A blog dedicated to testing the recipes from "1000 Vegan Recipes" by Robin Robertson, but with a twist. My personal challenge is to make the recipes with no added oil, and using only whole grains.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Last-Minute Italian-Style Pasta Salad
"Last-Minute Italian-Style Pasta Salad" (page 92) really does come together quite quickly if you have all the ingredients on hand, and even if you don't (like me), it is pretty easy to improvise.For instance, the recipe calls for chives, but since I couldn't find any in the market, I used red onion instead.I chose not to use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in order to avoid the oil (and I don't care for the flavor or texture of plain dried tomatoes), and used fresh cherry tomatoes. Instead of marinated artichoke hearts, I used water packed (again, to avoid the oil).For the pasta, the recipe suggests penne, rotini, or another small pasta.I happened to have mini bow-ties on hand, so that's what I used.This is a very festive salad with fun ingredients such as kalamata olives, chick peas, roasted red peppers, capers, and frozen peas.This was another recipe where the dressing was olive-oil predominate (1/2 cup, 108 grams of fat!!!). I simply substituted ½ cup water, thickened with 1/8 teaspoon guar gum, to the rest of the dressing ingredients (vinegar, basil, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper) with excellent results.
Hi Becky! This looks absolutely yummy! The plate is cute too. I rarely ever post comments but I wanted you to know I have read EVERY post you have made. I enjoy your blog so much. I have used many of your tips and am now cooking without oil. Thank you for all your effort to make your blog so interesting, mouth watering and fun to read! I look forward to your next post. Shirley
Hi Shirley! Thank you so much for your kind words, I really do appreciate that! :) I'm pleased that my tips have helped you start cooking oil-free. Robin's recipes are so good to begin with, it makes the rest very easy! ~Becky
"Last-Minute Italian-Style Pasta Salad" (page 92) really does come together quite quickly if you have all the ingredients on hand, and even if you don't (like me), it is pretty easy to improvise. For instance, the recipe calls for chives, but since I couldn't find any in the market, I used red onion instead. I chose not to use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in order to avoid the oil (and I don't care for the flavor or texture of plain dried tomatoes), and used fresh cherry tomatoes. Instead of marinated artichoke hearts, I used water packed (again, to avoid the oil). For the pasta, the recipe suggests penne, rotini, or another small pasta. I happened to have mini bow-ties on hand, so that's what I used. This is a very festive salad with fun ingredients such as kalamata olives, chick peas, roasted red peppers, capers, and frozen peas. This was another recipe where the dressing was olive-oil predominate (1/2 cup, 108 grams of fat!!!). I simply substituted ½ cup water, thickened with 1/8 teaspoon guar gum, to the rest of the dressing ingredients (vinegar, basil, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper) with excellent results.
Hi Becky!
ReplyDeleteThis looks absolutely yummy! The plate is cute too. I rarely ever post comments but I wanted you to know I have read EVERY post you have made. I enjoy your blog so much. I have used many of your tips and am now cooking without oil.
Thank you for all your effort to make your blog so interesting, mouth watering and fun to read! I look forward to your next post.
Shirley
Hi Shirley! Thank you so much for your kind words, I really do appreciate that! :) I'm pleased that my tips have helped you start cooking oil-free. Robin's recipes are so good to begin with, it makes the rest very easy!
ReplyDelete~Becky