories. 

Uncle Pete's Kicked Up Pasta--Vegan Style

Ingredients:
2 cups Tofurky Italian Sausage, diced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Onion, diced
4 cups Mixed Mushrooms, chopped
2 cups Zucchini, diced
1 cup, Bell Pepper, diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast, optional (but makes it oh so good!)
2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup White Wine ( I used Luna di Luna Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay because I had it left over from a party)
1 lb Pasta, (rigatoni, penne, any medium sized pasta) COOKED

Instructions:

1. In a large frying pan, (with lid preferably), brown the sausage. About 8-10 minutes. Remove and put aside.
2. Heat oil in pan and add onions, cooking until translucent. Add zucchini and bell pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add mushrooms, sausage, garlic, spices, and nutritional yeast. Mix well in pan. Add wine, stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove cover, cook for another 5-8 minutes.
4. Combine with cooked pasta and serve.

Thank you to those who have already donated. We will find a cure and beat this disease!

Batch Cooking For The Rest Of Us....

Vegan Mofo has been such a fun challenge. As a new vegan and new blogger, I have met some wonderful people, learned great cooking techniques, found amazing recipes, and now know of two places in NYC (Thank you JLgoesVegan) I will be heading to during my next trip to the city. (Probably around Christmas to go see the tree!) As  October starts to wind down, another caffeine-fueled writing challenge looms ahead...

NaNoWriMo

Or..National Novel Writing Month starts November 1st. The Challenge: Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. As a writer, it is cathartic to let loose and write free of that inner critique that says, "No you can't have a goat with red hair and a zebra with pink stripes in this story!" In Nano...you can have all that and more! If you are a writer struggling with writer's block, or just someone who has always wondered if they can write a novel...this is a great challenge.

If you are signed up or planning on signing up please comment or send me a message. I love to chat with fellow Nano-ers and cheer everyone on!

Of course, writing contest aside, (and no you don't win anything tangible for completing Nano. Just the prize of saying you actually did it. Which is pretty awesome!) November and December are FILLED with busy-ness!  Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Holiday Shopping, Holiday Parties, Holidays....

I rely on batch cooking to keep us fed through it all. Usually making a few big pots of stuff on Saturday or Sunday, I freeze some and have some left over for the week. Soups, stews, and stir-frys are good for batch cooking. And you can always add fresh veggies when reheating to liven the dish up. 

I made a big batch of this Bean Stew with Pumpkin & Tempeh (I promise honey...no more pumpkin after this!) and even my non-vegan, Nano-ing, step-daughter loved it! She actually said, "Oh I like this tempeh!"

I served it over a simple couscous! This makes 6-8 servings, great for batch cooking or tailgate!

Bean Stew with Pumpkin & Tempeh

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika 

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 cups Black Beans, cooked 

1 cup Kidney Beans, cooked

2 cups Chickpeas, cooked

1 tbsp Olive Oil

3 Onions, diced

5 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 cup Poblano Pepper, diced

1 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced

2 cups Pumpkin Puree

1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes

2 cups Frozen Corn

2 cups Vegetable Stock (a little more if needed)

8 Oz Tempeh, cut into 1/2" cubes

Instructions:

1. Combine first six ingredients (paprika through black pepper) in a small bowl and mix until combined. 

2. Combine all the beans in a large bowl and mix in spice mixture and stir to coat everything. 

3. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add onion, cooking until translucent and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add peppers and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. 

4. Add beans and stir so that everything is combined and incorporated well. Add pumpkin puree and tomatoes and mix together. 

5. Add corn and stock, mixing well. Add tempeh. Bring to a boil then turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add stock as needed. I like mine on the chunkier side but you do you and add as much as you want. 

Serve over couscous or rice. 

Wine Suggestion: Riesling or Fume Blanc