Greens--Part 2

I've discovered that greens go well with pasta, so here are a few pasta dishes.

1.  Mac and Orach.  I've replaced the chard with orach from Robin Robertson's Mac and Chard recipe in 1000 Vegan Recipes.  Most vegan "macaroni and cheese" recipes use nutritional yeast as a cheese replacement, but this recipes uses potato as a thickener, cashews for creaminess, and turmeric for color.  It really does look like cheese sauce!  Of course, it doesn't taste like cheese, but it is delicious.  I have some orach in the freezer so we can enjoy this during the winter too.


2. Peanut Pasta.  I'm sure you can find several recipes for this sort of thing, but here's my version, originally adapted from a recipe in AllYou magazine:

• Boil one bunch of greens and chop finely.
• Boil 8oz whole wheat thin spaghetti until al dente.
• In a small sauce pan or microwave bowl, mix together 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 1/2 T reduced sodium tamari, 1 T rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 T  grated fresh ginger.
• Drain pasta and add 1/2 cup pasta water to the above sauce, heat if necessary and stir until smooth.
• Add sauce, greens, and 1-2 T unhulled sesame seeds to pasta and stir.  

3.  Green Spaghetti. Originally, I got this idea from Whole Foods for the Whole Family from La Leche League.  Basically, it goes like this.  Steam and puree 10-16oz fresh spinach, add a bit of water or broth, salt, pepper, and garlic and any other seasonings that sound like an adventure.  Pour over your spaghetti!  I was a bit wary about this idea, worrying that it would be a strong spinach flavor, but it was pleasantly mild

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