Yesterday I picked up a zucchini (with the intention of using it as a base for salad dressing), black olives, and sun dried tomatoes.
Instead of a salad dressing, I created my new favorite tomato based sauce.
Zucchini Puttanesca
1 cup leftover pasta sauce
5 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped
1 cup diced tomato
3 tsp capers
1/2 cup black olives, pitted, rinsed, and chopped
light sprinkling of crushed red pepper (optional)
Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and spoon on top of spiralized zucchini pasta, or whole grain pasta.
Usually I shy away from saltier ingredients such as sundried tomatoes, olives, and capers. Despite how much I love their flavors, they are just too salty for my liking, and despite my ultra hydrating diet, I am left thirsty after eating, which I loathe. Using the fresh tomato and zucchini pasta really kept this dish light and hydrating for me. I wasn't thirsty at all after eating.
Look at all of that sauce! This was a deeply satisfying meal.
Enrico and I also enjoyed an awesome new dessert: Pumpkin Pie Brownies!! I got this recipe directly from Post Punk Kitchen (the ladies behind Vegan MoFo), and it was delicious. I made a few modifications to make this recipe healthier and lighter. I'll share them with you:
I replaced white flour with equal parts quinoa and millet flour
I replaced white sugar with a lesser amount of unrefined sugar and vanilla stevia
I didn't use arrowroot or cornstach
I used coconut oil instead of canola oil
The pumpkin pie brownies were fantastic. The next time I make them, I plan on doubling the pumpkin mixture, and halving the brownie mixture. The brownies were this incredibly fudge-like chocolaty amazingness, but since I was more in the mood for pumpkin than chocolate, this recipe didn't quite satisfy my craving the way I thought it would.
My favorite all time brownies are my recipe for raw brownies. They are sweet, dense, chocolaty, and gooey. All of the lovely things that every brownie should be! It's been a while since I've made them, but I'll make sure to post them before the end of Vegan MoFo. :)
Have an awesome Tuesday!
Love,
Marlena
I've been making similar substitutions in my baking but I'm unsure about the arrowroot/cornstarch. What are they exactly and is there a reason you omit them?
ReplyDeleteSo evil posting such a delicious sounding dessert! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the look of your saucy zucchini! I love capers, olives etc, but rather than getting thirsty after them, I tend to get a really sweet tooth, so I try to limit them for that reason. Probably the perfect precursor to the brownies in this case :)
Rande, The arrowroot and cornstarch are basically thickeners or binders. I just don't think they're necessary all of the time, especially with a dessert such as this one. I always try to keep things as simple as possible. I would choose arrowroot over cornstarch. Arrowroot comes from the roots of a tropical plant, while cornstarch is made from the endosperm of corn. It is basically the starch of corn. All non-organic corn is genetically modified, so I tend to avoid it without exception.
ReplyDeleteEmily, The dessert was really good, just not exactly what I expected. I hear you about the sweet tooth! It's so strange how much more mild my sweet tooth is right now.
I actually thought the combination of zucchini puttanesca and pumpkin pie brownies was a weird combo, but I guess not! :)
Xo