I like combining traditional ingredients (Southern USA, in this case) in untraditional ways.  This combo makes a delicious, fiber-and-nutrient-rich, colorful salad, which can serve as a hearty side dish or a meal in itself. It’s a wonderful hot-weather dish, of course, but it’s also hearty enough for a winter salad and utilizes staples you might have in your kitchen during cold-weather months. The zingy dressing is practically fat-free, too.

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Farfalle (bowtie) pasta and rapini with Italian Walnut Sauce

I don’t know why I haven’t shared this sauce before- it’s so luscious, creamy and so easy and quick to make.  It is a specialty of the region of Italy where my paternal grandmother’s family originated– Liguria, a north-western Italian province that includes the Italian Riviera and the city of Genoa. Evidently, its origins are ancient. According to one of my uncles, my grandmother’s family (who emigrated to Peru in the 1800’s) came from the towns of Chiavari, Rapallo and Moneglia. I don’t know much else about them, unfortunately.  All I know is that her maiden name was Roncagliolo and her mother’s was Guerrini.

I love the description in Laura Schenone’s wonderful book about Ligurian food, “The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family“.  (It’s not just a cookbook– it’s a wonderful read!) The author writes:
“The story begins at Genoa’s port, with its ancient layers, its grittiness, its eye towards the Mediterranean Sea.  here we cross paths with Greek, ancient Roman and Arab worlds during much earlier eras of globalization.  Olives, wine, and wheat traveled along these water routes. Migrations began and ended…But the story also begins in the mountains, with ancient Ligurian people who were here thousands of years agom allied not with the water but with wood and stone. It’s a story of steepness and difficulty, of chestnuts and mushrooms and gathered greens…”

This recipe, though lightened up (no olive oil or pine nuts) and made vegan, I think retains the character of the original.  It is delicious served over ravioli stuffed with greens, or a simple dish of cooked linguine or tagliatelle.  This time I used farfalle (bowtie pasta) and added chopped cooked rapini (broccoli rabe), which adds a nice slightly bitter note to contrast with the creamy nut sauce, and reminds me of my foremothers gathering wild greens in the hills beyond Genoa. I hope you enjoy it!

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BRYANNA’S VEGAN SALSA DI NOCI (CREAMY ITALIAN WALNUT SAUCE)  
(GF and can be soy-free)
Servings: 4
Yield: 2 cups sauce

This is enough sauce for about 12 oz. pasta, plus 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked, well-drained vegetables. It’s a modern, lighter version of a very ancient Ligurian sauce to serve on pasta or stuffed pasta (pansotti, or “potbellied” ravioli). Very simple to make! This is a slightly updated version of the recipe in my vegan Italian cookbook “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen”.
NOTE: Traditionally, no pepper is used in this sauce.

3/4 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups soy milk or nut milk
1 tsp vegan chicken-style broth powder or paste
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp freshly-ground nutmeg
2 Tbs GoVeggie Soy Parmesan substitute or walnut-based Parma! or homemade walnut-based alternate
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.) 

TO SERVE: More of the same vegan Parmesan sub of your preference to sprinkle on top of the pasta

Heat an 8″ cast iron skillet, or other heavy skillet, over high heat. Add the walnuts and reduce the heat to medium. Toast the walnuts, stirring frequently and watching them constantly, until they turn color a shade and smell toasty. Remove them from the pan.

Combine the milk, broth powder or paste, garlic, and walnuts in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a heavy 1 qt. or 1.5 qt saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and keep at a low boil until it has reduced somewhat and thickened to a sauce consistency. Remove from the heat and add the nutmeg,  optional herbs, if using and the Soy Parmesan (or alternate).

Taste for salt (pepper is not traditional in this sauce). Heat gently before serving with cooked, drained pasta (see text above), alone or with cooked vegetables, such as chopped cooked rapini (broccoli rabe).

 Nutrition Facts (for the sauce only) 
Nutrition (per serving): 212.6 calories; 65{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 16.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 240.6mg sodium; 224.8mg potassium; 9.0g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 2.8g sugar; 6.5g net carbs; 8.2g protein.

Enjoy!

Saturday we were expecting a big storm (which never really developed) and we had prepared accordingly.  DH suggested that I bake something before we lost power (which we never did, this time).  I decided on muffins, since I haven’t made them in a long time.  I  had a bit of a craving for a maple/walnut treat, so here’s what I came up with– a light, moist whole grain muffin with just a little oil added to the batter. A great treat with tea or coffee.

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BRYANNA’S VEGAN MAPLE WALNUT MUFFINS 
    Yield: 12 muffins 

Mix A:   
1 1/2 cups    whole wheat PASTRY flour (be sure to use pastry flour for a light muffin)
1 1/2 tsp    baking powder   
1/4 tsp    baking soda   
1/4 tsp    salt   
1/4 cup    unbleached organic granulated sugar   
2 Tbs    brown sugar (Optional, if you like your muffins quite sweet)   
Addition:   
3/4 cup    chopped walnuts   
Mix B:   
7 Tbs    unsweetend smooth applesauce   
6 Tbs    Grade B maple syrup   
1/3 cup    So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer or soymilk or nutmilk  
1/2 Tbs    lemon juice   
2 Tbs    oil   
Additional:   
   a few tablespoons more maple syrup for brushing   
  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with oil from a pump sprayer, or grease with Cake Release (here’s my homemade version). 

In a medium bowl, mix together the Mix A ingredients. Stir in the walnuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the Mi B ingredients. Pour Mix B into Mix A and stir briefly. Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Test one of the muffins with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through. 

Brush the muffin tops lightly with the extra maple syrup. Loosen the muffins with a table knofe and turn them on their sides to cool until they can be handled. 
   
 Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per muffin): 178.5 calories; 35{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 7.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 68.3mg sodium; 190.9mg potassium; 26.8g carbohydrates; 2.4g fiber; 12.8g sugar; 24.3g net carbs; 3.2g protein. 

Enjoy!

Yesterday I was trying to use up some local apples that we’ve had stored. With some of them, I made this easy apple cake (minus the chocolate drizzle) for tea with a friend yesterday, but I really want to use up these lovely cooking apples before they go bad.  So, I devised this quick and easy tofu saute to serve with a salad and some roasted nugget potatoes. Thumbs up on this one!

NOTE: If you don’t want to use the tofu, you can substitute about 2 cups of reconstituted Soy Curls (see about this product here) or thin seitan cutlets, or your favorite commercial vegan “chikn” slices or cutlets. Dredge whatever you are using in Seasoned Flour (see below) and brown as for the “B of T” (see below).

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BRYANNA’S CRISPY MARINATED TOFU WITH APPLES & ONION IN CREAMY WHITE WINE SAUCE 
Servings: 2     
NOTE: If you are using B of T/Breast of Tofu, you need to marinate the tofu slices at least 8 hours before cooking. 

8 slices    Breast of Tofu, Crispy Slices or Crispy Oven-Baked (see below)   
1 tablespoon    olive oil   
1 medium    apple, thinly sliced (only peel if the skin is tough or doesn’t look good)   
1/2 medium    onion, thinly sliced   
2 cloves    garlic, chopped   
1 pinch    dried crumbled sage (don’t use powdered)   
1 pinch    dried thyme leaves (don’t use powdered)   
1/2 cup    dry white wine (can be non-alcoholic)   
1/2 cup    vegan “chikn-y” broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan broth paste)   
1/4 cup    plain vegan creamer (I used So Delicious coconut milk creamer) mixed with  
1 teaspoon    wholegrain mustard   

Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apple, onion and garlic. Saute until the onions soften. Add the sage and thyme, the wine and broth. Bring to a boil, then slip in the crispy tofu. Raise the heat to high a reduce the liquid in the pan by about half. Pour in the creamer/mustard mixture and heat through. 

Serve immediately with roasted nugget potatoes or mashed potatoes, polenta or steamed rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat. 

 Nutrition Facts (when made with Crispy B of T Slices)
Nutrition (per serving): 352.0 calories; 46{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 19.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 539.2mg sodium; 415.8mg potassium; 25.2g carbohydrates; 4.5g fiber; 11.4g sugar; 20.8g net carbs; 12.9g protein. 

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BRYANNA’S BREAST OF TOFU  (Known in our house as “B of T”)
Servings: 8 
Yield: 32/ 3-inch x 2-inch slices
This recipe has appeared in all of my books. It’s a staple in our house– I always have some extra-firm tofu slices marinating in the following mixture. They will keep refrigerated in the marinade for up to two weeks, ready for a quick and delicious meal. They can be pan-fried plain on a nonstick skillet, or coated with Seasoned Flour and shallow-fried to make a crispy “skin” that is delectable hot or cold. Serve them plain, in salads and sandwiches, or with any sauce that you would have used on chicken. Instead of slices, you can marinate chunks, for using in kebabs,etc.

1 1/2 lbs.  firm, extra-firm or pressed tofu (NOT silken tofu!)  
MARINADE: 
1 1/2 cups    water  
1/4 cup    soy sauce  or tamari
3 Tbs    nutritional yeast flakes  
2 tsp    dried crumbled sage (not powdered)  
1/2 tsp    dried rosemary  
1/2 tsp    dried thyme leaves (not powdered)  
1/2 tsp    onion powder  
   Seasoned Flour for dredging (see below)  
   OPTIONAL: olive oil  
 
Prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a 5-cup rigid plastic container with a tight lid. Slice the tofu about 1/4″ thick and place in the marinade so that it is fairly tightly-packed and covered with liquid. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks, shaking daily.

To pan-fry plain, low-fat: 
Simply cook the tofu slices over medium heat in a good-quality nonstick skillet until golden brown on both sides.

To Crispy Oven-Fry: (This is the method in my “Almost No-Fat Cookbook”): 
Coat the tofu slices in Seasoned Flour (below). Lay the slices in single layers on oiled DARK baking sheets (they brown better on dark baking sheets), not touching. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or til the bottoms are golden. Turn the slices over and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the other side is golden. Cool on racks if not eating immediately.

To make Crispy Slices, (my favorite way): 
Coat the slices with Seasoned Flour (below). Heat about 1 T. of olive oil or neutral cooking oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium heat (no hotter). When the oil is good and hot, add the slices and cook (watching carefully) until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Turn the slices over and cook the other side until golden and crispy. The medium heat works really well when frying things crispy in less oil than usual.
  
 Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per 4 Crispy Slices): 159.4 calories; 64{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 12.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 291.5mg sodium; 204.9mg potassium; 5.2g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 3.6g net carbs; 10.8g protein.
 
BRYANNA’S SEASONED FLOUR
Keep some of this in a tightly-covered container– you’ll find many uses for it.

Mix together:

2 c. wholewheat, or other wholegrain, flour,
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes,
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion or garlic powder (or a combination), optional
freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
Optional: some Cajun Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning

Enjoy!