DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Category Archives: Vegetarian & Vegan


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Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

This was my first time cooking with quinoa. It was surprisingly good and this meal was so easy to make! The quinoa was served with some chicken on the side.

Quinoa with black beans and corn

Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (you can add more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 cup frozen corn
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Season the onions with the cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
  3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes or until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

If you’re wondering what to do with all that extra cilantro, try this cilantro dip!


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Pasta with Asparagus

I love buying produce from the farmers’ market and the market is located only blocks from my apartment. I loved this dish so much that I made it several times over the course of 2 weeks. Thank goodness I have a tolerant boyfriend…

asparagus

Pasta with Asparagus

1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces, using only the tips and tender parts of the stem
1 lb dried pasta
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 cup heavy cream
nutmeg, salt, and black pepper
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus additional to serve

pasta with asparagus

  1. Cook asparagus in a pan of boiling, salted water until just tender – about 3 – 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water until completely cooled. Drain and reserve.
  2. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until al dente.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat, until soft, 5 minutes.
  4. Add asparagus and cream and simmer gently until the cream is just thickened, 1 – 2 minutes.
  5. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.
  6. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add pasta with Parmesan to the hot sauce and toss gently, adding reserved water as needed.
  7. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan.


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Lemon, Basil and Marscapone Pasta

This pasta dish is cheap, quick and refreshing. It’s great for when you’re a super-busy student 🙂

lemon basil marscapone pasta

Lemon, Basil and Marscapone Pasta

1 lb dried pasta
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup marscapone
salt and black pepper
1 handful torn fresh basil

  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until al dente.
  2. While pasta is cooking, place the marscapone, with 2 – 3 tablespoons of pasta water, in a skillet over medium-low heat. When the marscapone is melted and smooth, slowly add in the lemon juice an zest. Warm gently, stirring constantly, until heated through – about 4 minutes.
  3. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add pasta and basil to the sauce and toss well to coat, adding reserved water as needed.


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Soy-Mirin Tofu Over Rice with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce

I stumbled across this recipe at VeganYumYum and just had to make it. I love tofu and am up for making just about anything that involves it! An added plus – this meal was insanely easy to prepare!

soy mirin tofu

Soy-Mirin Tofu Over Rice with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce
from VeganYumYum

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into small squares
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin
1 head of broccoli, steamed
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
Peanuts, crushed (optional)
1 cup dry brown rice

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water (or coconut milk if you have it!)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
Pinch of salt

  1. Start cooking your rice. Mix sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.
  2. Pan fry tofu in the oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until browned on both sides. Drain and return to hot pan (turn off the heat). Mix soy sauce and mirin together and pour over tofu, mixing well. It will bubble up and form a light glaze.
  3. Plate rice, add broccoli, tofu, carrot, and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

Note: if you don’t have mirin, use a combination of cooking wine and sugar.


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Soba with Shiitake and Cabbage

A venture into something I’ve never tried cooking before – soba noodles! This was surprisingly good. I bought the soba at an Asian grocery store; if you can’t find them, spaghetti will probably work. However, they will have a different taste.

soba with shiitake and cabbage

Soba with Shiitake and Cabbage

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
5 tsp gochujang
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lb dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles – you can find them in an Asian grocery store)
1 lb shiitake mushrooms
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, minced

  1. Combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and gochjang together until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Prepare pasta as directed.
  3. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Take the pan off the heat and then add in the ginger and garlic. Return to heat and add in sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 – 7 minutes or until the mushrooms turn a darker brown color.
  4. Add cabbage, carrot and green onion, and saute until veggies become crisp-tender. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly, until heated through.
  5. Add cooked noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds for garnish. Serve immediately.


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Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

I am a huge fan of cheese, so it’s very fortunate that I live in  Wisconsin where I am surrounded by it. This is a quick, delicious pasta dish that I don’t think I will ever get sick of!

tomato and goat cheese pasta

Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta
serves 4

1 lb of dried pasta, any kind. I used cavatappi.
Container of cherry (or grape) tomatoes
1 small – medium sized block of goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 a bunch of parsley, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

  1. Cook the pasta according to directions on the package.
  2. Drain (reserve some pasta water) and then add the tomatoes, goat cheese, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper (to taste). If too dry, add some of the pasta water.
  3. Serve and enjoy!


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Pesto

I love, love love pesto. My favorite type is spinach pesto! It’s cheap, easy and I almost always have spinach in the fridge.

Spinach Pesto

Spinach Pesto with Pasta

1 cup of fresh spinach leaves, stems off
4 cloves of garlic
5 tablespoons walnuts
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup of Parmesan
1 pound uncooked pasta of your choice

  1. Cook pasta according to directions.
  2. In a food processor, blend together the spinach, garlic, walnuts and olive oil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the Parmesan.
  3. Stir the pesto into the cooked pasta.


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Eggplant Parmesan

For dinner tonight, Mike and I made eggplant Parmesan and some spinach pesto. We had a nice chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano leftover from Fromagination and we figured we should use it up before it dried out. I think we did a pretty good job. We have a little bit of the cheese left over and a huge piece of rind. The rind will be great in some soup though!

The recipe I used for the eggplant Parmesan is from Food Network – I cut the recipe in half and left out the capers. Even after I cut the recipe in half, it still made a lot of food! It’s supposedly four servings (after it was halved), but in my opinion it was more like eight. If you make the full recipe, you will need a pan much larger than your normal 9 x 13 Pyrex. I used that for my halved recipe and it was packed full to the top.

eggplant parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan
adapted from Food Network

1/6 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup black olives, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes, crushed by hand
4 basil leaves, hand torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
3 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds medium eggplant, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2 – inch thick slices
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 pound shredded fresh mozzarella

  1. First make the sauce: Put a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers, and let that cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, and oregano in a shallow bowl; season generously with salt and pepper and mix well. Crack 3 of the eggs into another shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper and beat with a fork to mix. Put the flour in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the eggplant, flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs on a work surface near the stove.
  3. Heat about 1/4-inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dredge several eggplant slices first in the flour, then dip them in the egg, and finally coat them in the bread crumbs. Put as many eggplant in the skillet as will fit comfortably in a single layer and cook until tender and well browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Cook all of the eggplant slices this way, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.
  4. Stir together the ricotta and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano cheese. Stir in the basil and remaining 2 eggs, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. To assemble the dish, first get yourself set up with a large, buttered baking dish. Have ready the eggplant, the ricotta mixture, the tomato sauce, the shredded mozzarella cheese and the remaining 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano. To start, spoon some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Now add a layer of eggplant. Spread with half of the ricotta mixture. Spoon another layer of tomato sauce over and sprinkle with about one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat with a layer of eggplant, the rest of the ricotta, tomato sauce, and another third of the mozzarella. Finish with the rest of the eggplant, the rest of the tomato sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with the 3/4 cup Parmigiano.
  7. Put the dish in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until golden and bubbling. Let stand for about 20 minutes before cutting.