#122 The Case of Antipasto Platter

These individual Antipasto Platters are filling enough to serve as a meal accompanied by fresh Italian bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. You can also set a large Antipasto Platter in the centre of your table and invite diners to serve themselves as an appetizer. If you ensure a balance of fresh ingredients and quality jarred ingredients, all that's left to do (as above) is drizzle with balsamic glaze!

Antipasto Platter

arugula
bocconcini (or bite-size chunks of vegan Parmesan for a vegan option)
marinated artichoke hearts
cooked beets, quartered (or Pickled Beets)
sun-dried tomatoes in oil, halved (or colourful, mixed grape tomatoes, the larger ones halved)
seasoned, grilled zucchini slices (optional)
seasoned, grilled red/orange/yellow pepper quarters (or jarred, mixed roasted peppers)
a variety of olives

steamed asparagus spears (optional)
balsamic glaze

Indulge your inner artist and arrange the ingredients on your serving plate canvas. Hint: lay down a small base of vibrant green arugula to start and then add colours and textures to create a harmonious balance.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Masterpiece!

♥ Becki

Comments

The Case of Vegetarian Detective in Italy

B uon giorno! I feel like a snob saying, "I'm just back from Italy." That's me: jetsetter. Yeah, right! But wow...Italy! I could talk up a storm, and I surely will as I adjust to being back here, six time zones from magnificent Italia . I often ask people who've just travelled what was their favourite part of their trip. If I ask the same of myself, my answer is seeing Michelangelo's sculptures. His Pietà and The Statue of David literally moved me to tears. I just can't believe I saw "him" in person! So...our plane from Toronto was delayed six hours and we missed the first day of activities, but we still visited Rome, Montecatini, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Vinci, Florence, Cinque Terre and Assisi. Quite the agenda for ten days, including the two flight days, wouldn't you say? But Trafalgar made it work. I would go on a Trafalgar trip again in a heartbeat. Things I learned in Italy: In the regions we ...

#257 The Case of Cacio e Pepe

T his recipe is the simplest of the simple and yet it feels decadent to me. Posh even! enough spaghetti for 2 2 tablespoons vegan butter 1 teaspoon coarsely grated black peppercorns (about 50 turns of the grater) plus a little more pepper to grate on top 3/8 cup vegan Parmesan (1/4 cup grated) salt Cook the spaghetti. In the meantime, toast the pepper in a pot on medium-low heat for about 30 seconds or until aromatic. Swirl in the butter and melt it slowly. Do not brown. You can turn the heat right off when it's ready. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. When the spaghetti is just about al dente, pour 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water into the butter mixture. Then drain the spaghetti and toss it in. Raise the heat to medium-high and mix vigorously with tongs. Stir in the grated Parmesan and more pasta water, if needed, to create a creamy sauce. Salt to taste. Plate. Grate the rest of the cheese and some additional pepper on top. Serves 2. ♥...

#262 The Case of Lasagna

T he most important thing about making Lasagna is to NOT use ready-to-bake noodles. They will never, never, never, ever turn scrumptiously fork tender. Please note that this recipe is still a fast, easy version of Lasagna. If you're super full of love and energy, sub in homemade Anne's Favourite Spaghetti with Neat Sauce for the first 2 ingredients. 1 340g pack plant-based ground 24-oz jar of your favourite purchased pasta sauce 20 lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente, as usual, but with a tablespoon of olive oil added to the water to prevent sticking vegan Parmesan to grate on top Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sauté the plant-based ground over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 4 min. Stir in the pasta sauce. Spread some of the sauce over the bottom of 2 loaf pans. Lay down the first noodle, followed by a layer of sauce then another noodle... Repeat using all of the noodles and finishing with a last, generous portion of sauce. ...

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