#261 The Case of Charred Broccoli Caesar

Above is Charred Broccoli before Caesar. Already yummy. Serve it like this as 4 side servings. But wait until you taste it as 2 finished main salads!

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets then halved/quartered lengthwise if too large

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons water,

1/4 cup Caesar Vinaigrette or purchased vegan Caesar vinaigrette

1/8 cup vegan Parmesan

2 lemon wedges (for garnish)

2 large, cracker-style croutons (I make mine by broiling thinly sliced bread, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary and salt, turning once, and drying/crisping further in a cooling oven)

Toss the florets in a large pot with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Set over medium-high heat and sauté until the broccoli is lightly charred. Add the water and continue to sauté until the broccoli is almost tender-crisp. Let it cool in the pot until the heat won't melt the vinaigrette.

Toss the cooled broccoli in the Caesar Vinaigrette, adding more to taste.

Divide between two plates. Grate the vegan Parmesan on top and serve with a lemon wedge and a large, cracker-style crouton.

Serves 2.

♥ 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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