mascarpone | ♥ Flash-Gordonette ♥

Its Fathers’ day inthe UK tomorrow :o) I’m really looking forward to seeing my parents and treating them to a nice meal out. And I’ve got all my ingredients ready to make a yummy vegan chocolate cake to have with a cuppa beforehand.

The only downside is that I’ve spent all of today cleaning the house and trying to make it presentable! Nevertheless, I had promised myself that I would write up a post tonight. So despite my tired eyes and achy-sore fingers, here is my recipe for a tomato and mascarpone, gnocchi bake.

Tomato and mascarpone, gnocchi bake (4 servings).

Ingredients:

1 x cup fresh cherry-plum tomatoes (halved)
1 x medium onion (chunkily diced)
2 x garlic cloves (minced)
2 x handfuls fresh spinach (torn)
349g of silken tofu (i.e. one pack)
500g gnocchi (double check its egg and dairy free!)
1 x cup dairy free cheese (grated)
2 x tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional but highly recommended!)
1 x tin chopped tomatoes
1 x cup veg stock
3 tsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160^oC
Arrange the tomatoes and onion on a baking tray and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Add a few grinds of black pepper before roasting for 20 mins.
In the meantime, fry the garlic in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until it starts to brown (5 mins).
Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper and simmer until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds (around 30 minutes). Take off the heat and use an immersion blender to whizz in the nutritional yeast and tofu. Blend until smooth then heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Fry the gnocchi in 1 tsp of olive oil until browned (5-10 mins). This really adds depth to the flavour of the dish.
Put the gnocchi, cherry tomatoes and onion into an oven-proof dish along with the spinach.
Stir in the sauce, then top with the breadcrumbs.
Increase the oven temperature to 180^oC and bake for 20 – 30 minutes (until piping hot throughout – the breadcrumbs should go golden brown).
Top with the dairy free cheese (sorry to obsess but I really recommend this smoked coconut gouda!) and pop under the grill until the cheese is melty.
Dish up and enjoy a nice warming, tasty and satisfying dinner!

Flash-Gordonette…X

I made vegan cream cheese and “bacon” bagels at the weekend with scrambled tofu (stupidly forgot to take pictures). I used Tofutti vegan cream cheese (I bought mine from Holland and Barrett but there’s a description available here: http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/417921_Tofutti_Creamy_Smooth__Original__225g.html).

They were dee-licious, even if the bacon was a little on the burnt side…

I’ve not had chance to go food shopping this week, so the left over Tofutti was about the only thing I had in my fridge. So in order not to starve, the following recipe was born.

Spicy, creamy, tangy, “cheesy” and satisfying, even the pasta-hating hubby enjoyed this dish. To me it tasted like a slightly nuttier, scrummier version of the tomato-mascarpone sauce you can buy in a pot from the chiller section in the supermarket. Only this one is vegan J

Spicy “mascarpone” and tomato
pasta recipe:

(Serves 2 – 4 depending on whether or not you serve with a side)

Ingredients:

1 x medium sized onion (chopped)

Handful of chopped peppers
(either red or mixed)

3 x garlic cloves (minced)

1 x tsp mustard seeds

1 x tsp dried mixed herbs

1 x tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

3 x tbsp nutritional yeast

¹/₃ pack Toffuti vegan cream cheese (other brands are available but this one is superior in my opinion)

1 x tin tomatoes

1 x tbsp soya cream

Juice of ½ lemon

Method:

Get some whole-wheat spaghetti cooking according to the packet. When ready, drain and leave until the sauce is finished.

Heat up some oil in a pan. Fry the onions until translucent then throw in the peppers.

Add the garlic, mustard seeds, herbs, pepper, chili and yeast and keep stirring until the peppers start to go soft. Be careful not to burn as the sauce is quite dry at this stage.

Add the Toffuti and keep stirring until melted and mixed in.

And the tin of tomatoes and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Continue to heat until the sauce begins to thicken and simmer.

Stir in the cream followed by the lemon juice.

Stir in the spaghetti and toss until nicely coated.

Serve up with a generous sprinkling of crispy nutritional yeast flakes on top.

I served mine with broad beans cooked with lemon juice
and mint. Protein city!

And the best part? It tasted even better the next day cold for my lunch ♥

Flash-Gordonette…x

♥ Flash-Gordonette ♥

– you name it, I'll veganize it!

Tag Archive | mascarpone

♥ Tomato and mascarpone, gnocchi bake (Vg)

Spicy creamy “mascarpone” and tomato pasta.