Let me start by telling you that these photos do absolutely no justice to how delicious this tastes.  I was racing against a setting sun, and I took the extra time to make sure the recipe was just right, rather than making sure I got the perfect photo.  I call this, pasta at twilight.

But make no mistake that you’ll want to add this to your weekly meal plan immediately. 

Recently, I’ve been trying to work on adding to my collection of sauce recipes.  I love me some marinara, but it’s nice to have other options for pasta here and there.  In case you hadn’t noticed, my new favorite ingredient is miso (more to come on that soon). 

It comes together with tahini here to make a slightly nutty, and perfectly umami sauce.  Yep, I just used umami.  Blame the miso. 

Vegetable Pasta with Miso Tahini Sauce

by Emily Malone

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)
• 1/4 cup white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 cup pasta water (reserved)

Instructions

Start by heating a large pot of water on the stovetop – bring to a boil for your pasta. Cook your pasta according to package directions.  Mince about 1 cup of fresh parsley leaves and set aside to be used right before serving.

Slice a large red onion into thin strips, and saute on medium heat until very soft. After the onions have cooked for about five minutes, add the mushrooms and zucchini – cook all vegetables until very soft and browned. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

In the same sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or butter) and heat over medium low heat until melted. Add garlic and sauté until just browning.

Add tahini and miso to the pan, and then carefully ladle some pasta water (which should be cooking by now), 1/4 cup at a time into the sauté pan.

Each time you add water, whisk the sauce together until combined – it will be very thick at first. Continue to add pasta water until you reach just about 1 cup, or your desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, use less (and for thinner, use more).

Once your sauce is ready, drain pasta and add to the bowl with the vegetables. Add chopped parsley. Pour sauce on top and toss until well coated.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

As much as I love eating healthy, I also love creamy sauces and gigantic comforting bowls of pasta.  This sauce has a rich creaminess, without actually being heavy or unhealthy, so you can go back for seconds (and thirds) without the guilt.  Don’t mind if I do.

The pasta is really just a recommendation for a great way to use the sauce, but I can see it being repurposed into so many other dishes – tossed with grains, warm salad dressing, poured over a protein – endless possibilities. 

Enjoy!

One of the questions I hear most often from readers is wondering how to get their “meat and potatoes” boyfriend/husband/dad/whoever to start eating a more plant-based diet.   This, my friends, is your answer.

Inspired by a dish at one of my favorite restaurants, I thought it would be fun to try making my own.  The spice coating gets a delicious and rich crunch from being cooked on high heat, and the smokiness exactly what you crave at a backyard barbecue. 

Crispy Blackened Tofu

by Emily Malone

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients (2 servings)

For the Spice Blend

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Start by pressing a block of tofu to drain out the excess water.  While the tofu drains, go ahead and make your spice mix.

The mixture is spicy, but not over the top.  If you can’t handle any heat, scale back on the cayenne and black pepper.  The paprika adds amazing richness and flavor to the blend!

Add all spices to a shallow bowl, and stir to thoroughly combine.

Once the tofu has drained, slice the block into four even rectangles – once through the width, and then cutting in half through the top (did that make sense?).

Place tofu in a shallow dish and add soy sauce or liquid aminos – it doesn’t need to be much. Just enough to let it soak into the bottom a bit. After a few minutes, flip each piece to coat the other side.

In a sauté pan, heat sesame oil (or other oil of your choice) over medium high heat – you want your pan to really get hot! I prefer to use my non-stick pans for this, but you can try it in stainless as well.

Take each piece of tofu and press it into the spice blend, ensuring to coat the whole bottom in a thick crust of spice.

Flip it over and repeat on the other side.

Then carefully place each piece into the hot pan – it should sizzle and pop, and you’ll see immediate color forming around the base of the tofu.

Add all four pieces to the pan and continue to cook over medium high heat. After only a minute or two, the bottom should be pretty dark in color – flip to the other side!

Cook for another minute or two on the other side, until both are crispy and blackened to perfection.  Slice and serve on a bed of rice or quinoa with a side of roasted greens!

Honestly, at first glance I’m not even sure you could tell this is tofu.  Before it is sliced, it looks more like a slab of salmon!

I often hear from vegans or vegetarians who are in a food rut, eating the same things over and over again.  There are only so many ways to marinate and bake tofu slices.  Blackening and crisping really transforms the tofu into something unexpected and deliciously different. 

And I truly believe that even hard core meat-eaters will enjoy this dish.  It’s the perfect solution for a cookout or dinner party that may include a variety of different diets.  If you thought you hated tofu, promise me you will give it one more chance.

Enjoy!