One of the most important things that I have learned about being a vegan and gluten free is preparation. If you do not factor in cooking time then it becomes way too easy to just snack, grab an apple here or hummus and veggies there. The problem with all of this snacking is that it takes away from sitting down and eating a satisfying warm meal.
Even though I am a vegan of course I crave comfort foods. My comfort foods still include pasta. I have tried many gluten free pastas including corn, quinoa, and garbanzo, but I have found that rice pasta tastes most similar to traditional pasta. When using tomato sauce, sometimes corn pasta tastes a little weird in my opinion. I much prefer it with olive oil and fresh vegetables.
Here are a couple of recipes that are easy and delicious comfort foods.
Pasta and Potatoes
Ingredients:
1-2 servings of rice spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic
4 new potatoes (small potatoes in red, white, or purple)
2 roasted red peppers
Seasonings including a pinch of salt and black pepper
Begin by parboiling your potatoes in lightly salted water. Take the potatoes out of the water just before they are fork tender. Slice potatoes thinly and add to pan. Slice peppers and garlic. Add all ingredients to a pan to sautee. Boil water for pasta and submerge spaghetti in boiling water. Once the potatoes are golden brown and the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Mix and serve!
Arrabiata rice
Ingredients:
1 Poblano pepper
1/2 cup jasmine rice
1 quart of tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of vegetable broth
Begin by dicing poblano pepper and garlic and adding to pan to sautee on low heat. In a saucepan, add the canned tomatoes and turn heat on low. Cook the jasmine rice as instructed only substitute vegetable broth for the water. Once the peppers are caramelized and the garlic soft, add to the tomatoes and raise the heat slightly. The rice should be cooked by this time. Just keep the lid on and set aside. Allow the sauce to simmer for at least an hour to cook out any raw tomato flavor. Once the sauce is to your liking, use an emersion blender to create a smooth sauce. Add the rice to the sauce and let stand for a few minutes. This will allow the sauce to thicken with the rice. Serve and enjoy!
