Eggless Fritatta

I've never been a big breakfast person. Unlike my hubby, who considered breakfast the best meal of the day, I tend toward supper being the height of epicurean delight. I do, however, like the things people eat for breakfast so I consider it normal that I chow down later in the day, gobbling up all manner of goodies and sometimes serving breakfast twice a day with no complaints from my spouse.

With my doctor prescribing a vegan diet about 2 years ago, I had to wave goodbye to bacon and eggs and toast slathered in butter. I bid farewell to homemade biscuits dripping with honey, potatoes fried in bacon grease, and coffee topped off with real cream.

On the other hand, I lost a lot of weight, my senior citizen skin looks great, I have more energy, and I never have to lay down and take a nap after eating a huge meal. Not that I don't eat humongous meals, it's just that they aren't the sort I used to pamper myself with and I no longer want a nap after eating.

One of my favorite dinner recipes has always been a frittata. Especially if it's topped with about a pound of cheddar cheese. Well, those days are gone--and at best, I haven't been subjected to another hospital stay or, worse yet, colon surgery because of twisted plumbing. And all from eating vegan from the minute I got out of the hospital till now.

As you know, if you've read my posts for a while, I'm always messing around with recipes, either veganizing an old family recipe or taking recipes from vegan books and trying to make them suit my own taste buds. Sometimes I fail--utterly. But sometimes I come up with a good one. Those are the ones I post so you can enjoy them too.

So for any of you who love breakfast, either in the morning or for supper, here's my latest endeavor. I do have to say that you'll know instantly that this fritatta wasn't made with eggs. But the mouth-feel of eggs is there and while your brain won't be fooled, your tummy will be happy because this fritatta actually tastes pretty good.

EGGLESS FRITTATA

1 lb. firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. black salt
Pepper to taste
1 large or 2 small potatoes
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 lb. mushrooms of your choice, chopped
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tsp. dried dill weed
2-3 drops of your favorite hot sauce

Pre-cook the potatoes until they are half done. I microwaved mine wrapped in a piece of paper towel. When the potato is cool enough to handle, slice it into rounds and place them in a heavy skillet lined with 2 Tbs. of olive oil. I used my big cast iron one. Place the potatoes in a circle on the bottom of the pan. If you have potato slices left over, use them to line the edges. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper to flavor the potatoes themselves.

Spread the diced onion on top of the potatoes.

Add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. We are building layers, so don't stir your ingredients.

Add the spinach. Lightly sprinkle the vegetable layers with salt and pepper.

Into your blender place:

The drained tofu, nutritional yeast, mustard, onion powder, diced garlic, turmeric, hot sauce, black salt, and dill weed.

Blend until the mixture is smooth. Poor it evenly over the skillet contents. Sprinkle with more dill weed. If you desire, you can add vegan cheese, but I didn't have any so I made the frittata as above.

Place the skillet, uncovered, into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the top is set and nicely browned. The tofu mixture will have spread throughout the vegetables and baked evenly. Allow the dish to stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Because the mixture is nearly impossible to remove from the skillet in one piece, I serve right out of the pan by cutting in pie shaped wedges.

I served fresh fruit and my version of cornbread as sides.

Serves 4-5

Black salt is available at www.myspicesage.com. It is the only place I've found it. For some unexplainable reason, it adds an eggy taste to the recipes it's used in. The salt is quite inexpensive and a small bag goes a long way. I am now never without it in my cupboard. It adds a lot to vegan versions of eggs. 

Easy Mushroom Risotto--Honest

I love rice. Always have. I like all kinds of rice, all colors of rice, and any recipe that includes rice. I especially like those recipes that involve tossing the rice into the oven to let it do its thing without me having to set a timer or keep watch. That's why I was thrilled to hear Ina Garten on the Food Channel say that she had found a way to make risotto in the oven.

Now I am partial to risotto. It's thick and creamy and stands up to anything you can think to put in it. But making a good risotto involves standing at the stove, spoon in hand, stirring, stirring, and stirring. It also includes having a pot of some kind of warm liquid on the back burner so that when the rice gets dry, I can add in another ladle or two. And then continue with the endless stirring. For at least 20 minutes. Sometimes 30.

Bah, Humbug.

Patience has never been one of my virtues. Hence, when I saw that Ina's oven risotto turned out perfect, I was sold. I tweeked her recipe to make it vegan and then served it to company. We all declared it a prize winner. And while I used assorted mushrooms as my vegetable of choice, this risotto could be made with all manner of roasted veggies or veggies and faux meat or an assortment of cooked and fresh vegetables so that the dish would be both creamy and crunchy. If you are a rice lover like me, give this recipe a try. I bet you'll be smacking your lips over its taste and tap dancing at its ease of preparation.

EASY MUSHROOM RISOTTO

1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms of your choice

1 oz. package of dried mushrooms. 

5-6 cups of no-chicken broth

6 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped shallot (I used sweet onion)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

Saffron, the world's most expensive
spice. A little goes a long way.

1/2 tsp. saffron threads

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup frozen peas

Reconstitute the dried mushrooms according to package directions.

If your fresh mushrooms are large, slice them; if they are small, leave them whole.

Put the reconstituted and fresh mushrooms into a Dutch oven with the 6 Tbs. of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until the ingredients are lightly wilted but not browned.

To the Dutch oven add all but the frozen peas and 1 cup of the broth.

Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Most of the liquid will be absorbed and the rice will still be a bit too firm. Remove the pot to the stove top to finish cooking.

Add the last cup of broth and give everything a good stir. It will take about 3-5 minutes for the liquid to be absorbed by the rice and the whole mixture to become thick and creamy.

Taste the risotto. If the rice is still too firm, add a bit more broth, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Just before serving, add the peas and continue cooking until the peas are no longer cold. Serve the dish hot. You can sprinkle the dish with vegan Parmesan or minced parsley. I served a side of Caesar salad and garlic toast.

Vegans who don't like to cook are always on the lookout for oven recipes. I'm one of them.

Mushrooms--A Delicious Fungi

In the vegan world, fungi is more popular than ever. And so easy to attain. No more having to go out into the wilds to hunt for those earthy stems that are safe to eat. No taking the chance that two mushrooms will look exactly alike and I'll bring the poison one home  and inadvertently end my blogging career. These days, everything I need is at my local grocery store. How easy is that?

As it happens, I was having a guest to dinner who is crazy about all fungi, no matter what it's shape. Since I already had a bag of mushroom filled ravioli in the freezer (purchased, not home made. Remember, I hate cooking) I put my mind to conjuring up an earthy cream sauce to pour over the pasta.

I began with fresh Baby Bella mushrooms and then, to add to the fungi mystique, chopped up a whole bag of rehydrated wild mushrooms and added them to the pot. I seasoned only with salt and pepper, lest I take away from the heady mushroom aroma filling the kitchen.

I made a cream sauce and added it to the mushroom mixture, then dumped the cooked pasta atop everything. I gave it a good stir and let it cook a few more minutes. I served the meal in deep plates so every bit of the sauce would stay where I wanted it. All we needed was some warm French bread to sop up the last bits of that delicious gravy.

RAVIOLI WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE


1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms, your choice

Slice the mushrooms and cook them slowly in a skillet on a medium to low burner. I added a bit of olive oil to the pan so the mushrooms wouldn't burn. Cook until the mushrooms are well browned and tender.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil
Add the dehydrated wild mushrooms
Let them stand at least 30-40 minutes before chopping them into small pieces.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms from the water. Pour the liquid through a coffee filter to remove any forest grit and keep the broth for later use. The broth has the taste of wild mushrooms and is just too good to pour down the sink.

Make the cream sauce:

2 Tbs. vegan margarine
2 Tbs. flour

Cook the roux until the raw flour taste has gone out of it.
Add 2 cups of non dairy milk and stir the pot until the sauce becomes thick, like gravy. Stir in 4 Tbs. nutritional yeast for a Parmesan flavor and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the mushroom mixture.

Cook the ravioli according to package directions. When it floats to the top of the pot, it's done. Remove the pasta and dump it into the mushroom and sauce mixture. Give everything a good stir and gobble to your heart's content. Try not to groan while you eat.

Serves 2-3, depending on how hungry you are.

Mushrooms, Spinach & Noodles--Oh My!

I've always loved spinach but have had an off-putting relationship with mushrooms since I was a kid. To me, they were rubbery and had little to no taste. I pretty much stayed away from them till becoming a vegan. Then I looked them over, saw how many recipes used them and decided to find out how to cook them so that I could eat them without gagging.

Well, I did it. For me, a fresh mushroom is still boring and way too chewy. I just plain don't like the feel of it in my mouth. But cook the fungi in a bit of vegan margarine till it is absolutely soft and glazed a dark brown, mix it with a few onions and a bit of garlic, and I have a starter for something tasty.

This whole recipe evolved from a dish I saw cooked up on television when Ina Garten made mushroom lasagna. Since I'm a lazy cook, I turned it into a simple noodle dish and added in some of my own ingredients-- all while turning it into a vegan meal that was beyond delicious. I served it alongside a dinner salad and some garlic toast. If you're a noodle lover, my guess is you'll like this meal. Let me know what you think.

MUSHROOM, SPINACH & NOODLES

In a large skillet put:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. any kind of mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
4-6 sun dried tomatoes, sliced
Big pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms begin releasing their water. Cover the pan and move it to a low-heat back burner for at least 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are well browned and soft. When the mushrooms are to your liking, add 1 bag of baby spinach to the pan. Cover and leave it on the back burner another 20 minutes. If the vegetables get too dry, add 1 Tbs. water and put the cover back on the pan.

Cook the noodles in a large saucepan:

4 quarts water, salted and brought to a boil
8 oz. noodles (I used No-Yolk)

Cook the noodles until they are al-dente, about 10 minutes.

Drain the noodles and transfer them into the pot with the mushroom ingredients. Pour the white sauce over the top and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and mix again. The nutritional yeast has a Parmesan flavor that goes well with the dish.

Serves 3-4

Vegan White Sauce

Into a saucepan put:

2 Tbs. vegan margarine or olive oil
2 Tbs. flour
Cook over medium heat until the roux is light tan in color. Do not let it burn or you'll have to start over.

Add in 2 cups non-dairy milk
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
A dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk, stirring constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a white sauce that coats the back of a wooden spoon--about 8-10 minutes. Use as directed above.

Eating vegan is good for your heart!

FACEBOOK and French Onion Soup

You can now find Once A Week Vegan on Facebook. If you have a FB account, do a search for our blog under its name, click "like" and you'll automatically have the blog delivered to your FB wall. If you aren't on FB, don't worry. We'll still be right where we've always been so you can find us in the regular place too. We're working on getting on Twitter, but so far that hasn't happened. We'll let you know when and if it does.

The advantage of having us on your FB wall is that you'll receive much more than just our blog. You'll get links from other vegan sites, all the news concerning new vegan products  available to us, and isolated recipes for good vegan food that others have posted and shared on public sites, which allows us to re-post them to Once A Week Vegan. 


Another reason for putting our site on FB is to make commenting easier. No more being asked to sign up for an account you don't want in order to ask us questions or comment on a certain blog. We have tried to make everything as easy for you as possible. We hope to see you on the new site. No matter where you read us, we want to thank each of you for following us. Without our faithful readers, the time we spend blogging would be worthless.

Southern California is full of rain--again. You know by now that I have a penchant for soup when it rains, and today is no different. I have tried to create a vegan version of French Onion Soup. While it doesn't compare to the real thing, it suited my fancy, so just in case it might suit yours too, I'm passing my recipe along. If you come up with a better version, write and tell us. We are always open to new ideas.

French Onion Soup, Sort Of

Use the largest skillet you have and add to it:

5 medium onions, sliced thin
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. vegan margarine

Brown the onions over a slow flame, stirring often until they are completely caramelized. About 40 minutes. The onions should be a mahogany color. Don't rush the process or the onions will burn and you'll have to start all over. If the onions become too dry during caramelization, add some No-Beef broth and continue to cook until there are no white bits left.

Now add to  the skillet:

2 1/2 cups No-Beef Broth (health food store or use Vegetable Broth in a pinch.)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 good pinch of dry thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook another 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. When just about ready to serve, add:

2 Tbs. dry sherry or cognac and let cook another five minutes to cook off the raw alcohol taste.

Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls. Top with a small piece of toasted french bread just big enough to cover the top of the soup.

Mix 1 cup of Daiya shredded mozzarella cheese with 1 Tbs. of nutritional yeast and place the cheese mixture atop the bread slice. Set the bowls on a large cookie sheet and put into a 450 degree oven, just until the cheese melts and turns a light brown.

While this soup is cloudy, rather than clear as is true French Onion soup, the taste is real. Even extraordinary. I served it with toasted french bread spread with a bit of olive oil and browned it in the oven along with the soup bowls of melting cheese.

If you love real French onion soup and are vegan, try this recipe. I think you'll like it.

 Serves 4

Onions frying on the stove = vegan perfume

A Health Report Plus Soup You'll Love

This month I am a year vegan. If you haven't read how that all came about, I'll give a short re-cap.

After about fifteen years fighting intestinal disease that landed me in the hospital way too many times--four were for major surgery and one included a colostomy reversed after nine months--the hospital finally called in a new doctor to see me rather than those who had always attended me in the past. I was there, once again, because of a twisted colon. I hadn't requested a new doctor nor had I ever heard of this one. He just showed up one day as I was laying in bed with a tube up my nose and down the back of my throat and into my stomach. He introduced himself and told me the hospital had asked him to come see me.

After five days of laying in a hospital bed with tubes everywhere, I got to know him a bit, for he came twice a day to check on my condition. The day came when I was going to be released and when he popped into my room for the last time, nobody was more shocked than I was when he  told me I needed to eat vegan if I wished to stay out of the hospital.

I was taken aback. In fact I was just plain disbelieving. "But," I said, "that isn't what all the other doctors and surgeons have told me in the past. I'm always told to go home to a liquid diet for two days and semi-soft for two days and then go back to regular eating."

"Has it worked?" is what he said.

"No, I always end up throwing up and in excruciating abdominal pain after a bit. By the time about three months has passed, when I can no longer keep food down or stand the pain, I come to Emergency. By then I know I'm in trouble."

Then he began drawing diagrams of a stomach and intestinal tract, showing me what was happening and why it was happening and how a vegan diet would change everything. I agreed to give it a try, though I doubted it would work or even help the situation. The whole plan seemed far-fetched, but I gave my word I'd give it an honest shot.

Foods that are always
in my home

My first day home, my daughter stocked my cupboards with beans and grains and vegetables and fruits and soy curd and non-dairy milk and all the other things she saw listed. With great unbelief, I did what I'd been told and waited for the abdominal pain to lay me flat. It didn't happen. I figured by day two  it would begin. Didn't happen. The first week went by and while I fought a lot of flatulence, I felt fine. Still, I refused to take hope. I'd been disappointed too many times before.

Before and After

Four months later I was down forty-five pounds. The weight fell off so fast my grandma skin didn't have time to catch up and was now as wrinkled as a crumpled paper. I didn't care. I felt great. I hadn't expected to lose weight. Nor had I expected my skin to come back to life. People who hadn't seen me for a long time stopped me to ask what I'd done to myself. They weren't interested in being vegan, but the women sure were interested in why the skin on my face glowed with health.

The same question everyone
asks me

This month it is a year since I've eaten meat or dairy or any of the other things not on the doctor's list. I look good and I feel good. To my surprise, my primary care doctor gradually took me off blood pressure meds, ulcer meds, and pain pills, saying I no longer needed them. He also told me he thought the doctor who'd put me on a vegan diet was a genius. He admitted that he would never have thought to do that.

Since my clothes were now literally falling off my body, I dug around in the back of my closet for things that might fit me. I'd let my hair go straight and gray because I was tired of paying for tints and perms. I informed my hairdresser to do something new and I actually loved the cut she created. Then I called a good friend who sells Mary Kay and set a time for a make-over.

I think I still carry too much weight, but I believe my body is in a holding pattern, trying to figure out what's going on. My skin is in a holding pattern too--still wrinkled from the fast weight loss. How grateful I am for my mom's English genes, for while my arms and legs resemble elephant skin, my face is surprisingly free of any deep wrinkles, just as my mom was when she passed away at 82. She never did look her age. Maybe I won't either.

My most-used cookbook

All of the above to say, it's been a challenge to find recipes that please my palette. I generally begin with an idea or even a recipe from a vegan cookbook and then start throwing in the herbs and spices and other things I enjoy eating. I've had people question as to how I'm able to stay vegan, for I spent 70 years as an omnivore. I always tell them the same thing.

"FEAR." Fear is a great motivator. Fear of the pain, fear of more extensive surgeries, fear of long hospital stays, fear of being sick all the time, living on pain pills and tossing my cookies at least once a day. Who do you know that would like a life like that? I am truly grateful that growing up, our family ate tons of vegetables from our garden and fruit from our trees. I never met a bean I didn't like and grains have always been a favorite. Changing my diet wasn't a dreaded thing. Learning how to prepare vegan meals was a challenge, but I learned.

What I've learned, I've passed on to you. I think you'll like today's Sweet Potato And Chard Soup. I went back for seconds. I bet you will too. Blessings.

SWEET POTATO AND CHARD SOUP

Into a soup pot put:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 small onion, cubed

1 large zucchini, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 small jalapeno, minced, seeds and ribs removed

1 tsp. tikka masala (can use garam masala as a substitute)

1/4 tsp. turmeric

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

2 Tbs.nutritional yeast

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the mixture to a boil, turn heat to simmer and cook, covered, for an hour. 

Add 1 large bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and rough chopped. Turn the heat to medium and cook another 10 minutes. Serve with any favorite bread or biscuit.

Serves 4

VEGANS ARE A COLORFUL BUNCH!

Garlic Time

I swear it is my favorite vegetable. There is very little I will not eat it in or on. I have been carrying around a recipe in my head for years, from an Italian restaurant I used to frequent in Ft. Lauderdale. It is for a simple Marinara Sauce that is made delectable by the addition of sliced garlic that has been sauteed in olive oil until it is browned and crispy. I use a whole head more or less. Saute it until brown not burned, add a shake of red pepper flakes and then take off the burner. SLOWLY add a can of whole tomatoes with their juice(San Marzano if you can get em). Breakup the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, add a handful of chopped basil, a few grinds of black pepper and a couple of pinches of sugar. Slowly simmer for 20 or 30 minutes, no more. The combination of the hot/sweet with the acid of the tomatoes and the musky taste of the toasted garlic is cosmic. No carrots or onions or peppers here. I am a purist. Some al dente spaghetti, a side salad and a bottle of red, perfect meal.

Tonight we make vegan stuffed shells with spinach and marinara sauce. I adapted this recipe from "Vegan With a Vengance" , the back of the pasta box and memory. I grew up around a lot of Italian Americans and stuffed shells were a staple.

1lb firm tofu pressed

2 tsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic minced or much more according to taste

a pinch of black pepper and salt

a handful of finely chopped basil leaves

4 tsp olive oil

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

12oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

12oz package jumbo shells, parboiled for 10 minutes and rinsed

1 recipe John's Fond Memory Marinara Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350. Drain and press tofu for 30 minutes or so. Mash the tofu in a large bowl until it is crumbly. Add the lemon juice, garlic , salt, pepper, basil and nutmeg. Mash with your hands until it is the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add the spinach, mixup and then add the olive oil. Mix with a fork now and add nutritional yeast and mix till incorporated.

Stuff shells with the spinach mixture. Place half of the sauce in a casserole, add the shells and pour the rest of the sauce over the shells. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

Buon Gusto!

On a more serious note...For those of you not wanting to expose yourself to Roundup Ready genetically modified seed, you might consider buying tofu made from organic soybeans. My local Kroger carries Vitasoy. Roundup Ready seed has been genetically altered so that the farmer can spray his fields with Round Up and it will not kill the plant. Just all the plants around it. I make no judgements but admit that I already have way too many bad habits to take chances. If they listed Roundup as an ingredient, would anyone buy it?

Hippie Dust

Since my last post, my friend Pam informs me that nutritional yeast is also called Hippie Dust. I hadn't heard this before as I missed the hippie era. But just barely. Hippies were all around me as a young teen and undoubtedly had an influence on my thinking and exposure to a larger world. This was important to a kid who grew up in a town where the last thing of significance that happened was the American Revolution. Well, that and a few juicy murders. I wonder how the world views Vegans and think it is probably a perception of wide eyed, new age optimists who will soon grow tired of being do gooders and turn into country club republicans. This past week has been a quest to explore hippie dust and observe vegans in my very limited sphere.


On Sunday I ate vegan although it is not my scheduled day. We have gotten bored with the choices here in the hood and had lunch at the Spiral Diner that opened recently in Oak Cliff. The staff was almost universally tattooed and sported those god awful earrings that stretch your lobes down to your shoulder blades. Lots of black clothing and more than a few nose rings, altogether very goth like. The place was packed and I don't think you could look at anyone in the room and say definitely that they were or were not a Vegan. No one looked other worldly.There were a couple of rich white ladies in the booth next to us in full length fur coats, so I am not sure they got the whole vegan thing. But they looked like they were enjoying themselves. I am not terribly fond of the menu there because everything seems so complicated. So many ingredients, lot's of hippie dust and fake sausages. I did manage to scarf down a piece of vegan blueberry pie.


That night I made Scrambled Tofu from The Post Punk Kitchen. Now there is a chick with a great shtick. Lots of fun and lots of attitude. No other worldly kumbayisms here. She knows who she is, what she believes, and has a hell of a time doing it. I was intrigued by the recipe. It included hippie dust and I had to try it. It was fabulous! Wrapped it up in corn tortillas with salsa. I have not had great luck with tofu. I am not sure really how to cook it yet. This recipe was a real eye opener and a keeper.


I have been searching a lot of vegan blogs too.Lot's of passionate full time vegans out there. A fun one from Jinxi Boo who has an alarming amount of tattoos, one from Bunny Muffin Bakery in Los Angeles called "Could It Be Seitan" and one from Portland that is dedicated strictly to Vegan Reubens. None of them are particularly preachy and all of them are humorous. I made a very fine vegetarian (not vegan) Reuben on Friday and botched a vegan curry tofu recipe on Thursday. It tasted like shoe leather. Saturday we had Pad Kee Mow with tofu from an Asian restaurant here in the neighborhood that I would like to try to duplicate.


So the whole vegan thing is more of a journey for me than a destination. It's been a lot of fun trying new recipes and thinking about the way I eat and how it affects things. And really, who would have thought I would have any discipline?


Tonight, I am making a quickie. Worked today and am painting the house, getting ready to sell.


Pan Roasted Garlic Tomatoes with Arugula and Spaghetti


Slow pan roast a 12 oz package of grape tomatoes, 1 head of thinly sliced garlic, a handful of basil and some black pepper over medium heat in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes burst their skins. Meanwhile, cook a pound of spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Toss into the pan with a 5oz package of baby arugula. Toss to coat.






Serve with a sprinkling of Hippie Dust.