pasta

Recipe – Lemon Broccoli Pasta Salad

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Lemons

The lemon is a species of small evergreen trees native to Asia, primarily northeast India, northern Myanmar and China, although production had spread to much of the world by the 14th century. We can thank Christopher Columbus for their introduction to the Americas in 1493. By the 19th century, lemons were increasingly planted in Florida and California. As of 2020, top producers were India, Mexico, China, Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey—collectively 65% of global production.

The yellow fruit is used primarily for its juice for both cooking and cleaning. Its sour taste is a result of the level of the citric acid it contains (5% to 6% with a pH of about 2.2).

The lemon is a rich source of vitamin C, 64% of the daily value, which is essential for health. It can:

  • lower the risk of stroke
  • reduce blood pressure
  • help prevent cancer
  • boost the immune system
  • increase iron absorption
  • help prevent certain diseases such as scurvy
  • support heart health
  • prevent kidney stones
  • help control weight
  • improve digestive health

Sources: Wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon; medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283476#nutrition; healthline.com/nutrition/6-lemon-health-benefits

Recipe – Lemon Broccoli Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. rotini pasta

1 ½ lbs. broccoli, trimmed and cut in bite-sized pieces

4 packed cups spinach

3 Tbs. vegan butter

Zest and juice of one large lemon

2-3 cloves garlic

1 cup vegan parmesan

Salt to taste

Process

  1. Boil water, add in pasta, turn down heat just a bit, and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Add in the broccoli, stir, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the pasta is at your desired doneness.
  3. Drain all of the water and return the pasta/broccoli to the pot. Add in the spinach and lemon zest, stir, and cover the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the spinach has begun to wilt.
  4. While you wait, heat the butter in a small skillet. Once just hot, add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Take off of heat.
  5. Stir into the pasta the garlic butter mixture, lemon juice to combine.
  6. Stir in the parmesan cheese until fully mixed in.
  7. Serve and garnish with a bit of extra vegan parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon wedges, and salt if desired.

Recipe – Simple Pasta Salad

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Ingredients

4 cups (approx.) small pasta, cooked

2 cups red or kidney beans, cooked

10 cherry tomatoes (approx.), chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

1 can olives, sliced

Process

Combine all and add Italian dressing and a little salsa. Stir and serve.

Recipe – Garlic Penne Noodles

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3 cups uncooked penne pasta

½ large bulb garlic

1 medium onion

1 12.3 oz. Mori-nu extra firm tofu

Cashew milk

Salt to taste

Cook noodles according to directions on box. Chop ¾ of onion and sauté. Add to drained cooked noodles. Blend remaining onion, garlic, salt and tofu together. Add cashew milk to create thin to medium sauce. Garlic, onion, and salt should be strong in the sauce. Pour sauce over the noodles and allow to set overnight to best absorb flavor. Add cashew milk if needed to moisten noodles, and bake at 350 degrees until thoroughly heated.

Recipe – Daniel’s Manicotti

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1 box firm tofu

1 Tbs. Lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1 box firm tofu

2 jars spaghetti sauce

1 box manicotti noodles

Optional:

Soy cheese, “meat” crumbles, 1 small onion, herbs of choice.

Combine Mori Nu Tofu, lemon juice, and salt in blender until creamy. In a medium sized bowl, place fresh tofu and mash with a fork till crumbly. Place tofu mixture from blender into the crumbled tofu and mix well. (At this point you may add herbs. Suggested herbs are: 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano.) Cook noodles and drain. Put one jar of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. (If you choose to use “meat” crumbles and onion, cook these until done in a pan.) Add ½ of the “meat” mixture to the tofu mixture and stuff noodles with tofu and layer in pan. Sprinkle the other ½ of the “meat” mixture on top with the other jar of spaghetti sauce. Top with soy cheese and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and everything is warmed through.

Recipe – Vegetable Spaghetti Medley

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8 oz. pkg. whole wheat spaghetti

1 bag fresh vegetable medley or vegetables of choice

½ cup smooth peanut butter

2 Tbsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 ½ tsp. chile-garlic sauce

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

Slightly undercook the pasta until el dente; then add the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are just tender. Drain mixture, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Whisk peanut butter, Braggs, garlic, chile-garlic sauce and ginger in a large bowl. Add the reserved cooking liquid, pasta and vegetables. Toss well to coat. Serve warm or chilled.

Food for Life – Vegetarianism

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This quotation caught my eye the other day: “Until God changes what a person is, don’t try to change what he does!” Until we have a heart change, we cannot expect to change a lifestyle of wrong eating habits. Once we determine to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have any regrets in accepting the health reform message He has given to His people in the “end time,” to prepare them for His second coming.

The Lord is not arbitrary. There are reasons for each of His health principles. For example, in these last days vegetarianism is important because of the many diseases found in animals today, that were not present in the time of Christ.

The Spirit of Prophecy states very explicitly that we cannot make “gods of our bellies” and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So we do have a work to do for ourselves. But not without help! That was why Christ endured the wilderness experience, to show us that He will be very near to each one of us in our most trying experiences.

“Our Savior fasted nearly six weeks that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite. How can professed Christians with enlightened consciences, and with Christ before them as their pattern, yield to the indulgence of those appetites which have an enervating influence upon the mind and body? . . . Many who profess godliness do not inquire into the reason of Christ’s long period of fasting and suffering in the wilderness. His anguish was not so much from the pangs of hunger as from His sense of the fearful result of the indulgence of appetite and passion upon the race. He knew that appetite would be man’s idol and would lead him to forget God and would stand directly in the way of salvation.” Confrontation, 50, 51.

“Those who make determined efforts in the name of the Conqueror to overcome every unnatural craving of appetite will not die in the conflict. In their efforts to control appetite they are placing themselves in right relation to life, so that they may enjoy health and the favor of God and have a right hold on the immortal life.” Ibid., 79.

“Let him who is struggling against the power of appetite look to the Savior in the wilderness of temptation. See Him in His agony upon the cross as He exclaimed, ‘I thirst.’ He has endured all that it is possible for us to bear. His victory is ours.” Desire of Ages, 97.

February Recipe:

Pasta Salad

1 8 oz. package of Vegetable Pasta

Cook according to your package directions

1 4 oz. Can sliced Olives

1 Large Cucumber (or non-vinegar pickle) diced small

½ cup Tofu Mayonnaise

1 ¾ tsp. Sea Salt

Tofu Mayonnaise

16 oz. pkg. tofu

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon ground dill (optional)

1/4 cup pineapple concentrate

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup Fruit Source (granulated)

1/2 cup cashew pieces

4 oz. can chopped olives

Place first eight ingredients in blender on high speed and blend until smooth.Then add cashews and continue blending until very smooth. Pour into container and add the chopped olives and stir well. For use as sour cream on baked potatoes, omit olives and use chives. This also makes a delicious dip for chips (the baked variety with no oil, or Frito-Lay makes delicious Tostitos with nothing but corn and salt.)

The End