It's a Keeper » one pot blt pasta

Guest Post: Vegan BLT Pasta

Christina — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:11:54 +0000

I’m delighted to share this It’s a Keeper-inspired veggie-conversion with Christina’s readers. For those of you unfamiliar with my blog, I’m Kristi from Veggie Converter and I am challenging myself to create a new family-friendly vegetarian meal each day this year.

I started this challenge because our family is a blended-eater family. I’m a vegetarian, my husband is not, and our kids are young and undecided. So, I got really tired of trying and failing to make two different meals that were tasty or even a decent meat meal at all for my husband. You can only have tacos so many times!

That led me to search for “meaty” recipes that I could convert into vegetarian meals and make something my husband and I would both love. So far, we’ve had a few epic failures, but also a great amount of fantastic successes. We’re all happier at dinnertime.

When I saw Christina’s BLT Pasta, I knew I’d found a keeper for the veggie-conversions. Here’s how I recreate One Pot BLT Pasta into a vegan (meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free) meal.

“BLT” Pasta

Adapted from original recipe at It’s a Keeper.

Ingredients

1 C “Bacon” bits

2 C veggie broth

1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. steak seasoning (optional)

12 oz uncooked pasta (I used spaghetti, original uses linguine)

1 C loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped

4 oz grated cauliflower

1/4 C green onions, chopped (optional)

Wedged fresh tomatoes

Directions

I did not follow the one pot directions, because I was impatient! So, I put he pasta on to boil until just barely al dente. Meanwhile, place a skillet on medium heat and add onion, cauliflower, green onion, steak seasoning and red pepper flakes. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook for 10-20 seconds. Add broth and diced tomatoes, pasta and half of the “bacon”. Simmer until pasta is al dente.

Remove skillet from heat and add wedged tomatoes and parsley, reserving 1 Tbsp. of parsley for garnish. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened. Serve with remaining bacon and reserved parsley.

The vegan version turned out great. Smoky, fabulous and it will definitely be put on our “to repeat in 2012″ list (if we don’t sneak it in before the challenge is over). For a creamier version, mash about half the cauliflower with a bit of soy milk.

Thank you, Kristi, for sharing your version of this recipe! I’m looking forward to trying it with my family! If you haven’t already done so, please stop by Veggie Converter 365 – Kristi has lots of great recipes and menu plans to share!

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Thank You, Williams-Sonoma!

Christina — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 03:52:12 +0000

Yesterday, I had the BEST time spending my $1,000 Williams-Sonoma gift card — the grand prize I won in their Easy Weeknight Dinner recipe contest. My husband and I spent the better part of a day picking out what we wanted at the WS in the King of Prussia (PA) mall.

However, when we first got there, we were so confused when we found this sign:

OK, confused and a little miffed..thinking that we just drove 2 hours and the store was closed! Then I realized it was a WS Home store. Thank goodness!

We eventually found the store and the real fun began! The store manager, Brian (and the entire staff), was fantastic. He hooked us up with a bridal registry scanner and we went to town.

Oh, and he even hooked us up with a 10% discount on all of our purchases for the day! So, that meant I actually had $1,100 to spend!!! Where to start?!?

First, we went right to the All Clad section — who wouldn’t like top of the line pots and pans?!? There were so many choices! But I picked out a few!

Next, we headed over to check the Le Creuset section!

Then, off to knives! We have a great set of Wüsthof cooking knives already. But we wanted some steak knives to complete our set.

Once we were finished scanning, Brian took care of pulling together all of our purchases while we went for some lunch. Oh, speaking of food, I HIGHLY recommend the pulled pork recipe in the newest WS catalog– it was the recipe they were sampling at the store. It’s definitely a keeper!

During lunch, my husband and I were talking about how we were going to lug everything out of the mall to our car. Cast iron is VERY heavy! When we got back to the store, Brian had everything ready for us. How easy was that?!? Then, he gave us directions to the mall loading dock!

Now, I am a pretty seasoned shopping veteran. I can run with the big dogs. But, in all of my shopping experiences, I have NEVER had to pick up my purchases at a loading dock! How awesome was that?!?!

When all was said and done, we made out pretty, darn good! We did go over the gift card amount a little. But I had had some Christmas money I wanted to spend. And, I couldn’t think of a better time/place to spend it!

So, here’s what we got:

All Clad d5 stainless cookware:

- 12 inch frying pan
- 9 inch ultimate egg pan
- 6 qt saute pan (we’ve nicknamed this the “Mack Daddy” – it’s HUGE!)
- 2 qt saute pan
All Clad Ladle
All Clad Skimmer
All Clad lasagne pan (free gift with purchase)
All Clad oven mitts (free gift with purchase)
Le Creuset dutch oven
Le Creuset oval baking dish
Wüsthof classic steak knives (2 sets)
Wüsthof knife sharpener (free gift with purchase)
Wüsthof cutting board (free gift with purchase)
Epicurean cutting board
Essentials of Italian Cooking cookbook

I have to tell you. I hemmed and hawed about the 2 quart saute pan. It was the last thing we added. However, over the past 24 hours, I have used it 3 times already! I love that pan! So versatile. Definitely a keeper!

Thank you, Williams-Sonoma, for this fantastic experience! Your store and company is truly top-notch! I will be a devoted customer for life! And, thank you to everyone who voted for my One Pot BLT Pasta recipe in the contest! I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for your support!

Not bad for a day’s shopping! Now, I just need to find a place to put everything!

IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE!

Christina — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:11:05 +0000

For the past several weeks, I have been chomping at the bit patiently waiting for the prize I won from the Williams-Sonoma Easy Weeknight Meal recipe contest for my One Pot BLT Pasta recipe. And now, the wait is over! My $1,000 gift card arrived! Yes, you read that right…$1,000!

So, tomorrow, I’ll be heading out to the Williams-Sonoma at the King of Prussia Mall to spend my windfall! And I can’t wait! Really. I’m giddy with excitement right now!

Under normal circumstances I tend to lose motor function when I’m in Williams-Sonoma. I walk around drooling over looking at all of the pretty things. Pots and pans. Utensils. Gadgets and gizmos galore. I’m like a kid in a candy store!

Oh, and the fine (I mean really SUPER nice) folks at WS have even made arrangements so that I have (and I quote…) “an extra special shopping experience”! Giddy, I tell you. I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep tonight?!

So, what’s a girl to buy? Any suggestions for what I should get on my shopping spree? What can’t you live without?

The Best of 2010

Christina — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:03:09 +0000

As we get ready to close out 2010, I thought it would only be appropriate to recap the top 10 recipes on It’s a Keeper. Below, I’ve listed the 10 recipe posts with the most views in 2010. These are the recipes you guys liked the best!

It’s a Keeper is almost 1 year old and I think I’ve learned (and grown) a lot over the past year. My recipe pile has continued to grow exponentially (although now it’s more organized) — which means that I have my work cut out for me in 2011! I also have a few ideas to make It’s a Keeper better in 2011 and, as always, I’m open to your suggestions!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the bloggers out there that have provided links to It’s a Keeper! Here’s a list of my Top 10 Referrers:

If you haven’t already visited these great sites, please stop by and tell them that It’s a Keeper sent you! And, to all of the other blogs and sites that have featured, linked or have otherwise provided a referral…THANK YOU! I truly appreciate all of your support!

I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with you! So, here’s to a happy and healthy New Year! I’ll see you in 2011!

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Please, check out some of the other great websites, blogs and recipe swaps that I’ve found. Their links are to the right —>